Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach.
Chapter 23: Blood Prison Break
Hozuki Castle
"Aruji," a voice echoed in the room.
A white head of hair rose from the paperwork to look at the newcomer with her unique eyes.
"What is it, Kairo," she replied, "I recall telling all not to disturb me unless absolutely necessary."
The brunet crossed his arm across his chest and said, "Utmost apologies, aruji, but you also told us that the only exception is anything regarding one Uzumaki Naruto."
Almost immediately, she perked up and stood up. Her eyes brightened and she exclaimed, "Naruto?! What happened? I felt him return to our world a few days ago."
Kairo smiled and said, "A company of his commandos just arrived at the harbor. The captain reported that they are here as additional security. We received them graciously and they are currently waiting outside to meet you."
"I see. Let them in and return to your duties."
Crossing his arm across his chest again, he said, "Aruji." He turned around and left the room.
The door opened again and in entered a single man in full body armor. He took off his helmet and Ryuzetsu was greeted to the sight of the face of her lover, Naruto, but she knew that this one, along with those under his command, was different from the man she loved.
Unlike a ninja clone, an Uzu Kishu clone was scientifically cloned, instead of supernaturally, and was psychologically recalibrated to be loyal to the Uzukage, Naruto. The psychological effect was an unfortunate side-effect of accelerating their birth as their minds were unable to catch up to the development of their bodies and needed to have their mental faculties manually tweaked. It was unfortunate but it couldn't be helped.
"Greetings, Ryuzetsu-sama," he greeted, "Uzukage-sama sent us to protect you and this prison for an upcoming attack."
"And I graciously accept."
"I also have this from Naruto-dono." He held out a piece of paper with seal markings on it.
Ryuzetsu walked to him and took the paper. "Thank you, captain, you are dismissed."
The captain saluted and left the room.
She placed the seal on the floor and formed a single seal with her hands. She then said, "Kai!"
The writing glowed and expelled smoke that covered her view. When it cleared, it showed a grinning Naruto giving a salute. He forwent his completely orange armor and opted for a more casual garb, donning a black-and-orange jacket and track pants. His Uzu headband remained proud on his forehead.
"Yo," he exclaimed before he was sent tumbling to the floor by Ryuzetsu leaping at him, wrapping her arms around him, and kissing him fully. They moaned into the kiss as their arms explored each other's body. Minutes later, they separated for air.
Ryuzetsu smiled wide. "I missed you, Naruto."
"I missed you too, Ryu-chan." He chuckled sheepishly. "Not that I didn't like that make-out session, maybe we could get off the floor?"
She laughed as she stood up and helped Naruto to his feet. "Sorry, sorry, I got carried away."
"Hey, now, I know what I like," Naruto defended as he walked to the chair in front of Ryuzetsu' desk and sat on it, "And I definitely loved the reception."
"I'm sure you did," she replied, returning to her chair behind her desk. "I'm sorry that I didn't join you when you returned. I had to deal with yet another prison riot that broke out." She sighed in frustration. "I guess I can now understand why Mui-sama always looked tired. The rioters were detained and punished but I know that this won't be their last attempt."
Naruto gave a small smile and raised one hand in a half tiger seal. A cloud of smoke appeared behind Ryuzetsu and the clone of Naruto who appeared as a result began to massage her shoulders.
"Mmmm," she moaned in delight at his ministrations, "I needed this."
"Anyway," Naruto interrupted, "let's get down to business." With that, he started to repeat what he told the others in their mental conference area. When he finished, he added, "I am worried that Aizen and Madara would target Hozuki-joo since it once housed – technically, it still does house – the Gokuraku no Hako deep below this prison. I'm afraid that they might target this prison for that exact reason."
Ryuzetsu frowned. "Didn't you seal that thing shut with your fuinjutsu?"
"Yes, but, with those two combined, I don't doubt that they would find a way to undo that seal. After all, one is very, very intelligent and the other is very knowledgeable in the art of fuinjutsu." He clicked his tongue. "Damn Kusagakure for being so adamant about the damn box being within their borders. If it wasn't for them, I would have the box deep under Uzushiogakure by now."
She smiled softly at him. "Don't worry about it, Naruto. I am confident that this prison's defenses are more than enough to defend it from whomever Madara and this Aizen sends along my way. At least, I can hold them enough for me to call you to help me out."
"I still worry about you guys, you know. These guys are beyond extraordinary. Everyone pretty much knows who Madara is and what he can do and Aizen had pulled the wool over Soul Society's eyes for years. I don't want to know what they could do together."
"None of us want to know but we have to be prepared for when it eventually comes." Her eyes hardened as she stared at Naruto. "What's the plan?"
"As we speak, Kumo, Kiri, Suna, Kusa, and more should also be receiving the same message I'm conveying to you. I will leave a clone with you just in case either of them tries anything. As I'm sure you already know, I've also sent a company of Whirlpool Commandos to help defend the prison."
Smiling, she said, "Thank you, Naruto."
"In the meantime, the original will be reaching out to Konoha."
Her face darkened at the thought of Naruto in Konoha's walls, making him sigh.
"Ryu-chan, please, calm down. I understand that you have a low opinion of Konoha before you and I met, even though the two villages are allied, and that that opinion went even lower after finding out about my history with them. But I have already moved on from the past. It would benefit you also if you did the same."
She affixed a hard stare at him and replied, "Naruto, I love you. I am willing to do many things for you. Forgiving Konoha isn't one of them. I am willing to work alongside them if necessary but I will never forgive them."
