Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Naruto, which are property of Tite Kubo and Masashi Kishimoto respectively. Not only that, but I don't think I could pull of the awesome rock star look like Kubo does.
Jinchuuriki no Seireitei
Chapter Ten: The Third Attack
"My, this place sure is bursting with spiritual energy." spoke Luppi as he stood in the middle of the air by Grimmjow and Yammy. Wonderweiss stood off to the side, playing with a dragonfly that had managed to find the blond Arrancar by chance.
Grimmjow said nothing as he rocketed off to a random direction downtown, intending to finish a fight between himself and a certain orange haired shinigami.
"Huh, well we better get on with searching for those damn shinigami..." Yammy let out a yawn as he stretched a bit. He blinked several times, taking in the sight of four newcomers, "Hey, that was quick."
"Arrancar! What is your business here?!" spoke Hitsugaya, who stood in front of Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika, "You obviously work for Aizen, if the tattoo on your hip means anything."
Luppi grinned, obviously being the one who the young captain was referring to, "Oh?" He gave a lazy wave to the four, "Yeah, we are Espada. Well, two of us are." Luppi's eyes gave a dangerous gleam as his grin spread, "I'm Luppi, Sexta Espada. How about you?"
"Toshirou Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad Ten of the Gotei Thirteen." the white haired boy pulled out his blade from his sheath, as did the other three.
"Ugh, that one has such an atrocious face. There's a difference between beautiful and gaudy." spoke Yumichika to Ikkaku as he gave Luppi a disgusted look, "The sooner it's destroyed, the better."
Luppi laughed a bit, "Yammy, they're mine. Don't interfere."
Yammy grumbled while crossing his legs, sitting in the middle of the air, a bored expression once again on his features, "Whatever..."
Wonderweiss meanwhile was attempting to capture the dragonfly that was still flitting around him. Luppi gave the blond haired Arrancar a confused stare before turning his attention back to the Soul Reapers, "Hmm...so, I suppose we may as well stop with the pleasantries?" He pulled out his blade, eyes giving the same familiar gleam to them, "Strangle, Trepadora!"
- - - - -
Grimmjow remained floating in the middle of the air as he stared down at Ichigo, a sinister grin forming on his face, "I've been looking for you, Soul Reaper!"
Ichigo smirked, brandishing Zangetsu in his hands, "Nice to see you too," the teen took note of Grimmjow's missing arm, and raised an eyebrow, "What happened to your arm?"
Grimmjow went quiet for a moment before he grinned, "I got rid of it. It'd be too easy to fight a weakling like you with both of my arms. Figured I'd make it more interesting this way."
"Really?" Ichigo raised his blade up, his grin growing wider, "In that case, I won't hold back on you. I'll show you just how strong I've gotten in the last month!"
Ichigo's blade let off a blue glow as he raised his reiatsu, "Bankai again, huh? That trick didn't work before, Soul Reaper!"
"Shut up. I've got something new for you to see." Ichigo pointed his blade in the air as he took in a deep breath before shouting, "Bankai!!!!"
Red and black erupted from the teen, engulfing him before it faded away to reveal Ichigo in his final release attire, the smaller blade of Tensa Zangetsu in hand.
"Hn. Fine, you may as well give me everything you've got, seeing as it won't be enough either way." Grimmjow pulled out his own blade, his grin remaining on his face, "Come on."
Ichigo, instead of charging at Grimmjow, placed his hand over his face, and spoke, "I've only got about twenty-three seconds to show you this power of mine. I don't have time to explain it though, so you'll have to forgive me if I rush through things a bit."
Grimmjow felt Ichigo's already substantial spiritual pressure rise further as shards of white material began to form around his face. The former Sexta Espada's eyes widened a little as he felt a new aura emanate from the Substitute Soul Reaper, "What...what is that power...?"
A mask suddenly appeared on Ichigo's face, having a skeletal appearance and around nine red stripes going along the left side of it. The eyes were thin slits, and if one looked through them, they would see yellow irises surrounded by black instead of Ichigo's usual brown color.
"Like I said," Ichigo spoke, "I don't have time to explain!"
The teen disappeared from view, reappearing behind Grimmjow. The former Espada was smashed in the small of the back, careening towards Karakura. Ichigo zipped away from view again, reappearing by Grimmjow's side, following the blue haired Arrancar's projection downward. Ichigo's blade roared with black flames as he let out an inhuman yell, hitting the Arrancar with a point-blank Getsuga Tenshou
"Twenty seconds..."
Grimmjow coughed a bit of blood up as he screeched to a halt in the air, lifting his blade as Ichigo's own zanpakutou crashed with his, "That power is not like that of a shinigami! Where did you get it from?!"
"I'm not saying it again!" Ichigo replied, "I don't have time to explain it to you!!!"
Blood splashed onto Grimmjow's clothes as Ichigo delivered a clean cut across his chest, surprising the Arrancar. Grimmjow grit his teeth, and quickly recovered, clashing blades with Ichigo, "You bastard! Just what did you do over this past month?!!"
"Fourteen seconds...' Ichigo counted to himself mentally, 'I have to end this now..."
Ichigo roared with all his might, pushing against Grimmjow's own mighty reiatsu, forcing the Arrancar to a halt, "It's over, Grimmjow!!!"
Grimmjow grunted as he put more power into his zanpakutou, "The hell it's over!!!"
Ichigo was pushed back, but didn't waste a second, reappearing by the Arrancar's side, blade ready to slash away at his enemy's head.
"Eight seconds."
Grimmjow ducked under the swing, and attempted to deliver a thrust with his sword to Ichigo's ribs. Ichigo parried, and moved to Grimmjow's left, Tensa Zangetsu ready to be rammed into the Arrancar's shoulder.
"Six seconds..."
Ichigo growled in anger as Grimmjow avoided another attack, but instead made an opportunity out of the former Espada's evading maneuver. Ichigo charged up Tensa Zangetsu again, and shouted in a battle cry-like fashion, "Getsuga Tenshou!!!!!"
"Oh shi-"
Grimmjow attempted to block the incoming blast with his blade, but was quickly overwhelmed. An explosion of crimson and jet black flooded the sky for a brief moment, Ichigo standing calmly as Grimmjow stood in place, heaving in air as blood dripped down his body.
