'Why?'

That had become the sole question running through her mind as Cirucci began to fade into nothingness. Why was the Quincy boy so strong? Why was she so weak? Why was she going to die? She alone possessed and was the master of the most queer of the Zanpakutō amongst the Arrancar; a whip whose end was attached to a disk-shaped razor that could both shear and bludgeon. She was a Numeros, one of the hundreds of thousands that made up Aizen-sama's army. An army of Arrancar, one of whom she knew how the ability to produce literally hundreds of himself at one time. A single fact peeked through the darkness that was slowly enveloping her.

She was expendable.

That realization hurt more than the bizarre blade of that damned Quincy that pierced her chest. Among all of the Numeros, among all of the Arrancar, Cirucci Sanderwicci was expendable. Perhaps even more so than the nameless bitch with the pink hair whose Zanpakutō took the form of a regal staff. Seriously, the uppity bitch often looked down on Cirucci despite not even having a name of her own. Yet again, she was more than likely alive while the wielder of Golondrina lay on the floor of the base, dying a slow and agonizing death.

"Why?"

"Because like most other Arrancar, your arrogance cost you." it was his voice that cut through the onset of the buzzing in her ears, his voice that made her dying heart quicken as though she were a pitiful human schoolgirl who had laid eyes upon her crush. "You saw him as a mere human. The power of the Quincy rivals the Soul Reapers, at least until the Shinigami release their true powers."

It was with great effort that Cirucci turned lifted her head to look at the one man she held in an even higher regard than Aizen-sama. The Espada who rivaled both Stark and Yammy in power, the one who that brain dead imbecile Wonderweiss avoided like the plague. It was strange to think that a child could instill fear within the others, but he did. And it was that power that the fallen Numeros couldn't help but find so attractive.

"N-Naruto-san."

His cold crimson eyes did something to her nether regions as he looked down on her, his normally cold gaze oddly compassionate. "It's such a shame to see such a powerful and beautiful Arrancar like this."

Cirucci couldn't detect any ridicule in his voice; he wasn't mocking her. "Y-You think I'm strong?"

He nodded once. "Without a doubt. Only one as strong as you could master such a bizarre and unwieldy Zanpakutō."

Cirucci didn't realize it, but that was the exact moment she had fallen in love with the red haired Arrancar. As being that were once Hollows, the Arrancar were both drawn to and craved strength above all else. Hollows are being of fear that once flocked to stronger members of their race in servitude, perhaps for protection or to usurp the title of 'strongest' when the time was right. It would only make sense, then, for that craving to remain part of them when they made the ascension to Arrancar.

The purple haired Numeros continued to stare at the redhead Espada despite the darkness that appeared at the edges of her vision. For the briefest of moments, his eyes changed color. At this point, Cirucci couldn't tell if she was hallucinating or if this was real but still she remained lost in the eyes of the man before her. Once scarlet eyes had become the brightest shade of blue she had ever seen, surpassing that of cerulean and ultramarine. It was as though the sun was being filtered through the ocean, the rays of light continually bouncing without finding purchase until they managed to somehow escape through his eyes. By the Gods that protected Hueco Mundo, if there were any, she could swear that part of her dead soul left and traveled into the light that were his eyes. Naruto held out a hand to her.

"Come with me," he whispered near seductively. "And I'll help you attain power so great that even Aizen would fear you."

Breathless, though whether it was due to his eyes or the fact she was still dying could have been anyone's guess, she nodded shortly and fought to raise her hand to clasp his. "Yes,"

At once, a foreign power kissed her blood and she found her heart beating stronger than ever. The numbness was gone as was the darkness that dared taint the edges of her vision. Her body no longer shook and as she stood, she turned her gaze to her true savior. To her god. In one swift and fluid motion, she sank to a knee bowed. This one gesture was a powerful one amongst the denizens of Hueco Mundo; it signified that here and now, Cirucci denounced her fealty to Aizen and now served the man before her.

"Do not bow to me," he said, his divine eyes returning to the crimson they were all familiar with. "Only do such when I show that I'm worth it. Regardless, my time here is drawing to a close. With this, you will come with me when I return home. For now, hide from any other Arrancar and do not engage the Shinigami and humans that have come to rescue Aizen's hostage."

