Hello and welcome to chapter 7. Now prepare yourselves because this one is a doozy. Last time, Syaoran met Yūko and was offered a way to become more powerful in order to protect Sakura, but at a price. He hasn't made his decition as of yet, but you can tell that this is a tough decition for anyone to make, especially as no one knows how severe the payment will actually be. At the same time, Sakura started to have nightmares about being killed by Suì-Fēng and nearly died by hear hands in chapter 5. On a brighter note, Inuyasha and Sora unlocked new powers like Inuyasha mixing one form of Tetsusaiga with another and Sora starting to unlock the form changes he has in KHIII.
Now for this chapter, the Horyus will be traveling to Darmorce and Ba Sing Se, as the title suggests. However, despite the name, most of this chapter will be spent in the world of Draco Sanctuary and we'll be seeing more of Suì-Fēng as well as other characters who have yet to appear in this universe and those who have already appeared.
Author's Note: I've noticed that some of my reviewers are not convinced about how the supermetal Draconium was able to withstand the destructive power of the Truth-Seeking Orbs. Well, this chapter along with a seperate OVA one shot will help remady that. But to what I will say right now is that the Truth-Seeking Orbs are not quite as all-powerful as everyone seems to believe they are and I'll try explain that in this chapter and the OVA one shot.
Chapter 7:
The next morning in the Soul Society, Suì-Fēng, Marechiyo, and the stealth force were preparing to head back into the Shinobi World. Along with them were several members of the Department of Research and Development and members of Squad 4. Also present were Captains Unohana and Kurotsuchi of Squads 4 and 12 respectively. They were there to see their followers off with the Stealth Force. As they prepared to make way, Suì-Fēng remembered what Mayuri mentioned during the meeting.
Flashback:
"Obviously, we underestimated the power that they possess," Mayuri acknowledged.
"Indeed," said Yamamoto. "As much as I hate to do this, all captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads along with their lieutenants will have to take on and kill the Horyus personally."
"But Head Captain," said Shinji. "If all of us go there with our restraints off, we'll only cause mass destruction to the World of the Living."
"I'm sorry, but there is no other way," Yamamoto reluctantly admitted.
"I object," said Mayuri. "We need to know more about what the Horyus are capable of before we can make a move on them. Suì-Fēng, you said that the ninja caught your attack, but did he fight the Kage beforehand?"
"No, he did not," Suì-Fēng answered. "Only the magician, the samurai, the dragon, the monk, and the dual swordsman battled the Kage. The ninja just sat in the audience and didn't get involved until I attacked the magician."
"Then we must know more about him," Mayuri reasoned. "If he was able to catch an attack from you, then it's likely he can easily out maneuver anyone who can use Flash Step or any other high-speed technique for that matter."
"What are you proposing, Mayuri," Suì-Fēng questioned.
"I propose that the Stealth Force works together with the Department of Research and Development," Mayuri proposed.
This surprised the other captains.
"The Stealth Force and the Department of Research and Development working together with one another," said one of the captains (this one had a Sugegasa straw hat and a pink, flowered lady's kimono). "I've never heard of something like that."
"I agree, Shunsui," said another captain (this one with long white hair). "This situation is indeed critical for this to happen."
"Agreed, Jūshirō," said Shunsui.
"What are you up to, Mayuri," said one of the female captains (this one with long black hair worn as a large braid down the front of her body).
"Well if you must know Retsu, I want the Stealth Force to gather more information on the Horyus for the Department of Research and Development so that I can prepare a backup safe to take out the Horyus," Mayuri answered. "As I mentioned, we know little about them and if we go in and attack them, even at our full strength, we might not be able to handle them with brute strength alone. Remember what happened when Ichigo Kurosaki and his allies broke into the Seireitei a few years ago to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, YOUR sister, Byakuya."
"Get to the point," Byakuya said bluntly.
"Very well," said Mayuri. "My point is, the more information we have on the Horyus, the better our chances of taking them out will be. Members of my squad will go to their home worlds and dig up information on each individual member, but the Stealth Force should observe them directly and try to learn the full extent of their powers."
"Very well," said Yamamoto. "The Stealth Force and the Department of Research and Development will work in unison to gather information on the Horyus. Once we have valid information, we'll make our attack."
"Well if that's true, then might I suggest that members of my Squad also take part in this," Unohana suggested.
"Oh, and what good would that do," Mayuri questioned.
"Simple," said Unohana with a smug smile on her face. "If whatever information you gather on the Horyus in inaccurate, then Kisuke will laugh at you two."
Mayuri and Suì-Fēng both growled at the thought as neither of them liked Kisuke that well for their own reasons.
"Very well," Yamamoto sighed. "Members of Squad 4 will also join this mission."
End of Flashback:
Suì-Fēng took a deep breath as she, the Stealth Force, the members of the Department of Research and Development, and the members of Squad 4 prepared to leave. But just as she was about to pass through the Senkaimon, someone made herself known.
"Hello Suì-Fēng," said a voice.
Suì-Fēng looked around until she spotted what appeared to be a small girl. She stood 142 cm (4'8") tall, had shoulder-length blond hair, sapphire blue eyes, and fair skin. She wore a mixture of an Ancient Greek and Roman toga and modern rock-style clothing. She looked as if she were a girl who loved music, but the most surprising thing about her was that she had a pair of large dove-like wings and a halo over her body.
"Voluptas, what are you doing here," Suì-Fēng questioned.
"I'm being here," Voluptas answered. "And I'd prefer if you call me Joy. After all, I'm the Angel of Happiness."
"Angels have no place here in the Seireitei just as Soul Reapers have no place in Enochia," Suì-Fēng pointed out, not in the mood to play games with the angel.
"Oh come on Suì-Fēng, where's your sense of humor," Joy then grabbed Suì-Fēng's abdomen and started tickling her.
The no-nonsense Soul Reaper tried to hold back, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't help but laugh at Joy's tickling. This caught the attention of the entire Stealth Force and the members of the Department of Research and Development as they all watched in shock Suì-Fēng being tickled by cute little Joy. Even Marechiyo couldn't help but be shocked at what he was witnessing.
Suddenly, Unohana made her presence known. "I see that you are just as spirited as ever, Joy."
The other Soul Reapers and Joy all looked at Unohana.
"It's good to see that you haven't lost your joyful charm," Unohana said with a motherly smile, though with a hidden malice. "Just the same, we'd prefer you didn't get in the way of our business. After all, the head captain has a peace treaty with Archangel Michael for you not to interfere with Soul Reaper business and for us not to interfere with Angel business."
All the Soul Reapers felt Unohana's menacing presence.
"If you don't stop what you're doing, we might take your actions as an act," Unohana opened her eyes, "of war."
Naturally, the other Soul Reapers, apart from Mayuri and Suì-Fēng, were very intimidated by Unohana's menacing presence. But surprisingly, Joy was not intimidated by this, like at all.
"Ah, I didn't get you the first time," Joy replied. "Could you repeat that?"
All the Soul Reapers were surprised that Joy wasn't intimidated. Joy then giggled as the other Soul Reapers felt the urge to laugh.
"Knock it off," Suì-Fēng shouted.
The other Soul Reapers stopped.
"Oh, come on, where's your sense of humor," Joy giggled.
"Just get lost," Suì-Fēng shouted again.
"Alright, Alright, I'll leave," Joy replied, her smile never leaving her face. "You're boring anyway."
Joy then left the scene and returned to Enochia. With that, Suì-Fēng and her team went through the Senkaimon and traveled to the Shinobi World.
In the world of Wonderland, Alice was walking across a field of flowers with her cat, Dinah. Ever since the battle with Xehanort, Alice has been taking time to relax and unwind, a feeling shared with the rest of the Princesses of Heart.
"Well, Dinah," said Alice as she sat next to the tree she and her sister sat at before her adventures in Wonderland. "I must say that this is a welcome relief after that dreadful time in the Soundless Dungeon."
Dinah only meowed.
"You're right Dinah," said Alice. "After that, Wonderland seems like child's play."
Suddenly a portal appeared behind Alice and she fell through.
Next thing Alice knew, she found herself in what appeared to be a bedroom with three beds and a dog wearing a housemaid outfit.
"My, what a curious place," Alice commented.
Dinah meowed.
"Only curious to those who are new to the Darling family house," said someone behind Alice.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," said Alice. "I'm Alice."
