Chapter 15
Shutara forced a heavy sigh to escape through her lips as she sat down on the stands Naruto had formed for the 'spectators.' A frown settled down on her face when she stared down on his form; he was standing still, looking happy, with both Aizen and Yamamoto standing just away from him. Obviously, both the latter's attention was focused on Naruto rather than each of their own forces. Naruto was the bigger threat than any of them. It was only logical that they turn to him and besides, when Naruto was in a place like this, he liked the spot light to be on him than someone else.
Egoistic bastard.
He was full of pride and other crap. The throne of god did nothing that glorify all that and gave him a field to show everyone his glorious power. She couldn't deny at any time of the day that he was godly powerful, but his pride really did bother her sometimes. He seemed to price it above everything else. His pride was the thing that made him do crazy things. Perhaps his untouchable pride is what led to that woman's attempts to kill him. If anyone committed blasphemy by wounding his pride, there was going to be hell to pay. At least he did admit when he was wrong and when he does make mistakes.
The whole situation wasn't amusing or something so trivial to be considered a game or something to kill off the boredom that he was feeling - yes, Naruto had felt that with little to do in his dimension, since she was giving him a cold shoulder, he would relieve himself by playing a game. Did he even realize that he was playing with lives, and everything he did was going to influence the futures of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, and by an extension, the human world? Yes, he did. Yet, he still continued to have this game of his played.
Perhaps he also wanted to relieve some pent up frustrations because things weren't going well for him. He may have reclaimed his glory, and brought her and that other woman back to life, but other than his ego being given a boost by the throne of god, nothing else worked; she wasn't laughing with him, sometimes she even weren't as far so to ignore him. That other woman smiled at him often, which did nothing but cause her inner world to tremble because of her pure anger. At least Naruto didn't seem too pleased by that woman because since he brought her back, he hadn't said many words to her.
She guessed it was because he was struggling to deal with her.
As much as she hated even thinking about it, Naruto seemed to care for that woman that he seemed to be unable to do any lasting damage to her. If he'd remained as he was back then, he would've done something to punish her for betraying his trust. Still, he did say he would punish her. He just didn't say when he would and how he would go about that. And since the glorified bastard had eternal life, it could even take many, many years for him to administer the punishment. Shutara didn't think she would still be caring about such thing by that time. Even she wouldn't be able to hold a grudge for those many years.
Her relationship with that woman was almost non-existent. She was still bitter because that woman had killed her while trying to kill Naruto. She understood why she had to do it, and this just gave her more reason to hate both that woman and Naruto...
''Senjumaru-san,'' Unohana's voice started as the others settled on the stands while the male captains kept a careful eye on Gin and the other woman. Well, Shunsui was busy staring at her, obviously thinking of many ways on how to approach her.
''Retsu,'' Shutara's voice was perfectly neutral as she looked at the woman who was sitting on her left side. ''When did you start speaking to me so formally?'' As far as she was concerned, this woman always called her by her name, Shutara, or just Shutara-san.
''Since now,'' Unohana's tone wasn't high - it was perfectly normal and somewhat sweet, without any tensions. ''You don't seem to be in her good mood. Addressing you in a friendly manner didn't seem to be a wise choice since I don't even know what has pressed your buttons.''
It was obvious to anyone that the former royal Guard wasn't in a good mood given the aura that surrounded her, and everyone other than her and that other woman had obviously avoided sitting close to her in fear that she may just snap any time and lunge at you. Unohana could guess that she was pissed that she got caught up in Naruto's things that cost her life. Though she was revived, it didn't erase the reality and fact that she had been dead.
Shutara narrowed her eyes at the woman who spoke so calmly, while keeping her eyes down at Naruto. ''How considerate of you...''
''There is no need to be sarcastic, Senjumaru-san,'' Unohana said keeping her tone smooth, and calm. Shutara was tempted to use force to get the woman to look at her because she was sure that Unohana would even insult her without looking at her form, having the assurance that she wouldn't attack her for speaking her mind. ''Are you going to introduce her to us?'' This time, Unohana turned to face Shutara.
''She can introduce herself.'' Shutara responded carelessly, before looking down at Naruto.
''For someone who worked for the royal family for more than a 1000 years, you've fallen really low, Shutara,'' Amaya said with a smile and a tone that was calm, yet filled with authority and she'd spoken to Shutara like an adult reprimanding a child for doing something wrong - this of course caught everyone off-guard.
Shutara grind her teeth in frustrations; she was powerless to do anything. Yes, as a royal guard she'd made an oath to protect the Soul King and his family, the royal family. This woman was the matriarch of the royal family, yet Shutara held some negative emotions towards her. She didn't try to boss her over her royalty or anything; it just seemed to her that Amaya was more amused about her attitude than anything.
''But it matters not,'' Amaya added, turning her eyes towards Unohana, ''You must be Retsu,'' she said. ''I'm sure Naruto has told you about me, but my name is Amaya.''
Before Retsu could say anything, Amaya spoke again, this time, addressing Gin; still, her eyes were at Unohana. ''Do you really wish to annoy those Arrancar that much?'' No word had been said between the two, but she knew that Gin was itching to be on that other side as it was more fun than here.
''I'm missin' em,'' Gin said with a smile.
''Go - he won't mind,'' Amaya said. Gin didn't wait for anything else before disappearing in a buzz. ''Retsu, do-'' her mouth then shut, and she shook her head, looking down at Naruto.
''Something wrong?'' Unohana asked.
''She can't speak anymore,'' Shutara responded. ''She's only allowed a few numbers of words per day, and I guess she has said all her words for the day, or he just decided to cut her off.''
''Why would Naruto do something like that?''
Shutara shrugged; it wasn't their business to know Naruto's reasons, and she quite frankly didn't want to say anything about the matter. What she did know is that Naruto said Amaya's mouth was dangerous and needed to be kept in check because she could speak some curses on him. Apparently the woman only needed words to tie him down and drag him to hell. But she knew well enough that it wasn't the case; Naruto was probably just doing it to remind her that she would be punished one day. While only allowing her a few words a day was already punishment enough, Naruto saw it as nothing.
''What kind of game is going to be played here?'' Toshiro asked, getting more into serious matters. Though, he asked, he didn't want to be dragged into a simple game when lives hanged in the balance as well as the future of Soul Society. And he wasn't going to play a game unless he was left with absolutely no choice but to engage.
Before anyone could respond, Naruto started speaking through the monitors. ''Are we going to begin with the game, Aizen, Yamamoto?''
''Do you think that I have the time to play games with you, Naruto?'' Yamamoto questioned, sternly. ''I will not take part in any foolish games!'' Aizen chose to remain quiet, for now.
