Hollowfied
By: Finn Mertenz
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR BLEACH. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN THEM.
Chapter 14: What Is Your Name? Captain-Level Showdown.
Tuesday 2:57pm, August 30th 2020 A.D.
"That's more like it!" Naruto spoke as power coursed.
Flowing through him like a stream that bellowed between canyon walls of rock and stone. An aura of scarlet encircled him like a bathing glow that shone upon his stacked silhouette.
Settling the wild pant that poured betwixt his whisker-lined lips, wounds went unmarked and lost. Staunch and resistant to any and all bodily harm dealt but still feeling its intended pain.
Standing at the center of two figures that each cried their names aloft, both were heard yet ignored. Unable to discern or comprehend either as pitched screams rebounded loose and free.
Swinging his now-enflamed Zanpakutō like a blind swipe to bait the origin of these hollowfied howls. An audible cord struck a white edged blade as contact was made with numbered occurrence.
Smeared and smudging Sekkiseki beneath twin feet as positioning was fought for; leverage was lost. Beaten, battered and blown back by the spastic damnation from the demon he fought.
Suffering alongside the environment as glass from above continued to plummet and plunge unpressed. Cut sleeves and hair were their sole victim as flesh held foreign immunity.
Swiveling to turn and run, benches were leapt as signs were rounded and crossed in hasted retreat. Seeking to find safety in distance yet unable to scale or escape at any sustained rate.
Shattering currents of wind beside the piercing screams released from behind, a hollow cried aloud. Churning pools of saliva that turned yellow and orange before merging akin to droplets.
"If you can't hear us... Then you can't hear yourself." Kushina sighed with a solemn face.
Watching this evasive onslaught from high as the fabric she wore was free to dangle and bulge loose. Eyes of compassion glared in stark contrast to the heated gazes far beneath and below.
Billed by such predominant pressure as cemented streets turned to ash aside it; demolition was rampant. Too forlorn and destructive for any to control save the same boy that ran away.
Spewing a name with the topped tones of audible damnation, an eruption of Reiatsu trailed after it. Bloated and bubbled to the point that none could understand or read its declaration.
Traversing a straight path like the well-lain brick of a road; corrosive temperature swelled at unsafe degrees. Cleaving and clearing all debris left in front beneath rayed beams of scarlet.
Further traveling forth until the blurred mirage of its target came close, loose sweat was steamed beside heat. Only turning to check as the walls of a stout skyscraper blocked his path.
Forced to raise the edge of his Zanpakutō in a scramble for defense, it instantly suffered below a veil of red. Merely a causality of devastation as the building behind was severed at the base.
Consumed and clobbered with only the narrow mass from his blade to protect him, security meant little. Especially when those he cared for and adored were stuck in a different reality.
Bridged in brisk succession as sweeps of rage parted what little withstood their previous lacerations. The tip of a hollowfied sword did what nothing in the environment could accomplish.
Serrating Naruto's flesh in an instant as spewed droplets of blood trailed loose, agony was ignored. Just one of several emotions that their host knew and experienced all too frequently.
Now past such limitations and drawbacks that would be the end of most; emotions meant little to him. Forever bottled and restrained inside without even a reservoir of reprieve or respite.
Enduring a well-angled strike that lacerated his left arm, sensations of pain were too far gone to perceive. Enshrining the mad shriek of a blinded boy that coiled his Zanpakutō to retaliate.
Able to see in the same aspects that many expected, it wasn't eyes that survived blindless; but his heart. Too forlorn and forgotten or stuck deep inside memories too old to process.
Intercepted by the stiff backhand of his hollowfied foe, white enamel blocked the entirety of his blow. Treated like the childish swat of an infant who failed to get their rhyme, reason or way.
Disarmed and nearly dismembered as spry limbs took hold of his throat and lifted him free, air was denied. An entrapment that only budged after the sudden recognition of olden thoughts.
"Get away!" Choked yet gurgled, Naruto jutted in defiance.
Struggling and scrambled to raise twin feet before battering the hollow in front, teeth gritted like fangs. Highlighted by seared and naked flesh burnt just moments ago by redden beams.
Still in search of friends that he needed with the expectation that none needed him, it felt one sided. Yet it was the closet strip of longing this blond boy had ever felt in his foreign life.
Recoiled then shrunk as harrowed nails cleaved the air above his quick-ducking scalp, anguish swelled. Bypassed and survived only after stealing stability before taking up his blade with one arm.
Able to blockade yet another swipe from his fierce foe; the aura of red that consumed him was given mass. Evolving like a cocoon as Kushina suddenly floated alongside her whiskered host.
