Chapter 6- Revelation Clashes
"Kyoufu o Toke, Shinseihiko."
Ichigo's heart was racing as his brain went into overdrive with what Zabuza had just said. But as he opened his mouth to ask Zabuza what the other had meant, he found himself unable to utter a single word out as his body refused to obey his commands.
It was incomprehensible. In a single moment, his body turned numb, his heart was thundering loudly from within his ribcage, and cold sweat trickled down his brow. Every breath he inhaled into his lungs took effort, and all his eyes could ever focus on was the dark crimson and smoking blade that was pressing him down onto the floor.
Ichigo realized that he was going to lose. No, forget losing. He wasn't even going to get a rematch, because he was definitely going to die very soon. He was out of strength, and his hands were clammy and cold. He was already on his knees, and the moment he lost his grip over Zangetsu, Zabuza will slash him into two, just as he had declared.
Just as Ichigo thought that the situation could not get any worse than it already was, Zabuza forced his sword down harder, and to Ichigo's deep dread, started cleaving through Zangetsu as easily as though the other was butter. With a hiss, Zangetsu gave way to the other, melting into two, dropping red hot iron shavings onto the ground below.
'Goddammit… MOVE!' Ichigo mentally yelled, and to his relief, he managed to clumsily dive away from the pressing hold and rolled away, breathing hard, before Zangetsu completely gave way and melt into half. The heavy taunt feeling in his chest was gone, and he found it easier to breathe now. "What… the hell was that?" Ichigo panted. "Why do you have…a shikai?"
Zabuza looked up at him, his blue eyes hardened and cold. "That's because Shinseihiko is a genuine, authentic zanpakuto, idiot." The blond replied coolly, his sentence eerily echoing the one Urahara had said to him a few days back. He took a step forward, a foot resting mockingly on the red stained earth, from which Ichigo's blood from his unstaunched wound had created. Small iron shavings- Zangetsu's iron- littered the floor around him like silver pearls, some still smoking with a red hue.
"But still, I'll have to hand it to you. You managed to regain your senses even though Shinko is in such close range." Zabuza continued. He lifted his sword, easily repositioning it at an angle that was easy to slice at Ichigo, but yet difficult for the other to block. The blade of the released Shinseihiko was not only longer, it was much sleeker, smoother and curvier, almost resembling an elongated but skinny sickle. But the most significant change was that the once silver blade had bled into a shade of deep dark red.
"You… You're a Shinigami?" Ichigo gasped in disbelief. "But, you-"
"I lied. About everything. And you foolishly lapped it up like a bloody dumbass. Hell, my name's not even Zabuza to begin with!" 'Zabuza' scoffed. "But all that doesn't matter. 'Cuz you're probably not gonna live past today. You don't have to worry about anything, Strawberry; I'll be sure to send your pals back to the real world safely, and then I'll rescue Rukia myself without anymore hindrances."
Not- Zabuza took another step forward, and the tension within Ichigo built itself up again, constricting his chest and making his legs feel like it was being held down by several kilograms of weights. "That's the first Hell Circle- Tatsumaki." The blond informed the orange haired teen. "You can't breathe right, can you? Your body won't obey your instincts to run. You can only look straight ahead, and accept the fact that you're going to die by this blade of mine."
With a twisted grin that exposed extra long canines, he disappeared, reappearing a few inches away from Ichigo's sweaty face, blade flashing, gleaming, greedy for more blood to coat its already red surface. Ichigo couldn't move his body the slightest, couldn't even bring his arms up to defend himself from the swing aimed for his exposed neck.
"And this is the second Circle of Hell, Chinoike." Not-Zabuza's voice was suddenly resounding through Ichigo's muddled head. Ichigo's eyes widened, seeing the red blade rushing towards him, but was defenseless against it, unable to protect himself from it as it sliced through the air, finishing its descend, steaming, heating up the atmosphere around it…
"Too bad Ichigo, but this match wasn't even a stalemate to begin with." The shinobi said without a hint of empathy in his voice. "Checkmate. This is game over."
Ichigo snapped his eyes shut, unwilling to surrender, to admit his defeat. He couldn't die here, without even accomplishing what he had came here to do. No, didn't want to die. He couldn't die. There was a loud snap, and the swift movement of the blade was halted to a sudden stop.
Opening his eyes, he was met with a bundle of orange cloths and tanned hands clasping down upon them tightly. Yoruichi had finally decided to step in. Ichigo would've breathed a sigh of relief at his lucky escape from death, but his body was still paralyzed and unable to move.
"Alright boys, that's enough playtime for today." Yoruichi's voice was teasing but strained, her brows furrowed with the effort of holding down the deep crimson blade. She had used her orange over-shirt to protect her palms from being scorched by the heated sword, exposing her tanned, well-toned upper arms. But the over-shirt didn't seem to be thick enough as the burning zanpakuto was hard at work. Black burn marks were already appearing on the outer layers of the cloth, and angry smoke hissed out from within the bundle.