"That...power..." Grimmjow spoke, "...it's like a Hollow's power." He then gripped his zanpakutou tightly before flying at Ichigo, determination evident in his eyes.
Ichigo had little time to react as he blocked Grimmjow once again slammed his blade into the teenager's. Ichigo strained to hold him back, but he could feel the hot headed Arrancar gaining the upper hand.
Then...
Crack! Crackcrack!
Ichigo's eyes widened as his mask split into various fragments. His shocked features were soon visible to Grimmjow as he felt the teen lose a vast amount of power.
"Well, looks like that mask of yours held that power of yours! It looks like that power's gone now, though!!! Hahaha!!!"
"Damn it...!" Ichigo felt steel run across his abdomen as he went spiraling towards the ground, Grimmjow laughing maniacally as his opponent crashed to the ground, sending dust up in the air.
"So much for that power, Shinigami! It looks like you've reached the end of the rope, and from what I'm guessing, that power was hard for you to control. Still as pathetic as before! Hahahaa!!!" Grimmjow landed down by the shaking form of Ichigo, who was struggling to get up.
The Kurosaki boy tried pushing himself off the ground, his muscles quaking in protest. He looked up to see Grimmjow holding his zanpakutou in hand, grinning at the weakened Substitute Soul Reaper. He took his blade, and rammed it into the left arm of the orange haired teen, keeping his arm planted to the ground. Ichigo cried out in pain as flesh and bone were pierced by the former Espada's blade.
"I should have expected as much." Grimmjow spoke, his free arm yanking Ichigo up by the hair, "To think that a weakling like you could have possibly gained enough power in a month to beat me...heheheh, it just isn't possible."
"Nngh..." Ichigo gritted his teeth in pain as Grimmjow moved the blade a bit more, sending jolts of pain through Ichigo's arm.
"Time to end this." Grimmjow lifted his arm, palm open and glowing red. Ichigo immediately recognized it as a Cero, his eyes going wide with fear, "Don't worry, this Cero will be shot from point-blank, so it'll blast your mug right off along with that damned mask of yours! It's been fun, Shinigami!!"
Ichigo could only watch helplessly as the red light grew in Grimmjow's hand, only further bolstering Ichigo's belief that this would be it for him. He'd need a miracle right now in order to-
"Tsugi no Mai!!"
A cold wind blew through the area, and before either of the two combatants knew what was happening, Grimmjow's arm was encased in ice, along with most of his lower body, "What the hell??"
Ichigo and Grimmjow both looked down the road to see a lone figure standing before them.
"Rukia!" Ichigo called out to the petite Soul Reaper. Rukia merely nodded, focusing on continuing her attack.
She punctured the ground with her white zanpakutou four times in front of her, forming a semi-circle, then stood in a ready stance, blade pointed forward at the baffled Grimmjow. Ice began to rise up from the four spots in the ground, and the air seemed to cool even further. The Kuchiki girl took in a deep breath before continuing her attack, "Hakuren!!!"
"You?!" Grimmjow yelled out, finally recognizing the female Shinigami from a month ago, "How did you-?"
His voice was cut off as a blast of pure white shot out at him, covering the Arrancar in a thick sheet of ice. Ichigo shivered a bit from the sheer cold that blew by, watching as the bit of snow that fell seemed to circle him a few times before landing on the ground by him.
Rukia was by Ichigo's side within seconds. She gave him a worried look before kneeling down to remove Grimmjow's blade, "Ichigo...are you alright?"
"Just peachy." the orange haired teen replied as Rukia managed to yank the blade out of his arm while he winced, "Ow!"
"Sorry." Rukia apologized while helping the injured teen up, "That Vizard power of yours is pretty amazing...but you really shouldn't go overboard like that. It will cause problems later on if you don't fight smart, Ichigo."
"Whatever." Ichigo grumbled as Rukia picked up his zanpakutou and handed it to him, "Thanks for helping me."
Rukia went quiet as she looked up to Ichigo's brown eyes, "You scared me back there. You've been doing that a lot lately. Can you just promise me that-"
Crack!!!
Both Shinigami froze in place as the ice block holding Grimmjow inside shattered into pieces. Grimmjow clenched his fist before throwing a red blast of energy at Ichigo. The Kurosaki had no time to react, taking a Bala full force and crashing into a nearby stone wall.
"Ichigo!!!" Rukia cried out. She turned to run and help but was halted when Grimmjow appeared before her.
"I remember you." Grimmjow smirked, "You're that weakling I took out in one move when I first fought that loser over there." The former Sexta quickly dealt Rukia a jab to the stomach, and kicked her to a nearby wall of a building. She tried getting up, but Grimmjow reached her first, pinning her to the ground by his right foot. He pressed his hand against her face while keeping her pinned to the wall, grinning like the madman he was, "Heheheh, you seriously think an attack like that can beat me? You're too naive Shinigami!"
The Arrancar began to generate another Cero in his hand, which remained firmly pressed against Rukia's face. Ichigo got up, and felt his heart stop as he saw what Grimmjow was planning to do, "Rukia!!!!"
Grimmjow laughed as the Cero's light began to flash. The Soul Reaper girl would be erased completely, her head blown clean off! That would definitely be the end of her!
"Ikichi Taifuu!!!"
A bright red gale of wind blasted at the blue haired Arrancar, sending him flying into a building on the other side of the street. Rukia shakily lifted her head, feeling a few cuts on her arms appear. That attack...could it be...?
"Naruto?"
The blond haired shinigami-in-training grinned to the shaken Kuchiki girl, "Everything is going to be alright, Rukia-chan! You and Ichigo did your part; let me takeover for you." Naruto looked to Rukia's arms, seeing the fresh cuts, "Oh, sorry about that. Shinkuzakura's attacks are still taking time for me to get used to, though I am getting better." He looked over to the rising form of Grimmjow, "Besides, I'm sure he felt much worse."
Rukia watched as the young Jinchuuriki Soul Reaper walked over to meet Grimmjow. She got up, still trying to get over the fact mere moments ago her life had been flashing before her eyes.
She decided right then and there that if they made it through this, she'd take Naruto out to any restaurant he wanted, regardless of costs. The boy had more or less saved her from obliteration.