Hearing muttered words spoken into his ears, their meaning was little as blood steadily dripped free. Spread and splashing across stone below as bodily ichor was painted and pressed.
"I have to leave... I have to go! They're waiting on me! They need me!" Leaking gore was ignored.
Selfish to some yet self-centered to others, the consequences for himself were nothing but an afterthought. More concerned and considerate for those around him instead of his own feelings.
That's why bloodied scabs went unanswered while throbbing wounds pulsed with fresh and loosened ichor. Treated like far-off problems in an isolated world with no reaching solution.
Soon stuck with a parried Zanpakutō as heated steam poured from the dagger-lined mouth in front of him. Whiskers basked beside wailing temperatures as grip tightened upon his hilt.
"You can do whatever you want or say whatever you wish... As long as I can win!" Resonance gave birth to pressure.
Still present in battle yet mentally shifting from the field, the voice of a soothing savior rebounded. Carrying a climax of words which brought with them much needed rest and relaxation.
Triggered by this command; chains of gold with crimson coating swiftly shoot out from Kushina's back. Summoned forth with the sole acceptance of a single phrase silently spoken.
Entangling the Hollow they fought while Naruto was eerily untouched, anger ruptured from the demon beyond. Piercing already pitched air as the canine snout upon its mask was unhinged.
The center for all ire from this destructive beast, Kushina cared little as Naruto stood aloof and distant. Physically situated between both forces of opposition yet his mind was miles away.
"Please, just stop the rain." A stretched hand was guided by motherly love.
Pressing a naked palm against the forehead that loomed in front of her, the embrace of a hug followed. Pitched from behind as a second arm enveloped the torso of her beloved host.
Meanwhile.
"That's..." Hinata held hands against her chest.
Hiding in an ally blockaded by poorly stacked crates, her skirt was spread as she squatted low. Hoping to steal glances and glimpses of any movement from the cobbled street she watched.
Gifting a brief glare towards the sleeping ginger behind her, she felt a reoccurring sense of deja vu. Counting with fingers the numbered times that she watched over Gaara's closed eyes.
Yet now the sensation of Naruto's Reiryoku was flared and apparent despite the vast distance it held. Bringing with it distraction and fear of detriment to the same friend that now hid.
Noticing this depth of another bulwarked mass of Reiatsu, Hinata couldn't explain how she came to notice. Never trained nor taught in any form that concerned the World of the Dead.
Knowing what many did not, she still struggld to offer aid or advance towards her isolated companion. Bogged down not just by Gaara; but her own mulling nature that pondered.
Turning to examine the mask and Zanpakutō that became eerily inseparable from Gaara's own person. A swirl of brown upon the left cheek of its porcelain surface became her centerpiece.
Learning quickly that every Soul Reaper carried an attuned blade solely custom to their heart and head. The fact that Gaara now held one was a pausing thought for any who endured it.
Alone this discovery was strange enough, but the combination of his foreign mask only aided in curiosity. Oblivious to the fact that only a Hollow could maintain the presence of a mask.
"Just two children? That's it?" Yugito stared.
Causing alarm to take hold of the girl she spied on, Hinata rose after noticing this sudden intrusion. Spotting her foe who sternly stood with freefalling arms yet a scowl of bewilderment.
"How could either of you breach our defenses so far?" Sunlight saturated all.
Answered with action instead of words, white flames took shape around each of Hinata's clenched fists. Swaying and swelling until the shape of lions with eyes of blue were brought to life.
Without verbal command or the unsheathing of a Zanpakutō, this state of readiness was reached by will. A testament to shock and awe as Yugito sought to make sense of the situation.
Knowing not what had just occurred with Torune and Fu, their ruin was brought about by mortal hands. Because the rhythmic beat of Hinata's human heart was her greatest idol of strength.
Unwilling to shrink or shiver in the face of yet another threat to her slumbering friend, ferocity formed. Counterbalanced by the same overtly short skirt employed upon her from middle school.
"We've breached no one and we've invaded nothing... We're only here to save our friend!" Hinata squinted with white eyes.
Now pure in color and form where once normal contemplations of suspense were held aloft and in place. The entrapping's abound were brought to permanent form by recent events and days.
Caring not for the grade, rank nor scale of her foe, the Lieutenant badge on Yugito's chest was ignored. Instead placing every shred of focus and forethought on the sleeping friend behind.
Meanwhile.
Dripping a steady stream of bodily gore betwixt shoddily wrapped bandages, pain meant little to Tayuya. Returning to the very ruinous battlefield that she left narrowly one day prior.
Littered with pebbled Sekkiseki and poorly dried blood splashed across stone, eyes peered and peeked. Gaining sight of the same ascending staircase that she once barred by herself.
