Disclaimer: Still the same.

A block of text coming your way.

Author's Note: So I figured that revealing Naruto's Shikai and Bankai in one chapter would be too crammed and not that great of a chapter, so I decided to just reveal his Shikai for now. Sorry if anyone was waiting for his Bankai.

Important Information: So I took Naruto's Shikai design from Ichigo's new Bankai's sword in the Fullbringer Arc. I always loved that sword's design, so yes, I ripped it off of Ichigo's Bankai, but the overall design and concept of the weapon is different. The attack is NOT a copy of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho. I basically made it a much bigger wave of Kurama's (the Kyuubi's) reiatsu and wind that covers a wider radius with equally dispersed power. I sort of imagined it as a combination of a wave of orange-red reiatsu and Fuuton: Bleeding Force. I'm telling you guys this right now just in case anyone thinks that it's a copy of Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho. I was going to just make it a wind-type Zanpakuto, but Rocker1600 gave me the idea to combine both Kurama's reiatsu as well as wind, so thanks for that.

Chapter 11: Darkness Shows – The Akatsuki

Since I don't like to wait or make people wait… I'll end this quickly.

- Sasori

Sasuke, Naruto, and Juugo hurriedly walked down the long and narrow hallway as they headed for the arena. The other gladiator rebels were already getting into position for the awaiting rebellion, and it was Sasuke and the other two's jobs to get into the arena and give out the signal to storm the coliseum.

As they walked down the hallway, a guard that was walking back from duty noticed them and frowned. "Hey you three!" he called out as he walked towards them. "What group are you from, and where are you going?! The match is about to begin!" As he reached them, Naruto quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted the guard's arm over his head, causing him to writhe in pain. Just as he reached for his sword, however, Naruto brutally flipped him over onto his back and kicked him hard in the face, effectively knocking him out.

"Let's go," he said as he emotionlessly walked past the unconscious guard. "We don't have any time to waste here."

As they continued walking, Sasuke quietly observed Naruto out of the corner of his eyes. His fighting style is almost identical to Menma's… Brutal and merciless… He then looked up as a bright streak of light hit him. We're here… Entering the arena, the three walked into a group of gladiators standing in a group in the middle of battle grounds.

"And now," began the guard in the center of the arena, "we will begin the fifth match of this day!" Pausing as the crowd cheered and roared in approval, he waited for the cheering to die down before continuing. "Thank you for coming, and on behalf of the coliseum…" Pausing once more, he grinned as if what he was about to say was a joke. "…we thank you for coming."

Naruto, who was standing behind the crowd of people on the north side, raised two fingers in front of his face and stared directly ahead as he began to speak in a low whisper. "Dream… Falling petals of blood-soaked terror and manifestation… Screaming tales of the lies of creation… Suppressed love once hidden but now revealed… Bow before the goddess of the never-ending dreams… Hadō #25: Hakufuku."

As soon as he finished the sentence, a shower of purple cherry blossoms rained down on the whole entire arena, leading everyone in the audience as well as the Hollows and guards into a gentle slumber. The gladiators, having known about the plan, quickly closed their eyes and shielded themselves with the bodies of the Hollows.

Once the petals ceased falling, the gladiators let out a ground-shaking roar as they stormed the coliseum, overtaking the guards that came rushing out of the gates.

Sasuke noticed Naruto giving him a look, and he nodded as he motioned for Juugo to follow him. As Juugo followed him, he gave Sasuke a questioning look as they hurriedly walked towards the east entrance of the building. "Where are we going, Sasuke?" he asked as they walked past the gate and into the dark space of the hallway. "Shouldn't we be helping the other gladiators storm the-?"

"Let them take care of the guards," said Sasuke bluntly as Naruto caught up with them. "We have someone else to take care of."

|Meeting Room, Gladiator Coliseum|

Sasori looked up, startled as the sound of the audience's cheering suddenly died down. Strange… His face showing no emotion, he looked out the window to see Hakufuku in effect. "Hakufuku…" His face distorting into a look of slight anger and annoyance, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he calmed himself down. The leader isn't going to be happy with this… He opened his eyes as he heard someone approaching him from behind.