"Hello," said the person. "I'm Wendy, and these are my brothers, John and Michael."
In Konoha, the Horyus were boarding the Gummi Ship and prepared to head for Darmorce to meet up with the Elemental Darts and Queen Crystal. As they boarded, Sakura could not help but feel uneasy. She could not stop thinking about all the responsibilities she and her teammates and last night's nightmare didn't help.
Flashback:
Sakura woke up from her nightmare with a gasp of fear—though it was surprising she didn't wake up screaming instead.
"Is something wrong, Sakura," Syaoran questioned, having woken up upon hearing his girlfriend's gasp.
Tomoyo woke up too. "You don't look well Sakura."
"Oh, it was nothing," Sakura answered, trying to laugh it off. "Just a little nightmare."
However, Tomoyo and Syaoran saw right through the act and knew something was wrong with her. But, they also knew that Sakura wasn't ready to talk about it and decided to go back to sleep, knowing full well that she would talk about it when she was ready. Sakura sighed in relief as she too went back to sleep, though after the nightmare, she knew that it would be difficult.
End of Flashback:
"What am I going to tell my friends," Sakura thought. "If I tell them about my nightmare last night, they might ask a lot of questions."
However, the others noticed Sakura's worried look and knew something was up.
"Hey, Syaoran, Tomoyo," Katara whispered. "What's wrong with Sakura?"
"I think she had a nightmare last night," Syaoran whispered. "However, I don't think she's ready to talk about it."
"Well, I hope she opens up to us soon," said Inuyasha, having overheard their conversation thanks to his good hearing. "A team is only as strong as its weakest link."
"Inuyasha, sit boy," Kagome used her "sit" command on Inuyasha, thinking he was being insensitive.
Inuyasha, pulled by the beads of subjugation, slammed into the floor. The others laughed at him, except for Sakura.
"Kagome, why did you do that for," Inuyasha complained.
"Could you be anymore insensitive," Kagome complained. "Sakura might be suffering from a terrifying nightmare and…"
Sakura interrupted her. "No, no, Kagome—he's right. A team is only as strong as its weakest link."
Sakura then walked right passed them as she got on board without saying a word. Once everyone was on board, the Gummi Ship took off and made its way to Darmorce.
A few moments after the Gummi Ship left, Suì-Fēng and her team finally arrived, only to realize too late that their targets had already left.
"Damn it," Suì-Fēng punched one of the walls. "They're gone…!"
"Captain Suì-Fēng," said one of the members of the Department of Research and Development. "Maybe it would be best not to draw attention to ourselves."
Suì-Fēng took a deep breath. "Right…! Let's get whatever info we can find around here about the ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. I'll send a hell butterfly back to the Soul Society to inform them of the Horyus' departure from this world and let them know we need to go to whatever world they were going to."
"Yes Ma'am…!"
On the Gummi Ship, Spiro was explaining what they will be in for once they reached Darmorce. "Alright my friends, I'm going to warn you. My world had only recently ended a war between Humans and Dragons and many will not be comfortable around humans. The one who still has a grudge against humans is Frostina, the Elemental Dart of Ice, so don't expect a warm welcome from her."
"She sounds ice cold," Kairi commented.
"She's the Elemental Dart of Ice, what do you expect," Tasha pointed out. "Also, apart from us and Alopheya, none of the other dragons know how to speak the human tong so let us and Alopheya translate for you."
The others agreed.
Moments later, the Gummi Ship arrived at Darmorce, capital city of Draco Sanctuary where Queen Crystal and the Elemental Darts were waiting for them. Upon arrival, the Horyus flew out of the Gummi Ship and flew down to the castle courtyard. As they flew, the Horyus and their loved ones could not help but take in the sight of the city, especially those from the World of Science. They saw similarities to Ancient Egyptian, Islamic Arabian, Mesoamerican, Mesopotamian, Medieval European, Ancient Hindu, Ancient Greek and Roman, Native American, and Ancient Chinese, Japanese, and Korean architecture. But the main attraction was the castle in the middle of the city, which looked like a volcano.
Once they landed, they were escorted by guards into the castle. Once again, the Horyus were impressed with what they saw about the castle interior. All around them they saw what looked like a cross between a European castle interior and the inside of a cave or cavern. They also saw paintings and tapestries around the walls.
In her throne, Queen Crystal waited patiently for Spiro and Tasha to arrive with the Horyus. Alongside her were the rest of the Elemental Darts and Alopheya. Soon enough, Spiro and Tasha entered the room along with the Horyus.
"Your honor, Spiro and Tasha have returned with the Horyus," said one of the guards.
"Welcome back, Spiro and Tasha," said Crystal.
"Good to be back," Spiro greeted.
"I wish I could say the same about your "friends"," said Frostina.
The Horyus all looked at the Elemental Darts and were amazed by what they saw. Right before them were dragons of different species. There was one dragon that had a wicked looking head, large bat-like wings, dark-yellow scales covering its body, and limbs that looked like they could allow him to stand upright; it was a Jabberwock. There was one dragon that looked like a feathered version of Spiro and Tasha with pale-blue, water-proof feathers, large bird-like wings, and bird-like scales covering her face, hands, and feet (like the raptors from Dinosaur Planet); it was a Frost Dragon. Then there was a dragon that resembled the ones Aang was familiar with that had jade-green scales; this was a Lung (Chinese) Dragon. There was a dragon that was covered in ocean-blue scales with webbed feet, a serpentine body, and a long fin that ran down the length of her back; this was a Sea Serpent. There was a dragon that only had two limbs and an incredibly long tail; it was a Lindworm. There was another serpentine dragon but covered in green feathers with relatively long legs and a dark green mane; it was an Amphithere. There was a dragon that resembled a humanoid version of Spiro and Tasha wearing humanoid armor and possessing dual swords (think of Troop Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh!); it was a Gargoyle. There was second dragon that resembled the ones Aang was familiar with, but with white scales and a tan mane; it was an Imoogi (think of the dragon from D-Wars). There was a multi-headed dragon with snake-like heads and tails and dark scales; it was a Hydra. Finally there was a dragon that looked like a four-limbed version of Spiro and Tasha with no front limbs by a large pair of bat-like wings; it was a Wyvern.
What also caught their attention was the throne room itself, which again looked like a cross between European throne room and a cave or cavern interior (think of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree throne room from 2010's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole on a much larger scale).
"And you must be the Horyus," said Crystal as Tasha translated. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Crystal, a Wyvern Dragon and queen of Draco Sanctuary."
"You're the queen," Aang gasped and Spiro translated. "It's an honor and a privilege to be in your presence."
"The honor is all mine," said Crystal before gesturing towards the Elemental Darts. "All around you are the Elemental Darts. Zack, a Jabberwock and the Dart of Lightning, Frostina, a Frost Dragon and the Dart of Ice, Serpentina, a Sea Serpent and the Dart of Water, Mai Ling, a Lung Dragon and the Dart of Wind, Mole, a Lindworm and the Dart of Earth, Maya, an Amphithere and the Dart of Wood, Bronze, a Gargoyle and the Dart of Metal, Saika, an Imoogi and the Dart of Light, and Jason, a Hydra and the Dart of Darkness."
For the most part, the Elemental Darts greeted the Horyus with open paws or claws, but Frostina was still untrustworthy.
"And these are our friends, the Horyus," Spiro gestured towards his friends. "Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja with a dream of becoming the leader of his village, Sakura Kinomoto, a young magician with a deck of magical cards, Inuyasha Higurashi, a human Yokai hybrid with a sword that could slay 100 enemies with one swing, Aang, the Avatar of his world who can bend the elements, and Sora, the Keyblade Wielder who help out in the battle with Xehanort. The rest are their friends and lovers. Hinata Hyūga, Naruto's girlfriend, Syaoran Li, Sakura's boyfriend, Tomoyo Daidouji, Sakura's cousin, Kagome Higurashi, Inuyasha's wife, Katara, Aang's girlfriend, Kairi, Sora's girlfriend, Kero, one of Sakura's guardians, and Yue, Sakura's other guardian."
Everyone said hello, accept for Frostina who still did not trust the humans.
"I've never seen so many different species of Dragons," Aang admitted.
"Yeah, Naoko would faint if she saw all of these," Sakura admitted.
"I take it that your friend—I presume—has a fascination for Dragons," said Mai Ling to Sakura.
"Yes, she does," Sakura answered.