Yoruichi winced from the pain of having to clamp down on the over-heated- and still heating up- sword. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to keep your paws off Ichigo-kun for the next three days, fourth seat of the thirteenth division, Uzumaki Naruto." She purred out. "Since as of today, he'll be under my good care."
If the other was surprised that Yoruichi knew his real name and status, he was good at hiding it- his shoulders didn't even shake the slightest, nor did his eyes twitch in agitation. Naruto's focus slowly moved away from Ichigo's unmoving form to lock onto her face, cold and calculating, and the grip on his sword unyielding. He cocked his head curiously towards the side. "And what makes you think three days would be enough to beat some sense into this useless piece of sack, Shunshin Yoruichi?"
"Because if he doesn't get his head straight, Rukia will be executed." Yoruichi replied as steadily as she could, sweating from the heat Naruto's blade was giving off, and from the strain of trying to hold the sword down. "Besides, as of now, Ganju and Sado are taken out of the field. The only competent players left now are Ishida and Ichigo. Ishida, unlike the others, uses his brains and knows the meaning of sneaking around. And I'm taking Ichigo out with me, so you can be rest assured that the next few days will be very peaceful."
"Don't kid yourself, Shunsin. That kid can't save anyone." Naruto sneered. "He can't even save his own hide."
"You're too impatient, brat. Ichigo still has large potential within him, waiting to be tapped into." Yoruichi growled roughly. "I will get him to master bankai in three days. Likewise, I don't exactly see the need for you to use this level of shikai on him. It's overkill."
" This level?" Naruto repeated, incredulous. "Didn't you hear me just now, lady? I'm only on level two! And he's already dropping dead! Besides, somebody needs to learn that he isn't the almighty superman, and realize that jumping into suicide battles isn't going to remove Rukia's execution sentence!" He then scowled, realizing that he was partially to be blamed for losing his anger in the fight. He was losing his cool, and he needed to regain control over himself, fast. Naruto exhaled deeply.
"It looks as though Shinko's not going to have any more blood anytime soon- unless I go through you first- so I'll just take my leave now." Naruto muttered darkly. He was already feeling a large migraine coming. Swiftly withdrawing his blade out from the folds of Yoruichi's ripped and burnt cloths, he resealed Shinko back to its original compact form and slid it back into its sheath with practiced ease.
Both Ichigo and Yoruichi visibly relaxed as the pressure from the effect Shinko's first Hell Circle lifted. But the effects of his shikai still remained- the air surrounding them was extremely dry and crisp, and the foul stench of burnt flesh, metal and cloth still lingered around the area. Naruto turned to leave, eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, and spotting a deep frown on his face.
"What?" Ichigo hissed, nursing his wounds from the ground, as he sensed Naruto's gaze landing on him. "You have something to say, Shinigami Uzumaki?"
"Tatsumaki and Chinoike are activated by default upon entering shikai. These two are Shinseihiko's most basic abilities. To think that you'd be overwhelmed by them is too pathetic to the point of being pitiful. The best part? I could've just killed you off without even releasing my zanpakuto. And I'm just a lowly fourth seat." Naruto snorted. "You'd better train real hard throughout these three days Ichigo, 'cuz I can't even imagine you fighting off Byakuya in this state you're in, forget the nine other captains and their lackeys."
Ichigo's teeth gritted hard at the volley of insults Naruto had thrown onto him, but he glared back with determined, furious eyes- eyes that held resolve that Naruto knew was going to send Ichigo into a bout of non-stop vigorous training for the next three days. Young male teenagers had their pride to uphold after all.
Satisfied that Ichigo was properly motivated and going to get out of his hair until the big day arrived, Naruto turned and left the area quickly with shunpo, without even a backwards glance. Shinko had healed most of his wounds, so he was just planning to get a quick shower, do some fast wrapping up, and start on his second itinerary on his agenda- Aizen hunting.
The next two days passed in a flash, most probably due to the fact that a hell lot of stuff happened altogether at once. To Naruto's relief, Ishida, the last able member of the ryoka team was taken out by Tousen, not before he dealt serious damage to the creepy captain Kurotsuchi. By then Naruto had successfully broke through all seals, leaving his captain with the tedious and delicate task of replicating the signatures for the ward.
As he left to allow his captain to busy himself with the seals, Naruto had spent the rest of the night trying to console an irate Toushiro, who was still steaming like a boiling kettle after the little skirmish he had with his fellow captain, Ichimaru Gin. His morning was spent tiresomely scrutinizing every crack and corner of the fifth division, tracking down Aizen's reiatsu, and meticulously combing down all the routes it had trailed off to.