''I will take number 4 from Aizen's side, 11 from Yamamoto's side, and the human,'' Naruto stated, ignoring Yamamoto. The three people he'd called were dragged down to the ground with him the two leaders. ''This will be the preliminary round, and the final round will be the three of us battling. For now, you two can watch from aside while I warm up with the children.''
''That is-'' Yamamoto was cut off by Naruto.
''Shut it, Genryusai,'' he said calmly. ''This is a simple matter; I'm going to fight with these three, and then dance with you and Aizen. It will be 3 on 1 and 2 on 1 all the way. For now, shut it, and watch the warm up session or I will blow up the 1st division barracks.''
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, ''can you even do that?''
Shutara shook her head at Yamamoto's daring response. Naruto wasn't too 'happy' to be making idle threats, not when she was giving him the cold shoulder. She watched as Naruto held out his right hand and a black ball appeared, ''we're actually closer to Seireitei than you'd think,'' he said as the black ball disappeared from his palm. He then snapped his fingers and really huge image of the busy barracks of the first squad appeared in front of him. The black ball then appeared just above the offices of Yamamoto, before crashing down in a blur, and the explosion that occurred next happened in a blur that raised a huge black smoke. Yamamoto could hear the screams of terror within Seireitei. He grind his teeth furiously at the loss of his barracks, and when the debris cleared, the explosion seemed to have selected only squad 1 barracks - but there was nothing left of it, just a huge crater, everything else had turned into dust.
''The second division will follow next if you don't back down,'' Naruto said before the images of a terror filled Seireitei disappeared.
''Mark my words, Naruto; I will make you pay,'' Yamamoto threatened coldly before making a distance.
''All that talk was starting to bore me,'' Kenpachi stated, placing his katana on his right shoulder, while staring at Naruto with a grin on his face. he was itching to swing his sword at that man, but still displeased that he had to share the stage though.
''I cannot fight alongside a Shinigami and a human,'' Ulquiorra stated, refusing to lower himself. There was nothing for Naruto to threaten him with, so he couldn't force him the way he would for the human or Shinigami. Since Ichigo was a protector, he could simply threaten to blow up parts of Karakura town as he did with Seireitei, and Ichigo would only be forced to indulge the man.
''Are you going to disregard, Aizen's wishes?'' Naruto simply asked, looking at the Arrancar. The 4th Espada looked at Aizen for confirmation and nearly frowned when the man nodded. ''The game is simple really; since you three can't possible defeat me, you will just have to try your best to warm me up before I face the 'bosses.' However, should I fail to defeat you within 3 to 5 minutes; I forfeit my right to fight the bosses. However, whoever cuts me will decide whether I should wipe out the Gotei 13 or the Army of Aizen.''
''Do we have to do this?'' Ichigo asked.
''Yes,'' Naruto responded. ''Do not come to me with nothing but your best because you will make it easy. To the human, release your Bankai, Shinigami, release your eye patch, and Arrancar; show me your true form.'' Only Ichigo released his Bankai as he was told by Urahara to never fight that man without it. Ulquiorra and Kenpachi did nothing. Naruto held out both his hands, black flames formed like long blades on both his hands, ''Come at me.''
Meanwhile
''This isn't a game now is it?'' Toshiro said looking at things down under. This thing couldn't be called a game. That man just put an impossible mountain for them to climb, and said that was a game. A game is supposed to be fun, and enjoyable, but this was more like a gamble.
Ukitake nodded, ''could it be that Naruto just wants to have all the fights to himself?'' Naruto could have done this other way, but he supposed this was better. ''Still, I'm shocked that he'd force sensei's hand like that,'' he never thought that Naruto would harm Soul Society like that, not to mention that he killed people as well. Such actions were something that he was against, and would never condone.
''Yamamoto just doesn't know when to push,'' Shutara said. ''Naruto has always 'allowed' Yamamoto to push him, make some threats, but as he is now, you don't want to push it. He now doesn't like being called by his name by lessor beings. Lessor beings are only allowed him to refer to him as ''His Majesty or Emperor. You will see with this battle just how true I am.''
Amaya found her voice again - she smiled knowing that it was his doing. ''While you may be true Shutara, this isn't just a game,'' she started. ''I've known Naruto long enough to know that he is only calling this a game because he won't admit it to anyone that he just wants to minimize the damage. If the battle occurred in Soul Society, clashes of both sides would've destroyed many things. In the end of the battle, one side would remain standing while the other is completely eradicated.
However, if things are done in this way, neither side faces major losses - both sides get to walk out of here and return to their homes. Naruto understands that without the strong presence of the Espada to rule over Hueco Mundo, hollows will become uncontrollable and flood the human world. This will minimizes the damage to both sides, and since Naruto is going to remove Aizen, the Espada will reign over Hueco Mundo and unless Shinigami do something, they will have no reason to attack you. Yamamoto will die at the end of the battle, Soul Society will come to see a new age, so will Hueco Mundo.''
''Minimizing the damage?'' Mayuri snorted. ''He's already destroyed part of Seireitei and the death of the Sotaicho will demoralize the Shinigami. And we will still have the Hollows as our enemy.''
''Naruto can restore everything back to what it was, including the lives,'' Amaya said. ''The problem here is your thinking; have you ever seen a Vasto Lorde attack humans in the human world? Weaker hollows are usually attracted to the human world because of wondering spirits who've yet to crossover. And the only reason this war exists is because of Aizen.''
''So you're saying this is our fault, as Aizen was one of us?'' Byakuya questioned, looking straight at the Shinigami.
''Partly,'' Amaya responded. ''Hollows and Shinigami have always been enemies, but in most cases it is Shinigami who make things bad. I did say if Naruto hadn't intervene, one group would've been eradicated. Even if you defeated them, you would've still killed them because they are too dangerous. Hollows will always be hollows, and Shinigami will always rid of any hollow that enters the human world or Soul Society, but we mustn't provoke things simply because we can.''
Back with Naruto
''Why are you doing this?'' Ichigo asked, staring at the self-proclaimed Emperor, while holding Tensa Zangetsu firmly on his right hand. He wasn't going to do anything rash that would result in the same situation as it did with Yamamoto. But fighting here means that if they defeated this man, then they could deal with the Hollows and Aizen. But what was stopping the Espada from attacking now?
''Nothing,'' Naruto said, answering Ichigo's thoughts rather than the question that left his mouth. ''Spectators are spectators; anyone who attempts anything outside from the ground will be punished. Besides, this is my world, those who aren't participating will remain as they are.''
