Important Message: I usually never do OST's just because I feel like it's unnecessary, but I will be including them in my story in some rare cases where I feel like it's just absolutely necessary. I always thought OST's were stupid, but I strongly encourage you guys to actually listen to the OST while reading that specific part, and I promise you guys that it'll make the story x100 times better.
Honestly, the OST scene for this chapter is probably one of the best fight scenes, (or just scenes), that I've ever written.
Random Message: Also, I never noticed this, but the story seems so much cooler when you read it with the background being black and the text being white (the white and black circle on the top of the bar above the chapter). I just thought that I'd share it as it seemed interesting.
Also, there's an important message at the end, so please read it.
The Ryoka Invasion Arc: Conclusion
Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive.
- Namikaze Minato
[Sokyoku Hill, Seireitei, Soul Society]
Aizen and Gin looked around the area as they appeared at Sokyoku Hill in a flash of blinding light. "Hmmm…" Aizen blinked as he gazed around the terrain. "Kaname should be here at any moment."
And on cue, a flash of white light appeared in front of them, the light dispersing to reveal Tosen, Renji, and Rukia in its place. Renji looked around, and his eyes widened as they fell upon Aizen and Gin. "A-Aizen-taichou…? And Ichimaru-taichou!" he exclaimed. "What's going on here…?" He unconsciously tightened his grip on Rukia as he felt a foreboding tension in the air. What's going on here...?
"Ah… If it isn't Abarai-kun," said Aizen as he slowly walked towards them.
Renji narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering Minato's message that had been relayed to all of the captains and vice-captains in Seireitei. "So it's true after all… You're alive, and you betrayed us…!" he cried out in a mix of confusion and desperation. "Aizen-taichou, please tell me that it isn't true! Did you and Ichimaru-taichou really betray Soul Society?!"
Aizen smiled as he continued walking towards him. "Step away from Kuchiki Rukia," he said calmly, ignoring Renji's question.
Renji clenched his teeth as he glared at Aizen. "I'm afraid that I can't, Aizen-taichou!"
...
Aizen narrowed his eyes slightly. "What?"
Rukia's eyes widened as she felt Renji's grip on her tighten. "R-Renji…" she whispered.
"Shut your mouth, Rukia!" growled Renji as he continued to glare at Aizen. He hugged Rukia closer, unwilling to let go of his best friend. Rukia felt his arms beginning to tremble as Renji tightened his hold on her. "I'm not letting you go, Rukia!" He bowed his head as he held back the tears in his eyes that threatened to spill. "Not now..." he whispered, his voice full of agony. "Not again...!"
Rukia bit her lip, forcing herself to remain calm despite the urge to sob into her best friend's arms. Renji...
Aizen closed his eyes and sighed. "Very well," he said in a mock sad voice. He slowly drew his sword from its sheathe as he continued to advance towards Renji. "I will take your feelings into consideration, Abarai-kun. If you cannot bear to be separated from the girl, then don't let her go. Instead, leave your arms and the girl, and then step away."
Renji narrowed his eyes as he braced himself. "Fat chance, you son of a bitch!" he spat. This is it... Get yourself together, Renji! Aizen-taichou can attack any moment, so...
The former 5th Division's captain's simply blinked as he stopped around two feet in front of Renji and Rukia, his blade slightly raised below his waistline.
…
Shit! swore Renji mentally as he jumped back, narrowly avoiding Aizen's attack. Rukia's eyes widened in horror as a splatter of blood sprayed the ground. "R-Renji…" she whispered as she looked up at him. "Why…?!"
Renji grimaced as he gripped his left arm, which had a large gash on it. Dammit, that was close… Aizen-taichou's speed is almost unreal…! I was barely able to dodge that attack, and I definitely won't be able to dodge the-.
"You've learned to dodge quite well, haven't you, Abarai-kun?" commented Aizen as he smiled at him. "That makes me so happy, but now…" Renji's eyes widened as Aizen suddenly seemed to teleport to him from where he was standing. His speed increased! thought Renji as he got ready to jump back.
"Too slow!" said Aizen as he swung his blade at him.
Renji shut his eyes tightly as he used himself as a shield in order to protect Rukia from the attack, waiting for the final blow. When the attack didn't come, Renji, confused, opened his eyes and looked up to see a figure standing in front of him, having blocked Aizen's attack with her own Zanpakuto. Her red hair flowed behind her like a flowing silk scarf as she stood over him with an almost graceful stance.
Aizen looked "surprised" at the appearance of this figure. Well, if it isn't...
… "Jūsanbantai-sanseki, Uzumaki Kushina," said Aizen in a composed tone despite the constant hindrances in his plan. "How did you manage to find us…?"
Kushina swung her blade at Aizen, knocking his own blade aside and thrusting at him, forcing him to leap back. "I never failed to sense someone's reiatsu," she replied with a calm look on her face. "I rushed here as soon as possible once I sensed a large group of reiatsu about to materialize here." She held her sword loosely by her side, but her body was tense, ready to intercept Aizen from the slightest movement. "It shouldn't be much of a surprise to you, Aizen," she stated calmly, a hint of humor in her voice. "I highly doubt that you weren't able to sense my presence from afar. You are a captain after all... or are you going to put on a fake smile on your face again and calmly state that I was overestimating you?"