The most intriguing but nauseating lead was the one that brought him all the way down to Central 46 Chambers- whereby dozens of bloodied corpses littered the compound, surrounded by the foul stench of decay and death. It was a massacre, and one of the most distasteful and revolting Naruto had ever seen in his life.
As Naruto surveyed the filthy scene that had obviously happened weeks ago, he could practically feel the level of his Aizen Hate Meter shooting up several notches, bypassing the 'Watch Out' zone and entering the 'Must Eliminate' zone. In fact, he was pretty sure that the bulb at the tip was close to exploding.
But to his immense displeasure, he couldn't find anything noteworthy, nor did he detect any signs of Aizen's presence, and left just as quietly as he had come. Numerous reiatsu fluctuations were all over Seireitei, which was thrown into complete disarray as Shinigamis fought, not the ryoka, but themselves. Restless captains and lieutenants were apparently quick to use this rare opportunity to release their almost frequently suppressed reiatsu.
Rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of these bored Shinigami, Naruto sharpened his senses further, to detect another of Aizen's reiatsu mark to start a fresh trail. He had little to nothing left to do anyway- Ukitake was the only one who could handle the last and final stage of releasing the Shihoin Shield, and Naruto was neither a captain nor a vice-captain, so he could not attend the execution.
But he halted, as he felt Ukitake's reiatsu fluctuate, signaling that he was ready. Naruto wiped away the sleep from his baggy tired eyes, and started sprinting for all that he was worth towards the large, towering and imposing Sokyouku hill.
A minute away from the hill, Naruto missed a shunpo, lost his balance and stumbled slightly, as he was overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of the reiatsu force that had suddenly broken out from above the hill. He staggered forwards, lowering down all of his enhanced senses as fast as possible, as the whole power that was building up of the top of the hill was about to drive Shinko- and himself- into a mad drunken rampage.
As he tried to control the sudden bloodlust within him- one that he hadn't felt for almost his entire stay in Soul Society- Naruto was dimly aware that fierce fighting had broken out on top the hill. Numerous reiatsu build ups, bright flashing lights of released kido spells and awakened zanpakuto, and the clanging of steel against steel. If he hadn't tuned down his ultra-perception a minute later, Naruto knew that probably wouldn't have been able to control the caged beast within him. It had been so long- too long for the both of them- since they had felt the heated tension of a wild battlefield. They wanted in.
The time had finally came, and both Shinko and himself were greedy for blood. More specifically, Aizen's blood. Naruto skidded to a stop as a bunch of black clad men blocked his path. His eyes swept through them quickly- only about ten of them, easily identifiable as unranked shinigami members from their impersonalized nondescript zanpakuto at their sides. He frowned. "I don't know who you guys are, but I obviously outrank all of you here. Get out of my way, I'm in a foul mood right now."
" We're acting on orders of the Captain Commander." The apparent leader of the group said. "Fourth seat of the Thirteenth division, Uzumaki Naruto. We are to immobilize all members of the thirteenth and seventh seats, for your interference with Kuchiki Rukia's execution."
'Busted,' Naruto thought foully. 'So we couldn't make a clean escape from the old man after all, huh, Ukitake-taichou?'He turned towards the shinigami standing in front of him. "From what you've said, it sounds like Rukia managed to avoid her execution. I'm going to carry out our plans of sending her away from Seireitei. If you still insist on stopping me, then be rest assured that I'll show you no mercy."
"You might be higher ranked then us, Uzumaki-dono. But even so, you won't be able to keep up with this amount of numbers." The leader said, withdrawing his katana. Appearing on every side with well placed shunpo, were about a three hundred men, each with their katana drawn, encircling him, preventing him from escaping. Naruto didn't even blanch the slightest from the sudden increase in numbers.
"Hmm. Amusing." Naruto smirked. "But I'll have you know that it'll take much more than a measly three hundred of you to stop me. It pains me to be fighting my own kind, so as your superior, why don't I give you a little advice before we get the fight started?" Naruto cocked his head to the side as he regarded all the tensed, seething shinigami in front of him coolly. "Coordinate your movements. Charge in as a group. And attack me with all you've got." Naruto's smirk was quick to turn into a sneer.
And he was flashing off in a second, Shinko withdrawn and clutched tightly in his hand, swinging down and hungrily biting its blade down into the closest human flesh it could sink into. With a single swipe, Naruto had landed five men onto the ground, motionless and splattering blood on the hard earthen soil. He licked off the droplets of blood that had splattered onto his cheeks. The grin that he wore on his face now held a sinister gleam from within them.
"Because if you don't," Naruto continued from where he left off darkly. "I'm gonna kill you."
Aizen was feeling simply ecstatic, giddy with joy and delight at the moment. He had finally done it. He had finally laid his hands on it. The small hexagonal object that lay in the center of his clutched palms, the Hougyoku, the orb of distortion, was finally his. His hard work for the past few years, for the past hundred over years, had finally come into fruition.