''Enough Ichigo!'' Kenpachi yelled, readying his katana. ''There is no time to talk, let us get this over with. However, if you get in my way, I will cut you down,'' the 11th division captain stated before darting towards a waiting Naruto. He wasn't kidding about cutting Ichigo if he does get in the way of the price, even the hollow would suffer the same fate if he attempts anything.
Kenpachi reached Naruto and swung his katana in a downwards slash that headed straight on to Naruto's right shoulder, but the swing was blocked by Naruto's left sword of flame. The blond didn't wait for the captain to try anything else, he swung the right sword in a horizontal slash that was aimed at Kenpachi's left shoulder - it was swung so fast that the captain didn't even have the time to dodge and his sword was also involved in another battle with Naruto's left flaming sword. Naruto's swing connected with Kenpachi's left shoulder with a lot of force that pulled the captain off the ground and sent him airborne towards the direction of the swing.
Naruto wasn't given a breathing space as Ichigo flashed behind him; the human swung his blade while above the ground, aiming for the neck, but Naruto dodged the swing by ducking. A buzz of sonido flashed into his front while he was still in a bended position; Ulquiorra tried kicking the blond on the face with his right foot, but Naruto blurred out of sight, only to appear above Ichigo who was still above ground, regaining balance after the miss. The right blade was swung in a downwards slash, aiming at Ichigo's back, but the substitute Shinigami had quick reflexes; he was able to twist around and block the slash. However, since there was nothing to balance with and that he was above ground, Ichigo was unable to hold back on the power behind Naruto's slash. Despite blocking, he was sent crashing down the ground - Ulquiorra had already made blurred out of sight.
As soon as Ichigo crashed into the ground, Ulquiorra had already prepared his next attack, ''Cero,'' he muttered with his index finger pointed at the Emperor who was still above ground. The green beam of energy flashed straight at the former captain, who didn't even bother to dodge the low level Cero. Before the Cero hit him, a yellow wave of energy came rushing at him from his left side in blinding speeds. Both attacks crashed into the blond, creating an explosion above ground, which became a small black cloud.
While Ichigo had already recovered, his attention was now turned towards Zaracki who could've hit him with his attack, but Naruto didn't mind the human as he shot out of the cloud, perfectly fine. Ulquiorra lost sight of the former captain before he was right in front of him. Naruto's left flame sword was brought onto his right side before it was swung straight Ulquiorra's chest. The Espada couldn't dodge, but he brought both his hands forth to form a defense. When the blade crashed into both his hands, he was hit with an unimaginable amount of force that sent him backwards like a bullet.
Using the advantage of Ichigo and Kenpachi's bickering, the blond shot straight at Ulquiorra who was still being carried by the momentum of his hit. The Espada couldn't do much because the momentum didn't allow him right of balance; his eyes could watch helplessly when Naruto's right sword charged straight at his neck from the left side, but in the nick of time, the blond's blade dispersed, and instead, his right hand caught him by the right shoulder and brought him closer, before twisting him around. He was welcomed by Kenpachi's katana that was swung in a downwards slash. The slash cut through from his chest going downwards.
Kenpachi merely grinned; he had said he would cut anyone who stood in the way. His grin didn't even falter when Naruto's black flaming sword pierced through Ulquiorra's chest before catching him on the right side of his chest. Despite the sword leaving a gash that allowed his blood to escape, Kenpachi shook it off before swinging his blade again, while he was doing that, Ichigo blurred into the sight behind Naruto. Ulquiorra blocked Kenpachi's swing with the back of his left hand, while Naruto caught Ichigo's blade with his left hand, having allowed the left blade to disperse.
Naruto's blade was still within Ulquiorra's body, stopping him from regenerating. With the current position a stalemate, Naruto quickly loosened his grip on his blade, before placing his palm on Ulquiorra's back; a wide of black energy hit the Espada with so much force that he crashed into Kenpachi, and both of them were sent sailing away, along with the blast.
While surprised that Naruto actually caught his blade even after all the training he did; it was like Aizen all over again, he was still able to recover quickly before Naruto could twist around. Tensa Zangetsu began seeping out reddish reaitsu, ''Getsuga Tensho!'' Ichigo released the technique from point blank without even swinging his blade. Despite catching the blond straight on his back and going on to leave its mark on the ground, the technique didn't force Naruto to let go off Ichigo's sword.
Ichigo wasn't given a time to indulge his surprise because in the blink of an eye, Naruto twisted around, clockwise, while his right hand firmly had the flaming sword. Despite blocking the attack again, Ichigo was still sent sailing away like a bullet before hitting the ground. Kenpachi and Ulquiorra were already flanking both Naruto's left and right side, respectively. Their blades were both swung in a horizontal fashion aimed at cutting his head off. Remarkably, Naruto caught both the blades with his bare hands.
Recovering from his flight, Ichigo used Naruto's position to muster some amount of reiatsu before swinging his sword, ''Getsuga Tensho!'' He yelled released a great wave of spiritual energy that was sent straight at Naruto, on the front, with the intent of cutting him in half with both his hands stretched out. Naruto only strengthened his hold on both blades before the Getsuga Tensho collided with the front of his body. It did nothing more than push him back a little, while his grip on the blades did not loosen.
''How insulting,'' Naruto said as the smoke that had covered his form began to clear. ''Do you really plan on fighting me like this? You will need your full powers if you're to get a chance to even cut me. At this stage, I will break all of you quite easily.''
In a quick movement, he loosened and his hands opened, still facing both opponents, ''Black Beam,'' black streams of reaitsu were released by the self-proclaimed emperor on both hands before rushing out towards the opponents. Given the speed of both beams, neither Zaracki nor Ulquiorra were able to dodge the attack; it crashed on both their chests, sending them crashing down the ground.
Naruto didn't spare both a glance, as he landed down the ground. He formed one flaming sword on his right, before shooting towards Ichigo with such speed that debris was picked up upon his take off. In a second, he was in front of the human, who reacted on instinct by placing his sword on the right side. He was saved as he'd blocked a backwards swing from Naruto. But Naruto's left hand blurred towards Ichigo's face before gripping him firmly. He didn't do anything then because two powerful reaitsu started pouring out. He let go of Ichigo and turned towards the two sources of power.
Ichigo grew frustrated by the act. The man had just turned his back on him, even when they were still fighting. Out frustration and annoyance more than anything, Ichigo mustered all the power he could before swinging his sword in an effort to cleave off Naruto's head from his shoulders. But Naruto had been expecting him to do that, the moment the blade was swung; Naruto crouched down before twisting around. Ichigo's momentum only came to a halt when Naruto's right hand touched his chest.