"I see…" Aizen closed his eyes, smiling in amusement. "You're right, Uzumaki-sanseki... And now that you've found us, what do you plan on doing?" He stretched his arms out as if he was inviting her to attack him. "Will you defeat all three of us, or will you try to hold us off until your reinforcements arrive?" He glanced at Rukia for a second before turning his gaze back to Kushina. "No matter what you try, you won't even be able to buy Abarai-kun and Kuchiki Rukia enough time to escape. All options that you have considered and will consider is absolutely futile. There is no way that you can win. All you can do is hand over Kuchiki Rukia and step back."
Kushina narrowed her eyes as she raised her blade, hilt up. "Having confidence in your abilities is one thing, but should you really be going off and acting all tough without even knowing what your enemy is capable of? That's arrogant even for you, Aizen! I'm going to trap you and your two subordinates here until the other captains arrive to lock you three up!"
Aizen seemed amused by this. "Oh…?"
"I'll wipe that smug look off of your face, Aizen," said Kushina determinedly. "I know that I'm not nearly strong enough to take on three captains all by myself, but I can still trap you three!" Aizen watched as Kushina stabbed down with her sword, half of the length of the blade sinking into the ground below. She slammed her hand together as she emitted a wave of fiery red reiatsu that enveloped her.
"Bind, Baindinguchēn!"
Aizen and his two subordinates looked down as they felt the ground below them rumble. "What's going on…?" asked Tosen rhetorically. "What is this...?"
All three of their eyes widened in shock as ten glowing blue-grey chains suddenly shot out of the ground, twisting and wrapping themselves around Aizen and the other two. Aizen narrowed his eyes and struggled against the chains that had bound him, but he was barely able to budge his arms. "This is…" He yanked his arm, but he was unable to break free of the chains. "Impressive… Someone with my level of reiryoku should be able to break free of any Bakudo-type Shikai easily, and yet…"
Kushina gave Aizen a dangerous smile. "I was born with an unusually powerful supply of chakra back when I was alive," she explained. "It seems that after my death, that supply of chakra was converted into an unusually powerful supply of reiryoku. My powerful reiatsu automatically strengthens my Shikai's ability by over twentyfold; otherwise, someone of your level would be able to break out of these chains with almost no effort at all."
"I see…" Aizen suddenly chuckled unexpectedly as he gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto tightly. "It seems that I made a mistake not releasing my Kyoka Suigetsu earlier… It seems that I underestimated you..."
Kushina nodded curtly, acknowledging Aizen's statement. "I know… I was counting on the fact that you hadn't, which is the only reason why this worked."
Gin tugged against the chains and smiled with a carefree look on his face. "My bad, Aizen-taichou. It seems that she wen' an' bound my Zanpakuto as well."
"No, it's fine…" said Aizen with an almost blank look on his face. "It's only a matter of time now."
Kushina narrowed her eyes when she heard this. "'It's only a matter of time…?' Don't underestimate me, Aizen!" She quickly stretched her arms out in front of her, chanting the incantation for a Kido spell. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!"
Aizen remained motionless as a massive orb of yellow lightning appeared on the palm of Kushina's hand, smiling as if he was welcoming her attack.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!" yelled Kushina.
Aizen narrowed his eyes as a giant stream of lightning shot out from the orb of lightning; to Kushina's surprise, however, Aizen's smile grew even wider. "How disappointing, Uzumaki-sanseki."
Kushina's eyes widened as giant transparent rectangular wall appeared in front of Aizen, taking the hit for Aizen and his lackeys. The stream of lightning hit the wall harmlessly as if it was just a child's game.
"Did you really think that I would just rush into a battle with the entire Gotei 13 without any precautions?" asked Aizen amusedly. "That's careless even for you, Uzumaki-sanseki."
Kushina grimaced as she thought of what to do. "I have tons of other spells to use on you, Aizen!" she said. "Don't think that you're off of the hook just yet!"
Aizen shook his head at this. "Did you not just hear what I said?"
Kushina's eyes widened in shock. Oh crap! She quickly jumped backwards as Aizen flicked his index finger in her direction. "Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!" Aizen called out. Kushina was barely able to dodge the stream of blue reiatsu that sped towards her, but the Kido spell managed to graze her arm, which caused a slight burn mark along the bottom of her arm.
Tosen, who had been watching the both of them while remaining motionless, had managed to wrap his index and middle finger around the hilt of his Zanpakuto. "Cry, Suzumushi."
Kushina's head snapped towards Tosen's direction as she heard a high-pitched tone ripple through the air. "Oh no!" she exclaimed as the chains fell from Tosen's body.
"You forgot about my Suzumushi's abilities," stated Tosen as he freed Aizen and Gin from their bindings as well. "Or rather, you didn't know about them, and that small mistake has cost you this entire battle. If you had known better, then you would have bound my hands tighter so that I couldn't have even lifted a finger."