- - - - -
Grimmjow stood upright, ignoring the pain from the fresh cuts on his body as he eyed the second interloper of his fight with Ichigo, "Who the hell are you?"
The blond stuck his released zanpakutou into the ground for a moment as he spoke, "Naruto Uzumaki, Shinigami Student and future greatest Soul Reaper in all of Soul Society."
Recognition struck the Arrancar as he let a smirk cross his features, "Huh, so you're the one that Uchiha was griping about? A Jinchuuriki..." Grimmjow's reiatsu flared up, "I've been hoping to meet you. I'm Grimmjow Jeagerjaques."
Naruto's eyes widened a bit, "Uchiha? Wait, you know of someone named Uchiha? Who??"
Grimmjow said nothing to answer his question, unsheathing his blade quickly, "Come on, Jinchuuriki! Show me that amazing power of yours!!!"
Naruto ripped his blade from the cement, flying into the air as Grimmjow pursued him. The blond met Grimmjow's blade with his own, the two clashing for a mere second before they parted, circling each other in the air, "How do you know so much about me?!"
Grimmjow snickered, "You're quite a celebrity in Las Noches, kid. More than a few people have taken note of your power, me being one of them! Now stop holding back, or I'll just gut you right now!!!"
The whiskered shinigami raced to meet Grimmjow halfway, blade moving in an upward arc to slice at Grimmjow's underside. The former Sexta blocked while spinning his legs around to deliver a kick to Naruto's side. The blond raised an arm while pumping spiritual power into it to suppress the force of the kick.
"Huh, looks like you're better at taking blows than that other guy. Not bad!" Grimmjow backed off a bit, though Naruto continued to pursue Grimmjow, blade snapping open to it's aerial form.
"You want to see my power? Try this!!!" Naruto threw Shinkuzakura as it began to spin wildly, screaming winds moving with it as it whipped up the usual cutting force that came along with it. Grimmjow noted the razor winds approaching him, and moved upwards to avoid getting cut up.
The blond expected as much, and raised a hand. The winds surrounding Shinkuzakura seemed to change direction, backtracking and moving upwards to meet the Arrancar for a second attempt. This caught the blue haired opponent by surprise, and he raised his blade as the projectile weapon crashed into him.
"Gah!!!" The former Espada felt his entire body get slashed apart by the attack, but he refused to give in so easily. This kid wasn't even a real shinigami yet!!! He'd be damned before losing to someone like that!
Naruto could feel a change in Grimmjow's spiritual pressure as his opponent blasted the sword back. Naruto flew to catch Shinkuzakura, and halted as he felt Grimmjow's power continue to grow, "H-he's much stronger than that last Espada I fought." Naruto noted, gripping his blade tightly.
"Hahaha, yeah! This is what I've been wanting! Get ready now, gaki! I'm going to either force that power out of you, or destroy you! Your choice!!!"
Naruto watched as Grimmjow covered the distance between them within the blink of an eye. The young Soul Reaper felt a foot connect with his back, sending him careening forward. He blinked before seeing blue appear before him, accompanied by that insane grin. Naruto curled into a ball while holding Shinkuzakura out, and began using his momentum to spin. He had made himself into a shinigami circular saw, Shinkuzakura acting as the main blade while the winds around him added further cutting power.
"That won't work, gaki!!!" Grimmjow roared, flying at the boy. The two forces collided, causing a massive explosion in the sky as reiatsu pressed down on the area.
Meanwhile, down on the ground, Ichigo and Rukia watched in mild awe as the two fought with no concern for their own safety. A few shockwaves were made as the two combatants exchanged more blows and blocks between each other, making it seem like there was artillery fire being shot from above.
"Damn, Naruto's still not strong enough to beat him, but he's doing a damn good job at holding Grimmjow back."
Rukia nodded, "He could access more power, but it'd be a risk as well for him. I'm afraid he might not have much of a choice though."
A flash of red flooded the skies, and the two watched as Grimmjow and Naruto stood apart from each other in the sky above, their blades held at their sides.
Naruto felt sore. Grimmjow hit hard, and was rather fast. The Uzumaki boy was strong without a doubt, and he could deal just as much as he could take, but even he had his limits, "Heheh, you're pretty strong for someone who's fighting with just one arm. I think I should let you know though that my true power isn't being shown yet either, though."
"Don't get cocky, Jinchuuriki. If I used my Resurrección against you, it'd be a totally different story. Still, using this amount of power should be enough for you, if you're only going to fight as you are right now." Grimmjow replied, his hand glowing red for the umpteenth time, "This time, you won't stop me from launching my attack."
"Damn it, not good!" Naruto raised his blade, as Grimmjow launched his Cero at the blond. Naruto sighed inwardly as he focused in on his inner power, 'I guess it was going to happen either way. No point in holding back now.'
The blast of spiritual energy collided with Naruto, expanding a bit before enlarging into a giant sphere, then exploding. Grimmjow laughed as he watched the chaos of his own creation swallow up the blond, "Too bad for you, Jinchuuriki!"
Grimmjow's laughter was cut short as he felt a rising power from the smoke of his Cero and looked down to see a faint crimson light appear.
"It's a good thing I've gotten better at calling the fox's power out when I need it quickly. That Cero would have left a real nasty scar if I hadn't."
The fallen Espada looked to see a single tail waving behind Naruto as the boy looked up with blood red irises, "That's more like it. You used this power to block Yammy's attack, didn't you?"
"You could say that." Naruto replied, spinning Shinkuzakura around by the red ribbons attached at the end, "Are you waiting for an invitation, or do I get first move?"
"I think I might enjoy this."
"That makes two of us, Grimmjow." the blond responded, his sharpened canines glistening as they poked out from his upper lip, "Don't disappoint me, Arrancar."
The blond began spinning his blade faster, a whirlwind churning around him as the two prepared themselves for the next round.
"Don't hold back on me now!!!" Grimmjow roared as the two flew at each other. An explosion resonated in the sky as the two forces met, fully intent on destroying each other.
- - - - -
"You're here for me, aren't you?"
Ulquiorra walked out of the shadows of the tunnel between the human world and the world of Soul Society, "Yes, I am."
Orihime looked to the two Soul Reapers who had been tasked with accompanying her out of the Senkaimon, both lying on the ground with fatal injuries. Orihime quickly expanded her Soten Kisshun so that it covered both of the shinigami, "What do you want with me?"
