Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach, but not the detergent kind. Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, but not the kind you put in your noodles.

Chapter Thirteen: Storm Within the Soul

"That reiatsu is Ulquiorra's?" Grimmjow growled, "That bastard's hidden this much strength all along?"

Naruto shook his head, "Hell if I know."

The two Arrancar were quickly approaching the tower where Ichigo and the Cuatra Espada were apparently duking it out. No more than five minutes running distance behind the duo was where the others were fighting off the remaining low level Hollows that Aizen had sent out as a distraction before he and the remaining Espada left.

"...damn it, Ulquiorra's increasing his power..." Naruto grumbled as they halted in front of the tower, "Grimmjow...is that seriously Ulquiorra? I mean, he's number four, but..."

"I know." Grimmjow replied, "Kurosaki's in over his head."

All the while, Naruto felt a tugging sensation in the back of his mind. The others were slowly making their way towards the tower as well, though it'd likely be another ten minutes or so before they were near enough that they could be in danger of getting pulled into the fight.

The two jettisoned into the air again, going at a straight ninety degree angle to the ground. Naruto gripped his blade by the hilt, "Grimmjow, any idea on what powers Ulquiorra has?"

"Nope."

"That's a shame." the Media-Espada groaned, "Looks like we'll have to go about this in the old 'hope for the best' manner then, huh?"

"Isn't that the only method you ever use?" the blue haired Espada inquired sarcastically, only to receive a cocky grin from Naruto, "Right, right. Don't worry, we got Ulquiorra outnumbered three to one. One of us is bound to get a lucky hit on him."

"Let's hope so."

A sudden rush of reiatsu smashed into the two with the force of tidal wave. Naruto felt his breath hitch for a moment, looking up in time to see a light erupt from the top of the tower.

"Holy shi-"

Grimmjow's words were cut off as the roof directly above them was blasted clean off, leaving a large, gaping hole in it's place. The eternal night sky of Hueco Mundo was visible now to them, but Naruto's attention was set on something else entirely.

"Th-that's Ulquiorra's Resurrección." The blond felt his hand tighten around his hilt again, "We have to hurry, now!"

Ichigo strained to keep his stance as the overwhelming weight of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure threatened to crush him. He grit his teeth, "So...this is your released state, huh?"

"Correct." Ulquiorra replied, "It's against the will of Aizen for the first four Espada to release their Resurrección while inside Las Noches. That is why I release my power outside of the palace's walls."

"Tch, it looked more like you were showing off to me, with the way you blasted that hole in the roof." Ichigo remarked, "A fitting name for your Resurrección, by the way."

"Still confident in your abilities, I see." the Cuatra spoke, "It seems I'll have to show you just how great the difference in our powers is."

Ichigo lifted a hand in front of his face, calling forth his mask, "Go ahead and try, Ulquiorra."

"That's my intention, Ichigo Kurosaki." Ulquiorra replied, "I'll take all that confidence and hope you have, and destroy it. You'll be nothing more than ashes at my feet when I am through with you."

Another explosion resonated from the hole in the roof above Naruto and Grimmjow. The two stopped, standing on the top of the tower, "Ichigo's not going to last five minutes at this rate."

Grimmjow snorted in laughter, "Five? That's pretty generous."

"Alright, we need to attack quickly and make sure we don't give Ulquiorra a chance to get back up." Naruto drew his blade, "You're better at firing a high-speed Cero than I am. Catch him by surprise, and I'll go in for the attack if he withstands the Cero."

"Close ranged attack against an Espada with their Resurrección while you're not releasing your own powers?" Grimmjow sighed, "You're going to get yourself killed, you know that, right?"

"It's possible, but he'll be less likely to notice me if I have my powers suppressed. If I strike with enough force in that brief moment that he's open to attack, I can pierce his hierro, regardless of how strong it may be." The blond's facial features showed no traces of humor or joking, "Grimmjow, if for some reason I mess up and get myself killed, get Ichigo out of there with a Garganta. We've got four captains below us. That should be more than enough to take on Ulquiorra if I fail to."

"You know, I'm getting sick of you and you're 'if I get killed' speeches." the Sexta commented, "Maybe if you actually had a backbone and quit doubting yourself, you'd actually do things right."

Naruto grinned a bit, "Love you too, Grimmjow."

"Bite me." Grimmjow replied as the two flew towards the hole in the roof above them. No more than several seconds passed when the two landed on the roof.

The scene before them sent a mild chill down Naruto's spine. Ichigo was standing near a pile of debris, straining to stand up as another figure slowly approached him. From the feeling of their reiatsu, Naruto could only assume that it was none other than Ulquiorra.

"Damn it, Grimmjow, we've got to stop him." Naruto got into a ready stance, "Ready?"

