Sakalinti: The Naruto cast will making more appearances later in the story. Danzou will not be cast as a Hollow, and Naruto already killed Sasuke back in Chapter 2.
Nameless Anonymous Person: There are none, every story doesn't have to have pairings.
TheImmortalOne43: You didn't have a question, but I found it necessary to comment on this one. I already had the whole plot known before the outline, and I knew how I was going to end it. I wrote a better outline to figure out how to perform better with more technical aspects of this story.
Now that Amenaza's outline is finally finished, which means I can finally update this story on a regular basis. Unfortunately, One Twentieth of a Whole's outline still has quite a bit of working on before I can update it, so the already delayed Chapter will be even more delayed. And, when I do finally finish that one, I'll be adding the bonus features I was talking about in the last Chapter.
Chapter 21: Arma de Dreendo
Naruto knew right then and there that these two had so much potential. Their actions, their demeanor, and the overall aura they gave off was just something that seemed right in Naruto's eyes.
That wasn't all, either. Their power, although not on the level of his own, defined them as somewhat talented Adjuchas. It was... captivating, to say the least. They would do anything in their power to win, and the brutality in which they fought was stunning. Even those who were supposed to be on their side had backed away as far as humanly possible, opting not to be caught in the crossfire. They seemed to know that their superior would finish them off in a heartbeat if they so much as got in their way.
A part of him wanted to just sit back and watch this admittedly entertaining fight play out, and a very small part of him wanted to convince these two without having to use force. However, his rational side was telling him that Hollows of this caliber and malignity would never listen to his rambling, and his much larger, bloodthirsty side was raving at him to use force.
Sighing slightly, he leaned against the tall rock formation he was hiding behind, and casually released his reiatsu without a care in the world. Well, Naruto would say that he more than got their attention with that.
All the other Hollows minus the two combatants turned in surprise and even fear at the new reiatsu, proving to Naruto that their power was nowhere near the ones he was focused on.
But, it seemed even the two stronger Hollows seemed to be affected at least somewhat by his reiatsu, regardless of how well they tried to hide it. For one thing, they seem to have forgotten that they were at each others throats just a few seconds ago.
The two didn't say anything, but they did glare at Naruto with no small amount of force. The fox Hollow seemed to enjoy such an action though, as a twisted grin came alight upon his face when they did so.
"Who the fuck are you?" hissed the mantis Hollow, his vulgar tone mixing perfectly with his accent. Naruto panned his eyes between the two Hollows, not replying to the question.
He tried, with difficulty, to keep his predatory grin off of his face, but it seemed that it wasn't going to work. He knew this, and they seemed to know it too, considering they got tenser when he looked at them that way.
"I said who the fuck are you?" hissed the mantis Hollow, this time saying it even more rudely than the first time. The panther Hollow snorted, shockingly coming to some sort of agreement with the mantis.
Naruto laughed, and turned away from the two Hollows to look at the pitch-black sky, though he never made the amateur mistake of dropping his guard in front of an opponent.
"Bastard, you makin' fun of us?" the panther Hollow spoke for the first time. His voice was wild and raspy, fitting for a Hollow like him. He was also just as rude as the mantis, though he was more temperamental and impatient.
"Short temper, huh? I think I like this one. Reminds me of... me," Naruto duly noted.
"Me? Oh, I'm just some traveling Adjuchas looking for some strong Adjuchas to add to my... group. I saw the two of you fighting each other, and was impressed with your display of power, so I decided to drop in and say hi..." Naruto answered casually, keeping an eye on both of the Adjuchas in case they tried anything.
"Well, that didn't work..." Naruto thought to himself, seeing how his little implication just seemed to anger the two Hollows. Indeed, the mantis Hollow seemed to have some sort of sneer on its mask, and the panther was emitting a low growl at him.
The three Hollows stood there in relative tension, until they were snapped back to reality by a much weaker voice off to the side.
"G-Grimmjow, I think this fox Hollow is trying to tell us that he wants you to join him. W-With that kind of reiatsu, you should really listen to what he says. Forget about becoming a Vasto Lorde, and just save your own life and follow this guy..." said the insect Hollow standing over in the group, who was addressing the panther Hollow now known as Grimmjow.