"Sir." Sasori turned around to see a guard standing in the doorway. "It seems that the prisoners have started a rebellion. If you allow me to contact for some backup from the-." He suddenly stopped talking as Sasori raised a hand, silencing him. "Uh… sir…?"

"There's no need for backup," said Sasori as he walked over his desk. Reaching into a drawer in his desk, he took out his Zanpakuto and unsheathed it halfway, nodding in satisfaction as he checked the blade. Looking up, he stared at the guard with his unblinking eyes, unnerving the guard and causing him to gulp nervously.

"I'll take care of this myself."

|East Wing, Gladiator Coliseum|

THUD! The guard cried out in pain as he was rammed into the wall by Naruto. Quickly walking past him, Sasuke and his companions sped-walked towards the meeting room. "Now, we should almost be there," explained Juugo as they continued on their way. "According to the informant I had stalk the head of this whole entire operation, he told us that he-."

"So."

Sasuke and the others' heads snapped up as the sound of the voice ahead of them. Looking up, they saw the red-haired figure that Sasuke had seen during his first gladiator battle. He was holding a person by the back of his collar, and judging from the amount of blood that the person was covered in, it was obvious that he was dead. The figure didn't even blink as he stared at them levelly. "So," he repeated, "the rats have come out of hiding, huh? It's nice to finally meet you… Uchiha Sasuke."

"You…" Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he stared hard at him. "So you're the head of this gladiator business, huh?"

The figure straightened up as he threw the person that he was holding down on the floor in front of the three. "Your informant… a useless attempt." As he continued to stare at them unblinking, Juugo gulped nervously as he unconsciously took a step back. "If you wanted to know where I was staying," he continued, "you should have just asked."

Th-This person… Juugo blinked nervously as he felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his face. His reiatsu… is almost suffocating… Not in quantity, but quality… I feel as if I'm being surrounded by a bunch of corpses… The dead stench… The blood dripping around me… I-... I-…

"It seems that your friend isn't as strong-willed as you three," said the red-haired figure with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Maybe you should leave the baggage behind before coming at me. I would prefer not to spend any more time taking care of this mess than is needed."

Sasuke nodded knowingly, calm despite the situation. "Juugo," he said as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. "Go and make sure that no one else interferes with this."

"Ok." Giving the other three one last look, he turned around and ran towards the opposite direction.

…

"Now…" Unsheathing their Zanpakuto, Sasuke and Naruto stared levelly at Sasori as they remained in their relaxed yet ready stance. "Should we get started?" grinned Sasuke. "I've been looking for answers here… It seems that I'm about to get them."

"Allow me to introduce myself… My name is Sasori." Leisurely unsheathing his own Zanpakuto, Sasori sighed as he glanced down at the sleek and sharpened blade. "You know… I never expected to meet Itachi's younger brother in a place like this. Honestly, I was against the idea of bringing you here, but…"

"Itachi?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he glared at Sasori. "What do you know about Itachi…?"

A small grin of amusement appearing on his face for the first time in ever, Sasori ignored the question as he pointed his blade at them, similar to one wielding a rapier. "I don't owe you any explanations."

"Then I'll force you to tell me," growled Sasuke. And with that, he leapt forward, his sword in hand.

As he and Sasori clashed swords, Sasuke automatically knew that he was dealing with an expert swordsman. Sasori's Zanjutsu skills were incredibly precise and deadly, and Sasuke knew for a fact that his own skills were just barely on par with Sasori's own.

Deadly and accurate… Sasuke swiftly ducked, swinging forward with his sword as he activated his Sharingan. His Zanjutsu skills are unique and definitely meant for something else entirely than just a normal swordplay… As he leapt back in order to avoid a spinning kick from Sasori, he held his sword out by his side. "Roar, Raiden-ryū!"

As lightning channeled through his blade, Sasori narrowed his eyes as he swiftly ducked a swing from Sasuke. "So this is your Shikai? Impressive." As he raised his sword to block a swift swing from Sasuke, his eyes widened in surprise as Sasuke's blade seemed to slice through it and into the hem of his sleeve.