"I can't wait to show her all of this," Tomoyo pointed her video camera at all of the dragons in the throne room.
But Frostina covered the lens with her paw and questioned, "Is that some kind of weapon, Human?"
"N-No," Tomoyo defended herself, feeling a bit intimidated by Frostina's presence. "It's just a camera."
"Calm yourself, Frostina," Spiro pulled Frostina's paw away. "She is simply taking pictures."
"I hope that is all she takes," Frostina said coldly (no pun intended).
Bronze then noticed Spiro's armor and saw the dent that was caused by Naruto's Truth-Seeking Orb earlier. At first, it appeared to be just a mere dent, but Bronze took a good look at it with a magnifying glass and noticed something that Spiro and Tasha could not see.
"What in the name of Marduk," Bronze gasped.
"What is it, Bronze," Spiro questioned.
"This damage on your armor, Spiro," Bronze answered.
"Is it not just," Tasha questioned.
"It appears to be on the surface," Bronze answered. "But if you look closely, there are parts in which the armor was deformed, small, minute traces, but they are there. What caused this?"
"That would be one of these," Naruto activated Six Paths Sage Mode and presented a Truth-Seeking Orb.
Bronze got a good look at the Truth-Seeking Orb and saw recognized its components with his magnifying glass. He then took a specialized knife made from draconium and cut a piece of the orb off and got a good look at it. What surprised him was that the blade of his knife started to show the same signs of being deformed, minute, but present.
"I believe I've seen these things before, in a scroll," said Bronze.
"You mean, someone who had Truth-Seeking Orbs came to your world before," Hinata asked.
"There was," said Alopheya. "Long ago, Marduk, the first king and Queen Crystal's ancestor, and Bahamut, the first Elemental Dart of fire, encountered an individual named Kagura. She had a humanoid form, white skin, and horns on her head. She claimed she was going to feed our world's energy to the God Tree."
"Marduk, and his forces battled against her, but she used the Truth-Seeking Orbs, as you call them, to overwhelm them," Crystal continued. "But not willing to give up our home without a fight, my ancestor was led to draconium by the Lamassu. With the talents of the Elemental Dart of Metal, they were able to forge specialized armor out of draconium that would protect the wearers from the Truth-Seeking Orbs' powers. Because of that, Marduk and the Elemental Darts were able to fend off Kagura and saved our home."
"Wow," said Sora.
"Nice backstory, but that doesn't explain how draconium is able to withstand Truth-Seeking Orbs," Naruto explained.
"It wouldn't be the first time it happened," said Kurama.
Naruto heard Kurama and used his Shadow Clone Jutsu to create a clone of himself. The clone then transformed into an Akamaru-sized version Kurama and Kurama took control of that clone.
"What did you mean, Kurama," Naruto questioned.
"I doubt you saw it, but when your father used a kunai against a Truth-Seeking Orb, it didn't break," Kurama pointed out. "And that kunai was made out of plain steal."
"And steel is hardly comparable to draconium," Bronze explained. "Draconium is so elemental proof that it requires the use of anti-metal in order to liquefy it. But the reason your Truth-Seeking Orbs didn't destroy Spiro's draconium armor is likely because it was too generalized. It's like how generalized plants and animals cannot survive in places only specialized plants and animals can live. If it had been more specialized to act exactly like anti-metal, the damage would have been more obvious. Our predecessors were lucky that Kagura didn't find out about this or she would have won."
The Horyus all nodded their heads and Naruto dispelled the clone jutsu and Kurama returned to his body. Bronze then went on to explain draconium's properties.
"In any case, I believe now is the time for us to see just how powerful they are," said Queen Crystal after Bronze finished explaining.
"Pardon me, your majesty," said Aang. "But what are you proposing?"
"She means an all-out battle," Tasha revealed. "You lads and lass against the Elemental Darts."
The other Horyus all gasped. They already battled against the Five Kage yesterday, but now they had to fight the Elemental Darts? Some even wondered if they had to fight a group of powerful individuals in the Bending World next.
"We have to fight you guys," Naruto questioned.
"That is correct," said Frostina. "Spiro told us that your power match, and maybe even surpass, those of our own and we wish to see if that is true or not."
"But, we already proved our worth against the Five Kage yesterday," Sakura exclaimed.
"That is true, but they did not see that battle, lass," Tasha replied. "I doubt they even know who the Kage are since we're all from different worlds."
"I'm afraid Tasha is right," said Queen Crystal. "And please, save the explanations about these "Kage" for later. Let us move to a more appropriate location for the battle. I would rather not cause collateral damage to my precious kingdom."
With that, all of the humans climbed onboard the backs of the dragons. Naruto rode Spiro, Inuyasha rode Mei Ling, Aang rode Saika, Katara rode Serpentina, Syaoran rode Zack, Sora rode Maya, Hinata rode Tasha, and Kairi rode Jason. Frostina and Bronze were the only ones who did not let anyone ride them while Sakura and Tomoyo were the only ones who did not pick a dragon to ride, choosing instead to ride Kero. Yue flew on his own.
Once everyone was ready, Queen Crystal flew off with everyone else following behind her.
In the Shinobi World, Shin had arrived at the gates of Kinonegakure and made his way inside the village. Along the way, the White Zetsu disguised as long dead individuals from the distant past surrounded him, cautious as to what the Uchiha was up to. Shin simply ignored them as he continued to make his way towards the palace in the center of the village.
At the palace, Fūka was being messaged by one of her White Zetsu when she was informed about Shin's presence. Wondering what his intentions were, she ordered her White Zetsu to escort into her palace. Once he was in, Fūka heard him out.
"Shin Uchiha," Fūka greeted. "I must say, it's been a while."
"Indeed it has, Fūka," Shin agreed. "Still looking to get back at Naruto for almost killing you three years ago?"
"Please, do not remind me of that," Fūka sighed. "It's bad enough that I had to listen to Furido's, or should I say, Kazuma's commands, but the fact that I still haven't claimed Naruto Uzumaki's body is something that still bothers me."
"Well, I might have a solution for that," said Shin.
"What kind of solution," Fūka questioned.
"As of right now, I am rebuilding the Akatsuki," Shin told her.
"That group who tried to take over the world using the Tailed-Beasts," said Fūka. "I've heard of them. I remember two of them, one with orange hair and one with blue hair, appeared before us and ordered us not to get involved with their business."
"I see," said Shin, assuming she was talking about Konan and Pain.
"Do I assume you want me to be a member of your new Akatsuki," Fūka questioned.
"You assume correctly," said Shin. "Only strong individuals can be part of my new Akatsuki and since you have Hashirama's Wood-Style now…"
"Let's say I decided to join your new Akatsuki, what's in it for me," Fūka interrupted.
"Is it not obvious," Shin questioned.
Then it hit Fūka as she realized what this meant and chuckled.
At Konoha, the soul reapers were scampering around searching for what information about Naruto Uzumaki they could find.
"What did you find," said Marechiyo.
"All we could find so far was this," one of the members of the Department of Research and Development showed a book.
"But Rin, what does it tell us about the one named Naruto," said one of the members of Squad 4.
"Well, let's find out Hanataro," Rin opened up the book.
Upon looking into the book, they found a lot of files on shinobi that had not been updated, even after the Fourth Great Ninja War last year.
"Just look at all of these files," said Rin. "A lot of them haven't been updated in years."
Suddenly, they came across a certain set of pictures, depicting Naruto and the rest of Konoha 11 from their rookie 9 days.
"Oh man, look at how adorable they are," Rin commented.
"Yeah," Hanataro agreed. "Not much info on how strong they are right now, but still."
"Could you two focus on the task at hand," Marechiyo ordered.
"Right, sorry Lieutenant Ōmaeda," Rin and Hanataro got back to work.
Suddenly they came across Naruto's profile, but were completely shocked upon seeing Naruto's ninja registration photo.
"Who the hell is this guy," Marechiyo questioned.
"I think it says Naruto Uzumaki, sir," Hanataro stuttered. "But from what you told us about him, he looks nothing like it at all."
"I can't even identify who that is," Rin admitted. "Either he's really cleaver or really dumb."
In Draco Sanctuary, Naruto suddenly sneezed.
"Something wrong lad," Spiro questioned.
"I think someone's talking about me," Naruto answered.
In the Shinobi World, Rin and Hanataro turned the page again only to be dumbfounded again when they saw Konohamaru's ninja registration photo.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Rin gasped. "Does this guy like to copy such silliness!?"