Ichigo widened his eyes when his inner hollow was cursing him, shouting at him to get out of the way, but he couldn't, ''Death... by god,'' Naruto muttered before a black laser beam pierced through Ichigo's chest in just one swing. The rest was history. A wide eyed Ichigo went down the ground in a slow motioned, but before he could hit the ground, a black coffin sprouted out from the ground and the human fell down onto it. The coffin closed before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Naruto turned to face his last remaining opponents, ''This is getting interesting,'' he said, smiling a bit. The amount of reiatsu pouring out was something else and he liked out, but it was still power from children.
Ulquiorra could now fully agree with Aizen that Naruto was indeed a powerful foe. He'd only resurrected once, but it looked like if he wanted for this battle to get somewhere, he needed to be at full power. It was only a pity that he was going to show his second resurrection form to the others, but at mattered not - it was going to come out sooner or later. He held nothing back with the second resurrection before settling to look at that man whose right hand was gathering reaitsu, no doubt his down.
The fourth Espada looked at Zaracki who was still grinning insanely despite the fact that Naruto had just killed Ichigo, his 'friend', in one blow to the chest. The man didn't seem too concerned about it to even react, even a little. Judging by the reactions from the other Shinigami after that killing blow, he presumed they couldn't move from their place. Perhaps Naruto had created a barrier to stop everyone from interfering with battles. Given that even hadn't come to this stage on his own, he guessed that Naruto controlled much of what was happening around this plane.
''Stay out of my way,'' Kenpachi barked, before lunging straight at Naruto. Ulquiorra did just that. Besides, he could use the chance to preserve his own strength and move in once he sees an opening.
Naruto intercepted a lunging Zaracki by swinging his blade level with the man's waist section, as the katana of the opponent was also coming at that level. Both swords clashed, steel and fire, causing some flames to lighten up. Kenpachi pushed back with just brute force. Both were quickly forced to retreat, separating as a flames hit between them like thunder falling from the dark clouds.
A way heavier reiatsu, much stronger than Kenpachi and Ulquiorra's hit the battlefield with so much intensity that the reiatsu of both the former and latter was completely shut as though it was inexistent. Ulquiorra took an unconscious step backwards at the furious looking captain commander, who by now had his scar-filled upper body exposed as his flames began pouring out slowly, with so much heat that made breathing a little harder.
Yamamoto stood still in all his menacing glory; glaring at Naruto dangerously. If Kenpachi had never respected the old man's power, now he did. He couldn't even feel his own power because Yamamoto's overwhelming reiatsu had somehow dripped its fangs into his flesh. Even when breathing was a little hard, the 11th division captain wasn't afraid; it was just the opposite of it - he was growing excited by the second.
''Enough of this foolishness, Naruto,'' the power behind the tone would have made any man submit. As his flames suggested, this man wasn't a happy Shinigami.
Earlier
''Dammit,'' Urahara cursed as Naruto blew a hole through Ichigo's chest - that was no doubt a killing blow. ''Ishin is going to kill me,'' he said, visibly fearful of the death the former 10th division would deal upon him when he learns that his son was killed by Naruto, and he was supposed to protect the boy rather than watch helplessly as he dies.
''Why would he go that far,'' Yoruichi asked, looking around. ''Dammit! We can't even move!'' Somehow, the movements were restricted by a powerful invisible force. She couldn't move to join in the battle and it didn't seem like anyone in the stands could do that.
''Even I wasn't expecting it,'' a serious looking Shunsui stated, looking down at the blond who by now was faced by two opponents who seemed ready to fight in full power. Ichigo hadn't done anything to warrant his death, so he couldn't understand why Naruto would do something like that.
''You worry too much,'' Shutara said casually. ''Naruto simply grew bored with that boy's reluctance to put on his mask. He does possess three different powers, and Naruto wanted to see how he could perform - he was disappointing, hence his quick removal from the stage. But you shouldn't worry about him - he will be... fine, as lo...'' the black haired woman trailed off when Yamamoto shot down the ground in fury.
''I've never felt sensei this angry before, not even when Naruto insulted him and quit the Gotei 13,'' Ukitake commented. Surely, fireworks were going to be ignited any time soon, now that Yamamoto grew impatient and seeing the look on his sensei, there was no way Naruto was going to turn this down in favor of finishing things Kenpachi and Ulquiorra.
''This feeling is so unreal,'' Toshiro said, in awe at the amount of power pouring out of Yamamoto. It was much more than anything he had ever dreamed off, and it was still rising. Just how strong was that man in his fury? And they said Naruto was stronger Yamamoto... Wait what?! ''How can anyone be stronger than this?''
Back on the battlefield
Naruto dispersed his blade and looked at Yamamoto's furious expression. He'd seen the old man furious before, but he'd never seen him quite like this. Perhaps another factor that favored his current mood was the fact that he had forced Shinigami and hollow to fight side by side - something which someone like Yamamoto saw as an act of outright blasphemy. Still, he couldn't give two cents about the Sotaicho's fury, nor did it make him nervous - there was nothing that he feared, after all.
''If we hadn't started things this way, we couldn't get you into the spirit like you're now, no?'' Naruto looked at the captain commander carefully, while he ignored the presence of the Espada and Kenpachi for the time being as Yamamoto was much more interesting than mere children.
The warm up wasn't just to get Yamamoto fired up really, he had his own reasons for doing it - it wasn't that he actually needed a warm up to fight Yamamoto and Aizen. He wanted to see how the Shinigami would react to these, and how it would make the human feel when put together in the same class with a hollow. As far as he saw, and could tell, the human didn't hold any grudges with Hollows in general. He wasn't actively trying to rid of both him and the hollow at once. In fact, he'd plainly avoided confronting the Espada and went on the offense on him.
As a god of the spiritual world and a former god of Hueco Mundo, Naruto had a responsibility to uphold. As a force of nature that shouldn't really take up an active role in living a life, he was supposed to keep a balance flow of things, and the fact that more humans had now become affiliated to the spiritual world only meant that there wasn't proper governance. The more humans became spiritually exposed to spiritual power, the more they became aware of it, and the more the secret undertakings of the Shinigami come under the threat of being known to many humans.
Hollows were moving to the human world much more than what they used to in the previous generations, but because things were out of control, there were hollows chasing after a spirit within the human world at this time. As god and one with the power to shape all things, he had to correct everything that had been screwed by both Shinigami and hollows.