As he leapt back with an almost instantaneous reaction, Sasori was narrowly able to avoid having his whole entire arm sliced off; still, Sasuke was able to give him a shallow cut. "So that's your Zanpakuto's ability…" He suddenly cocked his head to the side as if he had suddenly gotten an idea, and he rushed forward, surprising Sasuke. Swinging forward with his sword, Sasori was able to catch Sasuke off guard and slice his shoulder.

Grimacing in pain, Sasuke jumped back and swung forward at the air in front of him with full strength, generating a small stream of lightning that travelled towards the enemy. Sasori easily deflected the attack, and leaping forward, he forced Sasuke onto defensive as he launched a flurry of swings at him.

Thanks to his Sharingan, Sasori's high-speed attacks were lowered to an almost average level of speed, allowing him to block and deflect each attack with very little to almost no effort at all. "So," began Sasori, "your Zanpakuto's special ability is only activated when I try to block your attack… Even more so, my weapon has to be absolutely still, am I right?"

He was able to deduce my Zanpakuto's ability so easily? He's smart… Much smarter than I am… Ducking a blow, Sasuke noticed Naruto leaping forward out of the corner of his eyes. As Naruto reached the two, he forced Sasori into a corner with a combination of both Hakuda and Zanjutsu. Sasori proved to not be skilled in Hakuda as much as he was in Zanjutsu, but he was still able to hold his own against Naruto with relative ease.

"Stop holding back," said Naruto as he brutally went against the Akatsuki member. Attack after attack, Naruto's solid blows were obviously overpowering Sasori's slightly weaker blocks, but it was still obvious that Sasori was holding back somehow. "Use your Shikai. I thought you hated wasting time."

Sasori seemed amused by this, and he suddenly flash stepped five feet away from Naruto and Sasuke, his Zanpakuto held out in front of him in the same stance used by fencers. "Drip, Shukketsu Doku."

His Zanpakuto seemed to give out a sickly purple steam as the blade suddenly began to shrink as if it was slowly being dissolved by some kind of acid. Once the steam dissipated, Sasori was seen wielding a dagger with the blade a tad bit longer than a normal dagger. The blade seemed to be coated in some kind of purple liquid, which Sasuke knew to be some kind of poison from the name of Sasori's Zanpakuto.

Suddenly speeding forward, Sasori stabbed forward with his dagger, almost catching Naruto in the stomach. A drop of sweat rolling down the side of his face, Naruto touched his stomach just to make sure that he wasn't nicked by the blade. Sighing in relief, he and Sasuke slowly backed off and then leapt forward at Sasori, the real battle beginning.

As the two launched an array of precise and brutal swings, slashes, and punches and kicks, Sasori proved himself to have incredible evasive skills as he dodged and blocked each and every attack. Since they couldn't afford to be cut by Sasori's Zanpakuto, their offensive attacks were limited, and this gave Sasori an advantage.

…After a few minutes of exchange blows, it was quite obvious that all three of them weren't going to be getting anywhere, which Sasori having the advantage. Sasori had managed to give both of them a couple of cuts and shallow wounds with his hidden knives and daggers, but he himself had only received the one slash from Sasuke. As Sasuke and Naruto stopped to catch their breath, Naruto growled in annoyance as he motioned for Sasuke to step back.

"That's it…" When he spoke, his voice was low and husky as if he had lost his voice. "I haven't used this except during my training. I'll make you tell Sasuke what he wants to know… because I feel like I'll find some answers that I've been seeking myself." Holding his sword out in front of him, he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, his Zanpakuto emanating a sinister reiatsu.

"Bleed, Sakende Ikari."

An explosive flame-like orange-red aura enveloped Naruto, causing the entire hallway to tremble as if it had been struck by an earthquake. Once the monstrous reiatsu died down, Naruto was seen holding a daitō, or a longsword, that had a seething orange-red blade that reflected and swirled like a pool of water. It was almost hypnotic to watch as if it was a sea of fire, and Sasuke marveled at the dangerous beauty of the weapon. The blade curved along the edge and had three long fang-like protrusions along the front edge of the blade. The tsuba retained its whirlpool shape but with the round edges jutting out like long spikes.