Suddenly Suì-Fēng came into the room. "Did you find anything?"
"Not much, Captain Suì-Fēng," Rin admitted. "The most we found was this ninja registration book, which hasn't been updated in a while. All it says is that Naruto Uzumaki is a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village and that he can use Shadow Clones, a technique known as the Rasengan, transformation, substitution, and summoning techniques. It doesn't say anything about what he's currently capable of."
"So in other words, you came up with nothing," Suì-Fēng sighed.
"I'm afraid so, Captain Suì-Fēng," Hanataro admitted.
"Well isn't that just our luck," Suì-Fēng grumbled. "We come here for information on Naruto Uzumaki, and we come up with almost nothing."
Suddenly, a hell butterfly appeared and gave Suì-Fēng information.
"They're in Draco Sanctuary," said Suì-Fēng. "Let's get going!"
"Yes Ma'am…!"
In Draco Sanctuary, the Horyus and the Elemental Darts arrived at a very special arena where their battle would take place. One by one, they all landed, starting with Queen Crystal, followed by Spiro and Tasha, then Serpentina, then Mei Ling, then Mole, then Zack, then Frostina, then Maya, then Bronze, then Saika, then Jason, then Kero and Yue. Once everyone landed, the passengers got off their rides.
"Welcome to Marduk Colosseum," Queen Crystal announced. "It is one of the most well-known landmarks in Draco Sanctuary's history. It was named by our kingdom's first king, Marduk, thousands of years ago."
The Horyus all looked at the bleachers and saw that there were many different dragons watching, firedrakes, jabberwockies, frost dragons, sea serpents, gargoyles, wyverns, lindworms, amphitheres, kakatrice, and so much more. Aang and Katara, were left speechless upon seeing so many different kinds of dragons in one place.
"Incredible," Aang finally said.
"Naoko would have her mind blown if she saw all of these dragons here," said Tomoyo while she taped the experience.
"Yeah," Sakura agreed.
Queen Crystal then gave an announcement. "Attention everyone, the battle between the Elemental Darts and Spiro's new group, the Horyus, is about to commence! For this match up, Spiro will not participating while both groups battle it out. The match will be over when all members of either team have been defeated. You must all come at each other with the intend to kill so you must also treat this as if your life depended on it."
Aang and Sakura didn't like this statement, however, they both knew that they couldn't let their friends down. But while Aang was more willing to fight, Sakura was still unsure, something that Syaoran took notice of.
At that moment, the soul reapers emerged from the Senkaimon and once again saw that they had arrived just in time to watch the battle between the Horyus and the Elemental Darts.
As before, a protective barrier was placed around the area to protect the spectators from the battle. But this time, they barrier covered all the bleachers rather than the battlefield, Spiro and Tasha having explained what happened during the Horyus' battle with the Kage to Queen Crystal. With that, the Horyus and the Elemental Darts all got on either side of the colosseum, the Horyus were on one side of the colosseum while the Elemental Darts were on the other.
"Now remember, Horyus, don't hold back, because we won't," said Frostina as she glared at them.
The Horyus were all a bit intimidated by Frostina's cold domineer and felt a chill down their spines (no pun intended). With that the battle began.
The Elemental Darts all took to the sky, making it difficult for the Horyus to strike them for the moment. In that moment, Naruto—having learned just how strong Spiro and his kind are from his battle with the Raikage—entered Sage Mode, Sakura activated her staff, Inuyasha, took out Tetsusaiga, Aang held up his staff, and Sora summoned his Keyblade. But this was a different Keyblade from his usual ones. It looked like the Blade of the Thunder God with a pinwheel resembling Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan as the key teeth. This was Lightning Kamui.
Flashback:
"Kagome, Katara, knock it off," Tasha called out. "Are you forgetting who the real cooperate was? Perhaps Syaoran should have been there, but no one had any idea that this could happen."
Kagome and Katara wanted to argue, but they knew that Tasha was right.
Sora received a new Keyblade, Lightning Kamui. This resembled Kakashi's Blade of the Thunder God with a pinwheel resembling Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan as the key teeth.
End of Flashback:
Both groups then charged at one another.
"FROZEN CANNON…!"
Frostina fired her Frozen Cannon attack at the Horyus.
"SHIELD…!"
Acting quickly, Sakura activated the Shield Card and blocked Frostina's attack.
"ELECTRON BLASTER…!"
Zack took his turn to attack and fired his Electron Blaster at Sakura's barrier. However, Aang got in the way and used his Lightning redirection to fired the attack right back at the Elemental Dart. But much to the young Avatar's surprise, Zack caught the lightning attack with his paw and absorbed it (Yoda Style).
"Not bad, Lad," Zack commented. "But redirecting my attacks won't be enough."
"That's obvious," Aang sighed.
"LET'S FLY…!"
Frostina called out to the Elemental Darts and they all attacked the Horyus.
On the bleachers, Spiro and Tasha were watching with concern as both of their teams battled one another. Both were uneasy. They wanted this to be over as soon as possible, but they believed in their teams.
"Spiro, do you believe they'll be okay," Tasha questioned.
"I can only have faith that they will," Spiro answered. "When I was poisoned by Henry Elvis and put into that coma, did you give up on me?"
Tasha thought about it for a moment and realized what her mate was implying.
Meanwhile, Suì-Fēng and her team were watching the match carefully.
"Remember, keep an eye on Naruto Uzumaki," said Suì-Fēng. "Gather as much information on his abilities as possible."
"Yes Ma'am," said the other soul reapers.
On the battlefield, the Horyus were holding their own against the Elemental Darts as best they could.
"WIND SCAR…!"
"ELECTRON BLASTER…!"
Inuyasha attacked using his Wind Scar, but Zack was quick to counter with his Electron Blaster and the two attacks canceled each other out.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU…!"
Naruto then went in with his Shadow Clone Jutsu and he and his clones all jumped at the Elemental Darts. For whatever, Naruto was not using his power ups, something everyone else seemed to notice. All clones then came in with a Rasengan and attempted to strike the Elemental Darts with them. However, the Elemental Darts were easily able to dodge the oncoming attacks simply by flying out of the way.
"That's weird," Frostina thought. "It's like the blonde one isn't even trying to win this battle."
"Is Naruto holding back," Tasha questioned.
"I believe so," Spiro answered before noticing certain individuals in the crowd. "And I believe I know why."
On the battlefield, Aang blew a gust of wind at the Elemental Darts, but Meiling countered by redirecting the gust back at the avatar. Aang tried to block it, but was a little bit too slow to react and was sent flying into the wall of the arena.
"Aang," Katara gasped.
Aang then slumped to the ground, though he struggled to get back up.
Sakura then suddenly felt herself being pulled underground and realized that Mole was under her. Acting quickly, Sakura used the Move Card to teleport away, only to be met by Maya's vines.
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER…!"
Inuyasha slashed through the vines, freeing Sakura.
"Wow, thanks a lot, Inuyasha," Sakura complemented.
"Don't let your guard down," Inuyasha told her before taking up a fighting stance once more.
Aang then used his Earthbending to push Mole out of the ground, but the lindworm once again burrowed underground. Realizing that Mole was attacking from underground Aang bent large pillars of earth underneath him and the others to make it easier for them to spot the lindworm. However in doing so, he left his team exposed to attacks in the sky and an unexpected attack, one that he did not anticipate. Mole noticed the situation and used his tail to create an earthquake that caused the pillars the collapse and crumble away.
"Nice going, Baldy," Inuyasha berated Aang.
"Not now," Aang called out.
"SHADOW SPEARS…!"
Just then, Jason controlled the shadows, stretching them out in a manner similar to the Shadow Stitching technique of the Nara Clan, but on a grander scale. He transformed the shadows into spears and attempted to skewer the Horyus.
"Look out," Sakura called out as she activated another card.
"LIGHT…!"
Acting quickly, Sakura activated the light card and created a bright flash of light that disrupted the shadows, stopping them from hitting her and her team. However, Saika took advantage of this and used her own light to blind the Horyus for a brief moment. But Sakura noticed this and used the Mirror Card to reflect the light, blinding Saika for a brief moment.
"You'll pay for that," said Bronze.
Sora replied, "Not if I can help it…!"