Grimmjow cut his palm open with the the edge of his blade, aiming it towards the Cuatra, "Gran Rey Cero!"

An eruption of blue light surged out of the Sexta's hand, it's pathway leading straight to Ulquiorra. Naruto didn't waste a second, disappearing and racing directly behind the super-powered Cero. As the projectile hit its target, the blond shot through the blazing waves of energy and smoke, zanpakutou pointing forward.

Clang!

Naruto felt resistance as he held his blade before him. He looked to see the figure of Ulquiorra standing before him, the strange spear he was holding blocking the blond's blade, "You honestly believed that such an attack would work on me, Uzumaki?"

Naruto's eyes met with Ulquiorra's, "I had hoped to maybe get a lucky hit on you while Grimmjow got Ichigo out of harm's way. The kid's probably one of the few trump cards we have against Aizen if what Kisuke Urahara told me was true."

The Media-Espada jumped back as he took in the Cuatra Espada's features. Overall, there wasn't much of a physical change, aside from the giant bat-like wings he now had, along with the horns on his Hollow mask remains becoming longer.

Naruto cast a quick glance to the slightly shaken form of Ichigo, "Kurosaki, stay back until you're capable of actually using that sword in your hands." Ichigo didn't miss the slightly annoyed tone of Naruto's voice, as though he were scolding the boy, "Grimmjow, let me handle this."

Ulquiorra scoffed a bit, "You stand no chance against the powers of Murciélago." He held his spear at ready, "My orders, however, were to insure that anyone who attempted to save that woman are to be dealt with according."

"Heh," Naruto chuckled, "I'll be honest, Ulquiorra, I'm glad this is happening. I've been wanting to give you a beating since day one. Your dreary outlook on existence is depressing, and you seriously believe that unless you've witnessed something that it cannot exist."

"Of course. My eyes miss nothing, Uzumaki. I have yet to see you fight me, and as such, I don't see there being a way of you, a lower ranked Arrancar, to defeat me in battle."

Naruto's smirk disappeared, being replaced with a grim expression, "Looks like I'll have to convince you then, won't I?" He lifted his sword into the air as his eyes began to leak crimson into the irises, "Ravage! Rey de Zorros!"

Nel's first thought as she opened her eyes was that she was in Las Noches. She looked around to see that the others that had been with her earlier when they were fighting were gone. She sensed several reiatsu signatures, among them being Sakura, Renji, Chad, Uryuu, and a few others she wasn't familiar with.

"You're Nel, am I correct?"

The green haired Arrancar turned to look behind her. The voice belonged to a woman bearing a Shinigami captain's haori. She had her hair in braid that ran down the front of her body, and a sword tied around her waist.

"Yes...you're a Shinigami captain."

The woman nodded, offering her a small smile, "I'm Retsu Unohana, captain of the Fourth Division of the Gotei Thirteen." She looked ahead to where Nel assumed the others were fighting, "That Media-Espada...Naruto...he wanted me to tell you that he went on ahead to help Ichigo fight against an enemy. He left with another Arrancar. He had blue hair and was rather loud."

"That would be Grimmjow." Nel said, rubbing her head, "I take it you healed me?"

"Yes, I did. Don't worry about it; it's my duty as a member of the Fourth Division to heal the injured." Unohana offered the former Tercera a hand, helping her to her feet.

"Thank you anyway, Unohana-san." She turned towards the direction of the numerous sources of spiritual energy, "I need to find Naruto."

Unohana nodded, "I will accompany you. The others are ahead of us anyway, so I would prefer to be close in case any of them are injured."

Nel gave a smile before they both blurred away, heading towards the battle and hopefully to where Naruto would be.

Naruto shot several Bala from his two hands as Ulquiorra avoided them effortlessly. The orbs of energy crashed into the roof of Las Noches, sending up further debris. Cursing the elusive Arrancar, the blond shot down to face the Cuatra in close-combat. Sparks were created as the blades on Naruto's forearms met with the spear in Ulquiorra's hand. The Espada seemed relatively unaffected by Naruto's powerful assault.

Ulquiorra's spear narrowly missed Naruto's head, several strands of blond hair fluttering into the air as the Media-Espada moved to the side. Ulquiorra was fast, and powerful, and despite Naruto's incredible skill in the art of combat, he wasn't able to make a dent in the Cuatra's defense. The blond spun around several times, tails slamming against the spear, but never making contact with Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow had taken up—with reluctance—the task of keeping Ichigo from running back into battle right away. The Sexta wasn't clear on the details, but he remembered some time ago that Naruto explained that Kisuke said there was something important about the guy.

"Tch, yeah right." Grimmjow thought aloud.