Wait a second… Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as he suddenly realized something. That monstrous reiatsu that was inside of Naruto… was his Zanpakuto…?! I find it hard to believe that even a Zanpakuto could house so much uncontrollable reiatsu…

Holding his released Zanpakuto out by his side, Naruto gave Sasori a nasty feral grin which reminded Sasuke of Menma. "Go, Sakende Ikari!" His Zanpakuto trembling violently, Naruto swung it forward with brutal strength and released a gigantic wave of orange-red energy that sped towards Sasori. The most surprising thing, however, was the violent screeching of wind that came along with the attack.

Sasori's eyes growing wide, he spun his dagger in his hand and blocked the attack, his eyes narrowing from the intense brightness of the attack. S-Such power…! Any Shikai with the exception of the current soutaichou Yamamoto Genryusai's shouldn't be this powerful… The force of the attack is almost like a Bankai…! Gritting his teeth in frustration, he flash stepped away just in time to dodge the attack. Still, the force of the attack completely demolished the entire front half of the hallway as well as injured Sasori.

As the attack dissipated, Sasori was seen clutching an injured arm with a serious burn that ran along the front of his arm almost to his shoulder. Wincing in pain, Sasori gave Naruto an acknowledging grin as his face returned to its normal emotionless look. "I'm impressed…" His voice was soft and surprisingly calm despite having been injured. "Your Shikai's ability… A wind-type Zanpakuto if I'm correct, but that sinister reiatsu… It's not a Shinigami's… nor a Hollow's…" Looking up at Naruto, he gave him a dead look. "What could it be?"

Giving him no replying, Naruto sped forward, his Zanpakuto drawn back for the killing blow. "Sasuke, let's go!"

Nodding in agreement, Sasuke flash stepped forward in front of Sasori, and the killing assault began. The two proved to be an effective duo, their attacks complimenting each other as they began to corner Sasori. Between Sasuke's Sharingan and his swift and skilled Zanjutsu skills and Naruto's brutal and deadly attacks as well as his powerful Shikai, Sasori was having a hard time keeping up with them.

As Sasori dodged yet another blow from Sasuke, he grimaced as he leapt back in order to dodge another wave of reiatsu from Naruto's Zanpakuto. The only thing giving me leverage in this fight is my Shukketsu Doku's poison… At this rate, I'll have to use my-.

"Go, Sakende Ikari!"

Sasori's eyes widened as another huge wave of energy came at him. He was barely able to flash step away in time, but the attack managed to burn off the hem of his cloak. As he landed on the ground, he skidded to a halt and looked up at the two. "Nice hit," he said in a dead tone. "I find it hard to believe that I was able to dodge such perfectly coordinated attacks…"

Now that I think about it… said Sasuke to himself in his head. Glancing sideways at Naruto, he gave him a look. "It looks like he has information on both of our Zanpakuto's."

A knowing look appeared on Naruto's face. "So that's it…"

"Well, what did you expect? We keep low-time surveillance on every single gladiator we have here," explained Sasori as his stance became relaxed. "How much more surveillance do you think we keep on people like you? Uchiha Sasuke… Uzumaki Naruto… Bipolar Juugo… All three with exceptional abilities." Retaking his battle stance, Sasori sped forward with surprising speed and slashed at Naruto. Naruto quickly blocked the attack, but Sasori twisted over and slid the edge of his dagger past Naruto's own, aiming to pierce his neck.

Naruto leaned his head over to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharpened edge, and his eyes grew wide as he jumped back, having narrowly avoiding the poisoned dagger. This is dangerous… His fighting style is specifically designed to land even the smallest of cuts and slashes. One nick and it's all over.

"I can tell that you've already deduced my fighting style," said Sasori amusedly. "Well then, let me clear any questions that you two might have. Yes, my Zanpakuto Shukketsu Doku is smeared with a deadly poison made from my own blood. Even one small nick is fatal. It'll quickly spread throughout your body and paralyze your entire nervous system. Your body will soon numb afterwards, and it'll kill you in approximetly three days."