Nothing could destroy Aizen's elation at the moment. Not even the determined but idiotically flimsy sixth squad lieutenant. Not even the foolishly weak mortal child who was stupidly overconfident with is non-existent abilities. Not even the irritating ants that were starting to swarm up around him, refusing to budge even though he could squash them without a second thought. He was invincible, he was absolute, and nothing could stop him nor dampen him, not even him.
"AIZEN!"
Aizen smiled as the person he was thinking of appeared just then, his funny red sword seething just as badly as its master was. His sole pest had finally arrived on the scene, panting from his sprint, clothes rumpled, torn, and messy, but otherwise unscathed.
"Good job catching up with us, Uzumaki-kun." Aizen greeted with false warmness, hands spread out in mocking welcome. "I would've expected you to arrive earlier, with your extra-fine perceptive abilities, but don't worry, these things do tend to happen once in awhile."
Uzumaki completely ignored his goading, and didn't rise to his bait. Instead, his eyes flickered to survey the scene that surrounded him, taking in the bloodied and bruised form of Ichigo, Renji, Byakuya, Rukia and Komamura. "You did all this…" He muttered angrily. "You did all of this! Everything was all your doing!"
"Yes, I was the one who had planned everything out." Aizen curled his lips into a distasteful smile. "It was high time for me to start clearing out the trash."
"I'll kill you!" The blond boy roared, sprinting straight towards Aizen. The latter didn't even blink, and neither did he move from his spot. In a split second, Tosen was already standing before him, zanpakuto drawn out, and blanketing Naruto in a field of pitch black darkness, stopping the other's blind reckless charge.
"Bankai: Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."
"Get out of my way, you ugly little piece of turd." The Uzumaki's voice growled out from beneath the black void. "I'm only after that bastard's blood. If you still insist on standing in my way, then I'll cut you down along him."The spiritual pressure that built up from within the enclosing bankai skyrocketed up to a full time high immediately after, as though the boy was trying to prove his point. Aizen smiled. He was right. The kid had a lot of hidden potential, buried deep within, locked and unwilling to be unleashed.
Ever since they had first laid eyes on each other, Aizen knew that his kid was hiding something. Something that he guarded so zealously and protectively. Something that was meant for only his own self to know. And Aizen was sure that it was power. Raw potential that he was afraid to tap into. Many times he had tried for the past sixty or so years to get Uzumaki to break, to no avail. It was heavily fortified, deeply obscured, unreachable and unbreakable.
The boy had an almost too perfect intuition, and a ferociously keen sense. He had been mistrustful of Aizen right from the start. He had seen through most of Aizen's schemes, broken some of them, making him take long routes around his plans. He might've been able to halt almost each and every of Aizen's schemes, if it weren't for the fact that he did not have enough rank nor trust to do so. Aizen had made use of this, covering up his tacks meticulously with his rank and the law. Every since the boy stepped foot into Seireitei, he had been nothing but a nuisance and a fly- harmless, yet infuriating.
But today, Aizen had finally found the key. And he was going to use it to break open Pandora's box.
"You can try, Uzumaki-kun." Aizen answered calmly from outside Tosen's bankai created vacuum. "But to you, who have held everything back for the past few decades, it'll be a big pity to blow your cover now, wouldn't it?"
"I don't care about that shit anymore. I don't care about what might happen to me later on. Ranks, subordination, rules and laws… I've closed my eyes to those useless things." Uzumaki replied calmly, his voice echoing out loudly from within Tosen's bankai. "Right now, I can only see two things. My friends whom you've just slashed… and your dead body."
"Then we'll just have to see if you can prove this hallucination of yours true." Aizen replied. "Kaname." Tosen had gotten to work immediately after the signal, if the indication of the light scuffling of feet and the scent of blood lingering in the air proved anything to go by. "Uzumaki, after all, you rely too much on your senses. How does it feel like to lose all of them in one go?"
"Stop… screwing around!" Aizen started to frown as the Uzumaki's voice turned rough, almost guttural. "If you're not going to take me seriously, then I'll force you to! Eighth Circle-Shiraike Jigoku!" There was a large burst of spiritual pressure, and a large gust of hot air, and before Aizen knew what was happening, Tosen's bankai had dissolved immediately, fading out of existence to reveal an extremely scorched, blackened and smoking gorge, that certainly hadn't been there before. Tosen had obviously been caught in the furious explosion, as he lay by the edge of the large crater; body covered in painful third degree burns.
"Now that all interference has been gone…" Naruto spoke up from the center of the crater. Unlike the rest of his surroundings, he was relatively unscathed, and sporting only a few scratches on his forearms. He cracked his neck and readied his sword. "I'm going to start beating you up real bad."