Sora then charged at Bronze with the Lightning Kamui while Bronze countered with his draconium dual swords. The two swordsmen clashed with each other, Sora slashed at Bronze with his Keyblade, but Bronze blocked it with his swords. The gargoyle then kicked the Keyblade wielder away before come in with his swords in a scissors-like faction, attempting to cut off his head. Sora managed to dodge the attack, but this brought up a question.
"Hey, what are you trying to do, kill me," Sora shouted.
"It's like Frostina said, we're not holding back," replied Bronze before charging at Sora again with his blades.
Sora barely managed to block the attack as he summoned the Kingdom Key to help block the blades. "Yeah, I can see that…!"
Sora then pushed Bronze away before counter attacking.
"THUNDAGA…!"
Sora summoned Thundaga and shot lightning down on the Elemental Darts. However, Zack was able to absorb the lightning, much to the Horyus' surprise.
"My turn," said Zack.
"ELECTRON BLASTER…!"
Zack fired his Electron Blaster at Aang, but the young Avatar was quick to respond, and used lightning redirection to shoot the attack back at Zack. But once again, the young Jabberwock caught the lightning and reabsorbed it, much to Aang's surprise. In the confusion, Meiling wrapped herself around Aang and quickly began to constrict him.
"Aang," Katara gasped.
"Rule number one on the battlefield, never let your guard down," said Meiling as she constricted the young avatar.
Aang tried to fight back with his bending, but Meiling's armor protected her from the attacks.
Next thing Inuyasha knew, he was pulled underground, say for his head and Mole emerged from the ground.
"As Meiling said, never let your guard down," said Mole.
"Why you," Inuyasha struggled to get free, but with his arms trapped underground, it was difficult.
"FLY…!"
Sakura quickly took to the air in an attempt to escape from another attack like that, but Frostina was well prepared.
"FROZEN CANON…!"
Frostina fired her Frozen Canon attack at Sakura's magical wings, turning them into ice and forcing Sakura to the ground. The moment Sakura hit the ground, her wings shattered and melted into water, much to Sakura's surprise.
Realizing that they had to get tough, Naruto and Sora huddled together as the rest of the Elemental Darts surrounded them.
"I see that you two are holding back," Frostina correctly pointed out. "But I cannot help but wonder… why? Are you saving your strength for another battle that perhaps hasn't happened yet? Or could it be that you two are being watched by someone and don't want to show them your true power?"
Meanwhile Suì-Fēng and her team noticed this too.
"The frost dragon has a point," Suì-Fēng thought. "The blonde must be onto me so he's keeping his abilities at minimal to keep me from learning his true strength. I'll bet the Keyblade wielder is also onto me. Then again, I did attack that young magician last time I met them. Still, they can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, they'll have to get tough and by the looks of it, we won't have long to wait."
On the arena, Naruto and Sora realized that they had no choice seeing that Aang was being constricted, Inuyasha was buried up to his shoulders, and Sakura was still in shock from her wings being frozen.
"Alright, Sora, looks like we need to get serious," Naruto pointed out.
"I agree," said Sora as he summoned his Keyblade, Oblivion.
Naruto then entered Sage Mode while Sora somehow unlocked another new form. His clothes were now colored black and grey with the kanji for "darkness (闇) on his pants and hood. This new form caught the Elemental Darts by surprise.
"What's going on," Maya gasped.
"Indeed," Suì-Fēng muttered before ordering the other soul reapers recorded this.
In the World of Science in a city known as Heatherfield, five young girls were waiting in their homes under house arrest by S.H.I.E.L.D. following the events between the Horyus and S.H.I.E.L.D. in Japan. The girls were known as Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin. Not long ago, according to S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence, the five had become a group of guardians known as W.I.T.C.H. and were protecting a distant world known as Meridian. However, as much as they tried to keep their identities a secret from the rest of the world, S.H.I.E.L.D. found out about them and was able to place them under house arrest until further notice.
"This is ridiculous," said Cornelia as she talked with the other guardians, via cellphone. "Why are they keeping us like this because of those guys' decision?"
"I know what you mean, Cornelia," said Irma. "It's one thing to arrest us because they found out about us, but keeping us under house arrest until the Horyus make a decision?"
"How did S.H.I.E.L.D. even find out about us anyway," Taranee questioned.
"Who knows," said Hay Lin. "I heard from my grandmother that S.H.I.E.L.D. has spies all over the world, so it's possible that one of them had been observing us when we became guardians."
"Well in any case girls, there's only one thing we can do," said Will. "Sit back and wait it out. If we saw anything from that battle, the Horyus are noble warriors, so hopefully they'll make the right decision and S.H.I.E.L.D. will release us from house arrest."
The other guardians agreed.
Back at Marduk Colosseum, the Horyus were doing their best against the Elemental Darts. Naruto tried to attack with Sage Mode, but quickly found out the hard way that Frostina was still physically stronger.
"Darn it," Naruto grunted as Frostina had locked her paws with his hands.
"If you believe I am strong, you should see Spiro," Frostina told the blonde before head butting him.
"Darn it," Naruto grunted while rubbing his head.
"Naruto, she's not messing around," Kurama pointed out. "And I sense a familiar presence nearby."
"Is it that soul reaper who poisoned Sakura," Naruto asked.
"Not just her," Kurama answered. "She's brought more reinforcements with her."
"That's not good," Naruto answered. "We'd better end this quickly…!"
"Alright, Frostina, you want my best I'll give you my best," Naruto then activated Six Paths Sage Mode and charged at Frostina.
Meanwhile, Sora was holding his own against Bronze as the two got into a sword dual, Bronze with his draconium swords and Sora with his Keyblade. The two were proving to be accomplished swordsmen, but Bronze showed that he had more experience fighting and Sora was still holding back.
"Come on, Sora," Bronze taunted. "I can tell that you're holding back."
"Believe me, Bronze," said Sora. "You don't want to see me at my best."
"I'll be the judge of that," Bronze then kicked Sora in the stomach when he wasn't looking, flattening him to the ground.
Realizing that Bronze wasn't playing around, Sora gathered energy into his Keyblade and fired a beam at the gargoyle. Bronze was quick to reflect it with his swords, and the beam was sent towards Naruto, but the blonde shinobi sensed it and evaded it. Naruto then countered back by launching a Truth-Seeking Orb at Bronze, but the gargoyle sliced it in half with his swords. The blonde then remembered what Bronze told him earlier about making his Truth-Seeking Orbs more specialized, explaining how those swords sliced the orb in two.
At the same time, Sakura, Inuyasha, and Aang were doing what they could to hold off the other Elemental Darts. Inuyasha used his Red Diamond Tetsusaiga to fire red diamond shards at Mailing, Maya, and Serpentina, Aang used his earthbending on Mole and Zack, and Sakura used her magic on Jason and Saika. Unfortunately, it became clear that the three were still exhausted from their battle against the Kage. Sora was too, but he was still holding back.
"We can't win like this," Sakura said before she noticed Suì-Fēng and her team on the edge of the colosseum. "It's her…!"
Everyone looked and noticed the soul reapers sitting in the bleachers.
"Intruders," Queen Crystal called out.
"They noticed us," Rin gasped. "How is that possible?"
"Worry about that later," said Suì-Fēng. "For now retreat…!"
"Who are those guys," Syaoran gasped.
"That woman with the long pigtails is the one who poisoned Sakura," said Tomoyo while pointing her camera towards the soul reapers.
"She what," Syaoran gasped.
"I'm afraid it's true," said Katara.
All at once, the guards gathered around the soul reapers. Suì-Fēng, her lieutenant, and the other members of the stealth force could have easily escaped using Flash Step, but most of the members of Squads 4 and 12 did not know the technique so they did the next best thing. They formed a defensive ring to protect themselves to protect from the guards. The dragon guards attempted to apprehend the soul reapers, but Suì-Fēng was quick to take them all out, without much effort.
Suddenly, Syaoran unsheathed his sword and uncharacteristically rushed at Suì-Fēng with the intent of killing her.
"Syaoran wait," Kairi called out.
But it was no use. Syaoran recklessly attacked Suì-Fēng out of anger, but the soul reaper captain was more than ready and easily blocked his attack with just her hand.
"Nice try boy," Suì-Fēng spat before flattening Syaoran to the floor.
"Syaoran," Sakura gasped.
"You should never rush into a fight you can't win," Suì-Fēng then stomped onto Syaoran's chest, showing no mercy as she attempted to smash his rib cage.