The blue haired Arrancar watched as his longtime friend and comrade managed to score a kick to Ulquiorra's gut, sending him into the roof of the gargantuan palace. He had been planning on jumping in and helping Naruto out, but it looked like the usually idiotic Arrancar had things under control for once.

"...how the hell is he able to keep up with Ulquiorra?" Ichigo spoke as he rested, sword resting at his side.

Grimmjow gave the teen a brief glance before returning his gaze to Naruto, "He's good at reading opponents. I doubt he's really able to keep up with Ulquiorra that well, but he's fought so damn much that he got an uncanny sense of being able to detect where the enemy will strike next."

Ichigo nodded, "I wasn't prepared for that much power..."

"You don't say?" Grimmjow gave Ichigo a mocking grin, "Figures; it's a damn shame we never got finished with our fight. If you're having trouble against Ulquiorra, I doubt you'll be much of a problem for me, heheh."

Ichigo didn't retort, instead looking ahead. His eyes didn't leave the floating figure of Naruto, "Ulquiorra...something tells me there's more to him than what he's showing us."

Meanwhile, Naruto was taking a brief moment to catch his breath as the Cuatra got back to his feet, "Still think that I'm weak, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra simply blinked, his face portraying no emotions, "You have yet to see what I'm capable of, Uzumaki."

Naruto smirked, "I suppose the same can be said for me."

Within the blink of an eye, the two were clashing once more, four of Naruto's tails jutting forward to impale the Cuatra in the chest. Ulquiorra caught one of the tails, and quickly spun the Media-Espada around once before throwing him to the roof. Naruto landed hard, rolling to his feet and hopping to the side as Ulquiorra's spear nicked the side of his abdominal area.

"Damn it, I can't get a solid hit on him as long as he keeps moving this fast." Naruto thought. He channeled energy into his hands, "I can't afford to let him win this fight though. I have to get Ichigo and the others to Karakura. Kisuke and the others are depending on us."

Naruto blasted a Cero from his palm, and as expected, Ulquiorra managed to dodge it with ease. Naruto sighed, realizing his initial released state wouldn't be enough for this fight. He could defend and attempt to attack better than Ichigo could, sure, but Ulquiorra's released state was like fighting Stark for the blond; no matter how strong Naruto was, it was useless without speed to back it up.

"Looks like I have to raise the bar then."

Naruto took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes. A sudden weight fell upon the area, and even Ulquiorra felt an uneasy feeling rise up inside him.

"Rey de Zorros...!" Naruto cried out, his voice echoing through the eternal night of Hueco Mundo, "...Séptima cola!"

A beam of light shot into the skies, coloring the area in blood red. Ichigo could only watch in a mix of awe and mild terror as he felt the blond's reiatsu double. The haze died down, the red light dying down and revealing a slightly more muscular Naruto, seven tails waving behind him.

"W-what did he do?" Ichigo asked, looking to Grimmjow.

"Séptima cola." Grimmjow replied, looking to the two combatants, "Naruto's Resurrección has varying degrees of power. Naruto's power increases with each tail that he calls upon."

"So...how many tails can he call upon?"

Grimmjow shook his head, "Hell if I know. Naruto used to have difficulty using five tails; now he starts out in his six tails state when he calls upon his zanpakutou."

The two were silent once more as they watched the two fighters stare each other down."

"I see." Ulquiorra closed his eyes, "It seems I misjudged you, Uzumaki. You've been hiding behind the illusion of a lax and carefree identity, but in truth..." Ulquiorra's eyes opened as his own reiatsu began to sky rocket, "...you're a bigger threat than I thought."

Naruto growled as he felt Ulquiorra's power begin to press down on him, "Bastard...you've been holding back too, huh?"

"Yes." Ulquiorra replied, "Now, I will crush any shred of hope you still have. I will show you what true despair is, Uzumaki."

Naruto felt his throat tighten as the power began to intensify. The air was so dense with reiatsu that he could have cut a knife through it.

"What's he up to? I've never felt such an intense reiatsu like this before...i-it's around that of Harribel's released state..." Naruto cursed under his breath, "This is going to get ugly..."

An aura that was pitch black swirled around Ulquiorra before it dispersed. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt his body begin to break out into a cold sweat.

"So you understand what I'm saying, Uzumaki?" Ulquiorra began, revealing a new form, "This is true despair. Lay your eyes upon a power that not even Aizen-sama has knowledge of."

There before Naruto stood the strange and new form that the Cuatra had taken. Ulquiorra's wings and horns were still there, but he had gone through some radical changes. Black fur covered his arms and from the waist down as well. His feet were talons, and his Hollow hole had enlarged and seemed to be leaking a black, blood-like liquid. The tear lines that had run down his face had changed to a black color and increased in length. His coat that he once wore was now gone. Naruto also took note of a long, flexible tail was also swishing back and forth behind the Cuatra.