"Silence."
Orihime gasped as she felt a slight ripple in the Espada's reiatsu, "Wha-what?"
"Come with me, woman." Before Orihime could respond though, Ulquiorra continued, "The next words that you speak will be 'Yes.' and nothing else. You have no rights, no options; you are merely a tool of Aizen-sama now."
The teenage girl wanted to run, but her desire to protect the two shinigami that had gotten caught in the midst of this ambush was much greater. She clenched her fist as she gave Ulquiorra a weak glare.
"If you decide to resist, it will result in death. Not your death though, but the death of your friends that you hold so dear." the Cuarta continued, "You alone hold the rope that holds the guillotine above their necks. Your choice will decided whether it remains above them, or beheads them."
Images of Ichigo and Rukia in varied degrees of pain appeared behind Ulquiorra, along with Toshirou, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika being constricted by some white appendages of sorts, and Naruto fighting against a rather Grimmjow Jeagerjaques.
"I'll say it once more." Ulquiorra repeated, his eyes locked with her own, "Come with me, woman."
Deep down, Orihime had a feeling that the worst had yet to come for her and her friends.
- - - - -
"My my, is this really all Soul Society had to offer for defense in Karakura? It's quite disappointing, really."
Luppi chuckled a bit, having earned the right to with knocking out Hitsugaya and having the other three members of the little group who encountered him, Yammy, and Wonderweiss. He really had hoped for more of a challenge, but he supposed that it wasn't to be expected, considering that Trepadora had a rather unique Resurrección with its eight tentacle-like appendages to strangle and constrict opponents with.
Luppi cast a glance over to Rangiku, giving her a wry smile, "Am I squeezing too tightly? I'm sorry, I feel bad to go and damage a body like yours, heheh." Luppi's grin grew sadistic, "Maybe I should just punch holes into it!!"
One of Luppi's free appendages formed spines on the end, and it didn't take the others much to realize what they were for. Rangiku struggled in vain to free herself as the now puncture-capable tentacle made way for her, likely to cause her demise if it managed to stab her.
A flash of silver and black went through the attacking appendage, slicing it clean from the rest of Luppi's body. The Sexta Espada blinked before looking up to the attacker, "Oh? I don't recall seeing you here earlier."
"Yo." Kakashi spun his shorter than average blade around a few times before waving to Luppi, "Hmm, aren't you a bit young to be playing with sharp objects like that? I swear, Aizen really ought to keep a better eye on you kids."
Luppi laughed, "You really are an interesting one. I think I may actually have fun fighting you."
"You really shouldn't act so confident in a fight with an opponent that you haven't even observed before. I've been watching your fight with Hitsugaya-taichou and the others for some time now. I've encountered better in training with my peers."
Luppi didn't seem to find that jab rather humorous, "Is that so?"
Kakashi gave a nod, "Afraid so."
"Who are you, anyway?"
"Ah, right." Kakashi scratched his head, "I suppose that was rude of me to not introduce myself. Kakashi Hatake, fourth seated officer of Squad Eight of the Gotei Thirteen." Kakashi turned to Rangiku, "Hey, Rangiku, sorry about the delay. I've been rather busy helping Ichigo's dad sort out some medical supp-"
"Just get us out of this bind already!" Rangiku yelled, her patience thinning with the masked shinigami's excuses.
"Alright then." Kakashi sighed before pulling out his zanpakutou again, while putting his book away, "This is your one chance, Arrancar. Give up."
Luppi's reply was to simply attack a second time with his numerous appendages. Kakashi disappeared from view, only to end up behind the youthful-looking Arrancar. Luppi turned his head around, irritation clearly written on his features, "Stop running from me, damn it!"
"If you say so." Kakashi replied with a shrug.
In a blink of an eye, Luppi found numerous slashes on his body, blood flying in every direction. The Sexta Espada coughed a bit as he felt the taste of iron in his throat, "H-how did...?" Luppi watched in disbelief as Trepadora's limbs fell to the ground, consequently freeing Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Rangiku in the process.
"It's called shunpo, and it's a basic skill all experienced Soul Reapers have. I don't like to brag, but I'm a little bit faster than the average fourth seat in Seirei-"
"Shut up!!!" Luppi growled, launching a second attack with the few tentacle-like appendages that were still attached to him, "I'm going to strangle you until that damn head of yours pops off!"
"Geesh, you have a real temper problem, don't you?" Kakashi pointed his blade at the Sexta as he continued, "This battle's already been won. You can't keep up with me, and you're attacks are too sluggish. Face it; you're finished."
Another two tentacles flew at Kakashi, who sidestepped them and charged right for Luppi. The sound of flesh piercing the hierro of Luppi's could be heard. Luppi looked to see Kakashi holding his blade in Luppi's abdomen, his expression serious, "Damn...you...shinigami."
"Likewise, Arrancar."
Kakashi delivered an explosive kick to Luppi's head while yanking out his zanpakutou and flying back. Luppi coughed a bit as his Resurrección fell apart on him. Luppi managed to halt his descent to the earth below, though just barely. He was now sporting a large footprint over his left eye, and a bloody nose. He lifted a hand as it began glowing red, Kakashi immediately identifying it as a Cero.
That's when the air started to cool rapidly. Kakashi smirked underneath his mask; Hitsugaya had been clever enough to lay low until the right moment.
"He's all your's Hitsugaya-taichou!" Kakashi called out, jumping back a fair distance as the air began to condense into ice crystals. Kakashi let out an involuntary shiver; Daiguren Hyorinmaru was indeed the most powerful ice based zanpakutou for a good reason.
Luppi tried to move, but felt his arm hold him in place. He looked to see a large process of ice from the silver haired captain he had supposedly defeated earlier. He grit his teeth in anger, "How are you still alive?"
"Haven't you ever heard of following through with your attacks? Leaving me alone in a battle against numerous opponents is a reckless maneuver, especially when they're seated officers of the Gotei Thirteen." Hitsugaya spoke as he rose up into the air, "You see, Daiguren Hyorinmaru is an interesting zanpakutou. It's arsenal is only limited by the amount of water in the atmosphere. The only drawback is that stronger attacks take longer to prepare. Thankfully, Kakashi-san managed to provide me adequate time."
