Hey guys, I'm back. Reason why it's been so long: school. School's back in, and the teachers are merciless. I'll try to squeeze in a few lines every here and there, but I'm not making any promises as to when I'll update. And then I decided to change Naruto's release, so I wound up rewriting a lot.
Just FYI, I watched about half of Bleach: Memories of Nobody. Then I turned it off. Naruto and Bleach have a lot in common, including the complete lack of ability on the big screen. The movie brought up some odd points though. At one point, Rukia says that shinigami do not remember their former lives. Yet, the ghosts in the series often talk about trying to find their families (such as the possessed bird hanging around Chad in the earlier episodes). So do they get their minds wiped when they become Shinigami? Hmm.
Anyway, this does not apply to this fanfiction.
Also, the new Shippuuden (this word and jinchuriki have got to be the hardest words ever made) chapters reveal the rest of Akatsuki. They might be a part of Akatsuki in this fanfic, they might not. Time will tell.
It seems like a lot of people want longer chapters. The reason why I don't do ridiculously long chapters like other writers is because I'm still pretty new to this story-writing business. By the second chapter, this has become the longest writing that I have ever done in my life.
However, I am trying to lengthen my chapters more, and so far, each of my chapters has been longer than the previous. I'm hoping to get up to around ten pages or so a chapter, and hold it there. Don't be afraid to let me know if I'm going to deep into detail or not deep enough, though.
Many reviewers have been asking why I made Naruto an Arrancar instead of a Vaizard. There are several reasons, but the main reason is that originally this whole fic was going to be about Sasuke, a Shinigami, hunting Naruto, a Hollow, before he destroys Konoha. But, after the second chapter, I got a crazy, awesome idea for a plot, which is what I'm currently followin. The other big reason is, well ok, I just thought it would be awesome to be unique and make him into an Arrancar.
Other people seem to be upset because they believe that Arrancars are more limited than Vaizards. Please, I ask you to observe this timeline. (Note that these aren't exact)
Episode 1-Shinigami Introduced
Episode 17-Release Introduced
Episode 40- Bankai Introduced
Episode 55-Vaizard Introduced
Episode 120- Arrancars Introduced (I know, you see them around 60, but shoot, they don't do anything then)
Episode 125-Vaizard ability to remove put on/remove mask introduced.
My point? It took 40 episodes to reveal everything Shinigami can do and 70 episodes to reveal everything Vaizards can do. The Arrancars have been around for all of 20 episodes. Give them time, and I'm sure we'll see what the Arrancars can do in future episodes/volumes/whatever.
The saddest part is that out of all of my readers, probly only like 5 of you will take the time to go through this huge hunk of prechaper text.
Now, I'll respond to a few reviews and then get on with the story.
Death Incarnate: Yeah, not too much action in chapter 4. However, the stage had to be set in the Shinobi World for future… events.
spedclas: Sorry, no significant pairings in this fic. I've gotten the plot lined out, so any large pairings would just be dead weight. There will probably be some hints of relations though. I am planning on starting another Naruto-based story sooner or later, and that one will contain a pairing.
FFX: Kenpachi squaring off against Sasuke, that would have been interesting. However, Ichigo defeated Kenpachi during chapter 2.
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto or Bleach, I would sell them on e-bay. Since the copyrights aren't on bid under my account, I must not own them. Wow, already a page and a half of pre-chapter. Story time.
Chapter 5
The Hand Called Kyuubi
The room was quiet enough that one would be able to here a senbon drop. Naruto and Haku stood at opposite ends of the room. Naruto was stunned to meet this person who so reminded him of himself from more than three years ago. Haku, on the other hand, was coming to terms with what he had to do.
Haku's hand slid down to a pouch strapped around his waist. He paused, hesitating for a second, before smoothly drawing several senbon needles.
"I'm sorry, Naruto." With that, Haku launched the needles towards vital points on the blonde's body. Naruto leapt to the side, toppling desks as he went. Haku kept up his attack, forcing Naruto to form a few kage bunshins to take the senbons for him.
"Why Haku?! Aren't we friends!?"
Haku nodded, "You are a very important friend to me, Naruto. However, I made a deal with the Death God. After one thousand years of service to him, he will release Zabuza from Hell. I failed Zabuza once, and I will never fail one so precious to me again. As a shinigami, it is my duty to slay Hollows in all of their forms. I'm sorry."
Naruto nodded. He felt the same way about his memories. Each one, be it good or bad, was extremely important to him, and he would not let them be taken. "I understand. But," his hand gripped the hilt of his broadsword, "Don't expect me to just lie down!" Naruto drew his four foot blade, and charged towards Haku.
A small smile formed upon Haku's face. "I expected no less." Naruto swung his blade in a low, horizontal arc. Haku jumped and drew his own zanpakuto, a shortsword around a foot long. Naruto transferred the momentum of the swing into a diagonal slash. Haku flipped upside-down in the air, and the two zanpakutos met in a harsh clash of sparks.
The weight of Naruto's blow sent Haku flying towards the roof of the room. He's gotten stronger, Haku thought. Haku performed a kawairmi with a desk. The desk, gaining Haku's momentum, smashed through the ceiling. A lot stronger, Haku thought grimly. Haku sent a dozen senbon towards Naruto's exposed back. Naruto leapt up through the hole the desk had made.
Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! Naruto yelled from the floor above, and Haku ran out into the hallway as the ceiling collapsed under the combined weight of thiry-or-so desks and several tons of kage bunshin. Naruto jumped out of the wreckage and charged Haku, attempting to run him through with the tip of the sword. With so little room in the narrow hallway, Haku was forced to block, placing his left hand along the flat of the blade for additional support. Still, it did not stop his feet from sliding backwards.