Kushina swore silently in her head, stretching out her arms and twisting them in different patterns. Aizen and his two men were taken by surprise and quickly jumped into the air, using their Zanpakutos to fend off the chains. Aizen seemed impressed by this, even if it was only slightly. "So you can manipulate these chains in a similar manner to that of Kuchiki-taichou's Senbonzakura," he observed. "What a troublesome ability."
"That's right," said Kushina with a grin. "If I control the chains with my hands, then the speed is doubled, just like Kuchiki-taichou's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
The chains, which had a sharp spear-like edge at the end of them, were troublesome to fend off; Tosen and Gin even received a few minor cuts because they were taken by surprise, and therefore unable to fend off Kushina's attacks properly.
Aizen landed on the ground and pointed his blade at Kushina. "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!" he called out.
Kushina's eyes widened. "Oh cr-!"
Aizen suddenly appeared behind Kushina, cutting her down. "My Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis is flawless… Uzumaki-sanseki… If you had just been a little more careful, then you might have succeeded in stopping us…"
Tosen suddenly flash stepped over to Aizen's side. "Allow me to finish her off, Aizen-sama," he said, his blade slightly raised.
Aizen blinked and turned away from the fallen redhead. "Do as you wish, Kaname."
"Farewell, sanseki," said Tosen as he raised his sword high into the air. As he swung down with his blade, his eyes slightly widened as a yellow blur appeared in front of him, blocking his attack with his sword.
Aizen turned his head to face the figure that had just appeared. "Namikaze-fukutaichou…"
When Minato looked up at Aizen, his eyes contained a look of anger and determination so pure that even Aizen was taken by mild surprise. "Aizen…" whispered Minato with a hint of rage in his voice. "I'm tired of this little game of yours… It ends now!"
Aizen smiled amusedly as he leapt back, landing besides Gin and Tosen. "How arrogant of you, Namikaze-fukutaichou."
Kaname's dead eyes narrowed as he readied himself for another attack. "Forgive me, Aizen-sama. This time, I will make sure that I dispose of this-."
"TOSEN!"
OST: Fade to Black
Link: www youtube com watch?v=Wsbv7cjzLks (remember to put the periods and slashes in between the spaces).
Aizen and the others stopped talking and turned their heads to see a yellow-haired figure speeding across the terrain with such ferocity that his sandals actually dug into the ground, leaving a trail of rubble and sparks in his wake.
"TOSEN!" roared the figure again.
THUD! Tosen's eyes widened in shock as the yellow-haired figure crashed into him, sending both of them flying across the terrain. "U-Uzumaki!" exclaimed Tosen in shock. His eyes widened even more as he felt an intense and sinister reiatsu emitting from his vice-captain. T-This is…!
Naruto's eyes widened as his deep blue eyes slowly turned into a pair of glowing orange-red eyes, his pupils shrinking and lengthening out to become slits that resembled a fox's eyes.
Tosen skillfully evaded and blocked all of his vice-captain's punches, but Naruto's strength had been drastically improved by Kurama's influence, so Tosen was quickly overwhelmed by Naruto's sheer brute strength. Tosen flicked the flat of the blade of Suzumushi in an attempt to overload Naruto's hearing, but the massive reiatsu that was enveloping Naruto prevented this. Tosen seemed shocked by this, but he quickly shook this off and attempted to cleave his vice-captain in half by swinging his sword at him.
Naruto saw this coming and stopped Tosen's blade with one hand, ignoring the blade cutting into his hand and yanking the blade out of his captain's hand. He slammed his elbow into Tosen's left arm, rendering it useless.
Tosen tried to block Naruto's punches, but the enraged vice-captain just grabbed his remaining arm and snapped it in half with just one hand, causing Tosen to cry out in pain. "You're not getting out of this yet!" roared Naruto as he delivered a powerful punch to Tosen's stomach.
"DON'T! TOUCH! MY! MOTHER!" screamed Naruto, pummeling Tosen's face with his bare fists between each word.
Tosen twisted around and escaped from Naruto's grip, trying to regain his footing. Before he could react, however, Naruto slammed his fist into Tosen's face and grabbed his Zanpakuto, yanking it out of its sheathe and stabbing his captain's right leg with it.
Tosen struggled not to lose consciousness as the back of his head slammed into the ground repeatedly. T-This power… Impossible…
Naruto grabbed his captain by the neck and crouched down, propelling himself into the air with his legs. He gripped Tosen's neck with both hands and swung him over his head, throwing him down at the ground a second later with such strength that when Tosen hit the ground, a ripple of shockwaves traveled throughout the terrain.
THUD! Tosen hit the ground with such devastating force that it basically exploded, causing large chunks of rock and rubble to fly everywhere.
Naruto appeared on the ground beside his captain and quickly grabbed him, not giving him a chance to react. "I'LL fucking KILL YOU!" he screamed as he held Tosen up by the neck, pummeling his face with his fist until Tosen's face was literally dripping with blood. "NEVER! TOUCH! MY! MOTHER! EVER! AGAIN!"
Naruto then dropped to the ground and slammed his feet into Tosen's stomach, kicking him up into the air. Tosen let out an "oomph" as he spat out a large amount of blood. The 9th Division vice-captain instantly jumped into the air and appeared above his captain, his wide eyes filled with hatred and rage. "AHHH!" he screamed, flipping over in mid-air and slamming his foot into Tosen's stomach.