Naruto frowned, as Grimmjow's rage increased tenfold at that kind of statement.
"Shut the hell up, you damn coward. I can tell what he's implying here, and I don't need you to tell me that this jackass wants me to join him. And, if you're gonna be so damn cowardly about this, you might as well get the fuck out of here. You're a damn coward, trying to save your own skin. Just because he has some strong reiatsu doesn't mean I'm going to give in to this guy!" Grimmjow roared at the insect Hollow.
The words seemed to cow the insect Hollow into submission, but Naruto looked entirely bored at this development.
"And you," Grimmjow said, pointing to Naruto. "You can take that little offer of yours and shove it up your red ass. I am the King, and I will never be caught dead following ANYONE, especially some weak-ass fox-faced moron like you." he sneered.
Grimmjow took his eyes off him when he said, and when he glanced at Naruto again, the fox Hollow was lying in the ground, drawing pictures in the dirt, seemingly uninterested in whatever Grimmjow had to say.
Grimmjow's hackles rose yet again, and he snarled at Naruto in the most violent way he could muster, which was apparently pretty violent.
"Pay attention, asshole!" he yelled.
"You're the king, eh?" he paused for a moment, before he put the finishing touches on whatever he was drawing in the sand. He grinned widely as if it was ready to be shown to the world.
"King of what, five Hollows?" he asked, gesturing to the drawing in the dirt. It was a crude drawing of what appeared to be a hilariously disproportionate Grimmjow, with a head much bigger than its body, and a whiny pout on its face. Behind him seemed to be five Hollows who seemed to represent his followers. An immature little speech bubble coming from Grimmjow's pouting mouth read "I am the King".
The mantis Hollow, who was being uncharacteristically silent, suddenly snickered at the drawing, causing Grimmjow to glare at him with the look of hatred, before directing said glare over at Naruto.
Naruto thought he could see some faint trace of red in Grimmjow's feline mask, though he reminded himself it was probably from rage rather than embarrassment.
"W-Well..." Grimmjow said, while shaking in rage. Yep, that's definitely anger on his face. "It doesn't matter if you invite me to your group, because that won't change the fact that I'm going to kill you!" he yelled, springing into action on all four legs.
His fellow quadrupedal Hollow was there to meet his blow halfway, Grimmjow's teeth matching Naruto's claws in strength. The predatory grin on Naruto's face grew wider, while he used his free hand in an attempt to slash Grimmjow.
The panther Hollow was stunned by the speed of the attack, and if were any slower he would've been clipped by it. He put some distance between himself and his opponent, scrutinizing him carefully and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
He was slightly surprised when the mantis Hollow he had been fighting attempted to subtly attack Naruto while he was focused in another battle. It brought two of its scythes down upon Naruto's head from behind, hoping to end the battle right there.
"Nnoitra-sama!" cried the lone Adjuchas who was the mantis Hollow's companion.
Nnoitra didn't respond to him, instead focusing on the dust cloud that had been made in his wake. When it cleared, he learned that the only thing he had made with that attack was a large indent in the sand.
It turned out that Naruto managed to out-speed Nnoitra easily, and then had managed to get a nasty kick in to the mantis' backside. Unlike Grimmjow, Naruto's kick managed to penetrate Nnoitra's defenses, and it crippled him for a few seconds as he was sent flying back to Grimmjow's position.
"What do you think you're doing, asshole," growled Grimmjow at the crumpled Nnoitra, who had fallen to the ground a mere three feet away from where Grimmjow was standing.
"What does it look like. I'm claiming this kill for myself," Nnoitra drawled back, not feeling up to listening to the panther's attitude.
"This one's mine. I saw him first, you damn mantis!"
"Like hell you did!"
"You wanna motherfuckin' die!"
"You're the one who's gonna die!"
Naruto laughed uproariously as the two Adjuchas were once again at each others throat, this time for a different reason.
"Shut the fuck up!" they both roared simultaneously at the laughing Hollow, before turning to glare at each other once again.
Naruto laughed for a while longer, before it began to trail off at a disturbingly fate rate, before all that was left was a sick grin that would make any hardened Hollow afraid.
"I think it's time to stop fucking around..." he said lowly, shadowing his face from view.
Slam!