Naruto looked into the now yellow eyes of the Cuatra, "What the hell?"

"This, Uzumaki, is my Segunda Etapa. For you to have come this far says much about you as a warrior." A single, clawed hand pointed at Naruto, "However, you shall also be one of the first of these weaklings to die by this form's hands as well."

A black sphere formed in front of the Cuatra's index finger. Naruto had barely a second to react, raising his tails in front of him as a black colored beam of raw energy shot straight at him. The blond could feel his armor beginning to chip away; he had end this quick.

"Rrraaaaaaaggggh!"

The black beam was dissipated as Naruto blasted a wave of crimson from his entire being, surrounding him in a force field of sorts. It quickly faded and the seven tailed Arrancar landed on the roof, "A black colored Cero, I never thought they existed."

"The Cero Oscuras is my signature ability. While I could have used it in my previous form, it would have a been a waste of energy while fighting you, even in your six tailed form." He lowered his hand, which had still been smoking from the blast it had shot, "However, looking at your armored tails, and the fact that you resorted to unleashing a volatile wave of spiritual power like that, I'm assuming that you were damaged by my Cero."

"Wow, nothing escapes you, does it?" Naruto shot back sarcastically, "Looks like you can back up that stuck-up attitude of your after all." Naruto flexed his wrists, and his blades extended, "Let's see how well you can keep up with me, shall we?"

The roof exploded as the two were blocking each others attacks. Ulquiorra had Naruto's wrists in either hand while Naruto had a knee blocking one of Ulquiorra's knees. The two quickly let go of each other, Naruto dashing forward less than a second later and attempting to clobber the Cuatra in the jaw. Ulquiorra faded from view just as the Media-Espada was about to make contact.

The Media-Espada's hairs stood up on end as he felt a presence from behind. He spun around and raised his wrist blades just as Ulquiorra's powerful tails smashed into them. A jarring pain ran down the blond's arms, but he shrugged it off, "You know, Ulquiorra, I'd say we're about even right now."

"You still don't realize it, do you?"

"Apparently not. Enlighten me." The blond retorted, a smirk on his face.

"There is no way for you to win this battle." Ulquiorra spoke, eyes narrowing.

Ulquiorra's tail flew forward a second time, wrapping around Naruto's left leg. Naruto's battle reflexes kicked in, and he attempted to kick the Cuatra with his other leg. Ulquiorra quickly blocked the incoming appendage, and raised him up before checking him in the stomach several times. Naruto coughed up a mixture of spittle and blood, but held steady. Four of his tails moved, breaking free of the hold Ulquiorra's tail had on his leg. He landed on his hands before spinning himself like a top. Ulquiorra ducked under the spinning tails, and Naruto quickly halted himself and opened a palm.

"Bala Grande!"

"Damn it!" Ulquiorra cried out as the large projectile hit him at point blank, sending him out into the skies of Hueco Mundo.

Naruto got back on his feet just as the projectile exploded in the night sky. He got into a stance and waited for the Cuatra's inevitable return.

"Naruto, look out!" came the call of Grimmjow.

The blond barely caught a glimpse of a light from his peripherals. He never got a look at the object that pierced right through his chest, sending him flying off the roof and out onto the dunes of Hueco Mundo. Naruto couldn't help groan in pain and annoyance as he felt the power within the spear embedded in his torso begin to grow.

One word crossed through the Arrancar's mind at that point.

"Shit..."

Grimmjow and Ichigo watched as a giant pillar of light shoot into the air from the spot where they had seen Naruto landed. A second later, a shockwave erupted from the light, sending Grimmjow and Ichigo a few feet back.

"Naruto!" Grimmjow called out, making a dash towards the edge of the roof. He looked to see black, charred glass where Naruto had been.

"I had been hesitant on using the Lanza del Relámpago on him. The attack is powerful enough to destroy the roof of Las Noches, so I suppose it was better to launch it from the side and send him off the palace."

Grimmjow turned towards the Cuatra, who was slowly walking towards him and the slowly rising Ichigo, "Ulquiorra...you..." The Sexta felt his teeth grinding against each other.

He couldn't feel anything from the Media-Espada. Not a single shred of reiatsu. He looked out to the smoldering crater, no trace of a body.

Naruto couldn't die...not like that! The idiot deserved better than such an underhanded move like that! Why didn't Naruto move? Then again, Grimmjow saw the spear travel at speeds he didn't think possible for a projectile weapon.

"Just like that? Naruto's...dead?" Grimmjow felt his arms begin to shake, "No...he can't be dead! He's too damn stubborn!" The blue haired Arrancar leveled his gaze with Ulquiorra, "I don't care whatever that was that you threw at him...it wasn't enough."