Yamamoto ignored Naruto's question in favor of exploding once more; the flames that were pouring out of his blade erupted into a sea of flames around the battlefield. The flames increased the heat that would've turned a human into ash in mere seconds. It took a few moments for the flames to disperse into a mist of unbearable heat. ''I told you that I wouldn't forgive you,'' the Sotaicho started in a hardened tone. ''And I haven't changed my mind; I will not forgive you.''
''Relax, Yamamoto; there are still children behind you,'' Naruto said, not the minding the heat, the least. His body could adapt at any given condition. While Aizen was slowly descending, Naruto's left eye morphed into the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he turned to Kenpachi, his index finger pointed at the man. ''I wanted to see what you could do since you're the one who defeated Yachiru, but you will have to rest now and allow the adults to engage themselves.''
Zaracki retorted, ''like hell I will,'' not when he was pumped up like this. He was going to fight and the only to keep him out of the battlefield would be to put him down by cutting off both his legs. Only total defeat and loss of consciousness could keep him away.
''Your opinion in the matter wasn't requested,'' Naruto responded calmly while the blades on his eyes started to spin clockwise in a hypnotic manner. He took several steps forward before completely vanishing out of sight. The Espada were shocked when he appeared at the stands, in front of Baraggan, right palm on the dethroned king of Hueco Mondo's chest. Judging by the slightly wide eyes of the man, he hadn't felt a damn thing.
''Shinigami, get your filthy hands off me,'' Baraggan growled, as he tried moving his hand, but his eyes only widened further when he realized that he couldn't move them. Though his jaw could still move, the rest of his body from the shoulders couldn't move. ''What did you do?''
''Fools like you can never reach me, nor can you withstand my might. But let me tell you the reason you can't move; it is because all functions of your body have been rendered useless by the touch of god, and the reason you can't feel control of your power is because it is in the palm of my hand,'' Naruto explained lightly.
''Fool! Do you think you can control my power? There is no one other than me who can control it!''
Naruto shook his head. ''You're the fool and truly a disappointment for a hollow your status,'' he said, gaining a stern tone. ''You're an annoyance, and your insistence on becoming king again doesn't bode well with me. As a former god of Hueco Mundo, it is by virtue of being the former strongest being living in that place, to select who should rule. Kami has rejected your rule Baraggan,'' Naruto didn't allow anyone to act before he muttered the final words, ''Death by... god.''
Unlike with Ichigo the technique didn't just blow a hole through Baraggan's chest - no, it erased his entire upper body, leaving all but ash to fall down the stands along with the lower body. Death by god killed anyone, no matter how strong - it was a law of god. The technique was one of those one shot, one kill technique. The only requirement for activating the technique was contact on the chest of the opponent. Without that kind of contact, it wouldn't be death by god, but an attempt to kill by god.
Naruto noticed that none of the Arrancar was attempting to move towards him to attack, but their guards were held up well enough that he couldn't attack without one realizing it. He knew that they wouldn't care about the death of this fool - Baraggan wasn't the most liked Espada and his attitude left little to be desired. He flashed back to the battlefield in buzz that sounded just like Sonido, but a lot faster.
By the time he returned, Aizen had already settled just away from Yamamoto. He wasn't the least interested in why Naruto chose to kill Baraggan, and neither did he care for it. The Espada were just a means to an end to begin with. He motioned for his most loyal Espada to leave the battlefield as Kenpachi was already on the ground, unconscious because of whatever Naruto did to him. Gin didn't take time to remove the captain from the field.
Aizen looked back at Naruto when Yamamoto started speaking. ''Are you going to release your Zanpakutou so we can begin? I no longer have the patience to deal with any foolishness,'' his hardened tone returned in a full force.
Naruto held out his right hand and a cloud of black smoke began to gather, rising up. It came to halt after a few moments before a small gust of wind blew the smoke away, revealing Naruto's black sword, ''you mean this, Yamamoto?''
The Sotaicho looked at that thing carefully as he browsed through his thoughts, ''does the concept of Shikai and sealed form apply to you? With your pride, you wouldn't just draw that Shikai when facing just anyone, but that is not the case. In all your battles, you fight with the blade in that form.'' Someone of his power didn't really need to release his sword in order to fight with mere children - he could deal without even drawing it out.
''That is because Amaterasu has never had a sealed or unsealed state - she isn't like your Zanpakutou. The katana you used to see was nothing but an illusion. You already know that I formed Amaterasu, so I will tell you this; Amaterasu has two forms, this one, and the one you saw while I was warming up with the children. Given my state, I can't hold back when using this blade. There only way you will fight against is if you release your Bankai. That other form works better because it has no edge - I can smack you around for all I like, your body is strong to receive my hits.''
''I see,'' Yamamoto pondered on some thoughts before narrowing his eyes at Aizen. ''Do not mistake of thinking that I will actually fight with you. But when I go after him, I will ignore you until he's dead.''
Aizen merely smiled, ''the idea of joining forces with you to deal with an opponent that seems to be bigger than both of us never really crossed my mind,'' the man said smoothly. and he didn't even doubt that Yamamoto would take a swing at him if the opportunity presents itself. Both he and Naruto were his enemies, so it was only fair that he seek to eliminate one of them should an opportunity present itself. At least they were ganging up on him.
Naruto's sword disappeared from his hand, and the two flame swords came to life again. ''I created this world specifically for you, Yamamoto. As you can already tell, this world's atmosphere doesn't limit your power and it is very conducive for your flames to burst out in all their glory. Your power will not destroy anything, nor will kill anyone, except for you,'' he turned to Aizen. ''I see you've already fused with that thing.''
Aizen merely smiled, choosing not to respond. While he liked talking, he would sit this one out and allow Yamamoto his chance. The final battle would be between him and Naruto after all. He did note that Naruto activated his eyes when dealing with Kenpachi and had yet to deactivate them, which made him assume that he was going to take this a bit seriously. Well, you had to be serious when faced by a man who had power that could even overwhelm him, for now at least. Once he got ready, there could be no power that rivals his.
Naruto held both his flame swords in front of him, while his hands were put in an x position - his eyes had returned to normal. He bended down a bit and small gusts of winds began to pick up around him; he vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only the gusts. Yamamoto held his blade vertically as his instincts kicked him. Just then, Naruto appeared in front of him, leaning forward a bit, as though he was running. The former captain swung his sword in a blur. The sword connected with Yamamoto's Zanpakutou in a connection that resounded around the entire area, and picked up red and black flames.
Yamamoto pushed back a little before his right hand gripped his sword tightly and sliced through space aiming at Naruto's waist. The attempt to cut the blond in half was blocked by Naruto's swing. The clashing of both swords created gusts of hot wind, mixed with red and black flames, while crushing the ground the two opponents stood.