Luppi watched in mild fear as pillars of ice surrounded him from all angles. He strained to move, yet to no avail, "Damn it!"
"Sennen Hyoro."
The weakened Arrancar cried out in agony as the large pillars smashed into him, enveloping him in a frozen prison. The air remained cool for a few minutes more while Hitsugaya regressed his zanpakutou to its sealed state.
"Glad to see you unharmed, taichou." Kakashi stated with a nod, "Urahara is currently taking care of that brute over there."
The group of shinigami all turned to see the Tenth Espada being utterly humiliated by the owner of Urahara Shoten, "That one doesn't appear to have much for brain power."
Kakashi turned to the young captain, "He makes up for that in sheer strength. Though, he still is the lowest ranking Arrancar of the Espada. It bothers me to think what the gap in power is among the others."
Rangiku dusted off some stray snowflakes, "This one here said he was the Sexta, didn't he?"
Ikkaku, who was cleaning out an ear with his pinkie finger, gave a grunt, "Yeah, I think so. Kakashi manhandled the bum like last week's trash, though. The ones above him can't be that bad, can they?"
"We can't be too sure. I'm guessing that Aizen has recruited at least one Vasto Lorde level Arrancar. You know how much of a problem that could be for us."
The others gave a nod of agreement.
An explosion, followed by a flash of red light got their attention. Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow in mild astonishment, "Is that from the Uzumaki boy?"
"It would appear so." Kakashi replied, "He's really pushing his limits though. He's stated that he can safely release two tails worth of power from the Kyuubi. Not sure what to expect if he goes past that amount. I've seen never seen him go past two, though that alone is enough power to give most Hollows a run for their money as far as power goes."
"Tails?"
Kakashi looked to Yumichika, "Yes. Being a Jinchuuriki allows Naruto the power to access the demon fox's power. As far as I know, Naruto has reached up to four tails of the nine."
"Just how big is the difference between two and four?" Rangiku inquired. Kakashi shook his head.
"He cleared out a fairly large portion of a forest just by releasing the pent up chakra at four tails. When he unleashed an attack on a powerful enemy, the path cleared out about a good fifty yards of soil in depth. I don't even know how far its length of destruction was. All I can say is one of his teammates reported the sheer potency of the bijuu's power doing bodily harm to Naruto." Kakashi gave a sigh as he lifted his Sharingan for a moment, noticing a second power source fighting against Naruto, "It looks like Naruto's fighting a powerful enemy."
Kakashi didn't point out the fact that a third reiatsu signature was heading towards the fight. He gave a small grin behind his mask, thankful that Shinji had been smart enough to aid the masked shinigami's former student.
- - - - -
Naruto's hands shook as he held Shinkuzakura, feeling his muscles cramping a bit.
"You look a little haggard, kid." Grimmjow laughed, sporting a few gashes himself, "That power of yours is impressive, but it's nothing compared to what I'm capable of."
The blond spit up a bit of blood from a broken lip, "As if that makes a difference. I'm not going to lose this fight, Grimmjow."
Grimmjow snickered while brandishing his blade, "Why don't you prove it?"
"No need to ask twice then, Grimmjow!" Naruto flew at the Arrancar, halting a few feet from the blue haired fiend and throwing his zanpakutou as it snapped open. It howled while letting out a powerful gust. Just as he predicted, Grimmjow flew above the attack, "Got you..."
Naruto used his speed to reappear behind Grimmjow as he avoided the flying zanpakutou, "Huh?"
Naruto smirked as he held out a hand, "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!"
Grimmjow's eyes widened as a ball of blue fire exploded from Naruto's palm, blasting the former Sixth Espada through the air with a roar of fire, "Son of a-"
"Hado Number Thirty-three!! Sokatsui!!!"
The explosion grew as it pushed the Arrancar back even further as the blue flames grew. Naruto watched with some satisfaction as the Arrancar let out a pained yell.
The smoking form of Grimmjow Jeagerjaques careened down to the city below. Naruto stood in midair, watching for any signs of the Arrancar. The blond held out a hand as Shinkuzakura returned to it, and folded up the blade before descending down to the cement road below.
The sound of laughing could be heard, and Naruto wasn't surprised to see his opponent standing in the middle of a small crater, seemingly unharmed from the recent destructive art launched at him, "Not bad, Jinchuuriki! Not bad at all!"
The two tails whipped behind Naruto a bit as he went into a ready stance, "Yeah, the Kyuubi gives me a temporary boost in using kido, though that attack would have hurt a lot either way at that close of a range."
Naruto's muscles twitched a bit as he felt the side effects of the Kyuubi's power begin kicking in. He bit down a hiss of pain, staring down his opponent with no visible signs of pain. Grimmjow just remained sneering, "I'm done playing games, kid. I think it's time I end this."
Grimmjow gave no visible warning as he appeared behind Naruto. The blond didn't even have time to blink as a Bala crashed into his back. Even with the Kyuubi's cloak, an attack from that close was capable of damage to the young Soul Reaper-in-training.
Naruto smashed into a building across the road, and struggled to get up as the ruins fell on him. His Kyuubi-powered aura vanished, and he felt his breath hitch a bit with the lost weight of power. He didn't get much time to relax though. Naruto found himself coughing as he inhaled dust, and looked up to see the silhouette of Grimmjow standing before him, "You got a lot quicker..."
Grimmjow just laughed as he neared Naruto, "Idiot, I'm capable of moving much faster than that, even. You may be better at taking a beating than that Ichigo kid, but your speed is less than his."
Before further words could be said, a white blast of energy roared down to meet Grimmjow. The Arrancar quickly phased away from the spot he had been standing in, and reappeared a few feet away from the newly developed crater, "Man, what's with all the distractions today?"
Naruto squinted as he looked outside the ruins to see a man in a rather sharp-looking suit on the roof of a building nearby. He held a sword over his shoulders, and had blond hair cut into a bowl cut. Naruto laughed a bit as he started pushing rocks off his body, "Shinji!"
"Ah, Naruto, you've gotten yourself into quite a mess, haven't you?"
Naruto sent the Vizard a flat look, "Just help me out, already!"
"Yeesh, no need to yell..." Shinji hopped down from the roof he was standing on, strolling at a slow pace over to the two fighters, "Hey, Arrancar, why don't you quit wasting time on a greenhorn Soul Reaper?"