"Odd..." Ulquiorra stopped for a moment, "I never thought you'd be someone who'd try and deny watching another get killed, Grimmjow."

"Naruto's not dead, you bastard!" Grimmjow roared, pulling out Pantera.

"I see. Denial in the face of losing your one chance of winning this fight." Ulquiorra gave a chuckle, "I'll dispose of you two, and the others, swiftly. Then I'll kill the girl, if Aizen-sama wishes it to be done."

"You won't lay one finger on that woman!" Grimmjow shouted, "The idiot entrusted me to make sure this plan of ours works! That means I won't let anyone, not even you, get in my way!" Grimmjow's fingernails ran over his zanpakutou as he called forth his Resurrección, "Grind! Pantera!"

Ichigo stood up as well, "The same goes for me!" He called forth his Hollow mask, his breathing a little heavy, "Ready, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow looked to his rival and at the moment, only ally. He returned his gaze to Ulquiorra while speaking to the teenager, "You think you can keep up with him?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Not unless you want to die, I guess." Grimmjow replied, "Follow my lead. I'll try to draw his attention; nail him in the critical spots if you can."

Ichigo simply nodded. The two warriors forced themselves to move as Ulquiorra raised his reiatsu further. The effect was like that of an ocean weighing down upon the duo, but they forced themselves to continue onward.

Shikamaru watched from his hiding place underneath a billboard as Hisagi Shuhei of the Ninth Division fight against one of the Fraccion of the three Espada. Hisagi had been doing well at first, but now he was proving to have difficulty with the enemy. He forced himself to remain in place; his job was to guard the central pillar at all costs. Nothing came before that task.

Looking off to the side, he watched as Kira managed to dodge more of the feather like projectiles from the Fraccion he was fighting against. He wasn't too worried for the blond haired vice-captain; Kira may be a rather peaceful, if not somewhat somber man, but he could fight when push came to shove. Shikamaru had witnessed the ability of Wabisuke. It wasn't shaped the way it was in shikai form for nothing...

The sound of metal clashing with metal drew Shikamaru's attention from the two vice-captains, and he turned off to the distance where his own captain was combating with one of the Espada.

"Hitsugaya-taichou's holding back..." Shikamaru thought, watching as his youthful looking captain attacked with Hyorinmaru's dragon-shaped ice projectiles. He knew for a fact that the Tenth Division captain was saving his strength for the tougher opponents.

"Most likely among them being Aizen..." the Fifth seated officer thought, his eyes moving towards the giant inferno in the sky that was the sotaichou's shikai. It disturbed Shikamaru how Yamamoto could call upon Ryuujin Jakka's powers so easily and simply stand there while holding back such a power like Aizen's.

"I suppose that's why he's the Commander-General..."

Minutes past as Shikamaru lay low, his hand resting on the handle of his sheathed zanpakutou while he watched the battles unfolding. Sure enough, Kira had managed to kill—in a rather gruesome manner, in the Nara's opinion—his opponent, and it looked like Hisagi had gained the upper hand as well. Ikkaku's spiritual pressure was dropping, but Yumichika seemed to be gaining back power from what Shikamaru felt.

"As long as we can conserve our strength against the weaker enemies, we have a chance." Shikamaru spoke, closing his eyes for a moment, "Hell...if we manage to make it through this battle without any casualties would be nothing short of a miracle."

"Pessimism isn't helpful right now, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed as he heard the voice of Kusakakage echo in his mind, "It's not pessimism; it's being realistic."

"You're trying to convince yourself to believe that, aren't you?" Kusakakage retorted, laughing quietly.

"Being pragmatic helps in situations like this."

"I don't understand how believing that kind of thought process is beneficial to you, but suit yourself. Just don't go and get killed if you can avoid it." the quiet spirit finished, and its presence died down to a weak ebb in the back of Shikamaru's mind.

Letting out a grunt of acknowledgment, Shikamaru returned to watching the battle at hand, "...I should have brought something to eat."

"Die, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow roared, jutting an elbow forward and blasting out a salvo of the spike-like projections from the joint in his arms. They hit Ulquiorra directly, causing an explosive wave of dust and smoke. Grimmjow could still feel the Cuatra's presence where he had been standing; the bastard hadn't been phased at all!

Ichigo seemed to understand as well, and used the smokescreen to get behind the believed area where Ulquiorra was standing. He reeled back his blade as it glowed black and crimson, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Grimmjow flew up as the mighty wave from Ichigo's blade roared past him. The smoke had cleared by now, and Grimmjow looked down.

"No..." Grimmjow thought, watching as Ulquiorra stood there, uninjured aside from a few burn marks, "H-he's perfectly fine? Nothing at all?"

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief, "H-how?"