"Fascinating indeed. You shielded yourself with Bakudo 39, Enkosen, before you exploded the area around you. From the looks of it, Kaname managed to dodge in time, but he underestimated the blast range. If he was just a step closer towards the center, he would undoubtedly have been burnt to death." Aizen commented casually. "But effective though it maybe, that attack of yours had just wasted away all your spiritual power. Uzumaki-kun, it would be futile to fight me in the state that you're in. You won't be able to defeat me."
"Wanna test that theory of yours out?" Naruto sneered back, exposing longer than usual canines. His eyes were hard, and gleaming with bloodlust and undiluted rage. They were locked solely onto Aizen's unmoving form.
"Need me to step in, Aizen-taichou?" Gin spoke up from behind him, hand held at the ready on his wakizashi-like zanpakuto's hilt. The silver haired man was tensed up at the unexpected hurdle they had bumped into, and he no longer wore his usual fox-like grin on his face.
"No need to worry, Gin. I can handle this boy by myself. Step by the side if you don't wish to get caught up in this fight." Aizen replied coolly. He turned to face Naruto. "I've always been very interested in clashing swords with you. It seems like I'll finally get the chance to do so today. So come at me, Uzumaki-kun. Prove to me that my assumptions about you are correct."
"Sorry, but I'm not just gonna prove them correct, and I have no intentions of meeting your expectations." Naruto hissed, charging up his blade with reiatsu, dampening the air surrounding them, and forcing off strong gusts of wind that sent his robes and hair whipping around wildly. "I'm going to exceed them. Bankai: Ninth Circle- Kinryuu Jigoku: Hiiro Gouka Shinseihiko."
Red surrounded Aizen's vision for the entire moment, before slowly fading away to reveal a thick circle of condensed scarlet, and very visible reiatsu. Aizen watched, fascinated, as the reiatsu slowly took form, compressing itself tightly around its master's body, engulfing it, cloaking it in a sea of deep red hues. It had also took up a distinctively fox-like silhouette, with pointed ears and a long, lazily swishing brush-like tail. Never had he seen a bankai this unique, nor a reiatsu this potent. It was so thick and concentrated, it couldn't even have been considered spiritual energy anymore- it was liquid, almost nearing molten state, almost resembling red hot magma.
Naruto took a step forward, and Aizen was dimly aware of the sudden paralysis that took over his body for a split second. It seemed like it was another unique ability of the Uzumaki's zanpakuto- Gin was shivering uncontrollably beside him, eyes fixated solely on the demonic form that stood in front of him, cold sweat droplets forming on the surfaces of his exposed skin. Fear, Aizen realized, regaining his movement. The Uzumaki's Zanpakuto had the capability of generating fear, and strike it into the hearts of its opponents. What a pretentious ability.
Naruto was now completely shielded by his blood red reiatsu, which clung around his form protectively, following his every movement. Aizen noted that the coat had taken on the properties of the blade of its Shikai- melting down anything and everything that stood in its path, from the ground below it, to the air surrounding it. Just standing at this distance, Aizen could already feel the vast amount of heat the bankai was generating, and yet it seemed that the master in the center was unharmed. Naruto's figure was visible through the reiatsu cover, unburned and untouched. It was the ultimate defense- a coat that completely shielded the user from all angles, scorching down anything that came into close contact with it at all times, until the bankai is released. The user was literally untouchable.
"Don't put me in the same scale as where you put all those small fries you've been fighting with up to now." Naruto hissed, brandishing Shinko's final released form- a large double bladed scythe, its metal coating gleaming, its color a deep hue of blood red scarlet. "Since you've made me come this far, I'll show you that I'm on a completely different level from them."
It was unjustifiable that a lowly being like the Uzumaki was able to attain a zanpakuto with this much power behind it. Aizen was certain that this red coat of his was the only reason why the blond was able to advance this far- it was all due to his damn good luck of getting a strong spirit, just like the young captain of the tenth division. Aizen admitted that he was feeling a tinge of envy- but that was that and nothing more. He wasn't someone who was held down materialistic objects such as zanpakuto.
In a flash, Naruto disappeared from his position, and reappeared in front of Aizen, swinging down his large blood red scythe in a large vertical slash. Without even blinking, Aizen side stepped neatly, causing the blade to come crashing down onto the ground, throwing up large pieces of rubble as it did so. Aizen locked eyes with the blond for a brief moment, smirking tauntingly as he realized that the other actually wanted him dead so badly, he was quickly losing all of his rationality and logic. He recognized that by the way the Uzumaki's eyes were gleaming ferociously, bloodlust clearly shining through them. These sort of people were the easiest, but also the most mundane, to handle. They weren't even people anymore- they were beasts, fighting only using their instinct, and fueled only by their hatred.