Naruto sighed again. "There's no saying that I didn't try." He raised his eyes to her and his brow twitched at seeing his clone start to massage Ryuzetsu's breasts; somehow, during their discussion, the clone decided to forgo the usual massage spots and just go straight for fondling her. And Ryuzetsu is enjoying every second of it.
Noticing his eyes, she giggled. "Are you jealous of your clone, Naruto?" Behind her, the clone grinned cheekily at him. She then eyed him coyly. "You know," she purred, "he just has my back. I still have my front."
Grinning wide, Naruto stood from the chair and rushed over to her, kissing her hotly and fondling her ass as feverishly as his clone did her breasts.
Karakura Town
Situated in the Hisui Uzu Ryuu, Naruko emerged from the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands.
"I'm getting rather antsy here, Uzumaki-san," Urahara jovially stated to Naruko, who served him his tea. "I might have to defy Soul Society's laws on interdimensional travel and find a way to visit that brother of yours."
Giggling, Naruko replied, "From what Ichi-kun told me about you, you would totally just do that without any trouble. But, don't worry. Naruto-nii-chan will get in contact with you soon. Well, his clone will get in contact with you. Nii-chan himself is going to Konoha to discuss a possibility of an alliance."
"A clone would do just fine, Uzumaki-san." He took a sip of his tea and hummed appreciatively. "You make wonderful tea, by the way."
Beaming with pride, she exclaimed, "And that's another satisfied customer!" She then tilted her head questioningly at him. "Then, why don't you ask me questions, Urahara-san? I may be a separate being from Naruto-nii-chan but I originally was his clone."
Urahara blinked once, then twice, and then thrice, before palming his forehead. "Why didn't I come to that conclusion? Of course you would know what Uzumaki-san knows." He chuckled sheepishly as he clapped his hands and said, "Might you spare a moment of your time to indulge an old man's questions?"
She grinned and saluted Urahara. "Yes, sir," she exclaimed. She leaned forward and asked, "What do you want to know first?"
"Well, now that we're having this discussion, we never got into the subject of how you came to be. When we first met, you called yourself a genderbent clone of Uzumaki-san and, just earlier, you considered yourself a separate being from him. What does that mean?"
"Oh, that," said Naruko, cross her arms, "Originally, Naruto created the Hisui Uzu Ryuu as a simple cover, which allows him to freely roam Karakura Town." It was a mark of how serious Naruko was about her and Naruto's shared knowledge of the ninja arts that she refrained from adding the suffix to her creator's name. "He first thought that he could make do without a cover but he knew that it would be troublesome if he was discovered and he would have nowhere to return to afterwards. So he first had to forge an identity for himself. However, he didn't want to be truly in the system, just enough for the government to not be suspicious of him and his activities. To that end, he influenced Karakura Town's mayor with a genjutsu."
Urahara blinked. "From what Kurosaki-san told me of your ninja arts, genjutsu requires precise chakra control and a creative mind and Uzumaki-san's chakra pool makes it difficult, if not impossible, to cast genjutsu."
"That's not entirely true. Itachi-sensei did his best but he was unable to fully teach Naruto genjutsu; he could cast genjutsu but he was chuunin-level, at best. He wasn't at the same level as Yuhi Kurenai or Yakumo-chan, although he could cast higher-level genjutsu through his fuinjutsu. To the mayor, though, a chuunin-level genjutsu might as well be Kage-level. He was then able to make himself an identity in Karakura Town as a foreigner who wanted a simple life in her town. Thus, he created the Hisui Uzu Ryuu. He then wanted a face for the shop that would draw everyone's attention to while he does his thing in the sidelines."
"So he had you."
"At first, I was a mere Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. But then, he decided to make me a bit more permanent. So, mixing Chishio Bunshin with his Oiroke no Jutsu, he created me."
"So, when did you consider yourself a separate being from Uzumaki-san?"
She put a hand to her chin. "Clones aren't supposed to last long after being created, especially for as long as I have. Any clone brought into existence, from the most basic Bunshin no Jutsu to the advanced elemental clones and Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, are supposed to last a brief time. You see, clones are usually summoned for combat, for reconnaissance, or for mundane brief tasks that every clone would hate their creator for. Regardless of the reason, clones are usually dispelled afterwards, either from the user's will or an attack dispels it."
"Is there a particular reason why for the short life expectancy of clones?"
"Psychological reasons," Naruko simply replied, "Clones are usually aware that they are just clones. However, clones that remain active for too long tend to question their existence and their experiences since creation. 'If I feel this way about something, is it really me who's feeling it or is it what my creator would feel in my position?' 'If my creator and I have differing opinions about something, what do we really think of it?' 'If I fight my creator, does it matter if I win or lose?' Those are some of the questions that would go through a clone's mind. I would know because I myself thought those questions eventually. It makes you curious, doesn't it?"
Urahara went briefly silent. "Why didn't you dispel or Uzumaki-san dispel you if you started having these thoughts?"
Naruko smiled. "It would be simple to dispel me, wouldn't it? If I was summoned into battle and helped him win it, he could so easily dispel me afterwards. However, Naruto finds it tedious and a waste of chakra and time to continuously dispelling and recreating me just to avoid the danger of bunshinjutsus. Also, I'm sure you've gotten this impression of him from Ichigo's description of him; he has a small part of him that likes to study various things, albeit not to the same extent as Orochimaru or you."
"I see."
Her smile turned sad. "Well, that's part of the reason. To be honest, I also believe that the other reason why he won't dispel and recreate me like a normal clone is that he wants to sell the concept of me being his sister, not only to others, but also to himself. Having been born without parents or siblings and having his only source of companionship being limited in how often they see him, he instinctively seeks companionship in whatever way he could. I am no exception. He doesn't want to treat me like a clone because he wants to treat me like a sister."