Grimmjow scowled at the man, "Who the hell are you?"
"It doesn't matter, does it?"
"You're with them?"
"Does that really matter, either?"
Grimmjow let a grin grow on his features, "That's true." He lifted his sword, "It doesn't matter, since I'll kill you anyway!!"
Grimmjow was soon flying at the Vizard, blade angled to decapitate the Vizard. Shinji maintained his bored look as the blue haired Arrancar began his attack.
That's when Grimmjow found himself halted by a familiar presence. He looked to see a hand holding his blade in place, "Ulquiorra? What's the deal?!"
"We're done here, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra replied, "It's time to leave."
Grimmjow growled, and turned to Naruto, "It's been fun, kid! Consider yourself lucky that you aren't dead! If we meet again, you better pray you aren't alone, otherwise I'll just kill you like I will with Kurosaki!!!"
Grimmjow walked into the Garganta with Ulquiorra. His sadistic grin never left his face as the portal closed, and it caused Naruto to growl in anger.
"Damn it!!!" Naruto said in an uncharacteristic show of anger, "I could have had him! I had to go and blow it though...damn it..."
Shinji looked to Naruto, "You're alive, aren't you? No need to get all bent out of shape."
Naruto grumbled something along the lines of idiotic Arrancar as he dusted off pieces of rubble from his white and blue Academy robes, "Are Rukia and Ichigo alright?"
The Vizard gave a nod, "Yeah, thanks to you." He slung his blade over his shoulders once again, "Naruto...I'm going to be honest right now with you."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"You're better than most shinigami as far as offense goes. Your defense is a bit lacking though." He turned to face the approaching forms of Rukia and Ichigo, "You'll need to get stronger if you plan on being able to take on any Espada."
The Jinchuuriki boy gave a sigh while nodding, "Yeah. Thanks for getting here when you did, Shinji."
Shinji gave a grin, "Mah, I wouldn't leave a friend hanging like that. It's just not cool." He walked over and ruffled Naruto's hair, "I better get going."
"Hirako."
The former captain of the Fifth squad of the Gotei Thirteen looked to Ichigo, "Hey, Ichigo. You've looked better. Kuchiki-san, good to see you're still breathing."
"Yeah, but if it wasn't for the Vizard powers...I might be dead."
Shinji Hirako nodded, "Yep. Good thing Hiyori put you through that hell in a hand basket, right?"
Ichigo let a smirk cross his features, "Heh. How's she been, lately?"
A roll of the Vizard's eyes was his initial reply, "Still a pain. She wanted to come along and help, but I said she'd be in the way. She started freaking out when she felt Naruto go and use the Kyuubi's power."
Naruto shook his head, "Seriously. I'm fine."
"I'm sure." Shinji replied, "Right. Well, seeing as you're all alive, I think I'll take my leave. Don't be a stranger, Ichigo!"
The Vizard disappeared with a quick shunpo, and not a moment too late. Hitsugaya's group appeared, along with Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Kakashi. Kakashi was the first to speak upon seeing Naruto's beaten form, "Naruto, are you okay?"
Rukia spoke, "Naruto is probably the reason I'm still here. He stopped one of the Arrancar from blasting my head off."
Kakashi turned to his student, "Well done, Naruto."
Naruto just grinned while scratching his head, "Heheh, thanks."
Kisuke pulled down on his hat a bit, "It seems that our friends from Hueco Mundo also left. They escaped before we could finish of the Sexta Espada."
Hitsugaya gave a nod, "He would have been finished if he wasn't saved at the last second. We were lucky that no one got killed though."
Kakashi scratched the back of his head while letting out a groan, "One-hundred ryo says Soul Society is going to be giving us a huge stink on this one."
A good portion of the group looked to Kakashi in a puzzled manner, except Naruto.
Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow, "Ryo?"
"The currency of the Elemental Countries."
"Oh."
- - - - -
About ten minutes later found the group in the attic of Orihime's home where Hitsugaya had set up the large monitor used to communicate with Seireitei. The part that struck most of the group odd was that Orihime wasn't there. She was supposed to be back from Soul Society by now.
Hitsugaya eventually got the machine running, and was greeted by the face of Yamamoto himself, "Yamamoto-sotaichou, we're reporting as you asked."
Yamamoto gave a nod, "Yes. I would like to inform all of you that Orihime Inoue has gone missing. It would appear that she went missing on her journey from Soul Society to the human world. We believe she has left for Hueco Mundo."
"What?!" was the only word uttered by Ichigo in response.
"Yes." Yamamoto continued, "It would appear that she has betrayed us and joined Aizen."
"No way! Orihime would never do that!" Ichigo shot back, ignoring the warning glare from Hitsugaya, "She would never go and stab us in the back like that!"
Naruto scratched his head, "Maybe she was kidnapped?"
Yamamoto looked to Naruto, "That may be possible, but we cannot be too sure."
Ikkaku rubbed his chin in thought, "Sotaichou, with all due respect, that girl was one of the kindest people we've ever met. I doubt she'd want to help someone like Aizen."
"We need to go save her!" Ichigo stated as he turned to leave.
"You'll do no such thing, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Ichigo turned to Yamamoto, "Why the hell not?"
"First of all, you have no way of reaching Hueco Mundo. Second of all, we cannot be sure what the circumstances are for her leaving for Hueco Mundo. There are too many unknowns."
A few more minutes passed while Ichigo tried with no success to convince Yamamoto to let him go to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime. He eventually stormed out of the attic while Rukia excused herself, leaving to make sure Ichigo didn't do anything foolish.
"Well, now I would like to bring other matters to your attention." Yamamoto spoke, "Kakashi Hatake, Yoruichi Shihoin, and Naruto Uzumaki."
The Kakashi and Naruto stood at attention while Yoruichi looked to the man with her arms folded. Kakashi gave a nod, "Yes, sotaichou?"
"As you may be aware, there has been an increased level of activity in the Elemental Countries, namely in the village of Konoha. It appears to be a hot spot for spiritual activity." the leader of the Gotei Thirteen stated, "I would like for you three to head over there and give a quick report of the village's current condition. I'll be sending a small group of reinforcements to help. They will consist of Soi Fon, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yachiru Kusajishi and a spiritually sensitive resident of Rukongai named Jiraiya. I believe the three of you are familiar with him, are you not?"
