Chapter 13: Recovery

Naruto awoke, heavily bandaged, in the Squad 4 Infirmary. Naruto tried to move, but when he did, he found it was extremely painful.

"Oh! Please don't move, Captain Naruto!" Isane exclaimed as she rushed over to him.

"She's right, Uzumaki-san." Unohana interjected as she calmly walked next to his bed. "You're in no condition to move. Your battle with the Captain-Commander left you severely injured."

Naruto's jaw hardened, his mind replaying the mostly one-sided battle with his teacher. "What happened.. after I passed out?"

Flashback

When all the battles between the Shinigami were concluded, Captain of Squad 5 - Sosuke Aizen - along with Gin Ichimaru suddenly appeared on the Sokyoku hill. Sosuke Aizen was a mild-featured man with brown scholarly hair enhanced by square glasses, along with soft brown eyes. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori. Before their appearance, there was also the sudden appearance of Captain of Squad 9 - Kaname Tosen - with a confused and disoriented Rukia and Renji.

"The Sokyoku Hill?" A confused Renji questioned.

"Welcome, Abarai-kun." Renji turned to face the man.

"Captain Aizen... it can't be... Ichimaru?! What the hell is going on?"

With a sweet smile on his face, Aizen commanded Renji ever so politely, "Put Rukia Kuchiki down and step away."

Both Renji and Rukia were shocked by this command. "C-captain Aizen, how are you ali-, no more importantly, what did you just say?"

"That's strange. It is not possible that you did not hear me. I said put down Rukia Kuchiki and step away, Abarai-kun."

A few moments later did an announcement come through to all the captains, lieutenants and even Ichigo and his comrades. "To the Thirteen Court Guardian Squads, all squad captains, lieutenants, and acting lieutenants as well as the ryoka, this is 4th squad Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu. This is an urgent message from 4th Squad Captain Retsu Unohana and myself. What I am about to relate to you.. is all true." Following this message, Isane proceeded to inform everyone of Aizen's atrocious crimes and his treachery.

After the message had been relayed, Renji promptly refused to hand over his comrade.

"What?" Aizen asked calmly.

"I refuse. That is what I said, Captain Aizen!"

"I see." Following this, Gin placed his hand on his sword. "It's fine, Gin." Aizen assured. He then began walking forward. "I know you're stubborn, Abarai-kun. If you don't want to just leave Rukia Kuchiki and step away, then there's no choice. We'll take your feelings into consideration, as well. You don't have to let go." He then quickly unsheathed his sword. "Leave her... and your arm and step away."

Aizen then slashed at them but Renji managed to dodge it, but not without a cut to his arm. "My, my," Aizen started. "You've learned how to dodge quite well, haven't you, Abarai-kun? You've grown. I'm impressed. But if possible, I would prefer you not resist much more. Stepping on ant so as to not crush it... requires an immense amount of control. And as your former commanding officer, I would be quite sad if you died."

Renji, breathing heavily, simply glared at Aizen. "Renji.." Rukia started.

"Stay quiet, Rukia." He then directed his next words at Aizen. " 'I would be quite sad if you died' my ass! Then tell me... why did you kill Hinamori?!"

"She couldn't live without me. I made her that way. Do you not agree that it was kind of me to kill her before I part?"

Upon hearing this, Renji's eyes widened with fury. "However," The man continued. "It's true that I didn't want to kill her. So I spent some time trying to let her die at the hands of Kira-kun and Hitsugaya-kun. But it just didn't go as planned. So I was forced to kill her myself."

"That so? So Kira and Hinamori were just pawns rolling around in the palm of your hand?!"

"You as well, Abarai-kun."

"Fine, I damn well understand. You're not the Captain Aizen I once knew! I don't know what reasons you got, but you're not getting Rukia, even if I die!"

"I'm not the Sosuke Aizen you once knew? Sorry, but that is an illusion, Abarai-kun. The Sosuke Aizen you once knew simply never existed in the first place."

Renji gritted his teeth before jumping high in the air and unleashing his Zanpakuto. "Howl, Zabimaru!" His sword elongated towards its target.

"Shikai, huh?" Aizen raised his sword over his head, blocking the attack. "It won't even buy you time."

The battle continued, with Aizen gaining the upper hand, stopping Renji's subsequent attacks with his sword and destroying his Zanpakuto with his bare hands. He then gave Renji a diagonal slash to his body.

"This is the last time." Aizen stated. "Put Rukia Kuchiki down and step away."