As expected, the enraged blond was too easy to read. He followed up by slashing his blade back upwards, then horizontally, never stopping, never hesitating. Naruto persisted through, and engaged him in a series of wild yet elaborate and precise swings. But Aizen simply dodged each swipe with as little movement as usual, his taunting smirk never leaving his face. "You say that you're on a level higher than the others, but I don't see much difference between you and your friends who are lying on the ground behind you." Aizen said deridingly. "Certainly, your strikes have more power and precision behind them, but there wasn't even a need for me to take out my zanpakuto. You disappoint me with your weak feeble attacks, Uzumaki-kun."
To his surprise, Naruto grinned in reply, eyes locked sharply onto his face. Aizen felt his confusion turn slowly into numb surprise as Naruto swung his right arm up suddenly, too quickly for a hand that was wielding a heavy and outsized weapon. Aizen's eyes widened at the sudden speed of the swing, and hurriedly withdrew Kyouka Suigetsu from its scabbard in an effort to block, bracing himself for the hit. 'I underestimated his strength. This fast a swing would usually have been impossible to pull off with only one hand. Was he holding back the entire time?' The hit never came. The hand that swung past his face was empty, devoid of any weapon. 'What-'
Naruto's grin only grew wider. As realization stroke, Aizen glanced down quickly to see Naruto's left arm was already in a swift descend, clutching tightly onto his bankai, whose blade was dropping, picking up speed with the momentum of the swing, the force of the hand pushing behind it, and the natural pull of gravity. 'Since when did he switch his weapon over to his other hand-' There was no time to ponder over this thought, with the blade inches away from cleaving him into two. Aizen knew that he couldn't block in time, and he used shunpo to get out of path of the blade.
"It looks like you've resorted to using some petty tricks, but it's useless. You couldn't even lay a scratch on me." Aizen said, after putting some distance between himself and Naruto. He was covered in a light sheen of sweat, but that was to be expected after staying in such close contact with the fiery red coat for a minute or two. "I won't fall for such foolish, desperate tricks a second time."
"What are you talking about? I made you draw out your zanpakuto, didn't I?" Naruto replied cockily. He pointed his scythe towards Aizen. "Let me tell you this- bastards that fight by predicting their opponent's movements won't stand a chance against me. I've kicked each and every one of their asses when they tested their luck out on me." Naruto sprinted into a charge again, attempting to draw this fight into a close combat one- his actual forte. "That was a nice appetizer. Shall we get started on the main course now?"
The second clash they had was much more challenging than their first. Naruto was right about the first being a warm up. It was as though his long forgotten battle skills were finally reawakening, even though the blond was currently a veteran shinigami who was dispatched on high ranking missions. Aizen found himself actually trying to dodge the incoming consecutive attacks, sometimes parrying, sometimes dodging, but he was never even given an opening by the other to go on the offensive.
Aizen was savoring this battle to the fullest. It wasn't everyday that someone was able to keep him this entranced in a battle for this long. Naruto's fighting style was unique, so unique it couldn't be anything more than one that was self-thought of by a genius. Each swing of his scythe was followed up immediately after by another, but the timings and directions of the follow-ups were exceptionally varied- as though the blond was just making up new moves on the spot, and going with whichever one he felt like using. It was a suicide style of fighting to use, yet the boy before him was pulling it off perfectly. And Aizen admitted the effectiveness of that style- he could never predict where the next attack would be coming from, and he was constantly kept on his toes by having to look out in all directions.
But for the moment, being on the defensive was enough for Aizen. For with each strike that the blond made, and each time that his crimson blade failed to draw blood, the blonde's eyes grew darker, and his reiatsu flared higher, fueled up by his frustrations and fury. Naruto seemed to have sensed his amusement, for he glared up at the other man, and let out an annoyed growl. "Don't get so cocky you bloody faggot, I'm not done yet!"
Aizen smirked as the blond raised the stakes, this time throwing in punches and kicks along with his erratic swings, adding to the unpredictability factor, and making Aizen less able to dodge, as he found himself blocking with Kyouka Suigetsu more and more. He was sweating heavily from the heat the cloak was giving off, especially since the coated attacks usually get too close to his body. Naruto pressed on heavily without stopping, something particularly inconceivable to the thought, since he had been using up a lot of reiatsu to charge up the coat of his bankai. The stakes was raised higher yet again- as Naruto now alternated his swings with the back of his scythe, which bore a wickedly sharp end.
Aizen simply kept blocking the hits away easily, just barely, and using shunpo to escape attacks that he wasn't able to avoid by hand. Naruto would then counter with shunpo, never releasing the tight distance they had between themselves, sometimes appearing behind him, sometimes above, a swing always at the ready. Aizen would dodge the blade, the fists, and the kicks, and the whole furious dance would begin all over again.
"You're proving yourself to be an interesting challenge, Uzumaki-kun. But know that you won't be lasting long if backups don't arrive soon." Aizen spoke up between an interval from Naruto's furious slashes, hoping to distract the other, so as to place some distance between them. It was entertaining trying to defeat Naruto in his best, but it wasn't fair to let the blond keep all the advantage for throughout the entire battle.