THUD! Tosen hit the ground once more, the sheer force of the impact cracking multiple bones all over his body as well as his skull.
Ugh… Tosen struggled to lift his head, but his head dropped and slammed on the ground. I-, I can't move… my body… That Naruto… When did he become this strong…?
He gasped for air as he faced the sky, unable to move a single finger because of the intense beating that he had just taken. T-This power… It's…
Naruto landed beside Tosen and took sharp and deep breaths, struggling not to let his hatred and rage overwhelm him. His eyes slowly regained their normal color, and his face gradually regained their natural "human" look.
Naruto blinked as he looked down at his defeated captain, an unreadable expression on his face.
End of OST
Back at Sokyoku Hill…
Minato turned his eyes from Naruto and Tosen to Aizen as he raised his kunai mid-way. "Tosen's a goner, Aizen," he said slowly. "Now there's just you and Gin left…"
Aizen chuckled at this, slightly lifting his sword into the air. "Just me and Gin…? You seem quite confident in your abilities, Namikaze-fukutaichou."
Minato grinned as he twirled his kunai on the tip of his finger. "I know my limits, Aizen… Unlike you, that is."
…
"Is that right…?" Aizen maintained his calm gaze as he raised his sword, pointing the blade at Minato's heart. "Fear not, Namikaze-fukutaichou. I will show you the error of your ways, and then you will realize how foolish your logic was… after I crush it with my own sword."
Minato narrowed his eyes as he glared at Aizen from his spot next to Kushina. "Aizen, you…"
[Sokyoku Hill, Seireitei, Soul Society]
Ichigo skidded to a halt as he arrived at the scene, Ishida and the others arriving just a few moments later. This is… Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he saw Minato and Aizen facing each other, not twenty feet apart. What's going on here…? Is there a fight going on, or did it already happen…?
Ishida gulped as he noticed the tension in the air. The tension… I feel like I'm being suffocated by an overwhelming force… It's like I'm trapped under pressurized water; I can't breathe or move under all of this reiatsu… Is this what it feels like when two captain-leveled people are about to fight…?
"Minato…"
Minato looked down to see Kushina grabbing his leg, a sick and tired look in her eyes. She's in critical condition… That Aizen… She's only last three hours at most at this point…
"Please… be careful," whispered Kushina.
Minato gave her a sad smile as he knelt down and placed his hand against her cheek. "I will," he said gently. "Just stay still, Kushina. The 4th Division should be here soon."
Aizen blinked as he watched the two through blank eyes. "Namikaze-fukutaichou…"
Getting up, Minato shifted his feet as he got into position, stretching out his arm and holding his kunai out in front of him. "I have nothing more to say to you, Aizen…"
… "Ban Kai."
THUD! A wave of blinding white light flashed throughout the area like a ripple effect, momentarily blinding everyone within range. Ichigo grimaced as a current of electricity filled the air, covering his ears in an attempt to block the sound out from his head. What is this…?
Once the light dissipated, Minato was shown holding two kunais in his hands. They were exactly the same as his Shikai, but this time, there was a constant flow of yellow-white lightning running through the blades. Minato stared at Aizen, a confident look in his eyes. "Hiraishin Keisan…"
Ichigo blinked, surprised. "Wait a second… That's a Bankai…? Like Byakuya's Bankai…? Why is it so freaking small? It's even smaller than mine!"
…
"I see…" said Aizen as he stared at Minato's Bankai. "So this is your Bankai, Namikaze-fukutaichou… I must say that I'm surprised."
Minato blinked as he gazed coolly at Aizen. "About what?"
"I expected your Bankai to be much… imposing," said Aizen, pointing at one of the kunais with his sword. "It looks exactly like your Shikai… I wonder if-." Aizen suddenly tilted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding a kunai as it sped past his head. "I wasn't finished talking, Namikaze-fukutaichou," he said calmly. "How unlike you."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Aizen," said Minato, slowly releasing his grip on his remaining kunai.
As the kunai fell through the air, Aizen blinked, and when he opened his eyes, a look of disbelief spread across his face.
…
"What?!" Aizen's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Minato. What's going on here…?
Minato, who had been standing still, suddenly seemed to flicker and was seen holding both of his kunais in his hands, standing there as calmly as ever.
Aizen narrowed his eyes. "Namikaze Minato…"
Minato gave Aizen a dangerous smile. "It must be hard to comprehend what just happened, right, Aizen? How is it that I have both my kunais in my hands when I had just thrown one at you while having dropped the other…? Let's try this again." Spinning his kunais on the tip of his fingers, Minato threw both of them at Aizen in quick succession, the lightning-enhanced kunais flying through the air.
Aizen blocked both kunais with ease, but he was taken by surprise when Minato suddenly appeared next to him at the exact moment that his blade touched the surface of the kunai.
Minato quickly grabbed the kunais and slashed twice at Aizen who ducked, narrowly avoiding the kunais as they passed over his head. Wait… thought Minato in mid-air. Something's wrong… This feeling… Is this… Kyoka Suigetsu…?! So he must have released his Zanpakuto while he was fighting Kushina! If so, then… Minato quickly crouched down and flipped over on one hand, his other hand unnoticeably brushing against the end Aizen's waraji.