Within a split-second, a shocking amount of force had impacted Nnoitra right across the torso, sending him barreling back thirty feet before he finally crashed into a small rock formation.
Grimmjow's eyes widened at the displayed speed of the attack, before he saw the fox Hollow, with a bloodthirsty grin on his face, turn his attention on him. He giggled threateningly, showing off his deep black claws for Grimmjow to behold.
"Hi..." he whispered, and that was all Grimmjow could hear before Naruto slashed his powerful claws diagonally across his torso. The panther's blood mixed with his sight as he grew rigid from the shock, before he crumpled to the ground defeated.
"Grimmjow!" yelled one of his traveling companions, though neither combatant could figure out who. It was a pure miracle that Grimmjow didn't lose consciousness from the devastating strike, though the debate remained on whether that was a good thing.
Over by the rock formation, a livid Nnoitra was emerging, looking a little worse for wear. He stalked on up to Naruto, eyes hellbent on giving him the most painful death ever.
"Whoa, you're still alive. I figured that last, super-weak attack would have killed such a weak-ass Hollow like you," mocked Naruto childishly, intentionally hitting a sore spot for Nnoitra.
"Asshole, don't think you're gonna make it outta here in one piece..." he hissed, readying his scythes for an attack. With a fierce war cry, and the determination to take down this Hollow, he rushed the fox.
However, Naruto side-stepped the much slower Hollow and avoided his scythes, before delivering a vicious jab with his claws to Nnoitra's right shoulder. The attack made Nnoitra's right arms fall limp and useless, and Naruto used this time to deliver a similar slash to what he performed on Grimmjow, except this time he used his back claws.
They didn't do as much damage, due to Nnoitra's superior defense, but it did enough to cripple Nnoitra, effectively ending the fight in Naruto's favor. Nnoitra slumped to the ground similar to Grimmjow, trying and failing to move his scythes, move his legs, or do anything so he would be capable of fighting still.
"Whelp, all done..." said Naruto happily, giggling to himself a little bit. The other Hollows seemed to want to help their respective masters, but were afraid of provoking Naruto's wrath. Naruto, of course, noticed this.
"Oh, you wanna come help them..." Naruto commented slyly. He took the lack of response, and tension in the air as a "yes".
"Well, why don't you try?" he all but whispered, and that definitely cowed the Hollow, as a couple of them let out groans of what seemed to be fear. Naruto ignored them from that point out, turning back to the Hollows at hand.
"W-What the hell are you w-waiting for? K-Kill me..." came Nnoitra's voice, weakened from the heavy wounds he had sustained. Naruto looked at him oddly, confusion seeping into his expression.
"Why would I want to do that? It's been obvious since before that I want you to join my "group", and I intend for that to happen no matter what, regardless of whether or not I had to use force." said Naruto.
"Y-You asshole. Just kill me, now!" roared Nnoitra.
"No, I don't think I will..." said Naruto simply.
Nnoitra glared at him hatefully, but found himself unable to respond to that with words.
"Why the hell are you so eager to die? You should be thankful to me that I'm going to let you live. I usually don't show mercy to my opponents, but your strength has made you two worth recruiting." Naruto breathed slightly audibly, noticing that Nnoitra remained unconvinced.
The mantis Hollow grit his teeth, and seemed to be mulling over something insulting to say to the fox Hollow.
"Is is because you lost? Because you can't bear the shame? Or is it because you want to live a life of battle and then die to a worthy opponent?" Naruto began; his voice could be considered slightly mocking, and it showed when Nnoitra grit his teeth harder.
"I'm right, eh? Well, they may seem admirable to you, but I personally am disgusted that you don't value your life. The last thing I want is death, when I can cause so much carnage with my own two hands. It's... intoxicating, and I don't think I could bear not killing. I can tell. You enjoy battle, and more importantly, you enjoy killing... just as much as I do. The only difference between us is that you wish for death." Naruto explained, his tone all serious for once in his life.
Nnoitra said nothing.
"You have two choices here, and neither of them involve you dying. I'm not that nice, and I'm not going to give you want you want. Your first choice is to be left here alone, alive but defeated. Your second choice is to come with me, and live a life of battle as a very high-ranking officer in my kingdom. I have enemies. Lots of enemies. You like battle and power, and I can give you both of those things. I'll even turn a blind eye if you decide to... get rid of one of my own, unless it's someone who's equal or superior to you. This is the best I can offer, all you need is take it..." Naruto whispered the last part, and his melodious prospect was beginning to ring true to Nnoitra.