Naruto's right sword continued to push Yamamoto for dominance while the left cut through the air, but this one went in high, with intact to slice the head off the shoulders. The Sotaicho showed he wasn't just called the strongest Shinigami for show; even when still trying to push Naruto, he managed to slide the blade towards the ground and pinned it down. In a fluid movement, he attempted a leg sweep, but Naruto jumped up to avoid the assault.
''I hope it is okay if I join in,'' Aizen stated as he appeared in front of Naruto, who was above ground after dodging Yamamoto's blade. The traitorous former captain didn't waste much time before landing a right footed kick on Naruto's temple. The kick sent the blond into airborne, but he was quick to recover from the damage and landed down gracefully.
But Yamamoto blurred in front of him as soon as he landed down; the Captain Commander swung his blade from the right, only to see it blocked by Naruto's left sword. He wasn't deterred to stop as he moved to the left little and swung the blade in a horizontal slash. Naruto blocked the blow with his right sword, which was held facing up. The self-proclaimed emperor swung his free left sword straight at Yamamoto, who responded by jumping back a little to avoid the blow.
He didn't stand still for a long; he darted towards Naruto a lot faster than before. Ryujin Jakka cleaved through the air, as his feet crushed the ground once he stopped just in front of Naruto from the blond's right side. The flame engulfed sword slashed with so much force and speed that the ground from the side began to peel off. Naruto placed both his swords in front of him in a vertical position. A fire explosion rocked through between the two when the swords clashed. Yamamoto's blow, being that it was the one on the offensive, propelled Naruto backwards.
''Well, you don't seem to be holding back,'' Naruto said, managing to smile despite the situation facing him. He hadn't slid backwards simply because he wasn't putting much effort - it was because Yamamoto's swing has that strong.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes at Aizen. In a flash, his blade was swung towards the former captain and a wave of flames rushed towards the man who didn't do anything. Flames erupted around the king of Hueco Mundo, trapping him inside a dome of a blazing inferno, ''he was getting in the way,'' the old man stated.
''Ho?'' Naruto arched an eye brow before shaking his head. ''I shouldn't have expected no less from you, Genryusai,'' he said.
Yamamoto ignored that statement since he wasn't questioned anything and quite honestly had no patience to respond to such meaningless words. ''Though powerful, you swings are not strong enough. Are you really familiar with using two blades at once?''
''And I suppose you removed Aizen from the stage because you believed I only carried two swords because I would be facing two opponents. With him out of the way, I can focus on you,'' Naruto said. ''If you really prefer to fight me with just one sword, then I will give you that. It is only fair that I do so since this will be your last battle.''
''Do not say such foolish words,'' Yamamoto retorted sternly. ''You may be strong enough to cut me, but killing me is another matter altogether. I'm unlike those naive children, but you should know that better...''
''I guess we're going to prove who is right now, don't we, Genryusai Yamamoto?''
Naruto held the sword on his right hand firmly, before peeling off earth chunks as he took off towards Yamamoto in great speed and power. The Captain-commander didn't simply wait for him to attack while he remained standing. The wielder of the claimed most powerful Zanpakutou darted towards Naruto in considerate speed, matching Naruto's. Once they two neared each other, Naruto's swing cut through towards Yamamoto's shoulders. The opponent raised his katana at that level, and both swords clashed, igniting another explosion of flames, this time mixed with a bit of electricity.
Yamamoto jumped back a little after the first strike, but before he could even think of charging at Naruto, the blond was already at him again, aiming a downwards slash that came just above his hand. Yamamoto placed his sword above him to block the blow. When the swords clashed, the Sotaicho was forced to bend slightly over the power behind Naruto's blow, and all while his feet burrowed down the ground.
Yamamoto pushed Naruto back, by pushing his blade upwards with both his hands. The push put Naruto off-balance a little, but enough for Yamamoto to recover and aim a swing at Naruto's left shoulder. But Naruto acted quickly and decisively by aligning his sword along with his shoulder to block the powerful sword. The tremendous force caused sparks to fly as Naruto slid to the side slightly.
Naruto didn't get a chance to breathe as Yamamoto cut the distance that had been created in seconds while his katana cleaved through the air from his left side, going towards Naruto's right around the middle section of his body. Naruto placed his blade in the same position as he on the previous blow to block the attack. He was again pushed to the side by the amount of power Yamamoto was putting behind his swings.
The Captain-commander took the air as he charged again for his next blow; more flames flickered around Ryujin Jakka's blade as he swung the blade in a downwards slash. Naruto made no attempt to block the blow; he quickly jumped back to avoid it, causing Yamamoto's blow to hit the ground in a loud boom that created a crater.
Naruto took the opportunity to dash towards Yamamoto while he was still trying to pull his katana from the ground. The blond didn't waste time in reaching the captain commander; his left foot touched down the ground before he twisted around, aiming a high kick towards his opponent. But Yamamoto showed why he was the captain commander; he blocked the kick with his left hand before it could even reach him and only managed to bend a little, ''is that all?'' he asked, with a narrowed look at the blond, who still had his foot raised high.
''Hardly,'' Naruto responded before initiating another attack. Once both his feet touched down the ground, he moved onto his left a little to give himself more space; the right hand freely swung the sword with such tremendous speed that it was nearly invisible and Yamamoto only at the time to hastily put Ryujin Jakka in front of him for defense. Once Naruto's sword connected with his, Yamamoto was sent rocketing away from Naruto.
The Sotaicho recovered quickly by crouching down a little and gripping the ground by his right hand while the momentum carried. Once he'd finally stopped, he stood up straight and switched his katana to the right hand. ''Your swings are becoming stronger by the minute, and you don't leave many openings; you're still good as before with you handling of the sword.'' Yamamoto stated. ''But you will have to do better...''
''You mean,'' Naruto took a single step forward before completely blurring out of sight. Yamamoto quickly twisted around as he was able to follow the movements, ''like this,'' if he was expecting Naruto to swing his blade, he was dead wrong. The blond had his right hand facing him with its palm open. ''Amaterasu no kuro buresu.'' A stream of intense flames formed from thin air and rushed at Yamamoto, before engulfing him.
When the black flames died down, Yamamoto was seen standing, knees bent a little, while both his hands formed an x position just in front of his face. Black smoke was coming out of his body, which spotted no burns. But considering the smoke coming out of his body and the gritted teeth, that was no painless experience for him.
Once Yamamoto removed his hands from his face to look up to Naruto, he cursed when Naruto snapped his fingers, and a number of spears of black flames formed from thin air all around him. ''Amaterasu no Kokuso,'' the blond muttered before the 30plus spears all charged at Yamamoto at once.