Minato then glanced behind his back out of the corner of his eyes and threw one of his kunais around twenty feet away from where he was at. My reiatsu signature in my Hiraishin Keisan kunais can only be sensed by me, so there's no way that Aizen could create a copy of that, as he can't sense its reiatsu signature… I hope that this works!
"You cannot compete with my Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis," said Aizen as he raised his blade at Minato. "It's impossible to counter it…"
… "Like this," said a voice behind him.
Minato spun around to see Aizen standing behind him, the "fake" him shattering into thousands of pieces like he was made of glass. "Farewell, Namikaze-fukutaichou," said Aizen as he swung his blade at him.
Minato narrowed his eyes and his lips spread into a grin as he suddenly flickered over to the kunai that he had thrown earlier, Aizen's blade passing through the spot that he was just at by a millisecond.
Aizen's eyes widened at this. He's fast! This-! The former 5th Division captain suddenly leapt back as Minato flickered from his spot to Aizen's side, his kunai ripping through Aizen's haori along the area of the torso.
Aizen narrowed his eyes as he touched his ripped haori. How is this possible…? He said that the seals incorporated on his kunais were the source of his teleportation method, but... He suddenly bowed his head, chuckling quietly to himself. "I see… So along with the seals on your kunais, your Bankai allows you to place a formula for a seal on whatever you want… You must have placed a formula on me somewhere… Otherwise, it would have been possible for you to have reached me so easily..."
Minato nodded in confirmation. "I call it my raijin-shiki." Minato silently swore to himself after that. I didn't expect him to deduce my Bankai so easily… Dammit… I feel so much weaker in the spirit world because of the difference of strength between shinobis and Shinigamis! … Even with my Bankai, I'm not sure if I can handle him on my own… Now that he's figured out my Bankai, this fight is going to be a whole lot harder…
Aizen raised his Zanpakuto and pointed it at Minato. "It seems that I've underestimated you, Namikaze-fukutaichou." But then again, he is now at a speed where I cannot fully keep up… said Aizen in his head. It's time to end this and…
Aizen glanced back at Gin, who was standing behind him. "Gin, make sure that Kuchiki Rukia stays put. Dispose of Abarai-kun if you wish."
"Got it, Aizen-taichou," replied Gin, turning to Renji, who was beside him with a blade pointed at this throat. Grabbing Rukia by the front of her robe, Gin yanked her out of Renji's grip, dropping her next to his side. "Cya, Abarai-san," he said, raising his blade for the kill.
"RENJI, RUN!" screamed Rukia.
… Gin blinked, unmoved by a metallic silver-white shuriken suddenly slamming into his blade, stopping his attack. "If it ain't Uzumaki-fukutaichou-san. What are ya doin' here?"
THUD! Gin, Renji, and Rukia all turned around to see Naruto landing hard on the ground ten feet away from them, carrying a defeated Tosen by his collar in his right hand. "Ichimaru Gin…" said Naruto slowly, dropping Tosen's body next to him. "It seems that I made it in time…"
"My my," said Gin, tilting his head to the side. "It seems like Tosen-san really got messed up, no? You're a lot stronger than I expected, Uzumaki-fukutaichou-san."
Aizen smiled amusedly as he saw Naruto standing next to Tosen's battered and bruised body. "Uzumaki-fukutaichou… It seems that you've roused my interest in you once again… I'm even more interested to study and learn about this strange power of yours…"
Naruto's hand suddenly shot up, catching his shuriken as it curved back and flew towards him. "Ichimaru… I'm going to stop you and Aizen!"
Gin's grin grew even wider at this. "Ya shouldn't speak like tha', or it might make ya look weak later on." He then turned to Aizen. "My bad, Aizen-taichou. It seems like I'm gonna hav' ta' deal wit' this lil' problem first."
"It's fine," replied Aizen, turning back to face Minato. "We still have some time left, so a little fight or two won't hinder us. I'll be done with this in a little bit."
"'I'll be done with this in a little bit?'" repeated Minato, his eyes narrowed into slits. "You've gotten good at telling jokes, Aizen…"
"Let us finish this fight, Namikaze Minato," said Aizen. "Come with me at full power, and I will crush your feeble attempts one at a time…"
Meanwhile…
… "Are you ready?"
A figure with neck-length jet-black hair and onyx eyes straightened up as he picked his katana up off of the ground. "Of course."
The first figure who was next to him cracked his neck with his hands as he watched his companion stick his katana in his sash that was around his waist underneath his black robe. Although his face was hidden by the shadows, he was fairly tall male with fairly long black hair that fell a little past his neck, his hair spiked messily to the side.
He cast his eyes towards the window where Sokyoku Hill was visible from. "It seems that they've already started. Judging by the reiatsu, it seems that Aizen's fighting with jūsanbantai-fukutaichou, Namikaze Minato…"
The figure next to him blinked. "Namikaze Minato, huh…?"