Ulquiorra disappeared from view, reappearing behind Ichigo. The Substitute Soul Reaper turned around, only to feel pain rip throughout his body. He coughed up a glob of blood which leaked through the mouth of his mask. Looking down, he saw the hand of the Cuatra stuck in his chest.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. You've lived for too long." Ulquiorra spoke, raising a single finger to the Vizard boy's chest.

Grimmjow let out a string of profanities as he rocketed towards the Cuatra and Ichigo. He formed a Bala in either of his hands, and used Sonido to jet past the Cuatra's vision and reappear by his side. He launched both of his projectiles from several yards away, only to have Ulquiorra bat them away with one of his wings. Grimmjow blinked once before calling forth more power and launching a string of the projectiles at Ulquiorra.

"What a fool." Ulquiorra remarked, raising his wing and blocking the attacks.

Grimmjow noted the lack of damage being done, and stopped his barrage. He blasted forward and spun his leg around to catch the Cuatra in the neck.

Snap! Thwack!

Grimmjow felt a pain like that of a whip in the face hit him. Unlike a whip, however, the tail of Ulquiorra had the power to send him flying into the roof and bounce a few times. The Sexta managed to land on his feet. He felt Ulquiorra's power increase, and judging by the finger pointed at Ichigo's chest, he could guess that the Cuatra was going to launch another one of those Ceros.

"Tsugi no Mai! Hakuren!"

Grimmjow felt a cool wind fly over him, and a stream of pure ice rose out of seemingly nowhere. It made contact with Ulquiorra, who had not expected the sudden attack. He was forced to let go of Ichigo as the ice crashed into him.

Turning his attention towards the hole in the roof where he had released his powers, he noted a single individual standing there. A woman with black hair and a white sword with an equally white ribbon running off the handle. A Shinigami.

Ichigo recognized that attack from anywhere. He grunted in pain, feeling more warm liquid running down his chest as he turned to his savior, "R-Rukia."

The young Kuchiki girl flash stepped to the boy's side, kneeling down beside him, "Ichigo, it's okay, I'll-" Her voice caught in her throat as she looked at the state he was in. She had sensed his reiatsu falling from the moment the roof of Las Noches exploded. This apparently was the reason. Among several deep gashes in his body, probably several broken ribs and fractures in his limbs, he had a hole in his chest. It wasn't deep, but it was still enough to warrant her concern to become visible on her features, "Oh...Ichigo...we need to get you to Unohana-taichou, Sakura, or Orihime so they can-"

A blur shot past Ichigo's vision, taking the girl with it. Ichigo's head whipped to the side to see Rukia being pinned to the ground by Ulquiorra, his hand pressing down on her throat "Rukia!"

Grimmjow saw his opportunity to attack, and shot forward. He was only several feet from the Cuatra, claws ready to rip his head off.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

In the blink of an eye, Grimmjow had been hit by another one of Ulquiorra's black Ceros. He went flying into a pile of rubble. The Sexta did not get up.

Ulquiorra returned his attention to Rukia, "You're even weaker than Kurosaki." He picked her up, letting gravity do the work of choking her as he held her with one hand, "Did you honestly think that you could have done anything? Perhaps distract me? Perhaps you were scared for him? Was it the supposed 'heart' that I've heard those pathetic humans speak of?" He tightened his grip around her throat, and Rukia's voice was now barely above that of a rasping squeak, "For a Shinigami to go and throw themselves openly into danger is an example of pure stupidity."

"Ulquiorra! Let her go!" Ichigo spoke, rising to his feet yet again, "I'm the one you want to fight...she's got nothing to do with this!"

Turning to the boy, the Cuatra spoke, "Oh?" He could see the flicker of emotion in Ichigo's eyes. The way his eyes shifted every few seconds to the girl spoke volumes more than any words could; he was frightened now.

Ulquiorra held out his free hand, and another spear formed. Ichigo's eyes widened as he began to move, "Noo! Rukia!"

Rukia felt something pierce her stomach. She felt the grip around her neck loosen, and she began to gulp in breaths of air while a horrible pain ripped through her body. She heard a voice that sounded very much like Ichigo's calling out to her. She rolled her head to the side, cold beginning to seep into her body. She could make out the faint, blurry image of Ichigo kneeling by her side.

"I-Ichigo...you're alright, huh?" She smiled, "Heheh, I guess I got reckless when I saw you about to take that Cero..." She closed her eyes, "Ichigo...save Karakura...stop...Aizen." She opened her eyes again, "I'm sorry I...I don't think I'll be joining you."

"R-Rukia! Stay with me!"

Rukia's eyes were glassed over now. She gave no reply as blood trickled down her chin from her mouth.

"No..."