At this point, Rukia tried to appeal to Aizen herself. "Wait, Captain Aizen! I'll-"

"I refuse!" A determined Renji interrupted.

"Renji..."

"I ain't letting go of you." He told her. He then directed his attention to Aizen. "No way... No way am I letting her go, ya stupid fuck!"

"I see. That is unfortunate." Aizen prepared to deliver the final blow, he was blocked by a black sword.

"Yo." Ichigo greeted as shocked Renji. "What're you crouching down for? Rukia must be heavy." Ichigo then gave a Naruto-like smirk. "I've come to help you out."

Ichigo then redirected the man's blade before he and Renji jumped back, creating some distance.

"Ichigo.." Renji addressed.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. You came back to help and I-"

"The hell?" Ichigo quickly interrupted.

"Huh?"

Ichigo then looked back at Renji with a smirk. "You're all torn up just from carrying Rukia? So even running away is too hard a job for ya?"

Renji's face immediately deadpanned. "What's that supposed to mean? You're the one who can barely stand."

The two then got into each other's face. "What was that?" Yelled Ichigo. "Is that how you talk to the guy who just saved your ass?!"

"What're ya, stupid?! I was about to say thanks!"

While the the two Shinigami fought, Gin addressed Aizen. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't think I should interfere, so I ignored the boy passin' by me."

"Yes," Aizen replied calmly. "It's fine. Whether the dust I have to brush away is one or two, there's no difference visible to the eye."

Ichigo and Renji then turned their attention back to Aizen. "So that's Aizen?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah."

"Ya still got enough energy in you to run away?"

"I do but I'm gonna fight instead. I'm sure you know by now, that running is useless. I won't go so far as to say we'll beat 'em, but once we somehow immobilize them, let's take our time goin' down."

"Heh! Guess we got no choice. Alright then, let's show 'em a united front!"

"Right!"

Using a technique known as Higa Zekko, Renji created an opening for Ichigo to strike. Ichigo teleported before Aizen, delivering a slash towards his head. Aizen stopped it with his finger, and moments later did multiple slashes appeared over Ichigo's body, bringing him to his knees. Aizen then disappeared before reappearing behind Renji. Ichigo's eyes widened.

'He knows... how to do it too?!'

The next moment found Renji lying on the ground with a slash diagonally delivered on his chest. Aizen then continued his way towards a paralyzed Rukia. Before he could attempt anything, Ichigo suddenly appeared once more in front of him, pointing his Zanpakuto in his chest.

"You're not... laying one finger... on Rukia!"

Ichigo then charged up a Getsuga Tensho, but before he could even blink did he find himself falling towards the ground, blood spurting from a large cut suddenly delivered to his body.

"So you have learned Naruto Uzumaki's technique? Not surprising. You've done me quite a service. Your role is over." Aizen then stepped over Ichigo, before addressing Rukia.

"Now, stand up, Rukia Kuchiki." He then grabbed her red neck collar, and pulled her to her feet. "Oh, that's right. Has your body lost its ability to function under the weight of my spiritual pressure?"

Ichigo tried to move, only managing to barely prop himself up on his elbow. "How sad." Aizen commented. "You're still conscious?" All Ichigo could do was gasp for breath. "Your life force being much stronger than your skill is working against you. Give up already."

"What do you mean by 'role'?" Ichigo demanded.

Aizen then proceeded to relate to Ichigo all the manners and methods in which he kept an eye on him and his friends.

"Wait... How did you know where we would enter from?!" Ichigo asked.

"What a strange thing to ask. Isn't it obvious? West Rukongai is Kisuke Urahara's power base. The only place you can enter by the Senkai Gate he creates is West Rukongai."

Ichigo gave a shocked look. "What's that look?" Aizen inquired. "Aren't you his subordinates? Did you not come on Kisuke Urahara's orders to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki?"

"What.. the hell?"

"I see. You haven't been told anything. That's fine. I'll explain to you."

Aizen then proceeded to explain to Ichigo about the four basic Shingami attacks, their limits, and the possibility of breaking those limits. He spoke of the one way - the hollowfication of a Shingami. He explained how he himself was secretly involved in experimenting with this concept and how his experiments led to dead ends.

"However," He continued. "Kisuke Urahara had created one. It was an object that could, in an instant, erase the line between Hollow and Shinigami; an object beyond the reality of Soul Society. The name of this object.. is the Hogyoku. A truly dangerous thing. He thought so himself and that is why he attempted to destroy it. In the end however, he couldn't find a way to destroy the the thing which he, himself, had created. So he had to resort to another method. That was to place a protective barrier around the Hogyoku itself, and hide it buried deep within a soul." He then turned to Rukia. "Do you understand now? The hiding place he chose... was you, Rukia Kuchiki."