"Yea… And it seems that he's used his Bankai…" said the first figure quietly. "Aizen must have really angered him for him to have used his Bankai…"
"It seems that way," answered the second figure. "Also, did you get the status reports on the locations of the other captains and vice-captains yet?"
"Yea," replied the first figure. "All of them are on their way to Sokyoku Hill as we speak. Anyways, be careful out there. Don't let your guard down even for a split second."
The second figure merely nodded in reply as he turned to the door. "Of course. Anyways..."
The door slowly creaked open as he figures stepped out into the light, breathing in the cool air before turning his gaze towards the location that Naruto and the others were located.
"… I'll be off."
Back at Sokyoku Hill…
Aizen swiftly ducked as Minato's kunai passed overhead, slicing off a few strands of hair. Spinning around, Aizen slashed at the 13th Division's vice-captain, but his blade passed through air. Che…! Aizen scoffed lightly in his head as he performed multiple back flips in order to avoid a swift onslaught of attacks from Minato using his two kunais. His speed is starting to become a nuisance…
"What's wrong, Aizen?" teased Minato as he teleported to Aizen's side. He tried to lock Aizen's neck with his legs, but Aizen skillfully grabbed his leg and stabbed upwards with his katana.
Minato grimaced as he stabbed at Aizen's hand with his kunai, throwing his other kunai a couple feet away from him. Once Aizen released his grip on him to avoid the kunai, Minato quickly transported to his other kunai, narrowly avoiding Aizen's blade; however, Aizen still managed to give the vice-captain a shallow cut.
Minato winced as he grabbed his leg. Dammit, he got me… Even though it's a shallow wound, it'll start hindering my speed in those critical moments… I'm guessing that I have a two or three minutes at best… I have to finish this fight by then!
Ichigo stared at Minato, a shocked look on his face. W-What is… What is he…
"HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" he roared.
"What?!" Minato's eyes widened as he spun around to face… Aizen. I-Impossible!
Aizen's eyes narrowed into slits as he grinned maliciously, cutting down the vice-captain. "Once you grabbed both kunais, it was quite obvious that you would cast one aside sooner or later in order to avoid my blade." Minato swore silently as he leapt back, grabbing his other kunai in the process. "What do you mean by that?! Tell me!" he demanded, teleporting to Aizen's side.
"Let me ask you this, Namikaze-fukutaichou," said Aizen as he blocked Minato's attack. "How was it that you were able to even come close to using a leg lock on me?"
Minato's eyes widened at this; Aizen grinned as he pushed Minato back with a swing of his sword. "It seems that you realized it," he stated. "That is correct- I let you come close enough to where you could attack me directly. I used that moment and grabbed your legs, forcing you to discard one of your kunais so that you would have to teleport to it in order to dodge my attack."
Minato clenched his teeth in frustration. What…?! This Aizen… So he had already planned this out a while ago…
"You are already under my Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis- it was a simple matter to hide myself in front of your kunai," Aizen continued. "And since you assumed that I was really there- Aizen pointed to the spot where he and Minato were just at moments ago- you unconsciously set yourself to automatically teleport to you kunai, as teleporting to the fake 'me' would have been useless."
Minato grabbed at his chest, noticing his breathing turning heavier. Dammit… Aizen's blade cut deeper than expected… At this rate, I-. Both Minato and Aizen's eyes widened in surprise as a blur suddenly appeared behind Gin. Gin blinked as he looked down to find a blade pressing against his throat and grinned. Taking advantage of the distraction, Minato used the last of his strength to flicker to Aizen's side, grabbing his wrist before he could try anything with his released Zanpakuto. Aizen semmed slightly taken aback by this, but his face showed no expression.
Gin chuckled as he glanced behind him out of the corner of his eyes. "Well, if it ain't my old pal nibantai-fukutaichou..."
The figure was a young male with onyx eyes and neck-length jet-black hair with the back of it being pulled into a low ponytail with a red elastic. He also had unusual pronounced tear-troughs under his eyes.
"… Uchiha Itachi-san…"
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw him. "What are you doing here, Itachi…? I thought that you were off on some assignment."
"I finished early," replied Itachi plainly, an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Is that right?" asked Minato curiously. "So you two received the message as well? I decided to try and contact you anyways, but I wasn't sure if you had gotten it."
"Yes," answered Itachi. "We would have come sooner, but I had just arrived at Seireitei."
… "So you've finally come out," said Aizen quietly from his spot. "The single most secretive and unseen Shinigami in the Gotei 13… Uchiha Itachi... I must say that I'm quite surprised to see you here. Why-?" Aizen and the others suddenly looked around as they heard multiple figures scattering throughout the area. "It seems that the rest of the reinforcements have arrived," he stated in amusement. "Isn't this quite the show?"
Ichigo, who had been quietly standing by the sidelines, looked around in amazement. "L-Look at all these people!"
Yamamoto Genryusai, Chojiro, Soifon, Omaeda, Kira, Isane, Byakuya, Komamura, Iba, Kyoraku, Nanao, Hisagi, Ukitake, Kiyone, Sentaro, and Shihoin Yoruichi had all arrived on the battlefield, their Zanpakutos drawn.