Tightly clenching the closed sheath of her Zanpakutō with one hand, it soon became propped up like a walking stick. Pushing every concern except the safety of Sakura from her mind.
Waddling with weak feet yet a stout heart; several steps were climbed before voices rang from behind. Emanating from Shikamaru and Ranmaru as others swiftly joined in company.
Representatives for Squad Seven, the plans of Karin brought many Reapers from opposing squads. Ryūzetsu from Squad Eleven and even Chōjūrō from Squad Ten held attendance.
"You shouldn't be walking around so soon!" Tenten cautioned.
Dismissed for the day by her Captain, a return trip quickly solidified her time being given to Karin. Directing this spry group with pressed glasses as Dosu was left to hunch and sigh.
"You must've sensed Guy's Reiryoku as well." Ranmaru chimed.
Clear as day, this group of momentary allies below were gathered to hunt and confront the Ryoka. Each experienced or informed from direct knowledge about the enemy's skill and talent.
"If we hurry, we can catch up to whoever he's fighting, and ends this!" Karin barked.
Racing to ascend the stairwell, her path found no entry to pass or allude Tayuya's direct blockade. Standing in the same point of defiance as she had merely twenty hours before.
Thinking little of it until too late, Ryūzetsu's attempts to move were parried by a fierce kick in wake. Straining to withstand its blow as each forearm was lifted in front of her face.
Suffering a follow-up jab from the protrusive tip of Tayuya's sheath, skin cratered beneath its wrath. Striking Ryūzetsu's abdomen before forcing her to roll and tumble down the stairs.
Giving no pause; Tayuya pulled loose her now-whole Zanpakutō from the same crevasse that concealed it. Already glowing akin to tones of vibrant scarlet too bright and flamboyant to derail.
"You can't be serious..." Karin swallowed spit.
Knowing better than most that the defiant Lieutenant beyond was also a woman of action; not words. The reality of her allegiance took no time to discern as everyone knew her past.
"If you do this, if you try to save Sakura; they'll execute you." Tenten said what everyone knew.
Garnering quaked rock in reply, pressure poured from this injured reaper aside bleeding ichor of red. Blending in both hue and mass as the radius of their infection continued to swell.
Pulsing with every beat as gore rushed downstairs until drenching the soles of Karin's sandaled shoes. Further shadows tipped an aura of Reitasu that twitched and flickered from lack of control.
Unwilling to stand aside, the stairs ahead remained locked by the implanted feet Tayuya employed. Earning annoyance from Dosu as Ranmaru and Shikamaru dreaded the very idea.
"I'm already dead." Eyes that were once brown now appeared black and hazed.
Empty from the trauma of a loss almost too staggering to accept, its meaning was still chased after. Giving way to only one act that mattered, saving Sakura no matter the price.
Meanwhile.
Punching the blanket that housed him before tossing it aside, Sasuke panted with spewed sweat. Pressed and passed by the sliding surface from his backhand as pupils sought to study.
Expecting death as a nightmare from old tore him from deep slumber; silence was all that answered. Dimmed and visually dampened by shuttered panels parallel to rickety windows.
"Is that you, Sasuke?" Rin searched with her voice.
Too dark to see as blinking lids remained slick from unconscious sand, moments stretched until hands formed. Finding a window's latch to severe before allowing fresh light to pour inward.
Illuminating the spread sheet of a well-ironed Quincy kimono, stiches were sewn over past scars and cuts. Bringing further furnishment and awe as a myriad of wood and steel shone.
Ornately lain and held free next to banners nearly two decades old, the room itself was a forgotten relic. Likened to memories too old to relay as Sasuke's eyes soaked everything in.
"I don't know where we are... But I know we should leave!" Hands offered help.
Hiding her glare below as she reached to snag and deliver the white robe that hung beside her. She mentally told herself not to look, but curiosity took control as eyes peered loose.
Enabling cheeks to match the estranged petals of pink from a blooming garden outside, birds chirped. Gifting serenity for but a minute as a tightened taut of bandages were observed.
"Where is everyone?" Sasuke failed to notice how little he wore.
Naked and nude from everything save tiny cloth boxers and frail linen, hastily dressed thread soon trailed. Putting on sleeves before tying knots and strings as he dressed him self with speed.
Parting lips to speak, words failed to form as the door behind was slowly pushed to open like a creak. Instinctively feeling those that stood with the urge to dash and surge for opportunity.
Leaping from the already spread window beyond, both Rin and Sasuke tumbled into lush bushes. Hiding for naught but moments until recovery gave them the chance to flee further.
