The Monster's Inner Struggle

I don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Harribel, now back in her normal form, took Naruto and her Fracción several yards behind Ichigo and Harribel got in front of Naruto. She turned to him and said "This is going to be the hardest training you've ever done. It'll bring you to the brink of death." Naruto nodded and Harribel said "The Dangai is a rupture in space surrounded by multiple layers of temporal torrents." Naruto nodded and asked "So, it's just like a Garganta? Time here is disrupted and is longer than it is in the Shinobi World, the World of the Living, and the Soul Society?" Harribel nodded and said "It's 2,000 times faster." Narutos eyes became wide he looked around at the collapsing walls.

Harribel reached into her jacket and threw four rods connected to ropes and attached to her wrists into the Dangai and the walls stopped eroding. Harribel adjusted the cuffs on her wrists and said "This is called Realm Fixation. I can hold this for about an hour but it would be about 2,000 hours here." Naruto narrowed his eyes as Harribel said "Use that time to get an answer." Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked "Answer?" Harribel nodded and said "You need to find out. Get Zangetsu to tell you about the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō." Naruto nodded and sat down. He put Tensa Zangetsu on his lap and closed his eyes.

Apacci looked at Harribel and asked "What's the story between you and the kid, Master Harribel?" Harribel smiled and said "He's my blood." Apacci seemed confused and asked "Your blood?" Mila-Rose sighed and said "She means they're related." Harribel looked at Naruto and said "I swore on my brother's grave that I would protect Naruto. I was unable to fulfill that promise when I was alive." She smiled and said "I won't fail that promise in death either."

(Naruto's Inner World)

Naruto fell into a large body of water in a sewer and held his breath. He began to cough with his mouth closed when a voice above him said "Calm down." Naruto went wide eyed and looked up at the person wearing a black cloak with the hood up and the person said "How unsightly of you. You should be able to breath." Naruto opened his mouth and found that he could in fact breathe. The person smiled and asked "Well?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the person and asked "Who are you? The Fuzzball and Old Man Zangetsu are the only ones who should be here." The person held their right arm out to their side and said "You also seem to be forgetting about me. Did you forget the one who first taught you how to breathe?" The person threw their right arm down and a copy of Tensa Zangetsu appeared in their hand.

Naruto went wide eyed and asked "Tensa Zangetsu?" The person removed their hood and Naruto went wide eyed at who it was. He let his breath escape and he said "Lilynette." Lilynette, who now looked older with longer hair and a rather shapely figure that made Naruto blush, scowled down at Naruto and said "I can't blame you for not recognizing me. This is the first time you've come here since you achieved Segunda Etapa and in Bankai state." She flew down toward Naruto and brought her Tensa Zangetsu down. Naruto brought his up to block and shouted "What are you doing?! Where's Zangetsu?!" Lilynette glared at Naruto and said "You're looking at it." Naruto went wide eyed as Lilynette said "When I merged with you, my soul not only became a part of you, but it also became part of Zangetsu as well." Water flew up to the ceiling as a bright light appeared between Naruto and Lilynette.

(Back in the Dangai)

Everyone noticed the red laced black Spirit Energy and Harribel thought "You entered." She frowned and said "Be careful, now. This time, Zangetsu will not go easy on you." Harribel looked at the coin necklace around Naruto's neck and said "In due time, you'll be a full Assassin. But only if you can win." She removed the glove on her left hand and looked at her ring finger as she said "It will be hard and I should know." She looked back at Naruto and said "But with you learning this move, you should know that Zanpakuto don't want to teach you their most powerful move."

(Back in Naruto's Inner World)

Lilynette kept swinging her sword at Naruto, who kept blocking and managed to skid along the floor of the sewer. He then jumped up higher into the water and shouted "Wait, Lilynette! I'm not here to fight! I just need an answer!" Lilynette narrowed her eyes and asked "Answer? You mean about the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō?" Naruto blinked and said "That's… Wait a second. So you can hear what's said outside?" Lilynette appeared in front of Naruto and going by him with her Tensa Zangetsu less than an inch from his face and closing. He bent over backwards to dodge and quickly dashed forward.

He stood up and looked at Lilynette and demanded "What are you doing?!" Lilynette looked over her shoulder at Naruto and said "I can't teach you such a thing." Naruto frowned and said "I told you that I want Zangetsu to teach me. And I need him to teach me." He dashed at Lilynette, who appeared in front of him and grabbed his wrist. Naruto looked at her and said "I already told you that I'm part of Zangetsu." She gave him a blank look and said "The fate of what you want to protect is none of my concern." Naruto went wide eyed and asked "What?" Lilynette back handed him and sent him plunging down into the floor of the sewer. She gazed down at Naruto and said "Don't misunderstand, Naruto. What you want to protect is not what I want to protect."

(A Couple Days Later)

Lilynette parried Naruto's sword and sent him back toward the ground. He looked up at her and asked "What do you mean?" Lilynette gazed down at him and asked "About what?" Naruto frowned and said "You said earlier that what I want to protect isn't of your concern. I'm asking you what you mean by that!" Naruto looked up at her and said "I thought that you were my koi. I thought you cared about me and would always lend me your power when I needed. Was I wrong?" He then shouted "Then why did you lend me your power all this time?!" He glared at her and ordered "Answer me, Lilynette Gingerbuck!" Lilynette closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment then opened her eyes and said "It's just as I said." Naruto went wide eyed and looked at her in disbelief.

Lilynette threw her right arm out and shouted "Look at this place!" Naruto looked around at the flooded sewer and Lilynette shouted "When you lost sight of who you really are, this place became flooded! This was the result of you giving up! Now it reflects who you are now because you stopped moving forward!" Naruto went wide eyed as Lilynette shouted "The rain that continued to fall from above has subsided, but in this place, everything has sunk into this ocean!" Lilynette suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and stuck her hand into Naruto right below his collarbone.