Rukia's chest had stopped rising. Her spiritual pressure had gone down to nothing. He couldn't sense her life force that he had become so used to. The presence that she had; the aura that helped him move forward.

"Not you, Rukia...please...no..."

Images of Rukia laughing, smiling, yelling, and just being there for the Substitute Soul Reaper ran through his mind. She couldn't die! If he lost her, then who would keep him updated on Soul Society? Who would give him the stupid pointers and bits of advice on fighting Hollows?

"You can't be dead!"

The day she had met him...it had been the day his life had changed forever. She made him what he was. She made him into the warrior he was today. If not for her...

"Kill..."

Ichigo felt the darkness creeping over him. He didn't resist. He was too caught up in the death of the girl at his knees to care. He welcomed the anger...the hatred...

"Kill him..."

"Kill them all!"

It was at that moment that Ichigo Kurosaki lost his mind.

Then all hell broke loose.

"Wake up, Naruto."

"Unn...shut it, fox."

An annoyed growl was heard from all around the blond, "Wake up or I'll make sure it feels like acid is running through your blood with every step you take!"

Naruto chuckled, "You don't have that power over me."

"Don't be so sure of that. Besides, you're the only one who can take down that cursed Ulquiorra. Either that, or all we've done will be for nothing."

Naruto opened his eyes, and looked around. He blinked the sand away that got in his eyes and sat up. He was in his normal state, sword by his side, "It was a smart idea to release our power at the last second when that spear exploded."

Naruto had come up with an on-the-fly idea as when he had been sent flying off Las Noches to let loose a large burst of the combined force of Kyuubi and his spiritual energy. The result had been a small yet effective coating of reiatsu that protected him from any major damage.

"Yes, it was. That's besides the point right now, though. I'm sensing that Shinigami boy's reiatsu, and it's unnerving. It's giving off the feeling like it does when he wears that Hollow mask, but even more so." Kyuubi noted, "He seems to have fallen deeper into that Vizard form of his, yet I can hardly sense the human side of him anymore."

"What are you saying?" Naruto asked, feeling the oppressive force that had Ichigo's signature on it.

"I'm saying that it feels like he's lost control, simpleton." Kyuubi finished.

Naruto nodded, looking towards the dome of Las Noches. Sure enough, he could almost see the aura that was Ichigo's reiatsu. What disturbed him was the lack of reiatsu from Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

"If Ulquiorra's down...why is Kurosaki still releasing his own reiatsu?" Naruto wondered aloud. He stood up and cracked his neck, "I better go back to seven tails, just in case."

Drawing his blade, he called forth his seventh tailed state, and flew towards the dome, unsure of what he would find waiting for him.

"Gah...hah...hah..." Ulquiorra struggled to catch his breath as he held a hand over the stump that had once been his arm. This...monstrosity, whatever it was, was not the Soul Reaper he had been fighting moments ago.

The thing before him was far from what he knew Ichigo Kurosaki to be. A mask unlike what the boy had adorned before now covered his entire head, along with two long horns and stripes running down the center of his face, as well as along said horns. His orange hair now ran down his back like a wild, untamed mane of some feral beast. The hole in his chest that Ulquiorra had formed from stabbing him had grown larger, and gained an intricate design of sorts around it. His body was now as white as his mask. For a finishing touch, there were claws on both his hands and feet.

"So..." Ulquiorra began, "Who are you?"

The entity before him said nothing, instead replying by tossing the arm that was torn off from Ulquiorra's body onto the ground. A low growl emitted from the Hollow-like beast.

Ulquiorra decided to take advantage of his opponent's inaction, and began to form a new arm, "It was impressive for you to manage to rip off my arm with such ease. However, one of my abilities in my released state is enhanced regeneration. Any limb I lose can be replaced, so as long as my organs and brain remain intact." He held out his hand and formed another spear.

Ichigo appeared to give no indication that he was truly listening, the black holes in his mask staring at him blankly. He let out a reverberating breath as he remained in place.

"I'll ask you again; who are you?"

Ichigo's reply was to let out a deafening roar. Reiatsu flooded the area suddenly, and Ulquiorra unconsciously took a step back, "I see that words are unable to reach you." He gripped Lanza de Relámpago in his right hand, "In the end, you're just a mindless beast."

Ulquiorra threw his spear, which careened through the air. Just as it was about to make contact, Ichigo faded away from view. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, "That wasn't a shunpo..." He formed another spear, "That was Sonido!"

The static-like sound of a Sonido could be heard coming from behind the Cuatra. He spun around and dodged the zanpakutou of his opponent.

"You're powers aren't like the ones you had before. You've seemed to become even more like a Hollow..." Ulquiorra ran forward, "You've proven to be a larger threat than I had anticipated."