Catching this commotion with perception too great to obscure, Itachi held a plate of steamed eggs. Accompanied with bacon and toast as a stiff shoulder pushed open his bedroom door.
"I guess they're not hungry." Swiveling to spin, stairs were surmounted.
Quashing descending steps while a white apron clung to the open front of his Captain's shihakushō. It was as if the invasion around meant nothing to him; save the sole Quincy he cared for.
Meanwhile.
Paved by the pattern of sprinkled rain striking stone, its volume soon grew in sporadic density. Trailed and mixed alongside the heavy and lumbering footsteps from Guy himself.
Cursing this sudden bath for washing the prized blood from his wounds, teeth sneered with compliant. Still oozing Reiatsu too great to oppose as Shibuki was forever stuck and stranded.
Yet this permanent presence fell flat as another miasma soon met its edge with opposition in equality. Lingering and lustful for space as expansive range became too much to corral.
"Restrain With Chains... Kushina!" Whiskers were propped by verbal weight.
Clenched and clammed tight between coiled fingers as the hilt of Naruto's Zanpakutō was held firm. The prior wound left upon his palm now swelled under heated pressure and steam.
Caught off guard as paused hums echoed in retort, the twist of Guy's glance was garnered over his shoulder. Honing eyesight upon the strange form now rising from his past foe once felled.
Infused with vision to capture radiant waves of red; the blade they encircled was risen and held high towards clouds. Devoid of any change nor compensation as might poured from behind.
Phased only by laughter as he fully swirled about to confront and constrain this newly healed opponent. Knuckles popped as muscles probed the sky while twin pupils bulged with glee.
"Oh? More fun!" Guy spoke with curled lips.
Noticing that which Anko noticed yet refusing to give it any wasted train of thought, disillusion or distraction. His mind was instead focused on the weighted bolts of air that now bellowed free.
That's not a real Zanpakutō... Anko was alone in observation.
Morphed only by his scale of power, Naruto's appearance gave way to none, even denying presence to scars. Any and every wound that once sustained itself was soon nowhere to be seen.
So, what is it? Feline eyes were brought close to a squint.
Sprouting tentacles of scarlet that wiggled into the shape of chained links, none rose from Naruto's blade. Only the silhouette of his back as if they sprouted from his spine to waver and flail.
"Bring it on!" Guy crushed Sekkiseki underfoot.
Surging forth with the unpredictable zag of a bloodhound, swayed fabric from his haori gave bounce. Nibbed by unwieldy wind as olden cuts were struck alongside gushing wounds and gore.
Sprung with the unbridled fury of ethereal plasma turned physical, linked chains spun and twirled. Rotating in unsung frustration as the usual coating of a Zanpakutō was denied its place.
"Looks like you've finally gotten serious... Minato!" Pride was gushing.
Turned in a swivel before standing stern, a warm welcome was given in gift for reprieve and respite. Encouraging blood with a bucked chest and muscles alongside plump and pulsed veins.
Soon the victim of coiled Reiatsu that Naruto spun and whipped without control or concentration. Three tentacles of scarlet were brought to stretch and spread as numbers swelled high.
Entrapping each of these blows betwixt knuckles while the speed of his advance only doubled in time. Guy lunged over pebbles of Sekkiseki as Moegi continued to cheer and clap above.
Yanking these wires of red on approach, Naruto was pulled close and cut before being kneed in the gut. Spewing spit before being struck by yet another blow from Guy's poorly polished blade.
"Just like that! Again! Again!" Laughter rang next to rainfall.
Devoid of focus as this Captain of Squad Eleven held firm with eyes and fists upon only one beyond. Lust unraveled as quickly as a chocolate bar during the highest hour of recess.
Blocking the third strike from this fabled onslaught; any rest failed to last as bouts of muscle were brunt. Pummeled and punished as chains of conjoined Reiatsu still clung to Guy's knuckles.
Bouncing back but denied recuperation as his foe retained grip, a fourth jet of crimson squirmed to seek freedom. Enveloping those that already existed before funneling into the mass of a cocoon.
Molded into shape in front of Naruto's chest just prior to the impact of a giant, jutting jabs were dealt. Stricken with slugged force as might was hammered like glass succumbing to pressure.
Beaten and battered through stone with the thickness of an olden oak tree, dust bellowed in response. Crowded and clumped like sprinkled particles from the weight of a hazardous collision.
"Not yet! It can't be over yet!" Guy bulked with joy.
Charging headfirst into this stuffed cloud of white, strands of brightened light were wiggled and wrangled. Stretched and shredded by roped Reiatsu as they whizzed and whipped the air.