Naruto hacked as Lilynette said "Naruto. I can't leave you like this. I will take back the power you were given when you freed me right here and now!" She began to pull and Naruto began hacking up a huge amount of blood. She pushed Naruto away and he gagged as Lilynette pulled out something white and blood spattered to the ground. Lilynette threw the white thing behind her as Naruto continued to hack as he noticed that there was no wound in his chest. Naruto raised his head and went wide eyed when he saw his own Segunda Etapa standing behind Lilynette with a white Tensa Zangetsu in its right hand. The Segunda Etapa sighed and said "This is the first time I've seen you so I'll introduce myself." He put the white Tensa Zangetsu into his other hand and said "I'm the Primera Espada." The Segunda Etapa's head had long brown hair that reached down to his chin and a little bit of a goatee as he said "Coyote Starrk." Naruto's eyes became even wider as he stared at Starrk.

Starrk's frowned at Naruto and he asked "What's with that look? For one who inherited my powers, I would've thought you'd be stronger than this." Naruto frowned and said "I thought you were killed by Captain Kyoraku." Starrk sighed and said "If I had truly died, you wouldn't have gotten my power." Naruto frowned and asked "Why do you have my Segunda Etapa?" Lilynette answered and said "Whatever power you have achieved, Starrk and I have as well. Ever since you obtained this form, you strayed from your path." Naruto frowned and asked "Am I supposed to fight that guy now and defeat him?" Lilynette and Starrk watched Naruto closely and Lilynette said "Wrong." Naruto's eyes became wide and Lilynette said "He's not the one you'll be fighting." Starrk then said "It's both of us." Lilynette then said "As one." Both Lilynette and Starrk turned into Reishi and came together in the middle of the distance between the two.

The new form was extremely weird to Naruto. It was Lilynette's body with Starrk's wolf ear on the left side of her head. Naruto froze and thought "What in the world?" Lilynette focused her gaze on Naruto and said "Both of us were one to begin with. Both of us… are your power." Naruto quickly used Sonído to dodged Lilynette's attack and thought "I keep feeling Ichigo's Reiatsu but he's not even here." His eyes went wide as he remembered something about his inner world. He quickly fired a Getsuga Tenshō at the ceiling and a hole appeared in it. Naruto dashed up through and saw Ichigo fighting what Naruto guessed was Tensa Zangetsu merged with Ichigo's Inner Hollow.

Naruto went a little faster and shouted "Ichigo!" Ichigo looked back down at Naruto, who tapped his shoulder as he past and shouted "Your turn to fight the girl!" Ichigo seemed confused then looked back down just as Lilynette flew at him. He quickly blocked her sword while Naruto clashed with Tensa Zangetsu. Tensa Zangetsu frowned and said "I thought I decided to have Lilynette take care of you." Naruto frowned and said "Sorry. I've just wanted to talk to you." Ichigo flew past them and with Lilynette on his tail. Naruto gritted his teeth against the force Tensa Zangetsu was forcing on him and thought "Damn." He held his right hand out toward Tensa Zangetsu and a dark blue sphere began to come together. Tensa Zangetsu went wide eyed as he jumped to the side as Naruto fired a Cero at him.

Lilynette then kicked Naruto so hard it sent him through one building and into another one with the same thing happening to Ichigo and he landed right next to Naruto. They both looked down at them and Tensa Zangetsu said "If you two don't take this seriously, you'll die." Lilynette and Tensa Zangetsu rushed at them and Naruto quickly used Sonído to appear several in the air behind them. Lilynette suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and knocked him back into another building. Lilynette looked down at him and asked "Are you done yet?" She turned around and began walking in the direction of Ichigo and Zangetsu when Naruto shouted "Not so fast!" Lilynette turned back to see Naruto getting up as he said "You should know by now that no matter how many times I get knocked down, I'll keep getting up." He wiped the blood from his cheek and said "I promise I'm not going to quit until you or Zangetsu tell me what the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō is!" He rushed Lilynette and both had their swords meet and their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breath on their face.

Naruto looked into Lilynette's eyes and said "Carriage of thunder, bridge of the spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six." Lilynette went wide eyed as Naruto jumped away and shouted "Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!" Six bars of light flew into Lilynette and Naruto panted. Lilynette broke the bars and Naruto went wide eyed. He quickly regained his composure and held his sword out in front of him. Lilynette did the same and said "Looks like you finally decided to fight seriously." Naruto glared at Lilynette as she said "But you won't even be able to land a single blow against me.

(One Month Later)

Naruto grunted as blood flowed down his hands and Lilynette just stared at him. Naruto rushed her and swung his Tensa Zangetsu while Lilynette blocked it with hers. Lilynette jumped back and asked "What changed?" Naruto shrugged and said "But, everyone is waiting for me." Lilynette frowned and asked "They're waiting for you? That's none of my concern." Naruto nodded and said "That may be true. But what I want to protect hasn't changed. It may be different but that's not the issue!" He turned the blade of his Tensa Zangetsu to Lilynette and said "I… I will protect what I want to protect!" Lilynette frowned and asked "And that's what Getsuga Tenshō is for?" Naruto nodded and sped toward Lilynette. Their swords met and Lilynette swung her sword a little weaker with Naruto noticing this. They jumped away from each other and Lilynette thought "Just a bit more, Naruto."

(Back in the Dangai)

Harribel coughed and her Fracción exclaimed "Master Harribel!" Harribel looked up at Naruto and said "Hurry, Naruto."

To be continued...