Urahara's eyes turned downcast at that. "Yes…I was made aware of Uzumaki-san's disheartening past before."
"Anyway," she immediately perked up, "let's move onto the next question!"
A bit brought aback by her casual attitude, he shakily replied, "S-Sure…um…so, Uzumaki-san, I wish to know about your abilities."
"Which one," she asked with a tilt of her head, "I have many abilities."
Urahara took out a notepad and looked at it. "Let's start with the basics. I want to know about your chakra. Kurosaki-san said that we Shinigami wouldn't be able to use chakra. So, what is chakra, exactly?"
"Chakra is the energy of the shinobi. It's what allows them to use our jutsu. Beyond the obvious, it's the energy formed when you mix one's physical energy and one's spiritual energy. Physical energy is obtained from one's cells; you can look at it as one's body. Spiritual energy is obtained from one's consciousness; one's spirit, if you will."
"So that's why we Shinigami can't use chakra? We lack a physical body?"
"That's one of the reasons. The other reason is that the chakra we shinobi use and know is only present in our dimension. It would make sense that energy that is only known in one dimension wouldn't be known in other dimensions."
"I see. That would make sense." His brows furrowed. "Then how-"
"How was Ichigo able to use chakra," She asked for him. "As taught to him by Kyuubi, Naruto shared chakra with Ichigo, along with the knowledge on how to harness more of it. As he still has his human body, harnessing his chakra shouldn't be difficult. Outside of his body, though, he can only use the spiritual energy that is left, which he managed to compensate with his Reipo, which he concocted by using reiryoku to cast his jutsu."
"So I assume that sharing the secrets of chakra with me would prove moot?"
"Chakra itself would be beyond the grasp of Shinigami. They simply lack the physical aspect needed to harness chakra. Naruto once entertained the idea of using a gigai to compensate for that but he still needed to research on it a bit more. If you want, you can collaborate with him on that issue. I will tell you this, though, Urahara-san." Her face turned deadly serious. "Naruto trusts Ichigo; that's why he shared the secrets of chakra to him. If he trusts you enough, he will share the secret with you. With that said, if Naruto does share the secret with you and you spread that to any of the Shinigami in the Gotei 13, know that Seireitei will be a smoking crater by the end of the day and you will find yourself devoid of chakra."
Urahara widened his eyes. "You would keep the secret that tightly?"
"Naruto shared with me his experience with the Gotei 13; none of them are even close to trustworthy with it, some less trustworthy than others. Humans in our dimension misused that power and it led to a long age of war. Neither of us will let the same thing happen here."
Bowing his head, he replied, "I see. I will remember your words, Uzumaki-san."
She crossed her arms and asked, "You have more questions for me?"
Urahara cleared his throat. "Since you know some things that your other knows, perhaps you can tell me how to open a portal to another dimension?"
She grinned as she rolled up her sleeves. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun!"
Blood Prison
Ryuzetsu moaned on her bed, cuddling her lover tightly in her arms. She opened her eyes to his sleeping face and giggled. Ever the adorable one, aren't you, Naruto?
As much as she didn't want to, she had to leave for her warden duties. She sat up on the bed and looked around the room for her clothes. Finding them, she grabbed the blanket to cover herself and stood from the bed. She moved to collect her clothes but a hand to her wrist stopped her. She sighed. "Naruto, you know that I can't stay. I still have to prepare for the inevitable invasion of the Blood Prison." She turned to see Naruto's pouting face. She shook her head adoringly at him. "That won't work on me this time, Naruto."
His pout grew more before he grinned and sat up. "Fine, fine," he said, "I'm going to help you out." He also stood from the bed and gathered his clothes. He turned to Ryuzetsu, saying with a grin, "Mind if I watch?"
She rolled her eyes as she muttered, "Pervert." She nonetheless indulged her lover and started to dress herself seductively. She started with her panties, turning around to show her ass to him. She then shook it while putting her panties on. She looked over her shoulder and coyly smiled at him. Afterwards, she looked at the bra she held in her hand and tossed it at him.
He caught it and stared at her with wide eyes, making her smile wider.
She grabbed her shirt, put her arms through the sleeves, and pulled it over her head. She deliberately slowed when covering her breasts. Once the shirt was fully on, she took her pants and repeated her same seductive sway that she did when putting her on her panties.
After putting on her bandana, she giggled at the arousal in her lover's eyes. "How was that, lover boy?"
He grinned and took her in his arms, heedless of his own nudity. "I love you."
Giggling again, she put her arms around him and said, "I love you too."
Suddenly, Naruto tensed. She was about to ask why he was suddenly guarded when she felt it. Tremendous presences appeared beyond the walls of her prison.
"They're here," Naruto growled, "Get the prisoners to their cells and prepare the defenses. I'll hold them off."
Ryuzetsu's brows furrowed as she nodded. "I'll support you afterwards."
Naruto didn't reply and instead quickly dressed himself. Then, he ran to the window, opened it, and leapt away to face the invaders.
She stared at his leaving back with worried eyes before she went to do her duty. Stay safe, Naruto.
Outskirts of Blood Prison
Standing on air high above the prison, Naruto narrowed his eyes at the duo in front of him perched atop a bird made of clay. He said, "Sasori and Deidara, how nice to see you two again."
The hunched Sasori grunted from behind his accomplice. "I can't say the same to you. You were an annoying wretch the last time."
"And who are your friends?"