"I've never been fighting alone." Naruto replied without pausing in his attack the slightest, to Aizen's dismay. "All this while, ever since I graduated, I've never fought alone, not even for a single time. Even now, the only reason why I'm able to stand up against you for so long is because I've got friends who are pushing me from behind."
"Seeing as they're currently lying helplessly on the ground, with you shielding them from harm, I can't say that I concur with that statement of yours." Aizen replied, eyes narrowing, frowning in disgust. "Strong humans only need to fight for themselves, with themselves. Friends, dependency and bonds with others are just earthly attachments that pull you down, suffocate you, making you weak."
"That's pitiful." Naruto said, smiling almost sympathetically, to Aizen's great irk. "Right now, I'm fighting with Shinko behind my back. With the knowledge that I'm protecting my friends with every move I make. Aren't you attacking me together with your zanpakuto? Don't you lift your sword to protect your comrades, your subordinates?"
"That is just foolish thinking on you mortals' part." Aizen said. "You weigh yourself down with idiotic terms, allowing yourself to be led by what you perceive to be bonds. But let me tell you this- humans will only act out of profit for themselves, nothing more, and nothing less. It is such a shame that we cannot see on equal terms, Uzumaki-kun."
"Heh. Ok, I'll give up on talking some sense out of your screwed up brain. You should hear yourself talking. 'Foolish mortals?' I don't see a halo appearing over your head." Naruto conceded. "Since words won't enter that muddled skull of yours, I'll beat it into your body instead. Your type will only thoroughly open your ears until after you get the living daylights beaten out of you."
Aizen was barely able to dodge the incoming projectile that had suddenly shot out at him. It flew past so speedily, grazing his left cheek slightly, leaving a small trail of blood. Turning his head slightly, Aizen saw that it was the tail of Naruto's bankai coat. "You can't afford to be looking elsewhere now!" Naruto called out, smashing his scythe down over him quickly. Aizen shunpo away, Naruto hard on his heels, the back of his reiatsu coat rippling to produce three more identical tails, making four tails in total.
The four wasted no time in launching themselves hungrily at Aizen, each missing and crashing down onto the ground, solid enough to gouge into the earth and send rocks flying, despite it being made up from a mass of reiatsu. If it wasn't enough, Naruto was after him as well, with his incessant fighting combo, not even giving Aizen enough time to stay in the same spot for a second.
Aizen realized what Naruto had meant- he was taking on not one, but two fighters at the same time- the Uzumaki, and his zanpakuto's spirit, who controlled the erratic movements of the tails. Fighting with your spirit was one thing, but fighting together alongside your spirit was another. Aizen had never heard of such a thing happening before. He was simply so overwhelmed by such a thought, that the fact that Naruto was able to pull off something as absurd as this out, and utilize it perfectly and flawlessly, that he wasn't able to dodge the five simultaneous slashes completely.
Aizen backpedaled, clutching his left shoulder which held a gashing wound across it. Naruto sneered at him. "I have some sad news for you, Assbag. You took so long to come at me seriously, Shinko's getting all fired up. I haven't let him out to play for a long long time you know. He's getting claustrophobic being cooped up in that cage." As he said so, two more tails sprouted out, whipping wildly in the air, almost too happily. "See what I mean? You'd better take this seriously before it gets to nine."
"I see. That'll be a hassle for me." Aizen agreed calmly, and they both flew at each other again, this time both taking the offensive, and neither bothering to block. Naruto, to his immense frustration, still hadn't been able to land a hit, nor a burn on the other. On the other hand, Aizen had successfully nicked Naruto several times, but each gash he had landed had healed almost instantly. They both clashed weapons for a few more moments, none relenting to vanquish their footing over to the other.
"You're a tough one, aren't you? Is your skin made of tungsten metal or something? 'Cause the last time I checked, Shinko could melt anything weaker then iron. " Naruto hissed, finally pausing in his attacks to take a breather. Aizen immediately took the chance to put a considerable amount of distance between them. "I've been attacking you… with a special style I haven't been using since a long time… without a stop… and with my bankai activated for the entire time. I'll understand if Tatsumaki doesn't affect you, but why the hell aren't you even scalded?"
"I should be the one saying those words, Uzumaki-kun. Your fighting style involves the usage of your entire body, and you've been holding up your bankai for this long. A normal person should have been out of energy by now. What exactly are you?" Aizen asked calmly. "Or should I phrase that out differently? How about, where exactly did you come from when you were alive?"
"If you're thinking that you'll be able to find others like me out there, then don't waste your breath trying." Naruto answered foully, anger level rising again at Aizen's nosy and somewhat personal question. He shook his head as he tried to clear up his thoughts of his past life. "You could say that I'm one of a kind."
"I see. That's such a pity." Aizen replied in turn. "Then that means that you are of no use to me anymore." Aizen pointed one finger almost lazily at Naruto. "Hadou 91. Senjuu Kouten Taihou."