Cirucci sighed wistfully at the memory that she held above all others. People could call her what they wished, but she hated being away from her beloved. It was like an ache that she couldn't quite reach to soothe, and only his presence would ease it. It was pitiful. Such a powerful woman that craved the attention of her beloved to such an extent. Well, the Hokage had given her the day off. Where did Naruto-sama say he was going to be? Searching her memory, she could see herself staring lovingly into those ominous crimson eyes that were all his own as they all shared how their respective days went.

"-test at Training Ground Seven." he'd said as he leaned back across the couch.

With a very feminine squeal, an excited Cirucci Sanderwicci vanished as she made her way to her destination. A set of eyes were on her and as the owner vanished to follow her rather unique chakra signature, they couldn't help but wonder what had such a normally stoic woman showing such positive emotion.

Asuma was bitter as he dodged yet another crimson blast of concentrated chakra fired from the ravenette of Team Ten. As of right now, only Loly and Choji were making an effort to claim the bells that hung limply from his waist. The only son of the Sandaime quick to learn to never underestimate the provocatively dressed genin. He was forced to take out his custom-made chakra blades as a way to counter her tanto. And that only because he refused to allow himself to get hit by any of her taijutsu strikes. The tree she hit in place of him, since he managed to just barely dodge the attack, was effectively split in two.

He dodged yet another axe kick and sought to retaliate with a vicious uppercut. Loly tilted her head to the right to dodge the attack, missing the actual blade of his knuckle knives caress her chin. Asuma felt it, however. What should have had the girl bleeding or even clinging to life at worst, hadn't even scratched her flesh.

'What the hell?'

He decided to try again. Sidestepping her straight punch with ease, he tossed a jab and a follow up reverse punch. His hits landed cleanly but still had little to no effect on the girl instead of irritating her. With a spin, she planted her right foot in his stomach. He let out an 'oomph' as he doubled over, only to receive her left foot to his temple. The Jōnin was sent careening across the field only to have Choji pin him down long enough for Ino to grab the bells.

Asuma would have gotten up, but he gave himself a moment to stop seeing double. Team Ten smiled at him when he finally did rise. Kami, Loly had one hell of a kick. And what the hell was with her eating his punches like they were nothing. Keeping it as something to ponder on later, preferably with either his lover or father, the man congratulated them on officially becoming Team Ten and dismissed them for the day. Of course, before any of them could leave, he mentioned that they would meet up to start training in the morning.

"Do you guys want to get something to eat to celebrate?" asked Choji hopefully.

Ino shook her head with a smile as Loly began walking off. "No thanks, I'm on a diet for Sasuke-kun."

Neither missed the derisive snort Loly gave them before literally vanishing. It was half past time to spy on Naruto-sama.

Kurenai was currently having issues with Team Eight. Between trying to avoid Hinata's Gentle Fist strikes, and escaping Shino's insects, she was already having a hard time. It didn't help that Menoly was a literal wildcard that managed to weave in between Hinata's strikes or allowed Shino's kinkaichu to hitch rides on her wakizashi. Kenjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu, Menoly was gifted in those areas. There was one thing she didn't show any skill in. Hinata and Shino were immune due to the Byakugan and kikaichu respectively, but Menoly didn't have any of that.

"Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique." Kurenai grinned as she focused her chakra on Menoly, allowing the genjutsu to take hold.

Her grin didn't last long as she crossed her arms in front of her face just in time to block the flying straight punch that might have taken her head off. The woman was sent skidding back, her feet firmly planted. Confusion etched itself onto the older kunoichi's face. Was she immune to genjutsu as well? Kurenai immediately started weaving hand seals and cast yet another genjutsu.

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death."

Had the Jōnin fallen onto her back a second later, she would have been decapitated. Drawing a kunai, Kurenai clashed with her genin's sword. Thanks to her close friendship with Yugao, the ruby eyed woman knew the ins and outs of kenjutsu rather intimately. However, that was only with the basic style and Leaf-style. What her genin was doing was something the woman was wholly unfamiliar with. A lateral strike forced Kurenai to substitute herself with a log. The buzzing of kikaichu forced her to dodge left directly into the paralysing strikes of Hinata's Gentle Fist.