Naruto grinned. Nnoitra was beginning to shake, in what Naruto could only guess was both anger and conflict.
"Tch, whatever. If you won't kill me here, then the best I can do is take this. Don't expect me to be all chummy with all of you, or even like doing this in the first place!" he sneered.
Naruto sneered back, but this one seemed more like a smirk than anything.
Before anyone could say anything, they heard a rustling noise come from behind them.
"Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty is beginning to come around." guffawed Naruto, as Grimmjow was struggling to lie on his back.
"I've been up, and I heard every single word between you and the mantis over there, including his little prissy-ass tangent about being killed in battle," Grimmjow muttered.
"Then, I take it you heard about my little kingdom, and all the things I can offer..." Naruto declared.
Grimmjow groaned.
"Yeah, I heard it, but I'm not so willing to believe that you can give us power."
"Well, if you're talking battle power, I'm sure all the Hollows that I already have under my sphere of influence can help you hone your skills. If you're talking a position of power, I was planning to have four "generals" to exist just below me and command all my regular vassals. Right now, I have three open spots in that rank, and you two would be the next most powerful Hollows in the kingdom, so I was definitely going to enlist you as the second and third generals."
Grimmjow struggled to look at the fox.
"Can you help me achieve Vasto Lorde status?" he asked.
"Who knows. The Vasto Lorde status is farther than you can possibly imagine. I've even eaten one, and still I didn't actually evolve into that status. When it comes down to it, I can't really help you with your own abilities. Every Hollow is different, and we can't train one another in the art of battle. Whether or not you evolve into Vasto Lorde is really up to you." Naruto said wistfully.
Grimmjow was about to close his eyes, but he realized a shock that snapped him into reality.
"You've... you've eaten a Vasto Lorde?" he yelled at the fox Adjuchas.
"Yeah... it was some ox fucker that had taken up residence in the cave complex where we live. Me and my first general managed to kill him, and I took the power for myself. Still wasn't enough to make me rise, though..." Naruto said. He kicked the ground where he stood, clearly frustrated by his lack of progress.
"Will... there be more Vasto Lordes... ones to eat?" he asked.
"Probably. I have a lot of enemies. What, am I swaying the stubborn panther Hollow's opinion?" he teased, before staring at Grimmjow and narrowing his eyes in a mocking stare.
"This changes everything. If I have an easier chance to become a Vasto Lorde, then I will gladly give up my position as King of these losers over here..." he said, pointing to the five lower level Hollows who had been following Grimmjow.
"Fine, I'll come with you. I'll be your so-called general or whatever. I really don't give a shit, as long as I can better my chances of evolving myself. I'll even ally myself with the likes of this fucker here..." he said, gesturing to Nnoitra.
"Fuck you, ya damn cat!" Nnoitra hissed.
"Fuck off, assface. I'll kill your damn ass dead!" Grimmjow roared.
"You wanna fucking try, bitch. I'll kill you so fast you won't even noticed that you died!"
Naruto laughed raucously. "I can tell already that you two are not going to get along." He then noticed Grimmjow's followers and Nnoitra's lone follower, still slightly nervous even though their leaders swore allegiance to this fox Hollow.
"You guys, since your leaders decided to join me, that means that you guys answer to me now. Let's have a little chat about your... initiation," he laughed evilly. Somehow, the other Hollows knew they were fucked.
Two months later...
"So, let me get this straight. You have a massive grudge on your home village from when you were a human, and you attempted to destroy it, but then the Soul Society kept on getting in the way? So, in order to destroy this "Konoha" and Soul Society, that is what all these guys are for?" asked Grimmjow, gesturing to the thousand or so normal Hollows, as well as a few Adjuchas.
"Well, it's more detailed than that, but that's pretty much it in a nutshell," replied Naruto. Things were beginning to look up for him. He had gained almost a couple thousand Hollows throughout this trip, and since they were about to get back and begin work on some organization to his kingdom, Naruto begin to fill in Grimmjow and Nnoitra on what was going on.