Syaoran screamed in pain, paying the price for his foolishness.
"SYAORAN…!"
Spiro and Tasha then let out a piercing shriek that briefly stunned the soul reapers and the other dragons followed. The cry was so loud that it carried on for miles and forced the Horyus and their loved ones to shield their ears.
"Activate the Senkaimon," Suì-Fēng ordered, keeping her ears covered throughout the shriek.
"We're trying," Rin barely managed to open the Senkaimon while keeping his ears covered.
Without hesitation, the soul reapers retreated back to the Soul Society just as the shriek ended. The remaining guards were about to follow them, but Queen Crystal called them off.
"Let them go," ordered Queen Crystal. "We don't know what's in there. And right now, we must tend to the damage."
Sakura flew up to Syaoran and was horrified to see that Syaoran was bleeding through the mouth and noticed that Suì-Fēng left a footprint in his ribcage. What was worse, Syaoran was coughing up blood and it was a miracle that his heart and lungs weren't pierced or crushed by the soul reaper captain.
"Syaoran," Sakura said worryingly with tears in her eyes.
"I'm fine, Sakura," Syaoran wheezed.
"Don't try to talk," said Katara as she started healing him.
Hinata, Alopheya, and Kairi also helped to heal Syaoran, Hinata with her medical ninjutsu, Kairi used a healing spell, and Alopheya with her phoenix tears. Alopheya placed a centimeter of her phoenix tears into a small bottle and had Syaoran drink them, helping him to heal. But while Syaoran's physical injuries were healing relatively fast do to Hinata, Katara, Kairi, and Alopheya's efforts, there were other wounds that both he and Sakura had that would take longer to heal.
In the Soul Society, Suì-Fēng and her team had returned with the information needed and reported it to the other captains.
"What did you learn," said Yamamoto.
"We found out about Naruto Uzumaki's abilities," Suì-Fēng answered.
"Apparently, he uses the same abilities as Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki," Rin explained. "Or, more accurately, his younger son, Asura."
"Interesting," said Mayuri. "Do you have footage of when he used their abilities?"
"Yes Captain," Rin gave Mayuri the footage. "It's all recorded right here."
"Excellent," Mayuri took the recording.
"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that Naruto has abilities similar to the Sage of Six Paths," said Shunsui. "Still though, this does boggle my head a bit. Do you believe we should try to take them on, Old Man Yama?"
"I do not wish to engage one of the ones who helped save the Shinobi World from the Ōtsutsuki Clan," Yamamoto replied, showing a slight sadness that only Shunsui and Jūshirō could detect. "Unfortunately, if we are to keep the existence of the Soul Society and the other spirit worlds hidden from the mortal worlds, we have no other option."
The other soul reapers nodded their heads.
"In any case, now that I have this information, I should be able to create something that will make taking down the Horyus a lot easier," said Mayuri with his sinister smile. "This way, we can avoid causing too much collateral damage to the world of the living."
Shunsui and Jūshirō were both surprised by Mayuri's words. They had never known him to be so considerate about the world of the living. But they figured that there was a lot that they didn't know about the mad scientist captain.
In Draco Sanctuary, everyone had regrouped back at Darmorce Castle and Syaoran was fully healed.
"Well done, Horyus," said Queen Crystal. "You have all shown to be quite capable of holding your own against our noble guardians, the Elemental Darts."
"With all due respect, your majesty," said Aang politely. "We never finished our battle against your guardians."
"Perhaps not, but I have seen enough," said Queen Crystal. "I could tell that all of you were exhausted by the way you were fighting while Naruto excelled against the Darts. Even so, you managed to put up a fight against them. You may all get some rest within the castle guest rooms, but try not to wonder too far."
"We won't, your majesty," said Sora politely, having learned proper manners from Donald and Goofy, especially Donald.
With that, the Horyus and their loved ones were all escorted to their guest rooms to recover. But Spiro and Tasha stayed behind, knowing that there were still some things they needed to discuss with their queen and their fellow guardians
"So, Crystal, what did you make of them," Spiro questioned.
"I believe they still have some things to work out, but in their way, they are just as powerful as you claimed them to be, Spiro," Crystal told him. "However, you never mentioned that there were individuals out their hunting them down. That woman who almost killed that boy, Syaoran, also knocked out several of my guards."
"Indeed," said Frostina. "Even though she appears to be human and the guards are all dragons, she showed incredible speed and strength. And I for one still do not trust those human friends of yours."
"Oh Frostina, give it a rest," Tasha grunted. "You were willing to trust Lilly and her friends."
"How many times must you remind me of that," Frostina spat at them.
"How many times must you revert back towards your hatred towards humans," Spiro questioned. "In any case, we have a bigger crisis in the long run. As I mentioned before, there's someone out there even worse than Xehanort, perhaps worse that Killaflendor and Kagura. You should get to know our new allies before you judge them."
Spiro and Tasha then went to their quarters to rest up for the night, leaving Frostina to think deeply about what they said.
Later that night in Karakura town, Orihime was sitting in her house, a bit lonely ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. placed her and her friends under house arrest. While she knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. had good intentions, being separated from her friends wasn't easy, especially since it relied on the Horyus' answer to Maria Hill's demand. To take her mind off of it, she sat in front of a picture of her late brother, Sora Inoue.
"Hello Brother," said Orihime. "It's day two of being under house arrest and there's still no word on the Horyus' answer. I know they said they'd take a week and it's only been one day since then, but being separated from my friends is difficult. Especially Ichigo…"
Suddenly a voice came out, "You talking about me, Orihime?"
Orihime was startled and looked behind her to see "Ichigo" standing in the doorway of her room. "Ichigo…?"
"I see you're still praying to your brother," "Ichigo" commented.
But while the individual looked like Ichigo, Orihime wasn't fooled. She got up and glared at the intruder. "Who are you?!"
"It's me, Ichigo," "Ichigo" answered.
"How stupid do you think I am," Orihime questioned angrily.
"Ichigo" then smirked and answered, "Pretty stupid."
Before Orihime could react, she suddenly heard the sound of a bell ringing. Next thing she knew, she suddenly felt dizzy as the room around her started to look like it was melting. If that wasn't bad enough, the sound of a flute being played was added and the whole room suddenly faded into black as Orihime fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Ichigo" then looked in the dark corners behind Orihime and commented, "Nice work, girls."
Kin and Tayuya then emerged from the shadows, Kin holding her bells and Tayuya holding her flute.
"This was a piece of cake," said Kin.
"Especially since your disguise distracted her, Chloe," Tayuya identified the imposter.
Chloe then dropped her guise as Ichigo and reverted to her normal form. "All part of the plan we came up with. I distracted while you put her to sleep."
"A simple, but effective approach," said Kin as she picked up the unconscious Orihime.
"I hope we've proved ourselves to your fucking boss," Tayuya smirked.
"You'll have to ask her yourself, but you've proven yourselves to me," Chloe commented. "Hail Hydra!"
"HAIL HYDRA…!"
At the same time, Uryū was practicing his archery skills inside his father's underground training ground, the same one they used to restore Uryū's powers over a year ago. At present, Uryū was trying to hit a moving target, something he had gotten real good at, but this one was a fast moving target. While he knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. was protecting him and his friends while they were under house arrest, he wasn't taking any chances. He also knew that, while Ichigo was powerless at present, it was only a matter of time before he got his powers back and he wanted to be strong enough to protect himself by the time that happened.
"LICHT REGEN…!"
Uryū unleashed a devastating volley of innumerable arrows upon his intended target, destroying it in the process. Afterwards, he put his current weapon, the Heilig Bogen, away and was ready to call it a night. But just as he was about to leave the training room, he noticed another presence.
"I know you're there," Uryū turned towards the intruder. "Why are you hiding in the shadows?"
The intruder then revealed himself as Bruno who answered, "We're here to take you into custody."
Uryū raised his eyebrow and questioned, "We…?"
Suddenly, Kidōmaru and Zaku jumped out of their hiding places and jumped Uryū. But the young Quincy was quick to react and used Hirenkyaku to evade the oncoming attack.
"Nice try," Uryū took out Heilig Bogen once more and prepared to fight.
"How did you do that," Zaku questioned.
"It's called Hirenkyaku, a Quincy high speed maneuvering technique," Uryū explained as he drew his bow. "Now let me ask you something. Who are you and what are you here for?"
"That's for us to know," said Bruno.