Suffering singed and seared skin as teeth parted to allow vicious laughs to drip like drooled droplets. Pupils were flooded with the desire for gore as each iris twitched with anticipation.
Spearing the tipped edge of his Zanpakutō in pursuit of landing a truly precise blow, shaded shadows flew. Protruding like the jutted husk from Naruto's already prominent and pressed whiskers.
Shedding flakes of serrated hair as his neck tilted to the side too find safety and security; opposition was stiff. Searched by squinting glances of blue in strict contrast to flaring Reiatsu of red.
Pinning pressure and plight upon his blade as Guy's angle was corrected, swarmed auras took shape and mass. Congealing the very edge that Naruto soon brought to bear with a fierce parry.
Accepting this impact with glee as every defense was purposely forgone, Guy cackled with the envy for blood. Filling this Captain of Squad Eleven with pure ecstasy as battled bouts were formed.
Smiling with wicked formality as severe strikes crippled adjacent currents of stability, aftershocks rang true. Showering Shibuki and Anko with further mass as blinding pressure collided.
Meanwhile.
"It's not real..." Orbs of emerald gazed out a narrow window.
Stripped and bare to allow the free passage of wind to blow through; lain bricks of Sekkiseki were cobbled together. Piled atop the highest pinnacle of the Sensaikyū, where even clouds were dwarfed.
Blockaded, isolated and muffled amongst the nullifying presence of sacred stones abound in surmounting number. Sakura sat with a sullen expression and pupils devoid of any light or twinkle.
Repressing every ounce of pressure beyond the walls that imprisoned her, hands were cupped and tangled as one. Spared sensations of darkness only by a singular ray of sunlight.
Pondering the very thing that struck such a mental cord in days past, the Reiryoku she once felt was denied. Far and further diminished since its first appearance high above the Seireitei.
"Because I'm not even real." The apathy of death flourished.
With her body deceased yet her spirit enabled to live on, the purpose she found was in name and titles only. Eluding to some elaborate ploy and protection between the balance of worlds.
This was the intended motivation upon every Soul Reaper after death; the ideal that something greater was ahead. The upkeep and flow of souls and to enforce the separation of spirits.
"None of this is real." Gloom turned to glamorous reform.
Because Sakura didn't want to do this anymore, to live a life without the joys of laughter or innocence of school. Too keep going in her now cursed position held as the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen.
Defiant of escape and determined in the conviction that none cared enough to save her, the end was welcomed. Garnishing just enough interest to rise with white-robed legs and slump forth.
Gazing across plains of Sekkiseki spread as far and wide as eyesight could carry, attention was honed forward. Glimpsing the pillared mass of a towering halberd held aloft by freestanding oak.
"That's why, I'm ready." Nails dragged over stone.
There was no dream of rescue, no delusion of forgiveness nor the pleading begs to restore mercy and life. Not without the very friend she grew beside and not without the boy she now cherished.
Meanwhile.
Basking in overcast shadows from the peaked Sōkyoku, Kakashi gawked with one eye upon its hallowed bulk. Standing with his back pressed towards exterior railings of red and walkways of white.
Waiting alone and aloft as strands of spiked silver were forced to rustle beside the sporadic flow of frigid wind. Company was missing as even guardsmen were denied access or entry.
Stranded in front of a linear bridge that spanned the distance between the Sensaikyū and its neighboring cliff. Planks lined its path while an accompanying fence of scarlet hugged each side.
Taking only several seconds to pause before strolling ahead, sandaled feet slid over well-swept brick and stone. Soon switching from marble to oak as thumped weight reverberated free.
"Oh, there you are." Kimimaro sighed.
Slanted and slurred in movement as his loosened shihakushō exposed naked hue and tones from his chest. His haori was no better, stretched and sliding from his lazily upheld left shoulder.
"The Head-Captain wanted to see you." His stare closed to a squint.
Disturbed by swatting hair-beads as wind corralled one another to strike, Kimimaro was far from caring. Funneled by foresight as an unsung question was left to sting and stab the air.
"But why are you here? You know this area is restricted." Ruby lines encircled white sclerae.
Taken aback by the surprise from this sudden intrusion, the Captain of Squad Thirteen loomed with still feet. Shrouding emotions behind the clothed fabric that spared his mouth from sight.
"I was just lost in the moment... I'll go meet the Head-Captain." Kakashi audibly stumbled.
Quickening pace to swivel and spin before correcting his trail to leave the Sensaikyū far from him. The passing of Kimimaro felt like frozen glaciers precariously drifting amongst a fierce sea.
Yet this fleeting confrontation fell fast as not another word was uttered in the span it took Kakashi to leave. Already aware of the flinting glances that gleamed and crept at him from behind.