"What?!" A shocked Ichigo let out.

"But when I learned of this, you were already missing in the spiritual world. I had a hunch that it was the handiwork of Kisuke Urahara. In the past, he had developed a spirit substance that could contain spirit particles. Because of the fact that he created a faux body that couldn't be tracked, he was exiled from Soul Society. A Shinigami in a faux body going missing is otherwise impossible. And there was a second reason he was exiled. It is because the faux body continually decomposes the spirit power of the Shinigami inside. Due to that, the Shinigami inside never recovers the spiritual power. Their connection to the faux body steadily becomes worse. Eventually, the soul loses spiritual power altogether... and they degrade from a Shinigami to a normal human soul. Do you understand now? He didn't lend you his assistance... rather, he was simply trying to completely conceal the location of the Hogyoku by forming you into a human."

Upon hearing this revelation, all Ichigo and Rukia give were looks of utter shock.

"But thankfully," Aizen continued. "You were found in the Human Realm a few months later. I immediately went to the-"

Before Aizen could continue, he was interrupted by the arrival of the other captains and Ichigo's friends. He quickly took out Captain of the 7th Squad, Sajin Komamura, without even lifting a finger. After giving them the rest of his explanation, he reached into his clothes and pulled out an object that allowed him to extract the Hogyoku from Rukia's body. Gin was then ordered to kill her but Byakuya saved her just in time, taking the strike instead. The captains attempted to intervene, but they were stopped by the arrival of Menos Grandes, powerful hollows capable of matching a lieutenants power, whom created a beam of light around Aizen, Tosen and Gin. With this Aizen and his fellow traitors escaped to Hueco Muendo.

Present Time

"I see." Naruto let out. His face hardened and he squeezed his fist, digging his nails into his palms.

'Damn it... if only I were there, I could've stopped them. Damn it!'

"You'll also be happy to know," Unohana started. "That Byakuya has made amends with his sister."

Naruto eyes widened in response. He then let out a small smile. "That so?"

"Yes. Right now, he is in the infirmary receiving medical care."

"Good. I'll catch up with him later." Naruto said as he started to get off bed.

"Wait a minute, Captain Naruto!" Isane exclaimed as she attempted to push him back into bed. "You're still not well enough to walk!"

Naruto simply shrugged her off. "I'll be healed in a day. Don't worry bout it." He then bowed respectfully to Unohana and began walking out. Just before he exited the door, did Unohana comment on one final thing.

"Uzumaki-san, please take to heart that Soul Society is grateful for what you stood up for."

Naruto nodded at her gratefully before exiting the building. Naruto then made his way to an open secluded area before collapsing to his knees from the pain.

'Damn it.. if only I were stronger, I could've beaten him.. if only-'

"Quit sulking already brat! You're disturbing my nap."

'Kurama...'

"If this how're going to be after every loss, then I'm going to opt for a new host. This isn't you, brat. Don't go having regrets now. You don't have time for that. That four-eyed bastard will be on the move eventually and you need to become stronger."

Naruto rose from the ground, before staring up at the sky, remembering his battle with the old man. His face became determined, his eyes hard and his heart still. 'You're right. I don't have to be messing around. I have training to do.'

"Good. First thing we need to do is improve your Bankai. Because of the nature of Bankai, a pure link can't be established between it and your Sage Mode. The spiritual power from it imbalances the spiritual chakra found in your Sage Mode."

'Alright. So what do we do first?'

"Naruto?" A voice called out.

Naruto turned around to see someone he was least expecting. "Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi walked up to him before examining him. Bandages over his chest, face, and head. Slight trouble standing and somewhat labored breathing. It pained her to see it. She softly placed her hand on his chest before leaning in to kiss him. Naruto embraced her fully, the wind blowing a nice breeze, causing his coat to flow in the air.

A.N. - All done! Sorry bout pretty much recaping a lot of the dialogue from the anime/mange but it was a necessary evil. Also Arashi Uzukaze, I'm glad you brought that up about Naruto not having access to his Sage Mode in his Bankai because it gave me an excuse to explain the reason why he couldn't, though I was probably going to explain that at some point in the story anyway but whateves. Look forward to the next chapter guys. In the meantime, lemme know how you like it so far. Follow, fav, share, all that nice stuff that keeps the world spinnin. Until next time.

Green out.