Naruto's eyes widened, "Ero-sennin? What's he joining us for?"
"Jiraiya-san has been given special privileges to assist Seireitei in regards to the Elemental Countries. Those of you who don't already have one will be given a gigai when you meet with the others in Konoha. I expect you three to be there within five hours' time." Yamamoto replied, "Is that clear?"
"Yes, sotaichou." Kakashi gave a bow while Naruto and Yoruichi each gave an affirmative nod.
"Good. As for the rest of you, I would like you to return to Soul Society within a day's time. That is all." Yamamoto's image blipped out, and Hitsugaya turned off the monitor.
Yoruichi turned to Naruto and grinned, "Well, we'll get to see Konoha. Sounds like fun."
Naruto just nodded, "Yeah. I'm a bit surprised that Ero-sennin is joining us though."
"Not to mention Yachiru. This is going to lead to a migraine...I can smell it." Kakashi added, "You remember what she did the last time I walked past the Eleventh Division headquarters?"
Yoruichi laughed, "Never thought she'd try and have half of Squad Eleven chase after you to get your mask pulled off. Did she manage to do it?"
Kakashi sent the Shihoin a flat look, "Of course not. I'm not that slow."
"Wait...Yachiru is coming?"
Kakashi nodded, "It can be assumed that wherever Kenpachi-taichou goes, she'll be nearby."
Naruto groaned, "I am not giving her any more piggyback rides."
"She technically could order you to."
Naruto eyebrow twitched, "She already has, Kakashi-sensei."
Ikkaku placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I feel for you, Uzumaki. I find the best way to get rid of her is with candy."
"He tried that. She just started getting all sparkly-eyed around him after that." Kakashi replied.
Ikkaku grunted in understanding, "Ah. So she likes him."
"Afraid so." Naruto replied with a sigh.
"Hm. That means taichou respects you as well. Good for you."
About fifteen minutes later found Yoruichi, Naruto, and Kakashi heading to Urahara's.
Kisuke was waiting outside of the shop entrance, a smile on his face, "Ah, good to see you three back so quickly. Your friend was getting impatient." He pointed to the Hell Butterfly from earlier, which immediately flitted over to Naruto and landed on his shoulder.
"You just attract all different sorts, don't you, Naruto?" Yoruichi joked, Naruto laughing a bit in response.
"Well, I've got the Senkaimon ready for you. Just head on inside and we'll get you three over to Konoha."
"Hold up!"
The four Soul Reapers turned to see the approaching figure of Ichigo in his normal body, "Ichigo?"
Ichigo gave a quick nod to Yoruichi, "I'm coming with."
Kisuke whipped out his fan while waving it, "Why would you wish to do that, Ichigo?"
Ichigo gave them all a determined look, "There's probably Espada in Konoha. If there's Espada, then I can find out about Orihime."
Kakashi looked to Kisuke, "This isn't a problem, is it?"
"Not at all!" Urahara replied while snapping his fan so it closed, "The more the merrier! I just hope you realize that you may be in this other realm for a day or two."
"That's fine with me."
Naruto grinned, "I think you'll like Konoha. There are more trees there, and it's not as noisy."
"They don't have Icha Icha Afterlife though."
Naruto looked to his former sensei, "I'm so telling Sakura about you still being a pervert."
Kakashi didn't miss a beat, "Fair enough. I'll just tell her the origin of your Oiroke no Jutsu."
Yoruichi felt a smirk tug at her lips, "Oiroke no Jutsu? Pray tell, Kakashi."
As the door to the Senkaimon opened up, Kisuke couldn't help but find it amusing how Kakashi was trying to avoid being beaten by Naruto while Yoruichi probed for an answer to her question, and Ichigo followed, unsure of whether or not he should be going with them. They followed the Hell Butterfly as it fluttered into the glowing light.
Tessai walked into the room as the doors connecting the two worlds closed, "I see they already have left."
"Yep yep. Kurosaki went along with them, too!"
Tessai shook his head, "That boy...he'd jump straight into a volcano if someone riled him up enough to do so."
"Perhaps," Urahara rubbed his chin, "I don't know who would be first though; Naruto or Ichigo."
Tessai gave a nod, "That's true. Naruto's just about as headstrong. If not more so."
Kisuke chuckled a bit as he headed back to the main shop, "Well, I'll be busy puttering around if you need me, Tessai."
Tessai gave a look to the door where the others had entered. He just hoped that things wouldn't be getting worse for the lot of them. Something told him though that this was simply wishful thinking.
- - - - -
Kakashi was the first to walk through the other doors of the Senkaimon. He blinked while taking in his surroundings, "Hm. I was pretty sure the Senkaimon wasn't supposed to be here...oh well."
The other three walked out, and immediately noted that they were in a small apartment. Naruto's apartment, to be exact. It seemed to have not changed much in the time since Naruto and Kakashi died, though it was cleaner.
Naruto scratched his head, "Um..." he turned to Yoruichi and Ichigo, "Welcome to my old apartment! Make yourself at home!"
Ichigo looked out the window of Naruto's former residence, and gave a low whistle as he took in the scenery, "Wow. This place is a lot bigger than I expected for a village."
"Konoha's one of the bigger shinobi villages. We're probably only several thousand less than Karakura."
"Hm." Yoruichi nodded, "I'm interested in meeting Sakura. I want to get loads of juicy material from her on Naruto."
"Yeah, Sakura-chan is probably working at-" Naruto stopped himself as he looked to Yoruichi, "Juicy material?"
Yoruichi shrugged, "I'll give the information to Soi Fon and Yachiru so that the Shinigami Women's Association can print it in a newsletter."
Naruto turned to Kakashi, and spoke in a serious tone, "Say anything at all and I'll make sure you never read Icha Icha again."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Kakashi replied while raising his hands in defense.
The door of Naruto's closet opened again, this time Jiraiya, Soi Fon, Kenpachi, and Yachiru walked out.
Naruto's face immediately lit up, "Ero-sennin!"
Jiraiya greeted the blond with a wave and a ruffling of the boy's hair, "Hey, Naruto. Heard you had a real scuffle with an Arrancar."