"Very well," Uryū then fired his weapon.
"LICHT REGEN…!"
Bruno noticed the arrows coming at him and his teammates and used his cybernetic wings to block the arrows. Before Uryū could react, Zaku countered with his own attack.
"SLICING SOUND WAVE…!"
Zaku used his chakra to generate energy within his elbows, which he emitted from the holes in his palms using the tubes implanted in his forearms. The moment the attack struck the oncoming arrows, it forced them back, rather easily much to Uryū's surprise, and forced the young Quincy backwards into a wall. The impact knocked him out and Kidōmaru wrapped him up in an Airtight Cocoon.
"Good work," said Bruno. "I couldn't have asked for better partners for this mission to capture a Quincy."
"You're not the one giving us orders, kid," Zaku grunted.
"Tell that to Madam Viper," Bruno pointed out. "Now let's go before his father wakes up."
"Indeed," Kidōmaru picked up the cocoon and the three left the training hall.
"HAIL HYDRA…!"
At the same time, Chad was doing… whatever he usually does at this time. The memories of when he and the others went to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia and later to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime still lingered on him. The parts that really lingered on him were the moments where he tried to prove himself against powerful opponents like Shunsui and Nnoitra, only to find out just how powerless he was. This weighed in on his moral compass, especially since Ichigo actually did stand a chance against these opponents. Now Ichigo was the powerless one and he had no idea what to do to help him. It didn't help either that S.H.I.E.L.D. had placed all four of them under house arrest until the Horyus made their decision on whether to join the organization or remain independent.
Suddenly, he noticed that he wasn't alone. "Who's there?"
"Someone who's going to take you somewhere other than here," said Adi as he showed himself.
Chad looked at Adi and saw that he appeared to be a child, at least in comparison to himself. "I cannot leave my apartment."
"And yet you will," said Sakon as he, Ukon, and Jirōbō showed themselves.
"Is this supposed to be an ambush," said Chad, not looking too impressed.
"You don't even know about our abilities," said Ukon.
Chad then activated his fullbring, transforming his arms into their hollow-like forms, Brazo Derecho del Gigante and Brazo Izquierdo del Diablo respectively. Chad took up a fighting stance, ready to defend himself against his adversaries. But he wasn't prepared for their secret weapons.
"Quite interesting looking arms you have there," said Sakon. "However… Do-Re-Mi…!"
The moment Sakon said/sang those three phrases, Chad suddenly felt some of his strength leave him. If that wasn't bad enough, Jirōbō got behind and grabbed him and began sucking away his energy, causing his fullbring deactivate. Adi then used his ability and caused a power cable to wrap around Chad and even had it shock him, knocking him out.
"Nice one kid," said Sakon. "But I don't recall your profile saying that you could control electrical wires."
"Yeah, I recall it saying that you controlled any form of electronic technology," said Ukon.
"To be honest, I didn't know I could do this either," said Adi. "But we'll figure this out later. For now, let's get out of here before we're caught."
"Good point," said Jirōbō as he picked up Chad's unconscious body.
"Hail Hydra," said Adi as they left.
Meanwhile at Ichigo was in his room staring at the ceiling. While he wouldn't admit it, he missed his time being a substitute soul reaper. He knew the risk of using the Final Getsuga Tenshō, but he also knew that it was the only way he stood a chance against Aizen. He knew he would lose his powers and he accepted it, but he still couldn't help but feel useless now that he could no longer protect his friends. Most of all, he missed Rukia and the other soul reapers.
"What the hell," Ichigo sighed.
Suddenly, Ichigo noticed that he was not alone as he noticed Makoto, Dozu, and Kimimaro in his room.
"Good evening, Ichigo Kurosaki," said Dozu.
"Who the hell are you," Ichigo demanded.
"The ones who will be taking you in," said Makoto.
"I'd suggest you try not to resist," said Kimimaro.
"Who the hell do you guys think you are," Ichigo then got up and got into a fighting stance.
"This is your last warning," Kimimaro pulled out one of his bones and transformed it into a sword.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," said Makoto.
"I choose the hard way," Ichigo then lunged at the intruders in his "strike first, ask questions later" mentality.
Naturally having been trained by Tatsuki, Isshin, Kisuke, Yoruichi, and the Vizards, Ichigo managed to put up a good fight against them. However having lost his soul reaper and Hollow powers during the battle with Aizen, he lacked the needs to overpower such power ninja like Dozu and Kimimaro. Makoto was also a challenge for the former substitute as he also had his power to manipulate wind currents.
Realizing that Ichigo wasn't going down without a fight, Makoto struck him with a horizontal twister. The attack caught Ichigo by surprise and ended up becoming trapped by the vortex as it became vertical like a real twister. Dozu then used his Resonating Echo Drill to create powerful soundwaves inside the vortex, knocking out Ichigo in the process.
"Well, that's one way of handling it," said Makoto.
"It wouldn't have had to be the only way if he didn't resist," said Dozu. "Now let's go, his family would have heard this."
Then as if on que, Isshin's voice could be heard as he said, "What's going on in there…?"
"Time to go," said Makoto
Kimimaro picked Ichigo up and the three left the room.
"HAIL HYDRA…!"
Moments later, Isshin came into the room only to see an absolute mess and no sign of Ichigo. What he did find however was Ichigo's room in a mess. "What the hell happened here?"
Just then, Isshin got a call and checked to see who it was. "Hello?"
"Isshin," said the caller.
"Ryūken," Isshin gasped. "Well, long time no see…! What's going on?"
"Uryū has disappeared," said Ryūken. "Judging from what I found, I think it's safe to assume he might have been kidnapped."
"Funny you say that," Isshin pointed out. "I just heard commotion in Ichigo's room and found his room a mess, as if a fight took place here."
"I don't think this is a coincidence," said Ryūken. "We'd better call Orihime and Chad to see how they're doing. And if they don't answer, we'll have to assume that they've been kidnapped as well."
"I agree," Isshin then hung up and started calling Orihime while Ryūken called Chad.
In Draco Sanctuary, the Horyus were all sleeping in chambers with in Darmorce Castle, regaining their energy after the day's events. However two individuals were not able to sleep as the memories of the day's events weighed on them heavily. On one end, Syaoran realized that he messed by recklessly attacking someone he knew nothing about and almost died as a result. In that moment, he realized that if he was going to protect Sakura, he needed to give something up in exchange, even if that meant his feelings for her. As for Sakura, she fully realized that there were people out there who were targeting her and her new teammates and that if she wasn't careful, one of her loved ones would be killed in the process, either from trying to fight off one of these individuals or from getting caught in the crossfire. In that moment, she fully understood what Mei was telling her during her and her teammates' battle with the Kage, that if she did not step up her game, she or someone she cares about would just become another victim, and she did not want that. Both knew that they would have to step up their game if they wanted to survive against these opponents.
"When a service is rendered, compensation is necessary to complete the transaction, and the payment must be of equal value to the service," Yūko's words echoed in Syaoran's mind. "It can neither be too much, nor too little. There can be no deficiency, nor excess, only perfect balance and equivalence, or harm will be done throughout the universe, and harm to the soul. Both require a balance. Be careful what you say, Syaoran. That "anything" could include giving up your relationship with Sakura. If it came down to it, you might even have to give up the feelings you hold so dear to her and vice versa."
"But how could I give up my feelings towards her," Syaoran muttered. "I already put Sakura through that when we fought the Sealed Card, and I don't want to put her through that again. But… what if I have to…?"
"You're enemies aren't going to leave you alone just because you refuse to fight them," Mei's words echoed in Syaoran's mind. "It's fine that you don't want to fight your enemies, but if you don't even have the will to fight, you or someone you care about will just become another victim."
"I don't want to fight friends," Sakura muttered. "But what if… what if I have to? I managed to stop Ventus without fighting him when Vanitas possessed him… but… what if I'm not so lucky next time? What will I do?"
Sakura and Syaoran pondered on their dilemmas until they eventually fell asleep and began to dream.
Sakura's dream:
Sakura found herself back in Tomoeda, but found that everything was in ruins and there was smoke and fire everywhere. What was more she saw some of her friends covered in blood, much to her horror.
"What's going on here," Sakura gasped.
She found herself dressed in a battle costume that resembled the one she wore when she transformed the Light and Dark Cards from Clow Cards to Sakura Cards and when she battled Eriol. The main difference was that it had the coloration of the costume she wore when she battled the Sealed Card. There was pink where the white should be, magenta where the yellow should be, and either yellow or gold where the red should be.