The blond bomber smirked. "These are the Dark Ones from Soul Society!" He turned to them and said, "Get down there and cause some chaos!" Then, they all descended on the prison but Naruto let them go, instead focusing on the Akatsuki members in front of him.
Naruto's ear twitched as he heard a rip from behind him. He turned his head slightly back and saw a dimensional tear and out walked two beings.
The first was a dark-skinned man who seemed to have his legs folded while still floating. The second was some being wearing a tall, white mask.
He said, "Zommari Rureaux and Aaroniero Arruruerie. So, Aizen sent you to help these two huh."
"This is more than just helping them, Uzumaki," the masked Aaroniero uttered, "This is to get back at you for Kyuubi's mistake."
He chuckled. "You failed to exact revenge when you lost to a bedridden elder. What makes you think you can succeed against a young man in his prime?"
"He has us aiding him, jinchuuriki," Zommari replied. "And we'll make sure you remember not to underestimate now."
"Hold it," Sasori growled, "Don't forget our mission here. We're here to distract Uzumaki only. Let the Dark Ones get what we need."
Aaroniero growled in return. "I'm sure Aizen-sama won't mind if we beat this upstart to an inch of his life."
"No," Deidara grinned wide, "as long as we don't kill this guy, we'll be fine, un."
Zommari took incentive, appearing behind Naruto, his zanpakuto drawn. Naruto quickly turned around and blocked it with a kunai. Aaroniero followed suit, flanking Naruto and thrusting his katana at his center.
Naruto sent the blade upward with his foot. Then, he used that foot to swing himself underneath Zommari, recovered, and aimed a chakra-enhanced punch at Zommari's back. It connected and Zommari stumbled forward, crashing into Aaroniero. He then formed his seals and puckered his lips, "Futon: Daitoppa!" His mouth let out a gust of wind that blew the two Espada towards the Akatsuki.
Deidara willed his clay bird to dodge and jammed his hands on his pouches. He took them out and whipped both hands at Naruto, summoning numerous birds of clay towards him. Behind him, Sasori's hunchbacked form slowly revealed a metallic tail that swayed threateningly in the air.
Naruto started evasive maneuvers to avoid the birds while he flew towards them.
Once within range, Sasori's tail stiffened and shot out to skewer Naruto.
He deftly put a hand to the tail's wide surface and pushed himself over the tail. Then, he chucked a number of kunai at them.
Deidara smirked as he clapped and then separated his hands, pointing both palms at the incoming kunai. The mouths in his hands had worked together and formed a sheet of clay that Deidara used to block the weapons. The sheet closed into a ball, devouring the kunai with it. He tossed the ball behind him with a, "Make something with this, danna!"
With a grunt, Sasori grabbed the ball with a puppet hand and hid it under his cloak. "I'll think of something."
"Keh, if you say so, un," he retorted as the bird avoided a heel drop from Naruto.
At the very end of his heel drop, he sensed an attack coming for him and saw a pink beam headed for him. Naruto raised his left hand in half-tiger seal, causing a seal array to appear on his right hand. He then used that hand to catch the beam. Within seconds, the beam was absorbed into his palm and he was greeted to the sight of Zommari returning his feet to their crossed position and looking at him in surprise.
Naruto wasn't willing to rest while he was fighting these four so he ran towards Zommari and took out a kunai. He slashed nothing but air as Zommari vanished from sight.
The Espada reappeared above him and let gravity do its work, descending with his zanpakuto drawn.
He looked up at Zommari to prepare to block. To his surprise, the Espada's form vibrated a bit before the form split into two Zommaris. He took out a kunai for his other hand and blocked both zanpakuto strikes.
"You look surprised," Zommari commented, "I'm the fastest of all the Espada. My speed is such that I can create nigh tangible clones of myself to strike you with." The Zommari on the left suddenly moved below him and slashed him.
Naruto substituted himself with a log to avoid the blow and moved above the higher Zommari, slamming a heel drop to his shoulder, sending both Zommaris to the ground. He then took off to the side when a Cero of the murkiest purple descended on his location. He stopped flying to face his new challenger, Aaroniero.
The masked Espada readied his blade and charged at him. Naruto gripped his kunai tightly and returned the action. They clashed blades and then broke contact. They changed locations and repeated their clash. By their third clash, Naruto's foot quickly shot out and kicked him away because Sasori's tail threatened to skewer him. He also threw his kunai to counter the two birds headed for his direction. His free hands gave him the opportunity to form his seals and gather his chakra. He started to spin in place, his hands charging enough to chakra to manifest flames that surrounded him in a dome, "Katon: Kaen Senpu." Within the dome, Naruto pointed a palm at where Deidara and Sasori were.
The flames blasted to them at surprising speeds. Deidara was late in reacting and his clay bird was engulfed by the blaze. Sasori and Deidara fell to the ground and landed on their feet.
Aaroniero restarted his assault and charged Naruto, who had finished his next jutsu.
Spinning in air again, Naruto's hands charged with enough chakra that they formed wind blades that headed towards Aaroniero.
The Espada sliced through the first wind blade, dodged the second, swatted away the third, kicked the fifth, and finally grabbed the sixth and returned it to Naruto.
Unfortunately for him, Naruto had finished yet another jutsu and vanished from the spot. He reappeared above Aaroniero and dropped without warning onto his back, bringing him to the water surface with a powerful splash. Naruto, from his crouched position, seemed to grasp the water's surface and flipped backwards, pulling what he grabbed, "Suiton: Otsu Nami (Water Release: Great Tidal Wave)!" As if obeying him, the water rose to a great height and moved to the others by the shore.