Boom!
An explosion mixed with black and red flames tore through the battleground. The explosion increased the heat around and picked up some debris from the desert like field. Once the cloud of mixed flames died down, a sizeable crater remained from the explosion and an unharmed Yamamoto standing in the middle of the crater. He had some bruises though, instead of burns because of the flames.
''You protect yourself by calling upon Ryujin Jakka's flames,'' Naruto stated, smiling though, despite Yamamoto escaping from his attack unharmed. A blow such as that would have harmed anyone.
''Using your sword in that form seems to rob you of your usual sword's abilities,'' Yamamoto stated. ''But in turn, does it give you more control over Amaterasu's flames?'' He had noticed that Naruto hasn't used the sword for any other ability. Knowing him, it must mean he can't, otherwise he would've already.
Naruto shook his head, ''didn't I ever tell you before? These black flames weren't originally Amaterasu's. They were flames I controlled myself, I just handed them to Amaterasu when I created her. But that doesn't mean that I still can't control them freely.'' What Yamamoto didn't know was that he only did that because it would enable him to access the flames without even using the Sharingan since there was another source of those flames in the outside.
''Let us get back to it, shall we?'' Naruto, again, raised his hand. More black spears formed just above Yamamoto. This time, the Sotaicho was quick to notice them, and he also noted they were in the same number as last time. They just appeared in a different location and would surely attack from above not sideways like before. Naruto waved his hand to command the spears to rain down on Yamamoto.
''The same technique? Didn't you fail with it before?'' Yamamoto gripped his blade firmly before waving it towards the incoming projectiles. A large wave of flames was created and it clashed with the spears, causing the explosion above him.
But when Yamamoto was busy swinging his sword, he'd made the mistake of taking his eyes off Naruto, and paid for it when the blond flashed a little on his left side. He couldn't do anything to stop his swing, and even if he stopped it, he couldn't move in time to block Naruto. Because of this, Naruto's sword struck him on the chest with so much force that he felt like he'd been hit by a hummer. And the tough captain coughed out blood before he could even be picked by the force of the blow. Yamamoto was sent airborne like a bullet, crashing into a considerable distance away from Naruto.
Meanwhile
''Ouch, that ought to have hurt,'' Gin said, wincing a bit as if he was the one who'd been hit. The former captain had actually felt the impact of that blow from where he sat, and was sure a normal Shinigami would've been crushed. He guessed there was some truth in Naruto saying fighting with that kind of sword allows him to smack the Sotaicho around a bit.
While Gin's presence wasn't that of a problem, but to someone like Kaname who would have no problems in killing the traitor where he sat for betraying Aizen – t was a problem. While Aizen wasn't concerned about it, he was downright pissed at the betrayal. Others didn't have much of a problem with the Shinigami. He may be weird, but since they were given a chance to relax and merely observe the battles, they were going to do just exactly that.
Grimmjow wasn't the least happy though; he was a fighter by nature and every part of his hollow body screamed to fight the good fight. He couldn't stop gritting his teeth even now because of this lack of entertainment. The Shinigami on the other side seemed content with just relaxing, but he wasn't relaxed, he was downright frustrated, and if it wasn't the binds that were binding him down, he would've already jumped at the Shinigami to cut them open.
''They do seem to be getting serious,'' Harribel offered her thoughts, watching through her own eyes rather than from the monitors put before them. ''I do wonder how power that man is. The power coming from the head captain feels much stronger, and he doesn't appear to be taking any hit,'' though she wouldn't say it aloud, Yamamoto's reiatsu output felt stronger than Aizen's. But knowing him, he surely had something up his sleeve.
''How did it feel like getting your ass whipped by a Shinigami?'' Nonorita asked Ulquiorra with a grin on his face. Unfortunately, the Espada in question had no patience to respond to such trivial question. Instead, he chose to focus down at the ongoing battle.
Out of all the Espada, no one was as happy as Starke that they weren't fighting. He may be number one, but he had no love for fighting. He would only fight when there is no choice, but he'd been offered the time to relax here and that was much appreciated. ''How strong is he?'' he asked Gin. He couldn't feel a bit of the man's power, so he had to rely on information from others and what he was seeing to be able to tell.
''I don't know,'' Gin said. ''But he was powerful enough to defeat Aizen even without his full power.''
Back at the fight
''I was thinking that there was no steel within those flames,'' Yamamoto stated, after he'd returned to the scene. ''However, regardless of how much powerful your flames are, they cannot be compressed hard enough to stand Ryujin Jakka's swing.
Naruto offered no words in response; he darted towards the Captain-commander, holding his blade with his left hand. Once he reached the Head-captain, he swung his blade towards the neck. Since his sword had no edge, it wouldn't cut Yamamoto even if it did hit. The opponent didn't block the swing by his blade; he merely caught the flamed shaped sword with his bear right hand.
''Like you said, it has no edge, and your left hand is two times weaker than your right hand. Catching this sword isn't a risk. Only some mild burns will suffice,'' Yamamoto said before swinging his katana downwards, across Naruto's chest, cutting him. Yamamoto did stop there, he loosened his grip on Naruto's sword, and jumped back a little, ''Taimatsu,'' a simple wave of his sword created a wave of intense flames that reached Naruto in seconds, consuming him in moments before he could even think of escaping.
Once the flames died down, Naruto's form became visible; he was standing still, the cut on his chest still visible, and his coat has burned down him downwards till his middle-section body. While the blow was powerful enough to turn many Shinigami to ash, Naruto wasn't normal by any means. The wound on his chest closed up in a second while Yamamoto watched.
''Not even a single burn,'' Yamamoto commented dryly at the result of his blow. He may have cut the blond, but the wound had already been healed and Naruto wasn't the one to run out of stamina, and he this would go on for a while until he releases his Bankai.
''Not quite,'' Naruto responded. ''That actually burned and gave me some burns; I was just quick to remove them. Still, if you're going to dig a huge hole, you're going to have to do better than this Yamamoto.''
''You haven't been doing an better yourself,'' Yamamoto retorted.
''Let's try this again...''
Naruto sped towards the Captain Commander in a blinding speed; once he reached the oldest captain, his sword cut through the air in tremendous speed that caused more flames to pour out of the sword. Yamamoto reacted in instinct by placing his Zanpakutou right in front of him, while its tip was facing upwards. The sword of Naruto clashed with Ryujin Jakka violently, with enough force to propel Yamamoto backwards for a considerable distance. The clash of the swords released a powerful shockwave that tore through the ground, like a sonic boom.