"Look, you can see the plateau now. Our home is in those cave complexes there..." he explained, pointing to the massive plateau that jutted out of the landscape. The fully recovered Grimmjow and Nnoitra stared at it, an unreadable expression on both of their masks.
As they got closer to it though, Naruto begin to see that something was off. It was too... quiet, for there to be anything going on in the cave complex. Not to mention, he couldn't feel any reiatsu in them.
Without warning anyone, he rushed quickly over to the cave complex, leaving everyone in his dust. He reached the base of the plateau in about ten minutes, and ascended it in less than five.
He sniffed the air, smelling old dried blood mixed in with the normal earthy smells. He then noticed a familiar presence, sitting on a particularly large rock outside of the cave complex.
"Ul-Ulquiorra..." Naruto stuttered out, shocked at the bat Hollow, who was sitting over there by his lonesome, the look on his face even gloomier than his normal one.
Ulquiorra looked at him, though he seemed to have already noticed his presence beforehand.
"Naruto... I'm glad you're back. We have had a little situation occur while you were gone." he said calmly, as if the severity of the situation wasn't affecting him at all.
"What... happened here? Why is there the smell of blood mixed in with the area? Why are you here all by yourself, and why don't I feel any reiatsu other than yours in this area?" he exclaimed.
"We got crushed, that's what happened. By them..." he said cryptically.
"Them? Who the hell are they? But, from the looks of things, you make it sound like we were attacked." said Naruto.
"We were attacked. By this Hollow kingdom from across the sea. We were no match for them, not with our current numbers. They have a very special way of fighting. This Reino Humanoide. It was an act of revenge, really. That Vasto Lorde you killed when we took over this place, their king was his older brother..." Ulquiorra finished.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"We were destroyed utterly. Every one of those Hollows you sent my way while you were on your trip was killed by Dreendo's forces. He didn't let anyone live through this."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Then, why did he let you live?"
Ulquiorra stared at him stoically, before deciding to tell him the full story.
Flashback...
Ulquiorra sighed the best he could through his wounded throat. They were beaten, and everyone knew it too. Well, him and everyone on the winning side, seeing as everyone except him had been killed.
The bat Hollow weakly looked up into the eyes of his attacker, the only thing visible through his veiled cloak. They were scornful, mocking, as if they were judging him just because of who was, an animal Hollow.
One of Dreendo's guards emerged from the cave complex, looking as if he had news to report.
"Dreendo-sama, this was indeed all they had as far as population. The fox Hollow who killed your brother is nowhere to be seen, as he is nowhere in this cave complex." it said.
Dreendo seemed to growl underneath the cloak, before he looked down at Ulquiorra.
"Dammit, he could be anywhere by now. But, at least I've found one of the two culprits behind my brother's death..." he said, looking intensely at Ulquiorra.
"Sir, should we prepare to execute this Hollow?" asked one of the guards flanking Dreendo. The king's eyes widened in anger, before he grabbed the guard by the shoulders roughly.
"You FOOL! Do you not realize that this is the partner to that damnable fox Hollow! If we kill him now, we may never be able to locate him and avenge my brother. We WILL leave him alive! Do you understand me?" he ordered, released the shaken guard from his grip.
"Y-Yes sir. I'm very sorry, Sir!" the guard stuttered.
"Well, whatever. As long as you get it..." dismissed Dreendo, as he turned his attention back to Ulquiorra. The king leaned down up to Ulquiorra's face, who could feel the hot, putrid breath roll off the Vasto Lorde.
"Say, kid. You and that partner of yours have caused me some serious trouble, and not just because you killed my brother. I want to be sure I make the both of you pay, but I don't know where the fox is." Dreendo paused.
"So... here's the plan. I will be back in three months time for finish the job, and you will be the bait for the fox Hollow. If he honestly wants his kingdom to flourish, he will be back, even if it is just for you. I want to kill you together see, but if there's nothing left for the fox Hollow here he won't be coming back." he finished.
He released Ulquiorra from his grip, and Ulquiorra thought he saw Dreendo do something before he blacked out from his wounds.
Flashback End...
"I've been here alone ever since that incident two months ago, waiting for you to return." He stood up, and walked over the edge of the plateau, and looked over it to see that most of the Hollows that Naruto had recruited had arrived at the base.