"He saved my life." Ichigo added, "He's a real good fighter."
Naruto nodded, "Ichigo, this one of my other teachers, and my godfather, Jiraiya. Jiraiya, this is Ichigo Kurosaki, Substitute Soul Reaper of Karakura Town."
Jiraiya nodded, "I've heard of him. You're a real bruiser in fights, according to Kenpachi here."
Zaraki gave Ichigo a huge, predatory grin, "Hey, Ichigo. Good to see you're well..."
"Um, hey, Kenpachi." Ichigo nodded while backing up a little while taking in his available escape routes.
"Naru-kun!!!!"
Naruto's eyes widened, "Oh no."
The next thing Naruto saw was a bundle of pink and black hop off Zaraki's shoulders and latch onto him, "Naru-kun, where have you been? I've been bored at Seireitei without you around!"
Naruto gave a nervous chuckle, "Heheh, sorry, Yachiru. I've been busy lately."
Yachiru gave a childish pout, "Awww! You mean you've been doing stuff without me?"
"He's been helping Karakura, fukutaichou."
Yachiru looked to Kakashi, and her grin was once again on her face, "Kaka-chan!!"
Kakashi sidestepped as Yachiru jumped at him. She flew past him while reaching out to grab his mask, and crashed into the wall, "Right. Soi Fon-taichou, Zaraki-taichou, it's good to see you two are well."
Soi Fon gave a nod, "We're just here to give a report on Konoha. I imagine we won't be here for too long. There's just been an abnormal amount of Hollows in the area lately, yet few attacks."
Yoruichi hummed in thought, "That is unusual. Probably Aizen's doing."
The group was soon settling into Naruto's apartment, which still had some sparse furniture. Naruto would have offered some food, but he had none, seeing as the place was cleared out of most perishables and cleaned for the most part.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei..."
Kakashi looked to his blond pupil, "Hm?"
"Um...if it's not a problem, you think I could maybe see where Sakura-chan is? She..." He looked over his shoulder to see the others were busy discussing matters, "She said she wanted to talk to me whenever I came here."
Kakashi shrugged, "Truthfully, you're not an active Soul Reaper yet. I don't see the problem with going to see Sakura and the others. Be back within an hour, and just be sure not to expose to much reiatsu to the area. Shinobi are more sensitive to those kinds of things than people such as the ones in Karakura."
Naruto gave a mock salute, "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!" The blond Jinchuuriki opened the door to his balcony, and leaped into the air before hopping from roof to roof.
Yoruichi walked over to the masked shinigami, "Where's he off to?"
"He's going to see if he can find Sakura." Kakashi spoke, "I imagine she deserves to speak with him personally. She has sort of been pulled into this mess."
The Goddess of the Flash gave a laugh, "He probably just wants to keep her from telling me about him."
"You're horrible, you know that?" Kakashi commented, earning a mischievous grin from the woman. Kakashi shook his head as he watched the late afternoon sun beginning its descent, "It's kind of weird how the time is a little different here than in Karakura."
Ichigo was the one to reply, "Hey, uh, Hatake-san, right?"
"Kakashi is fine with me."
"Er, right. You wouldn't happen to have any areas to train in around here, would you?"
"Well, now that you mention it, I did make a little training chamber in my closet in my old apartment." Kakashi said with a tap of his chin, "Hopefully no one is living there now. Apartments go real fast in that part of town. After Naruto gets back, we can look into seeing if it's still there."
Ichigo gave a nod, "Sounds good to me."
- - - - -
Naruto finally reached the Konoha Hospital at sunset. He was a bit worried that he had angered Shinkuzakura though, since whenever he had tried to ask if Sakura was in Konoha, he got no response. It wasn't until he was a little ways from the hospital that his zanpakutou said in a rather calm and happy voice that Sakura was waiting for him on the roof of the hospital.
The blond gave a final push off a roof, and landed on the roof of his destination. He immediately saw her, and felt his stomach do a few somersaults when she turned to see him.
'She looks a little taller...and...' Naruto shook his head as he admired her figure, '...can't have bad thoughts right now. She'll know!'
Sakura turned to Naruto, and her eyes lit up, "Naruto?"
The shinigami-in-training smiled warmly, "In the spiritual flesh."
Sakura took a tentative step forward. Then another. Then she ran and jumped at Naruto, throwing her arms around him. Naruto laughed as he returned the hug with as much fervor. The two were both shedding some silent tears, though most of them were from Sakura.
"Baka...I just knew you were here. I asked Tsunade-shishou for a break, and waited for you up here. I could feel your presence, so I knew it had to be you!" Sakura said as she rested her head on his shoulder, sniffling a little.
"Heheh, glad to see you too, Sakura-chan. Um...how long do you have off?"
Sakura actually laughed a bit, "I'm done right now, actually. My break more or less just ended my shift early. I just have to go and do a quick round on the third floor, check on a few patients, and I'm free."
"I'll wait for you on the roof." Naruto spoke, "Kakashi-sensei wanted me back in an hour."
Sakura's smile grew, "Kakashi-sensei is here?!"
"Yeah, along with a few of my other friends. I can introduce you if you want. We're at my apartment right now."
"Ah, about that..." Sakura spoke with a nervous chuckle, "...your apartment is going to be mine within a day or two. It's kind of cleared out right now, but I have a few clothes put away in the drawers right now."
Naruto blinked several times before grinning, "Really? That explains why the place is clean, then! Awesome, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura smiled, "Yeah. Well, I better get back to work." She turned to leave, but quickly stopped and spoke, "By the way..."
Naruto looked to her, "Um, what's up, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura turned around slowly, and gave a knowing grin, "I knew you were looking me over. I have to admit," she gave him a quick once over, "You look good yourself. I'll be back in a little bit."
The blond stood there, a little befuddled and shocked by what the rosette had said. He felt an awkward grin tug at his cheeks, "Heheheh...Sakura-chan."
Naruto was glad to be back. Definitely.
End of Chapter Ten- Heh, this was well past due. Yeah, things are moving along for Naruto and the gang. I wanted to throw Ichigo in with the Konoha group, since I already kind of had plans for him in the upcoming events. Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter, it took long enough for me to make two of them, but I guess now is better than never as far as getting out the chapters, right? Right. Thanks for reading!