From behind, Naruto pointed both hands at what he created and said, "Hado no Ichi: Sho!" As the simplest of Kido was usually charged by reiryoku and channeled through a finger, Naruto using chakra and channeling it through his hands resulted in a far more powerful attack. The tidal wave increased speed and power such that the others were devoured by its torrent.
Relaxing, the blond Uzukage watched as the Akatsuki members and Espada members slowly recovered from the tidal wave he had doused them with. They all shook themselves of their watery stupor and straightened up, glaring at him.
Sasori shed his cloak and crouched on all-fours with his tail hovering behind him. Deidara, from his side, plunged a hand to his pouch and brought forth another clay bird from him to mount; he took to the skies soon after.
Aaroniero crawled to shore and shed his mask, revealing a glass case containing two skulls. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you," Aaroniero repeated, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" He shot up and rushed towards Naruto. The blond ninja ducked under Aaroniero's attack and kicked him back to shore.
Zommari was at his face with his zanpakuto pulled back for a thrust; Naruto sidestepped it. Another Zommari was behind him, looking for a slash at his back. The arm holding the blade was caught by Naruto quickly turning around and grabbing it. Naruto then twisted the arm, making Zommari let go of his blade, before he pointed both palms at both Zommaris. Seals appeared on both palms and he said, "Uzumakigaeshi." The seals glowed before an explosion burst from them, covering both Zommaris in them.
Aaroniero summoned another blade in his hand and charged at him. Naruto ran back at him in kind, kunai in hand. They clashed and broke and Naruto threw his kunai at Aaroniero. The Novena Espada parried the thrown projectile and pointed a left fist at him, charging a sickly purple Cero. When released towards Naruto, said blond caught it once more with his right hand and was absorbed into it. Then, he vanished in a yellow flash and reappeared by Aaroniero, holding the parried kunai in his left hand. Before Aaroniero could react, though, Naruto slammed his right hand on Aaroniero's torso and said, "Uzumakigaeshi." An explosion burst from his hand and blasted the Espada away.
Lowering his hands, he started weaving from side to side as Deidara, from above on his clay bird, started dropping bombs on him.
"Dance, Uzumaki, dance," the Akatsuki bomber shouted in glee, repeatedly dropping bombs on Naruto. Naruto leapt clear of a cluster of bombs and prepared his next jutsu. He summoned a Kage Bunshin who grabbed his creator and flung him up to Deidara.
The clay bird swerved clear of the ninja projectile and Deidara looked up to see Naruto spamming Kage Bunshin down at Deidara's clay bird.
"Shit," Deidara cursed as his bird started to dodge the Kage Bunshin barrage.
"Dance, Deidara, dance," Naruto mocked, watching the bomber suffer the same thing he did minutes earlier.
"Fuck you, Uzumaki!"
Naruto stopped his barrage as two clones appeared by his side. One supported Naruto in forming a Rasengan while the other grabbed his jacket. After forming the sphere, the clone grabbing Naruto flung him down to Deidara, who had just cleared the barrage a little too late to avoid Naruto slamming his Rasengan on the clay bird, tearing it in two. He, however, wasn't done yet. While Deidara was falling, Naruto pointed a palm at him and said, "Hado no Roku-juu-san: Raikoho!" Lightning coursed through his hand and shot downward.
Deidara was about to bring out another clay monstrosity to block the attack when a clay ball was thrown in its path and exploded powerfully. Deidara was propelled even further to the water. His head burst from the water and he said, "What the hell was that?!"
"I found a use for that ball of kunai you gave me, Deidara," Sasori piped in, lowering his robotic hand to the ground, "It saved your ass."
"Thanks for that, danna."
"It's now my turn to face Uzumaki," he said, seeing Naruto land on the shore. He took off the mask covering his face, revealing a puppet's mouth, which opened and unleashed a torrent of senbon at him.
Naruto slammed his hands on the ground and said, "Doton: Doryuheki." An earth wall popped out from the ground and blocked the senbon.
Sasori's tail then shot forward and pierced through the wall and towards Naruto behind it. Naruto jumped over the tail and ran on it to get closer to Sasori. The redhead raised a torpedo-shaped hand towards Naruto and fired it at him. Naruto's eyes flashed as the small cylinders on the body of the torpedo was released and started to spewing senbon in all directions. "Futon: Kaze Tengai," he said as he lifted his feet off the tail and started spinning in midair. Chakra called forth the winds to encase him in a dome and the senbon bounced off harmlessly off it. When the senbon barrage ended, Naruto dropped the wind dome and continued his charge towards Sasori.
However, he was interrupted by Zommari appearing in front of him and aiming a kick at his face. Naruto ducked under it and moved to plant an uppercut at Zommari but the Espada used his speed to avoid it. Zommari stopped behind him and moved to punch him at the back of the head. Naruto substituted himself with a log to avoid it and showed up above Zommari with a heel drop.
Zommari raised his arm to block the attack as another Zommari appeared from behind the original and tackled Naruto to the ground. A third was waiting for him and was already bringing his foot down to slam on his head. Naruto narrowed his eyes and vanished in a yellow flash, reappearing by Sasori's tail, which had already retreated to Sasori's side.
Sasori turned his head to Naruto in alarm. He had a Hiraishin tag on my tail?! When?! He resolved to answer that question after he swatted Naruto away with his tail. Naruto was unharmed as he had anticipated it and jumped backwards. When did he plant it? He remembered something. Was it when he was avoiding Deidara's clay creatures? Or was it when he was clashing with that Aaron fellow? Perhaps it was when he was rushing at me after I got past that earth wall? No matter, he thought, I'll have to research if I can remove it during combat.