It happened all too fast for Naruto to comprehend. As the words of Aizen's kidou spell flew out from his lips, Naruto's vision was engulfed in a bright pink light. Before he knew what had hit him, excruciating pain was overwhelming his entire body, piercing though him, crushing him up, bypassing Shinko's thick cloak as though it was mere water. The explosion that followed after had been worse- Naruto had wielded fire, had been caught in explosions, burned by katon jutsu many times considering he sparred frequently with Uchihas, but never had he felt this roasted before. He could practically feel the blast eating away at his skin. Naruto heard himself screaming in agony, an unearthly, animalistic howl of pain.
And it was all over in a moment, as Naruto collapsed, third degree burns covering up every inch of his skin, some long burnt away, revealing raw muscles underneath, other parts black, roasted, decayed and dead. Aizen watched disdainfully as his former opponent fell to the ground with a loud solid thud. "You got too ahead of yourself, Uzumaki-kun. While I did say that I find you to be an interesting challenge, you are still leagues away from trying to compare yourself to my level."
Aizen was goading over his victory, goading over the fact that he had taken away the Hougyoku, over the fact that he had bested over Naruto's futile attempts at stopping him. He took his time, ambling slowly towards the fallen blond, a smug smile on his face, eyes savoring every injury he had placed on the other. Finally, he came to a stop, looming over the burnt unmoving body. He paused. "Oh? It looks like you deserve some credit after all, Uzumaki-kun. You escaped from the brunt of the explosion with a nicely executed Shunpo. Thanks to your quick reflexes, you still have some life left in you. But it's all going to come over to an end very soon."
"Y-You bastard-" Naruto croaked out, too weak to even lift his head off the ground to glare at that man he hated so badly.
"It's a big pity that Seireitei got to you first." Aizen continued blithely. "You have so much potential. Potential which are being used for the wrong reasons. Which is why I can't let them have you." Aizen swing his sword down. "I enjoyed what little time we've spent together, Uzumaki Naruto. Goodbye."
Kyoka Suigetsu swung down, swiping sharply through the air, sinking itself deep into its intended target.
Naruto closed his eyes, as darkness swallowed up his vision, throwing him into a world of vast blackness for the second time in his life.
-Was it just me, or was Gin being ignored?-
Disappointing chapter, I know. Naruto was waaay to lenient, and well, look what he ended up as. Maybe he should've just kicked Ichigo's ass to hell and out, but that would mean destroying canon timeline completely, and I don't have enough creative cells in my brain to patch up a whole new story from there.
But for now, I can only say that Naruto will be up and kicking more ass/es in the near future. He's the main character of this story! He has an ego the size of the Hokage Mountain! He won't be defeated by an assbag like Aizen!
Let me clarify Naruto's zanpakuto. Shinsenhiko, in its shikai state, has eight special abilities, with the first being the weakest, and the ninth being its bankai- the strongest. Naruto calls each ability a Hell Circle, the first and second circles being a default ability, that is activated thought the entire time shikai or bankai is unleashed.
First Circle: Tatsumaki Jigoku (Spout Hell)- Strikes 'fear' onto opponents who clashes swords with Shinko. Similar to how some shinigami use their reiatsu, but less taxing and more potent and effective. But like the later, those with equally high reiatsu will not be much affected by it.
Second Circle: Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell)- Constantly heats the sword up at a very temperature- high enough to melt through iron.
Eighth Circle: Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell)- Melts down everything within an extremely large radius.
Ninth Circle- and also bankai-: Kinryuu Jigoku (Golden Dragon Hell)- Hiiro Gouka Shinsenhiko (Scarlet Hellfire Shinsenhiko)
Powers of the first eight circles are amplified through the Fox's Cloak- which is similar to Naruto's old jinchuuriki one. Tatsumaki will affect anyone within a hundred meters, and Chinoike gains a higher and faster heating rate. The tails act as a timer- measuring how long it will take for the bankai to awaken fully, reaching full potential. Shinko is able to control the tails when necessary; otherwise they just act as a defensive shield. Naruto is not harmed by the cloak, nor does he have control over it.
I am not ashamed in admitting that I swiped those names from the nine 'hells' of Beppu. Big Revelation: Shinko's special attacks were named after hot springs.
Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi- Cricket Final Form: Devil Cricket
Bakudo 39, Enkosen- Summons a shield of condensed reiatsu to block opponents' attacks.
Hadou 91. Senjuu Kouten Taihou- Summons several spears of light that are all fired towards the same focal point where the intended target resides. The culminating explosion is exceedingly devastating.
Feel free to message me if you've spotted any mistakes, or have any questions or suggestions about this chapter. I'll answer them if they don't risk plot spoilers.
Hoped you've enjoyed the chapter.
Until next time,
TenkuuBatsu.