Next thing Sakura knew, one of her friends, Rika, crawled up to her and asked, "Why didn't you protect us? You were supposed to protect us!"
"I… I'm sorry," Sakura gasped. "What happened here?"
Before Rika could answer, she dropped to the ground, dead. Sakura gasped at this, but soon found that she wasn't alone as Suì-Fēng appeared from the flames with a killer intent on her face.
"What happened was that you exist," Suì-Fēng said cruelly, preparing her Zanpakutō for a killer blow. "I'm here to erase your existence."
Sakura quickly took out her key and prepared to activate it. "Key that hides the power of the stars, show your true form before me. I, Sakura, command you under our contract. Release…!"
But for some reason, her staff didn't activate.
"RELEASE…!"
Suì-Fēng then lunged at Sakura with her Shikai and prepared to stab her in the heart as the young magical girl tried in vain to activate her staff.
Once again, Sakura screamed in terror as the soul reaper captain came in for the kill.
Syaoran's dream:
Syaoran found himself in a cemetery where a coffin was being lowered into a hole in the ground. What was more he looked around and found Toya, Fujitaka, Tomoyo, Sonomi, Meilin, Yukito, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Takashi, Yoshiyuki, and even Kero all looking sad. It was then that he realized that Sakura wasn't among them.
"What's going on," Syaoran questioned. "Where's Sakura?"
"She's in there," Tomoyo sniffed as she pointed.
Syaoran looked and saw that Tomoyo was pointed towards the coffin. It was then that he realized that Sakura was dead and that this was her funeral. He started to have a panic attack as he took in that his girlfriend was dead.
If that wasn't bad enough, Toya put his hand on Syaoran's shoulder and said with a disappointed look on his face, "Why didn't you protect her?!"
End of both dreams:
Sakura and Syaoran woke up with a scream from their nightmares.
"Sakura, Syaoran, what's wrong," Naruto gasped as he and the others gathered around the due.
"Are you okay," Tomoyo questioned with concern.
Sakura and Syaoran panted heavily as their bodies were covered in sweat.
Realizing that they were not in the best shape, Aang told them, "You know we're supposed to meet up with the leaders of my world. But we can hold that off and take you back to your home world if…"
"Oh, you don't have to do that Aang," Sakura reassured him.
"We'll be okay," Syaoran added as he and Sakura tried to smile and laugh it off.
However, the others weren't fooled. They knew that something was wrong with the two and they needed to find out. But realizing that they also had to give them their space, they backed off and the group soon made their way back to the Gummi Ship.
In Ba Sing Se, Sokka was training with Suki and Ty Lee just behind the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. At the moment, Ty Lee was teaching the two, mostly Sokka, the art of chi blocking.
"The trick is to strike the pressure points with just the right amount of force," Ty Lee instructed him.
"I think I get the gist of it," said Sokka.
"Okay, then let's see you use it on me," Ty Lee teased.
"Okay then," Sokka got up close to Ty Lee and struck her pressure points.
Nothing happened…
"Um why aren't you falling to the ground," Sokka questioned.
"Oh Sokka, you didn't use enough pressure and you didn't strike the right spots," Ty Lee pointed out. "You're not going to master it all in one day."
"You know, that's exactly what Suki here said to me about learning Kyoshi style of fighting," Sokka pointed out.
"Yeah, and I had you dressed in a Kyoshi Warrior outfit throughout that session," Suki smirked.
Sokka's jaw dropped upon being reminded of that time while Suki and Ty Lee simply laughed at him.
"I wish I could have seen that," Ty Lee giggled.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Sokka sighed.
Suddenly, the three heard a noise and then the next thing they knew, the Horyus had arrived.
"Hey guys," said Aang.
"Aang, Katara, good to see you," said Sokka.
"You should have seen what we saw in Spiro's world," Katara told them. "We saw all kinds of dragons!"
"Speaking of which," Aang gestured towards the other Horyus. "These are our new friends and my new team, the Horyus, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Kinomoto, Inuyasha Higurashi, Spiro, and Sora. The rest are their friends and loved ones, Hinata Hyūga, Syaoran Li, Tomoyo Daidouji, Kagome Higurashi, Tasha, Kairi, Keroberos, and Yue."
Katara then took her turn to introduce some of their friends. "And these are Suki and Ty Lee, members of a group known as the Kyoshi Warriors. You've already met my brother, Sokka, who himself was a member of this group at one point."
"I'm detecting some smugness in that last comment, Katara," Sokka grunted.
"Whatever gave you that idea," Katara smirked.
Sokka sulked away while Suki and Ty Lee both walked up to the Horyus and were amazed at them, especially Spiro and Tasha.
"Wow, real live dragons," Ty Lee gasped. "I only wished I could speak their tong."
Spiro then replied, "Well lucky for you Lass, we can speak your tong."
Suki and Ty Lee then screamed in surprise and backed away from them and ran into a wall before falling to the ground, much to Spiro's amusement.
"Well Aang, when you Sokka and Katara said that they could talk, you weren't kidding," Suki noted.
"Yep," Aang agreed.
The two girls then got back up and walked up to the Horyus once more and focused their attention on Sakura and Syaoran.
"Hello there, cuties," Ty Lee smiled sweetly at them.
But Sakura and Syaoran were both still traumatized by their nightmares and only briefly glanced at her and Suki before looking down at the ground. This was something Ty Lee and Suki both took this into account.
"Hey Aang, those two don't seem to be very lively," Suki whispered.
"Yeah, their aura seems to be all over the place," Ty Lee whispered.
"They both had a terrible nightmare last night, but they don't want to talk about it right now," Aang explained. "For now, let's just get to the Earth King's Palace."
In the World that Never Was, the new Organization XIII was sitting in the area Where Nothing Gathers. The current known members included Larxene, Marluxia, Luxord, and Vexen, four members of the first Organization XIII. With them were three unknown members wearing the trademark cloaks.
"So then, now that we're all here, what do we know about the Horyus," said Larxene.
"Well for one, they are the ones who defeated Xehanort," said Luxord. "They also defeated "his" Organization XIII, which I was a part of."
"I still find it hard to believe," said Vexen. "Still, anything is possible."
"The question is, how are we going to deal with them," said Marluxia.
"Allow me to offer a suggestion," said one of the unknown organization members. "I have a score to settle with one of them."
And that was chapter 7. Once again, Suì-Fēng and her team has made their move and the Horyus have battled another group, this time Spiro's main group, the Elemental Darts. Now for those of you who still have doubts about how draconium was able to withstand the power of the Truth-Seeking Orbs, as i mentioned at the start of this chapter, those things are not quite as all-powerful as many of you have been led to believe. As Kurama mentioned, Minato once used a one of his kunai against a Truth Seeking Orb when he battled Obito during the War arc of Naruto. And yet when the kunai made contact with the Truth-Seeking Orb, the kunai didn't desintergrate, and that thing was likely made out of plain steel which is hardly comparable to draconium in terms of strenth and hardness. But hey, I can't tell any of you what to think and perhaps there's something I'm missing, and if so, let me know in your reviews or just send me a PM. And in any case, it does leave room for Naruto to make his Truth-Seeking Orbs more "specialized".
As you can see, I had Sora unlock his Dark Form Change and Syaoran tried to attack Suì-Fēng, only to be rediculously outmatched. What's more, both he and Sakura have had another nightmare, Sakura's was about getting killed by Suì-Fēng while Syaoran's was about attending Sakura's funeral. Prior to that, the words spoken to them by Mei and Yūko respectively echoed in their minds and neither of them know what they're going to do, at least not yet.
On a side note, I introduced the main characters from the animated series, W.I.T.C.H. and have also had Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, and Chad all kidnapped by a combine team of Team Dozu, the Sound Four, and the (currently villianous) Future Avengers. If you're wondering where this is going, well, wait and see. Not only that, but Shin is making his move in recreating the Akatsuki, starting off with Fūka, a villain from one of the Naruto filler archs. On top of all that, a new Organization XIII has arrisen, current members including Luxord, Larxene, Marluxia, Vexen, and three other members who's identities are all unknown, or are they?
Now the next chapter will have the Horyus interacting more with the inhabitants of Aang's world. So until next time, stay tuned.
Chapter 8: What Next?