"My bad, Aizen-taichou," apologized Gin. "Seems like I wen' an' got myself caught." As he raised his hand for an unknown reason, a surprised look spread across his face as Rangiku appeared behind him, grabbing his wrist.
"My apologies, Uchiha-fukutaichou," apologized Rangiku as she focused her eyes on Gin, the point of her Zanpakuto pressed against his back. "Please allow me to handle Ichimaru-taichou in your place!"
Itachi blinked as he nodded in response. "Very well," he replied, withdrawing his blade and backing away.
"Isn't this quite the nostalgic sight?" said Aizen. "Shihoin Yoruichi… So you've finally shown yourself after over a hundred years of hiding."
Yoruichi pressed her blade against Aizen's legs as she glared at him. "Just give up, Aizen… Don't you get it? You're completely surrounded… It's over." Soifon, who was right behind her former mentor, grabbed Aizen's wrist as his hand started to rise.
…
Aizen suddenly chuckled, surprising Yoruichi and everyone else. "What are you laughing at, Aizen?" asked Yoruichi, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Aizen as he looked up at the sky. "I was just thinking to myself that it's almost time."
…
Yoruichi's eyes suddenly widened in shock as she realized what Aizen meant by that. CRAP! "EVERYONE GET BACK!" she yelled as she leaped away from Aizen.
Rangiku and Soifon swiftly leapt back, narrowly avoiding three beams of yellow light that descended upon Aizen, Gin, and Tosen from the sky. A giant line suddenly appeared in the sky, two skeletal white hands creeping out of it and slowly opening it up to reveal a giant black hole in the sky.
"I-Impossible!" whispered Omaeda in shock.
Soifon looked up at the hole in the sky as dozens of towering black figures with white skeletal-like masks crawled out from it, multiple rays of bright yellow light shooting out from the hole. "Menos Grande!" she exclaimed. And there's so many of them…!
"Gillians?!" said Omaeda as the Menos Grandes shot out from the hole, towering over the crowd below. "Just how many of them are there?!"
"Wait!" exclaimed Hisagi from his spot besides Naruto. "There's still something behind them!"
The Shinigamis below looked on in amazement as a giant purple eye-like crescent appeared behind the Gillians. W-What is that thing?! wondered Ichigo.
Meanwhile, Rangiku stared at Gin as the ground below him ripped apart, Gin floating up towards giant hole in the sky on a makeshift platform from the ground. Gin…
"I'm a lil' disappointed," said Gin as he floated up, lowering his arm. "Ya coulda kept holdin' on a lil' longer…" He turned his head to face Rangiku, a sincere apologetic look on his face. "So long, Rangiku," he said as he gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry."
…
Iba grimaced as he watched Aizen and the other two former captains descend up into the sky. "You think you're getting away, dammit?!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards Aizen.
"Stop!" ordered Yamamoto.
Iba stopped and looked back at him, surprised. "Soutaichou…"
"That light is called Negación," explained Yamamoto. "Menos use it when helping their own. It was over once they were wrapped in that light; inside the light is a completely isolated, unaffectable world… Anyone who has ever fought with a Menos knows that the moment that light came down we could no longer even touch Aizen…"
"At least Aizen didn't get his hands on the Hogyoku," said Minato as he stared up at Aizen. "We've put a halt to his plans for now…"
Aizen chuckled as he reached into his robe, pulling out a small translucent marble-like sphere; Minato stared at the object with a look of disbelief on his face. "Namikaze-fukutaichou… Before you figured out how to temporarily counter my Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis, who do you think you were really fighting?" asked Aizen with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Minato's eyes widened in shock as he cast his eyes onto Gin, and his eyes widened even further as his eyes fell upon the Gin's ripped haori. I-Impossible…! His haori is ripped along the torso, which is exactly where I cut Aizen! Minato's eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the former captain. "Aizen, you…"
"Precisely," said Aizen. "While you were busy fighting Gin, I had removed the Hogyoku from inside of Kuchiki Rukia."
"But what about Naruto and the ryokas?" exclaimed Minato. "They haven't seen your-!"
"They haven't seen my Kyoka Suigetsu yet?" said Aizen, finishing Minato's sentence for him. "With Complete Hypnosis, it was a simple matter to alter their motions and words to what I wanted them to be. I simply allowed the ryoka-boy to warn you about where I was hiding."
Ukitake stepped forward from his spot, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared up at Aizen. "You've even joined hands with the Menos? For what reason?"
"To seek new heights," answered Aizen, the look of amusement gone from his face.
Ukitake grimaced, the expression on his face becoming even more serious. "Have you fallen to the ground, Aizen?"
"You arrogance is excessive, Ukitake," answered Aizen as he continued to descend into the sky. "No one was standing in Heaven to begin with… Not you, not me, not even god… However, that unbearable vacancy in the throne of Heaven will end…" Aizen took off his glasses as he spoke, slicking his hair back with his hand as his glasses crumbled into dust. "From now on, I will stand in Heaven!" he stated, looking down at the crowd below.
"Farewell, Shinigamis… Farewell, Uzumaki Naruto… I congratulate you on having defeated Kaname without so much as a scratch on you. No wonder why you were declared the strongest shinobi of your old… home."