Even though he had tried to put all his power to block the swing, Yamamoto felt some powerful tremors from the clash of the swords, and he could no longer doubt it now - there was a thin steel covered in black flames in Naruto's sword. It wasn't just pure flames as Naruto liked them to believe. Upon stopping from the momentum, Yamamoto dropped his blade down on the ground. The swing had been way powerful than any swing he'd experienced in all his life. To think that Naruto had such a powerful swing...
He looked were Naruto stood; he was floating just above the crater formed by the force of his sword. 'So this is his true swing,' he thought. Now he could understand why the man could take his punches and only bleed slightly. Normally, his fists were enough to shatter the body of a soul or a hollow. Still, he would not be bettered in a battle of physical strength; he could still do better than what he has been doing until now.
The former captain blurred out of his sight before he could even pick up his sword. Yamamoto only had the time to place both his hands in front of him for a defense when he saw Naruto's sword rushing towards his chest, but the sword never reached him. Instead, Naruto's sword disappeared in the blink of an eye. The former captain held out his right hand, facing Yamamoto with his palm opened, ''Ground Zero,'' he said before an invisible force forced Yamamoto down the ground in a blur.
Naruto's sword appeared again on his right hand, and he held out his left hand as if he was expecting to catch something. The sword on his right hand was swung straight at Yamamoto's chest, who was recovering. Yamamoto made all his efforts to strengthen his body with his reaitsu just so his rib cage couldn't break from a swing that was glaring dangerously at him. Once it connected with his chest, he thanked his instincts. The blow picked him up from the ground, but was never allowed to go airborne as Naruto's waiting left hand caught his right foot before he was slammed down the ground.
Naruto's right foot followed soon by stomping on his gut; the sword was pointed at his neck, just touching below his chin. ''Why are you still holding back, Shingekuni? Should I cut you into pieces for this mockery?''
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes a bit as his Zanpakutou flashed into his right hand. Naruto was quick to notice and attempted to jump away a little, but Yamamoto threw in a vicious swing, coated with intense flames. The sword cut through Naruto's right hand swiftly. The former captain attempted to put some distance, but a furious Yamamoto was in front of him in a matter of a second; he swung Ryujin Jakka in a downwards slash that zipped through Naruto's chest, leaving a gash that spat out a crimson liquid.
Yamamoto followed this by swiping his blade towards the opponent, ''Taimatsu!'' He yelled before a wave of very, very intense flames rushed towards a bleeding Naruto. Upon clashing with the former captain, a loud flaming explosion occurred through the ground with powerful gusts of wind.
When the calm was restored, Naruto was standing still, face buried within both his hands - the right was still cut. His entire upper clothing had been burned and the visible part of his body was spotting burns. Naruto held out both his hands and looked at Yamamoto with a smile. ''The power of your fury; it certainly does pack a punch,'' he said while his body burned all the burn marks, and his arm regrew as well as his clothing. He now looked perfectly fine.
''This is nothing, and you should do better if this is to end soon,'' Yamamoto gave his response.
Naruto looked amused. He switched his sword into his left hand and raised his right index finger. Yamamoto lost sight of the blond for a moment until he appeared a few inches away from him. His eyes only widened a little; that was fast. Guess he should have expected it - there was a time when Naruto was the fasted Shinigami in Soul Society by miles. He did however, rarely showed his skill in speed.
''I can reach you any time, Shingekuni,'' Naruto said, the index finger now poking the Sotaicho on his left shoulder. ''Byakurai!'' the pale blue lightning shot through Yamamoto's shoulder. The Head didn't even so much as flinch in pain nor even mind when blood started to leak out of his shoulder.
He chose to retaliate when Naruto moved back a little; he swung his katana vertically aiming to cut through Naruto's gut. The blond moved back a little, again, while raising his right foot high. Just as Yamamoto's blade was about to pass by him, he hit it with the back of his foot, forcing it to pin down the ground.
Yamamoto didn't waste time to act - in fact, he acted before Naruto could; he let go of his blade lunged at the blond in a quick jump. Both his fists crashed into Naruto's gut with so much force that there was a resounding boom when they connected. The blond was sent rocketing away. In lightning speed that could only be expected from the Head-captain, Yamamoto picked up his katana and blurred just above Naruto. ''Taimatsu!''
Boom!
Naruto was forced down the ground the intense flames like a bullet. The crashing, plus the wave of flames created a large dome of flames that stood still for a few moments before settling. When it did, Naruto was lying inside a crater by his back, both his hands stretched out wide. Yamamoto saw it when the burns all over his body disappeared, and it made him wonder how powerful his instant regeneration capabilities were.
''Well, that was unpleasant,'' the blond muttered. He didn't get a chance to get up as Yamamoto crashed down on him with the intent pierce through his forehead. But Naruto managed to slide his head to the left just in the nick of time to avoid a blow which wouldn't have been good for his health. ''You're not being merciful, are you?'' Naruto asked, Yamamoto who was just above him.
Naruto quickly placed his right hand just about Yamamoto's chest, ''Cero,'' a powerful blast of black energy collided with Yamamoto's chest and wasn't kind enough to leave it as it was. The blast lifted the Sotaicho above the ground. When he reached high above, Naruto was already waiting from him. The flaming sword on his right hand connected with Yamamoto's back with such tremendous force that Yamamoto let out a subtle sound as he was forced down the ground.
Boom! Large chunks of earth were uplifted by the crash of Yamamoto. Naruto wasn't quite done, yet; he held out his right hand and a black ball of condensed energy. ''Reiatsu bomb,'' He shot the ball into the chunk of earth and debris still above ground.
Boom!
Another explosion rocked through the ground. This time the explosion was black, and formed a large dome that washed the battleground with powerful gusts of winds. The gusts rocked through the field for a few moments before everything calmed down. But that calmness only lasted for a few seconds, ''Bankai, Zanka no Tachi!''
A breathless amount of reiatsu exploded from Yamamoto with so much potency that the hollows felt one feeling within the bones; fear. If the intense heat that was now making it difficult to breathe, the reiatsu pouring out was enough to make a proud hollow piss on his pants, if hollows do take a leak. There was no doubt; this man was stronger than Aizen in terms of pure spiritual power. It was a wonder to Harribel how that man could withstand a pressure with a smile on his face.
''You say that you're immortal, but I will see if you can regenerate from ashes,'' a bruised, a slightly bleeding Yamamoto stated, menacingly as he started walking towards Naruto.
The next chapter will conclude things. Depending on how long the battle between Naruto and Aizen takes, I may or may not add an epilogue in the next chapter.