A burst of malevolent chakra alerted them all to a new development. Naruto froze at that. That's Kyu-chan's chakra! How could these guys have access to it?! He turned to the source and saw Aaroniero leaning on a tree as he was surrounded by red, swirling chakra. Aaroniero managed to acquire some of her chakra? Did he somehow absorb some while he was in Kyu-chan's stomach?
"Kill," Aaroniero emotionlessly drawled, "Kill…kill…kill…" The swirling chakra retreated to Aaroniero's body and became a bubbling shroud with fox ears and a single tail. The tank that held the skulls also started to boil as the skulls themselves repeated the words over and over.
Naruto tensed as he thought of ways to counter this. He was cut short when Aaroniero suddenly appeared in front of him with a leg outstretched at his side. Naruto raised his arm to block it but it was powerful enough to send him back a few feet.
"Is that…Aaroniero," Zommari muttered in shock, "with the Bijuu's chakra? How could he have gotten it?"
They probably didn't know about his history of being in Kyu-chan's stomach, Naruto concluded as he dodged Aaroniero's erratic attacks. He flipped behind a boulder, which crumbled to dust when Aaroniero punched it. Naruto grabbed a tree and flung it at the Espada, who let out a burst of chakra that shattered it to bits.
Aaroniero let out a bellow as he prepared to fire a Cero at him. The murky purple Hollow attack started to form on his left fist.
Naruto decided to let loose a little bit and called on Kyuubi's chakra. The red chakra swirled to life around him and gathered into his body to form a bubbling shroud similar to Aaroniero's, causing the ground to crack from its denseness.
Zommari, Sasori, and Deidara tensed at his action. Aaroniero simply growled as he continued to charge the Cero. Naruto smirked as he opened his mouth wide and pointed it at Aaroniero. Black and white chakra sphere slowly materialized and gathered at a spot in front of his mouth. The accumulated chakra resulted in a dark ball of dense chakra. The denseness was such that it made the area heavy, creating a small crater around Naruto.
"That," Deidara supplied, "does not look good."
"We should step back for a bit," Sasori suggested, "We weren't informed of this."
"I agree. We will rejoin when the coast is clear," Zommari agreed.
All three of them slowly took a few steps back as the two Bijuu-enhanced individuals finished charging their attacks.
Aaroniero's Cero and Naruto's Bijuudama were released onto each other and collided, bringing forth a massive explosion that blew away trees and broke through water.
When the explosion subsided, the three saw that Naruto remained standing while Aaroniero was crouched and grasping his tube of a head. Aaroniero was now screaming in pain as his chakra shroud grew unstable and causing little waves around him.
"What's going on," Zommari asked, "What's happening to Aaroniero? Why is his energy acting so unstably?"
"You Espadas are spiritual beings, are you not," Sasori asked in return.
"Yes."
"Chakra is part-spiritual and part-physical. Since you Espada are spiritual beings, the chakra that aided Aaroniero can no longer call on more physical energy to supply itself with and the spiritual energy doesn't have anything to balance itself with. While skilled users are able to utilize one aspect without the other, none of you are that skilled. As of right now, your friend is being devoured by this power unless we can do anything to stop it."
As if reading the situation, Naruto ran forward and slammed a paper seal on Aaroniero's head, absorbing the unstable chakra into it. Once all chakra was absorbed, he took it off and leapt away as Aaroniero went unconscious and slumped to the ground. Naruto looked at the seal on his hand and went wide-eyed. He quickly took out a kunai, tied the paper to it, and threw it up into the air. As they wondered why he did that, the kunai suddenly exploded, much to their shock.
Naruto turned to them and said, "I don't know how he got Kyuubi's chakra but it is of no use to souls. Now that I have one of you incapacitated, it's your guys' turns."
Sasori chuckled darkly. "No, it's not. We got what we came for."
His blue eyes widened when four beams of light descended from the skies and encased all four of his opponents. The ground they were standing on detached from the main land as it lifted them into the massive tear in the sky. Turning to the prison, he watched as a big beam of light carried a chunk of the prison carrying a bunch of people on it.
"You look surprised, Uzumaki," Deidara guffawed, causing him to look at them.
"You must have assumed that we were after the Gokuraku no Hako," added Sasori. "You're wrong. We have no need for that old relic. We needed people and what better place to collect people no one would miss than a prison?"
Naruto glared at them.
"I'll be sure to pass on your message to the rest of us, jinchuuriki," Zommari said, "I'm sure Aizen-sama will think of some way to bypass that weakness."
By the time he finished talking, Naruto was already gone and en route to the prison.
Hozuki Prison
Showing in a yellow flash, Naruto saw Ryuzetsu looking up at the rising block of earth in horror. The prison was a mess, with the pillars broken, the cell doors forced open, the ground caked with craters, and the various paraphernalia shattered and in flames.
"Ryu-chan," he called out to her, "Are you alright?"
The white-haired warden turned to him and hugged her lover. "Oh, Naruto, thank goodness you're safe. I was worried for you."
He grinned. "Hey, it's me. I won't die, even if it kills me."
She punched him on the shoulder. "Don't joke about that."
"Sorry, sorry," he apologized before turning serious. "Is everyone accounted for?"
"I don't know. I have yet to get a headcount but I'm sure that we suffered some losses in the fight. We managed to stop a few of the prisoners but the rest…well…they managed to get away through that beam. They weren't after the box, after all."