Naruto blinked as he looked up at Aizen. Huh…? W-What is this…? Why did he say 'home' like that…? Wait a second… He shook his head as he shut his eyes tight. Kakashi-sensei… Sakura-chan… Sasuke… Tsunade-baja…
Aizen's eyes narrowed as he stared down at the suddenly confused vice-captain. "It seems that it's starting to work."
What…? What's starting to work…? wondered Naruto as he glared at Aizen. "What are you talking about, Aizen?"
Aizen blinked and ignored Naruto as he glanced over at Ichigo, who was staring up at him through narrowed eyes. "Also, farewell, ryoka boy…" he said as he finally reached the hole in the sky, looking back at Ichigo as he descended into the darkness. "For a human, you were truly interesting…"
Naruto narrowed his eyes as the hole closed up, swallowing Gin, Tosen, and the Menos Grandes up along with Aizen. Aizen, you bastard…
…
"I can't believe it," whispered Kira as he slumped on the ground, exhausted by the day's events. "Three captains turned out to be traitors… Ichimaru-taichou, why…?"
Ichigo clenched his teeth in frustration as he glared at the ground. I-… I was powerless against him- even with my Bankai, I couldn't do anything…!
… "Are you alright, Ichigo?"
Ichigo looked up, startled by the sudden interruption. He turned around to see Naruto standing behind him, sheathing his sword.
"W-Who is that?" asked Orihime, leaning over to Ishida. Naruto overheard this and turned to face Orihime, giving her a warm smile. "Hi there! I'm the kyubantai-fukutaichou, Uzumaki Naruto."
"Oooh!" Orihime looked surprised. "A vice-captain?"
This guy's reiatsu… Ishida narrowed his eyes as he stared at Naruto. He has a warm and friendly atmosphere around him, but I can also sense something dark and sinister beneath all of that… Just what is he…?
"What are you doing here, Naruto?" asked Ichigo in a depressing tone.
Naruto crossed his arms, sighing in exasperation. "You shouldn't look so down you know… You managed to defeat one of the top captains in the Gotei 13- be proud of it."
"Yea, I guess so…" Ichigo sighed as he stared at his hands. "It's just that… I don't know…"
Naruto started to shake, his face turning bright red in comical anger and frustration. "OY, YOU BAKA!" he raged, slapping Ichigo upside the head.
"OWWW!" yelled Ichigo. "OY OY OY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
"IT'S CAUSE YOU'RE BEING DEPRESSING!" roared Naruto, scowling at him. "YOU'RE ALIVE, RIGHT?! SO BE HAPPY ABOUT IT AND STOP SULKING YOU EMO!"
Ichigo sighed and smiled sadly as he glanced over at Rukia who was kneeling down next to Byakuya, talking to him. "Yea, I guess so…" Naruto glanced at the spot that Rukia was at and blinked, turning back to face Ichigo. "Anyways, I came to ask you if you and your friends wanted to say in Seireitei for a while. The 1st Division is throwing a little "get well" party for everyone who's been injured. The soutaichou wanted me to ask you guys to come to the party as his special guests."
Orihime, Ishida, Chad, and even Ganju looked at each other in excitement. "Oooh!" exclaimed Orihime. "A party! Let's go, Kurosaki-kun!"
Ichigo gave Orihime a big smile, the depressing look on his face disappearing as he got into the mood. "Yea… Yea, let's go, everyone! That sounds like fun!" Ichigo turned to Naruto. "Thanks, Naruto. You're going there too, right?"
Naruto grinned as he slapped Ichigo across his back. "Of course, baka!"
Ichigo looked up at the sky, a calm and peaceful look spearing across his face as he closed his eyes, breathing in the cool and fresh air of the afternoon. Yea… All of us together…
… Today is a good day after all.
[Karakura Town, The World of Living]
Three months later…
Two figures straightened up as they got up from the ground, looking around at the scene that lay before them. The figure on the left was a slender pale white-skinned male with neck-length messy brown hair and green eyes with small slit-shaped pupils. He wore a typical white jacket with a high collar and long coattails as well as a hakama with a black sash.
The figure on the right was a giant tan muscular male with a ridge-lined skull and black hair with long bushy sideburns as well as a thin ponytail reaching his upper-back. He had orange eyebrows and brown eyes, and wore a white open jacket as well as a white hakama.
The slender male figure blinked as he scanned the area in front of him. "So this is Karakura Town…?"
To be continued…
Translations:
- Baindinguchēn: Binding Chain.
- Hiraishin Hōfuku: Flying Thunder God's Retribution.
- Raijin-shiki: Thunder God Seal.
- Jūsanbantai: 13th Division.
Author's Note:
In case you guys were wondering, I got little OST scene from "Man of Steel." I thought that it would be fun to put small bits of movies and/or TV shows in my story, so enjoy those if you can find them, lol.
Also, I tried to make the fight scenes in this chapter as "real" and "awesome" as possible, but if any of you guys have any suggestions for future fights or see some things that you didn't really like, then feel free to point them out and leave a review. All criticisms are welcome, but please don't just leave like a flame or something.