Kurenai fell to her knees as Shino claimed the bells attached to her hip and handed one to either of his teammates. Pride swelled the other kunoichi's chest. Despite not knowing each other, they immediately worked together, or at the very least they faked it to the point where it was impossible to tell. She was indeed, happy with the genin team she had. After instructing them to meet here again in the morning, she left to make her report. The stoic Aburame bowed slightly to his teammates and left. The shy Hyuga watched the other kunoichi, impressed by her skill. She was further impressed by the fact that she seemed quiet but was still close to her crush. Neither girl spoke, opting to allow their eyes to converse for them. Reaching a silent understanding, the Hyuga clan heiress and Arrancar went separate ways.

Contrary to the well-founded beliefs of his friends and subordinates, Naruto Uzumaki was not indestructible. It was true that his Hierro was far denser than most other Espada, but even he could be defeated. Men like the Sandaime Hokage and Aizen, or women like Tsunade of the Sannin and Halibel Tier could beat him. The battle would cost their own lives, of course. He would never allow his life to be claimed without attempting to bury his opponent.

With this in mind, he just scarcely listened to Kakashi's instructions, which boiled down to claim the tiny silver bells by noon. The instruction that stuck out most was to come at him with the intent to kill. This man, the student of his father, did not know of the lives he had taken. Men and women, Shinigami and Arrancar alike had been felled by his blade. In fact, he had once wounded Gin Ichimaru, which was perhaps why the wily bastard had ended his second life.

"Begin."

Two of the three genin vanished, each hiding in varying parts of the training ground. Sakura hid beneath the dense foliage that grew easily from the ground underneath the trees, perhaps waiting to spring a trap on their seemingly unaware sensei in order to finally garner the attention of her crush. Sasuke hid amongst the canopy of the trees, carefully taking in every detail of the man that stood out in the open, reading his small orange book.

Naruto, meanwhile, stood before Kakashi Hatake. 'Come at me with the intent to kill, or you will fail.' The older man did not know of the many lives he had claimed during his time in Hueco Mundo, he did not know of the dozens of hundreds of men and women, human and Arrancar, that were felled by his blade. It was the very blade he drew, the sword that held the power of his two souls. His Zanpakutō took the shape of a daito with a black blade that had crimson veins running throughout the length, the guard taking the shape of the Uzumaki spiral.

'He didn't go and hide?' Kakashi thought, before saying in a lazy tone. "You know, compared to the others, you're kind of...weird."

Naruto turned his body ever so slightly while extending his right arm, the blade of his Zanpakutō upright. His stance was reminiscent of Ulquiorra Cifer. "If I cared about your opinion, you would know."

Kakashi wouldn't admit that the comment stung just a little. "Well then, let's begin with the three lessons of a shinobi. Lesson One: Taijutsu."

Naruto made no move. There were several ways that he could go about this. The first of which was using the spells he learned from the blood of the Shinigami. The only four spells that he knew were unfortunately or depending on whom was asking, fortunately, were spells whose purpose were rendering his opponents unconscious. The second way was pure kenjutsu. The third was to use only the two Zanpakutō abilities he had 'borrowed' from Tosen, taken from the blood he managed to claim during a bitter scuffle. The fourth… well that involved reporting the death of one of the Old Man's Jōnin. He didn't feel like putting his 'Ji-chan' through that or the damnable paperwork.

He could feel eyes on him; four from the far side of the training ground, two that were relatively closer. Those eyes didn't matter for now, however. Naruto and Kakashi remained staring at each other until the Espada closed his eyes and whispered something that Kakashi could just barely hear.

"Zorro Carmesí Nishiki: Benihikō." Naruto felt the black blade vibrate momentarily as he moved it in a semi circle, which left behind a trail of black that solidified into the same shape of the original.

The blades launched, raining down on Kakashi. Thankfully, Kakashi substituted with a log that tore the substitution to shreds. Black blades were planted in the ground. Naruto was half-glad, half-annoyed that Kakashi had actually responded the way Naruto expected him to. He sensed his sensei behind him, the older man crouched as he poised for an attack.

"Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death." The man's hands were tightly clasped resembling the tiger hand seal, sandwiching his book in between either hand, and he thrust his hands forward without warning.

Naruto vanished, leaving nothing in his wake as he materialized above Kakashi, his body completely vertical. His left hand clenched into a fist that glowed brightly with crimson energy. With his left fist extended towards the older man, they traded glances; Kakashi's shock to Naruto's boredom. "Bala."