"And, you've brought many, many Hollows to be part of your kingdom. Dreendo mentioned something about you attacking him before the three months time is over. Now that we have forces to fight with, do you wish to lead an attack on him?" he asked.
Naruto shook his head.
"We'll need all the time we can get in order to prepare for this, and it's much easier to fight a defensive war than an offensive war. You'll have to go over all the information you received to me and two other Hollows I have bestowed a high rank on. Plus, we can't attack them right now, we have no idea how big this ocean is, or where they came from in the first place. It's best we bide our time and prepare for the invasion when they come."
"I hoped you would say something like that. It's just easier this way." Ulquiorra concured.
"Yes, we have a war to prepare for, but our key concern is getting our new folks settled in. We can go over wartime strategies once we have. Meet me in my throne room in a few days, and we'll discuss our next course of action." he ordered, his tone all sane and professional for once.
Ulquiorra nodded in confirmation, before Naruto turned away from him and headed into the cave complex.
His thoughts went adrift as the darkness began to shadow him from view.
"I don't have time to have fun with this type of battle. I need to be all serious. This new enemy poses a threat to both of my dreams, and I need to focus all my energy on destroying this threat before it can. I just don't know if I can suppress my instincts. I'll just have to remind myself to save it my zest for battle for Konoha and the Shinigami. I really hope that works." Naruto's unsure musings cut off right there, when he disappeared into the next doorway.
One month later...
"Sir, I believe it is time. The promised day you would go back and destroy the fox Hollow for good, along with that bat Hollow..." said one of Dreendo's guards, the moment when the day ended, and Dreendo was ready to hear the day's report.
Dreendo smiled serenely, and the guards were left wondering whether he was in a good mood. He had been waiting for this day for quite some time.
"Is that so? It's that time now, to destroy those two damn pests in one fell swoop. If only it were that easy. As much as I would love to just swoop in there and deal the finishing blow myself, the possibility remains that he could have build an army. We'll be sending them in first, and with luck they'll destroy each other, and then I can drop in and kill the two Hollows I'm after." Dreendo explained.
The guards said nothing in response to that, until Dreendo turned back to them in order to explain something to them.
"I'm going out to prepare our secret weapon for our invasion. I'm placing all of you on standby for the time being. Wait until I get back; I'll have your orders ready then." he said, as he got up from his throne and walked down the hallway.
The king could faintly see the guards saluting out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it and walked out of the door regardless, looking back to see the guards return to their stiff positions.
He smirked. Mindless drones who would do anything for him.
He continued to walk down the halls of the stone castle, ignoring soldiers who would greet him out of respect as he continued down the castle. Once he got to a certain point however, all the guards ceased, and he was left alone in order to enter a certain wing of the castle.
The Vasto Lorde followed the curved hallway that ran adjacent to his throne room, until he arrived at a thick set of wooden doors. He opened them with very little effort, and emerged in a much wider hallway almost as large as his throne room.
Two lone guards were stationed at a very small door on the opposite side of the room, and they saluted at he went through to find a dingy, narrow hallway barely twenty feet long. An even dingier door lay at the end of the hall, sparsely lit by the two torches on the wall.
Dreendo grinned wickedly, thinking of what lie behind that door. It made him giddy, oh so very giddy. He stroked the handle to the door in an almost perverse manner, testing the feel of it and remarking that he never got old.
He opened the door with a loud creak, feeling the presence of an intense hatred waft all over his body. Rather than make him disgruntled, it pleased him greatly, and he showed it with his wide grin.
He could see the hundreds of eyes on him, the only thing visible in the dark.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. How are we doing this fine evening?"
Chapter done!
Things are heating up to be sure! You'll have to wait until next Chapter to find out just what it Dreendo's weapon. Personally, I satisfied with this Chapter. Well, more satisfied than I usually am for a Chapter, so please Review!
In other news, I'm thinking of starting my third story here soon. The thing is, it might not be one that is posted on my profile. I have three story summaries on my profile right now, and three which are not posted. One of the stories is outside the Naruto fandom, so I'm not exclusive to Naruto and Naruto crossovers anymore. I'll keep you posted on the new story, and let everyone know when I post the first Chapter.
That's all for now, so seeya next time.
Alban55