"This is getting annoying…" Sasuke glanced at Naruto with a frown. "Haven't you achieved Bankai?"

Naruto sighed, and when he spoke, Sasuke noted that even though his voice was dead and flat, there was a hint of frustration in his voice. "I have… Still, I can't use it. Sorry. I can't control it well enough yet… If I use it right now, you and everyone else in this building might end up getting caught in the crossfire."

"I see… Very well then," said Sasuke. "We'll just have to do without it then."

Sasori suddenly seemed to disappear as he flash stepped behind Sasuke, aiming for his back. Quickly twisting over halfway, he raised his sword over his back and skillfully deflected the attack. Sasori seemed surprised by this, but his face didn't betray his surprise. "Your Zanjutsu skills are impressive," he complimented. Spinning around, he slashed at Sasuke again, but Sasuke managed to dodge the attack. Right after, Sasori launched a barrage of stabs and lunges at Sasuke, and Sasuke began to become nervous as the dagger sliced of the hems of his sleeves and parts of his shirt. After a few seconds, Sasuke glanced at the dagger as it sliced a strand of his hair out of the corner of his eyes, and he quickly flash stepped out of the way.

If I wasn't using my Sharingan, this fight would probably already have been over… His fighting style is too skilled and unique, and I don't have experience for this skilled of an opponent… At this rate, I'll have to use-.

"Well well well, it looks like I've underestimated you both," said Sasori as he leapt back, skidding to a halt a couple of feet away from the two. "Anyways, I would love to continue this fight, but…"

Sasuke and Naruto looked up at the ceiling as an explosion suddenly occurred overhead. "Look out!" yelled Naruto as he leapt back. "The ceiling!"

Sasuke leapt back just in time to avoid the ceiling falling down on them. As the light from the sun shone above them, the two squinted against the glare of the sun and saw a giant feathered object hovering above the building. It was so huge that they were unable to identify what kind of creature it exactly was, but it had three distinct legs with claws as feet.

"This is my ride." Having said that, Sasori leapt up into the air and grabbed one of giant creature's large claws. "I'll let you guys know this… This is just one of the thirty-five branches of gladiator arenas that we have stationed all throughout Soul Society. You've just barely scratched the surface of this operation. You're strong, Uchiha Sasuke… Just like your older brother said you were." The creature then began to take off, and Naruto narrowed his eyes as he swung back his blade for one last blow.

"You think I'll let you get away?!" he roared. Swinging his sword at the creature with full strength, he released another large wave of swirling and twisting energy and wind at him. Unfortunately, the attack failed to catch them in time as Sasori deflected it, the attack having gotten weaker from covering such a long distance.

"Catch you all later," said Sasori, and with that, he disappeared out of sight, leaving Sasuke and Naruto all alone.

…

"Sasuke! Naruto-san!"

Sasuke and Naruto turned around to see Juugo running towards them. "It's nothing," said Sasuke as he sheathed his blade. "He ran away."

"I see…" Juugo frowned as he stared at the ground in front of him. "Well, at least you guys aren't hurt." His eyes then ran over the two. "Well… much."

Naruto lashed out in the air in front of air, reverting his Zanpakuto back to sealed state. "Let's get out of here. I have no doubt that the executives of this place have already heard about this and are sending backup even right now as we speak." Looking around, he nodded as he saw that the area was clear. "It looks like the noises have died down… Let's go."

"Yea…" Sasuke looked up at the blue sky and closed his eyes as he sighed, a small grin appearing on his face. "Let's go."

Despite everything…

…

…today's a good day.

This is the end of the Gladiator Arc. The next arc will be featuring Sasuke wandering in the ruins and desert of Soul Society while the Arrancar Invasion is going on. He will be returning to help the Gotei 13 during Aizen's invasion of Karakura Town, but during his travel, he'll be discovering some of his locked up memories as well as his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. It'll also feature his Bankai training.

Translations:

- Shukketsu Doku: Bleeding Poison.

- Sakende Ikari: Screaming Anger. (This applies to Naruto's more dark side).