Thrusting his weapon forward, he had intended on stabbing Ichigo in the chest. However, an arm instead caught the spearhead.

"What?" Ulquiorra exclaimed in disbelief. To block Lanza del Relámpago from point black was short of impossible!

A shockwave erupted from the spear as Ichigo snapped it from the point. Ulquiorra yellow eyes met with Ichigo's glowing, ember like eyes.

"...how...?"

Tensa Zangetsu moved almost too fast for the Arrancar to track with his eyes. For a second or two, there was no blood. Then the gash that ran down his torso erupted as crimson poured out of his wound. His mind was still trying to process the fact that he was being defeated by a human who had turned Hollow as he was slammed to the roof by one of Ichigo's feet.

A white orb of light began to form in between the warped form that was once Ichigo Kurosaki, "How merciless...just like that of a Hollow." Ulquiorra noted.

"Ichigo!" The familiar reiatsu of certain Media-Espada crashed down upon the area, "Enough!"

The monster looked up, dispelling his Cero in the process. The beast let out a growl as he stared at the interloper of their fight.

Ulquiorra looked to the edge of the roof as well, and saw none other than Naruto Uzumaki standing there, seven tails released, "Uzumaki...how typical of you to hide like that..."

"Save it, Ulquiorra." Naruto spoke, his eyes not leaving the black abyss of Ichigo's two sockets, "What happened to you, Ichigo? I'm not really liking the new getup."

Ichigo lifted his foot from Ulquiorra's chest, and Ulquiorra quickly took the opportunity to get some distance between himself and the warped form Ichigo had taken.

"Ulquiorra, we need to team up here." Naruto stated, looking off to the side for a moment, "He's gone off the deep end."

Ulquiorra was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "You're suggesting we work together to bring that boy down?"

"That boy isn't here right now, Ulquiorra." the Media-Espada replied, "Either we set aside our differences or this guy goes on a rampage without anyone to stop him." The blond's eyes locked with Ulquiorra, "I'm well aware of the fact that you and I have very different agendas here, but if we don't take him down, it'll be over for both of us. Your choice."

Ulquiorra let out a noise that sounded something like that between a scoff and a chuckle, "I suppose as fellow Arrancar, we're entitled to kill this imitation."

"Whatever floats your boat. I want to avoid trying to kill him if I can help it."

"Have you not noticed the volatile energy he's letting off?" the Cuatra asked with a hint of sarcasm, "He's a walking disaster waiting to happen, Uzumaki."

"Then we'll contain him." Naruto replied.

Ulquiorra shook his head, "If he shows no signs of recovering from his current state, we will have to kill him." The Cuatra called forth another spear into his hands and got into a ready stance.

Naruto's gaze wandered off to the sides, and he noticed the beaten form of Grimmjow leaning against a piece of rubble from the roof. He looked to be breathing fine, but he seemed to be knocked out. Off further from Grimmjow was a motionless form of that one Shinigami girl that was with Ichigo's group. Rukia Kuchiki, if Naruto was right.

"What happened to that Soul Reaper?" Naruto asked.

"She got in my way." Ulquiorra replied.

Naruto sighed, "Damn it, Ulquiorra. I can't sense anything from her..." the blond shook his head, "If she's dead, you'd better hope I'm too exhausted to fight you after we're done with Kurosaki here."

Ulquiorra gave no reply.

"Let's draw him away from those two. The last thing we need is to draw others into this fight."

The Cuatra nodded, "Agreed."

The two slowly headed towards another part of the palace roof, eyes on Ichigo as they did so, "Ready?"

Ulquiorra nodded, crouching a little and holding his spear in a ready position while he kept his eyes on monster before them.

Ichigo seemed to be aware of the situation at hand, raising his sword in front of him and letting out a growl.

Naruto extended his wrist blades a bit, "Let's do this."

End of Chapter Thirteen: Whoooo! Hollow Ichigo! Yeah, I kind of went nuts the first time I saw Ichigo go all super Hollow on Ulquiorra. I was sort of waiting for his inner Hollow to come out, and boy I was pleasantly surprised to see it happen with so much awesome-sauce. I know this was a bit on the shorter side as far as my usual updates go. I just didn't feel right adding anything further to this chapter though; call it me being eccentric or whatever, but it just didn't.

Well, that just means there'll be all the more reason to look for the next chapter! Will Ichigo be able to break out of his crazed state? Will Naruto and Ulquiorra be able to set aside their differences and take out the berserker Vizard? Will Aizen ever explain how they manage to make tea in a place like Hueco Mundo? All will be revealed (except for maybe the tea part) in the next exciting chapter of Cracked Mask!

Also, thanks to Paradox Jast, who helped with the minor cleaning up involved with this chapter. It's the little things that count too in fanfic writing!