An explosion slightly rocked Training Ground Seven. Dust was kicked up in a thin veil that hid both men from view of the others. Sakura was shocked, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Meanwhile, Sasuke began lusting after the power that the idiot tomato seemed to wield. At first, his eyes were on the sword but the energy that shrouded his hand had also arrested his attention.

The dust cleared and neither shinobi was seen. Somewhere within the thicket of trees, the snap of a twig could be heard. There was a silent curse as a rain of kunai and shuriken fell upon the creator of the noise. Wire string was narrowly avoided as Kakashi moved easily through the hail of projectiles, deflecting the ones that came too close with his own kunai. Sakura's initial trap failed, and as she turned around in disappointment, she found herself looking up at the Jōnin.

"Lesson Two: Genjutsu." said the man, his eyes not even shaken from everything that had occured. "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."

Sakura's viridescent eyes glazed over before she released a bloodcurdling scream. After a moment, she lost consciousness. Kakashi sweat dropped; it was a basic D-rank genjutsu that even a genin should have been able to break out of. The man turned around in time to dodge three shuriken. Sasuke Uchiha stood before him.

"Ah, following Naruto's example, I see." Kakashi innocently remarked.

Sasuke scowled, his lust for the power momentarily forgotten. "I'm leagues above that idiot."

Immediately, the Uchiha heir moved to engage the man in a taijutsu bout. Each strike was blocked and retaliated, slapped aside and returned. The genin was indeed skilled for his age, and for a moment, the Jōnin was briefly reminded of a mixture of his younger self and his former teammate Obito. It was strange, the two shared a defined taijutsu style though he possessed the younger Kakashi's crisp movements. He was fluid, each change in stance easily done. Still though, the man had decades more experience.

Naruto appeared between them and drove his elbow powerfully into his solar plexus. The oxygen in the older man's lungs rushed out in a rush as he temporarily left the ground. The redhead held back, way back. The thirteen year old Espada felt a foot plant itself onto his shoulder as his vengeful teammate somersaulted slightly above the Jōnin as he ran through the hand seals to one of his clan's signature jutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique." The black haired genin loosed a jet of flame that engulfed the man and the teammate that he used as a springboard.

When he landed, the technique ebbed and to his irritation, neither shinobi was there. Instead, there was a large patch of scorched grass.

Loly, Menoly, and Cirucci were watching the action from afar. Funnily enough, Naruto had looked to them when they'd first arrived. With their enhanced eyesight, they could see the slight twitch of the right corner of his mouth; he was entertained to see them. Still, Loly was trembling as she glared daggers at that damn Uchiha that dared to use her precious master as a stepping stool. Menoly herself was shaking, her hand easing towards the hilt of her Zanpakutō. The purple haired woman stopped her.

"Do not interfere, or Naruto-sama would be highly upset." the older woman whispered.

An unfamiliar voice joined them. "Why do you call him Naruto-sama?"

Loly and Menoly aimed their palms at the owner of the new voice, gathering the energy for their respective Cero. Cirucci felt her agitation grow in spades as the voice of one of her 'friends' grated against her eardrums. Her fellow 'Ice Queen of Konoha' and the sole snake summoner of the village held her hands up in mock surrender. Anko Mitarashi, a woman almost as provocatively dressed as Loly, held her usual shit-eating grin. The purple haired women eyed each other. Cirucci lowered her comrades' hands, never taking her glare off of her 'friend'.

"What do you want, Anko?" she snarled.

The other woman's grin only widened to a smile, as though confident that she could easily incapacite the other purple haired woman if it came down to conflict. "I was curious; you're either very angry, or completely stoic. I just had to know what made you squeal like an excited pre-genin Academy girl."

Cirucci felt the need to wipe that damn smug grin off the Tokubetsu's face, but stayed her hand. Naruto-sama still considered this place his home, its denizens his people. If he found out that one of the three of them had a part of hospitalizing one of the citizens that hadn't attacked any of them directly, he would have been highly disappointed. That lone fact made Cirucci sneer.

"So what do you call him Naruto-sama?"

There was a sudden presence. "What are you doing here?"