"Yes," his face went dark, "they needed some test subjects for their experiments or something and prisoners are some of the best guinea pigs. What happened in here?"
"When we saw a group of people descending on us, we engaged them on the courtyard but they were resilient. They didn't seem to be on the level of the Akatsuki or the Espada but they were formidable. The prisoners seemed to have gotten their drive back and started to riot in their cells. At first, we were fine since they were in their cells. But someone managed to open their cells and we were soon in battle against the prisoners and the intruders. Outnumbered as we were, I am truly thankful to your company's military training. It allowed us to turn the tables and gather them at the prison center. However, they were expecting to be gathered there because the beam caught them and protected them from us; nothing we did broke through the barrier."
As those within the barriers got swallowed by the tear in the sky and said tear closed, leaving a clear sky, Naruto explained. "The barrier is called a Negacion. It's used by Gillians, a more advanced Hollow, to save their comrades in danger. Currently, it's under the use of Aizen and his cronies. This is one of its uses."
"What's going to happen now?"
"I'm going to summon a Kage Bunshin and dispel it to inform the Boss about this development. In the meantime, I'm going to start an investigation of the prison."
She looked confused. "What are you investigating?"
"You said that someone managed to open the prison cell doors. I'm going to start there to find out who opened it and why."
"I see. Don't let me keep you, Naruto." She sat down on an intact chair and put her face in her hands. "I'm going to have to write letters to the relatives of the deceased and to Kusagakure about this." She sighed heavily. "I watched over those men for years. I won't look forward to this."
Naruto's eyes softened as he knelt in front of Ryuzetsu and took her hands into his own, making her look at him. "I'm here for you, Ryu-chan." He smiled. "If you need me, I'll be there. Just tell me and I'll bear the brunt of their anger. I love you, Ryuzetsu. You won't have to suffer alone."
She smiled in turn and kissed him. "Thank you, Naruto, thank you."
"With regards to Kusagakure, though, if they have any complaints about you, tell them to take it up with me."
"Naruto?"
"I predicted that they would attack the prison and they did. I only didn't expect them to go for the prisoners instead of the box. If they want to punish you, they're going to have to go through me."
"I can't let you do that! Hozuki-joo houses criminals from the five villages as well as some of the smaller villages. If word gets out that they escaped and you could have prevented it-"
"Kumo, Suna, and Kiri should have been made aware of the possibility by my clones. Iwa can't do anything to Kusa because you are allied to another major village. Only Konoha can do anything and I'm on my way to meet with the Hokage to discuss this."
"But-"
"No buts, Ryu-chan," he interrupted, "You already have much on your plate. I'll deal with the complaints from the village; you deal with the letters and restoring this prison back to its original state."
Seeing that her lover won't budge, Ryuzetsu sighed and said, "Alright, Naruto. Thank you."
He grinned. "It's no problem! Now, I'm going to start my investigation!" He turned to the nearest commando and said, "I want the captain to support the warden with whatever she needs. In the meantime, I want whatever's left of the commandos to guard the perimeter." The commando saluted and moved to inform the others of his orders. He gave Ryuzetsu a wave and left for the door controls room.
Tanzaku Gai
"What are we doing here, Jiraiya," Sasuke asked with a scowl. Sitting beside the Toad Sannin in a bar was a waste of time unless it had something to do with training. Sasuke fixed the zipper of his high-collar, zippered shirt to allow him freedom to eat his food. He adjusted his blue wrist warmers to avoid them being soiled by the food.
Said Sannin snorted. "Naruto contacted me, saying that he wanted to schedule a meeting with Tsunade-hime. This is to be our meeting point."
Blinking, he replied, "What does he want to meet the Hokage for?"
"Hell if I know."
He shrugged. "Whatever," he said, "I still need to ask him about his drawing in my mother's journal anyway." Jiraiya giggled perversely, making Sasuke glare at him. "Watch it, pervert. That's my mother you're giggling about."
Grinning wide, he replied, "Are you sure you should be telling that to me instead of Naruto?"
"Oh, I'll tell it to him, alright. I don't care how powerful he is or that he's the Uzukage or whatever." He couldn't help the pang of jealousy that welled up within him when he said that fact.
Jiraiya watched his face and he said, "Raise your head, Sasuke. You have nothing to be ashamed of. He was out in the world, getting stronger, while you were imprisoned in your home. Look at it this way. He got a head start and you need to catch up; I'm going to help you with that."
Sasuke looked awkwardly at him. "Yeah…thanks for that…I guess…"
He chuckled. "Don't mention it, kid. I know rivalries when I see one and I'm not about to let one rival feel left behind because the other got so far ahead. Believe me when I say that leaving a rival in the dust is not a good idea."
Looking out the window, the Uchiha softly said, "I do have so much catching up to do. I'm going to get stronger and bring this rogue Uchiha to justice."
Jiraiya scowled. "What about Itachi?" He had to test the waters with him.
He replied with a hesitant look, "I'm unsure of what I want to do with him. Perhaps…perhaps I can find my answers when I see him again…"
That's progress, I guess. "Don't act so hesitant, Sasuke. Naruto's coming and I doubt you'd like him to see you in that state."
Almost immediately, Sasuke sat straighter and his Uchiha scowl returned. True enough, the Uzukage strode into the bar and smiled at them. "Yo, Ero-Sennin, Sasuke," he greeted.
Jiraiya smirked and said, "Sup, brat."
Sasuke, however, grunted and said, "Hey, dobe."
"Ever the cold teme, eh, Sasuke," Naruto commented, sitting across them.
"Someone has to be," Sasuke smirked, "Kami forbid that you get a big head for being Uzukage, Naruto."