Anko turned with her kunai drawn as though ready to strike, only to find it slapped from her hand by the thirteen year old redhead. His cold eyes made her quicken. The three other women had fallen to one knee as they bowed in a deep respect and reverence. When the sadistic kunoichi turned to her fellow female shinobi, she frowned before turning back to the other village pariah. Before she could say anything, however, the tip of the black bladed daito was pressed to the tip of her throat. The dango scented Tokubetsu Jōnin glared at him, inwardly flinching at the icy look on his stoic mask of a face.

"Forgive us, Naruto-sama." spoke Cirucci in a quiet tone. "We merely wished to watch you during your test."

The faintest of smiles curled the right corner of Naruto's mouth before his eyes went back to Anko. She was beautiful, lethal. In a way, she reminded him of Halibel Tier. His initial crush on Sakura died instantly when he first saw the stoic, dark-skinned blonde in action. From that moment on, he wanted her but didn't act on it.

"Very well," he said with the faintest ghost of a smile curling the right corner of his mouth.

Sasuke was very confused about what was going on. At first he was trying to find Kakashi and the baka-tomato, but the next second he was buried to his chin in the ground. He didn't even bother struggling. After a few moments, Sakura showed up and looked him in his dark eyes. The pinkette took a few seconds, blinking as though her mind couldn't quite process what it was she was seeing. Sasuke blinked. He opened his mouth to ask for help, but his words were cut off by her shrill scream as she sank back into the arms of unconsciousness. He blinked twice and rolled his eyes.

'How are you a kunoichi?' he questioned internally.

Time was drawing to a close. Kakashi leaned up against a tree and opened his book as he took a moment to reflect on the direction the test had taken. In terms of skill, Naruto showed just enough to get away from him and then to get him in a position where he was relatively useless against Sasuke's attack. He showed a speed that was near impossible and two devastating jutsu; if they could even be called jutsu. There wasn't much kenjutsu shown, but he supposed there would be a time where it could be tested. Sasuke showed skill in taijutsu and in ninjutsu, even showing that despite a disruption in the flow of battle, he could use it to change the tide in his favor. Sakura showed decent stealth and trap making skill, but they were lackluster at best. He would have to help her hone these abilities to the fullest, that and her genjutsu resistance.

A black spike pierced his precious novel in its center, narrowly missing his thumb as it pinned the ero-novel to ground. An unfamiliar rage filled the depths of Kakashi's soul and boiled slowly over the edge. He turned to find the source, but not before he noticed a small fireball engulf his precious volume. Standing against him, seemingly fearless in the face of his indignant rage, were the genin of Team Seven. Naruto stood on the underside of the branch that Sakura sat on, while Sasuke leaned against the tree with his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't focused on the fact that the three had somehow managed to come together, to temporarily put aside their difference to unite under a common goal.

"Y-You brats," Kakashi stammered, still reeling from the loss of the newest volume of the Icha Icha Paradise series. "M-My book."

"Zorro Carmesí Nishiki: Benihikō." Once again a wave of black blades rained down on the now depressed and heartbroken man.

He dodged with purpose, only to be kited by the hail of kunai that he wasn't given the time to deflect. He had to admit; Sakura had some damn good aim. When he made it back far enough the attack stopped. But the redhead and pinkette were gone.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

Kakashi barely managed to avoid the volley of fireballs, moving in front of a tree. The timer should ring any second. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't at that particular second as he was forced to duck underneath a single kunai that landed in the tree with a thunk. When he looked up, he looked into the frosty eyes of the Espada. He only drew his sword a fraction before whispering something to the older man.

"Cry, Zorro Carmesí" a loud, piercing sound invaded Kakashi's sense of hearing and after a few seconds, he was rendered unconscious.

When the man woke up, he was tied to the trunk of a tree with some rather thick rope as Team Seven sat and ate their lunch in relative silence. Relative as Sakura was in the middle of bombarding Sasuke with questions that he would merely grunt in response to while Naruto ignored the both of them, instead listening to three other kunoichi regale him with tales of their own test and past missions. He recognized the oldest woman as Cirucci Sanderwicci, a fellow Jōnin who was actually really close to being promoted to the rank of Jōnin Commander. When he cleared his throat and got the attention of his genin, he begrudgingly congratulated them on a job well done. With the demise of his precious novel, he was too distraught to keep up with them, the clever little bastards. Eventually, they untied the man before going their separate way; Naruto with the three kunoichi, Sasuke to his clan's compound, and Sakura to her own home, albeit as dejected as Kakashi.