He laughed. "It's refreshing to see someone who's not trying to kill me but still has the guts to insult me to my face." He settled down and lounged on his seat. "I advise you not to do it as much as you used to or while my people are nearby, though. They take me as Uzukage very seriously. The last person to disrespect me was arrested and imprisoned before the day was done."
"Noted," he dryly remarked, "Don't expect me to regard you with –sama or –dono, though. I'd rather go back to prison."
Jiraiya interjected with a snort. "You don't call anyone with –sama or –dono. You don't even regard the Hokage with that. I don't see any difference between then and now."
"That's the point."
"Anyway, you said that you wanted to have an audience with Tsunade-hime."
Naruto turned serious, surprising Sasuke. "Yes. Was anyone else with you when you told her about Akatsuki and their recent actions?"
"I brought Sasuke with me so that I could ask her afterwards to take him with me outside the village."
Naruto turned his eyes to Sasuke, who looked as passive as ever. "I trust you'll keep it a secret unless absolutely necessary?"
Sasuke scoffed. "I wasn't born yesterday, Naruto. I know how to keep my mouth shut."
Satisfied, he turned back to Jiraiya and continued, "Anyway, I want to personally meet with Baa-chan because I have a proposal for her."
"I can send a toad to her to prepare her for it. Do you want others to be there or not?"
"Only people she trusts," he replied, "I expect that she told someone about this because not telling is a security risk that a Kage can't afford. I can only say that under no circumstances are the elders of Konoha to be made of this. I don't trust any of them to not use this to their advantage, Danzo most of all." Both Konoha shinobi grimaced. "Besides, even if I have no proof, I believe that Danzo already knows of Hollows, at the very least."
"Alright, I'll tell Tsunade."
He smiled. "Thank you, Ero-Sennin. We leave for Konoha first thing tomorrow?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "Sure." He then took out a pen and paper and started writing on it.
Turning to Sasuke, he said, "You look like you have something to ask me."
Sasuke didn't say anything. Instead, he took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to Naruto.
Naruto took it and unfolded, his eyebrows rising to his hairline at seeing his drawing. "Oh," he lamely said, "I forgot that she put this drawing in her journal." He nervously chuckled at Sasuke's expectant face. "I drew this for her to remember me by.
"Well," the Uchiha asked, "what's the deal with you and my mother?"
"Um…well…I'm sure you read up on our history together in her journal." Sasuke stiffly nodded, making him sigh. "Alright, you know what? I'm just going to go out and say it. I liked her…a lot. As childish as it sounds, I had a crush on her and on Hyuga Hitomi, my first crushes."
Sasuke looked a tad troubled by his admission. "I…I see…"
"As the first people who took notice of me and took care of me during my earlier years, I couldn't really help it."
"I know, I know," Sasuke interjected, "It's just…that's my mother you're talking about, Naruto. Of course I'd be weirded out."
"Sorry about that," he apologized, "I just wanted to be really close to them because…well…they were the only source of companionship I had before I met the Ichirakus or I became close to Iruka-sensei. It didn't really work out because the clans messed everything up. The fact that I was close to the clan heads' wives eventually got into their ears and clan politics did the rest."
Sasuke grimaced. He was no stranger to clan politics, being the son of the clan head and reading the notes of his mother, brother, and his Hokage. "So, that was when you wiped their memories, as explained by Itachi and the Hokage?"
"Yes. I didn't like doing it but it was necessary."
"Wh-when she died," Sasuke shakily asked, "did she end up in this Soul Society?"
"She ended up in the mini-city that was given to Royal Guards under the employ of the Shinigami. I've never been there but I've seen her and I can say that it is a nice enough place."
"That's good."
"If you want to meet her, I'll try and arrange something."
Sasuke blinked in surprise. "Can you do that?"
"I can't really promise anything since the Royal Guard and their subordinates are currently back in the Royal Palace but I'm sure I can work something out."
He then did something that Naruto never expected: Sasuke's lips curled slightly upward. "I'd like that." He paused a bit. "Thank you, Naruto."
Naruto blinked in surprise before he smiled. "You're welcome, Sasuke."
Karakura Town
Space was distorted on the outskirts of Karakura Town and a rip formed which widened into a gateway, a gateway four people walked out from.
Ulquiorra and Yammy exited first.
Yammy grumbled. "Why do I have to be here? Aizen-sama said that Aaroniero was supposed to be here."
"Aizen-sama changed his mind before he gave the command," Ulquiorra replied, "He wanted to test out a theory about Aaroniero so he instead decided to send us here and Aaroniero with Zommari to the Shinobi realm."
"Bah, I wanted to be there. Those shinobi sound a way more interesting than these weakling human."
"This is Aizen-sama's command, Yammy. Don't question it."
Yammy scoffed as both Arrancars as they turned around to the dimensional tear.
Kakuzu and Hidan walked out afterwards and the dimensional tear closed.
Hidan clicked his tongue. "I should be back offering shinobi as sacrifices to Jashin-sama not these weak heathens."
"The Bounts we need should be sacrifice enough," Kakuzu retorted. "Besides, we should also draw Shinigami attention just by walking to our destination."
Hidan slowly broke into a maddened grin. "Let them come! Jashin-sama hungers!"
Read and Review.
Full disclosure: I planned to add a sex scene between Ryuzetsu and Naruto in their reunion at the beginning. I was just unsure whether I should add it or not because I am unsure of my writing skills and the reception afterwards. Tell if I should rewrite this chapter and add a sex scene and if I should just do it for chapters afterwards.