As Haku's back slammed into the wall, he dissolved into a thousand drops of water. Before Naruto could even think mizu bunshin (water clone), Haku had his sword pointed against the nape of his neck. Feeling a slight breeze, Haku leapt to the side in order to dodge the killing vertical swipe delivered by a surviving kage bunshin. A few quick senbon disposed of it, but by then Naruto had already recovered, blocking the remaing needles.
Naruto performed another horizontal arc, but the blade bit into the wall, slowing the obscenely large zanpakuto enough for Haku to duck underneath the blade, and perform a sweeping kick at Naruto's legs. Naruto jumped and did a forward summersault, bringing his blade in a full moon vertical spin, the zanpakuto rending the floor and ceiling alike. Haku rolled out of harm's way and stabbed at Naruto, but luckily his blade had caught in the floor, causing Haku's zanpakuto to pass harmlessly an inch from his skin.
Planting his feet on the ceiling with reiatsu, Naruto grunted as he pulled his broadsword out of the floor. Both of them leapt back as the hallway groaned and a section of it fell down to the floor below.
The janitor from squad four paused as he heard a rumble from above and watched dust fall from the ceiling. He grumbled, "Damn punks. If they're gonna fight, they should clean up too." Still grumbling, he walked down the hall.
Naruto looked at Haku from his crouch on the ceiling. The cool breeze that was blowing through the break in the wall felt nice on his sweaty face. Haku, breathing slightly, said, "This isn't working. We need more room. Cafeteria is this way, follow." Haku turned around and sprinted down the hall. Naruto leapt across the chasm and landed gracefully-to some extent- upon the floor. Sheathing his broadsword, he ran after Haku.
Naruto looked around, a frown appearing on the half of his uncovered mouth. Judging by the tables and the smell, this was the cafeteria, but where was Haku? A clouded mirror began to form in front of him. Looking around, he saw that they were forming on all sides, even above him. Naruto remembered this… technique. Unfortunately, he did not remember how to beat it. "Well, this is gonna suck."
Senbon rained down upon him from every direction. Desperately, Naruto continued creating kage bunshins to take the needles. His sword had proven useless; it had bounced off of the mirror and left his hand trembling. He had to come up with something fast, although he could keep up the bunshins all day, it would only be a matter of time before one senbon-or one hundred- got through to him.
Naruto churned through his mind, searching every memory for an answer. Finding none, he began checking every memory for something-anything he could use. In his mind's eye, he saw a dark sewer. Before he could even wonder where that memory had come from, he was pulled into the darkness.
Naruto opened his eyes and slowly stood up. He was in a dark sewer with water up to mid-shin. There was a hot wind blowing against his face. Déjà vu filled every part of him, but he could still not remember where he had seen this place before.
Naruto walked through the dimly lit tunnels, the wind increasing with each step. He turned a corner and was blinded by light. When he could see, he gasped at the sight before him.
There was a huge room with the remains of steel bars-each at least six feet in diameter- bending every which way. Deep gashes covered the backs of the twisted bars. Naruto picked up two scraps of paper floating on the surface. Lining them up, he could see that they read "Seal," in simple kanji. Yet the papers practically burned with power in his hands.
Naruto's eyes suddenly widened as his memory went into overdrive.
Naruto stared with awe as he walked toward the giant steel prison. Three long claws shot between the bars, causing Naruto to jump back. Two glowing, slitted eyes formed behind the gate, along with an enormous, grinning mouth.
"It is about time that we met, brat" The demon rumbled.
"You… you are the Kyuubi!"
"Aren't you the observant one. If it weren't for his damnable seal, I would gladly consume you for your idiocy, and your pathetic village of worms as well" The Kyuubi's grin grew larger.
"Hey, damn fox! Since you're staying in my body, you gotta give me chakra when I need it as rent!" Naruto yelled.
Kyuubi roared with laughter. "If you die, then I die as well. Very well then, now be gone!"
Naruto observed the broken gate where the demon had resided for fifteen years. He had died, so… was Kyuubi dead as well?
Naruto noticed a passage in the back of the cage. Through it, he could see light, and the hot wind seemed to be blowing through it. Naruto stepped through the passage, and blinked.
The sewer had vanished, and surrounding him was a dusty red canyon. Chasms cut through the earth seemingly at random, and boulders towered above him. The hot wind howled as it blew through the various crevices.
"Just… where… am I?" Naruto wondered aloud.
"Just where do you think we are, brat?"
Naruto spun around. "Strange, you look… different from what I remember. What the hell happened to you, damn fox?"
Sitting on top of a boulder was a fox. On its haunches, it was about seven feet tall. Its body was covered in white fur, and although the pupils of his eyes were still the same red slits, the whites of the eyes were pitch black. Two long tails lashed through the air behind him.
Kyuubi growled, "Those Akatsuki bastards did this to me. To think, that they would dare try to steal the power of the greatest of the bijous. Unfortunately, your pathetic human soul was only able to support two tails of my power."
"Well that explains your size, but…" Naruto snickered "Why are you white?"
Kyuubi bristled. "Insolent brat! This happened to meet when I ate some pale bastard who looked just like you! Annoying little bastard -even worse than you- and damnably chalky in taste. Still, he's persistent. Even now, he battles my mind, trying to overthrow me and seize control. Still, a gnat would have a better chance than anything that bears resemblance to you."
"Uuuuhhh… oook. Um, the shinigami guide said something about the spirit of my zanpakuto being somewhere in my mind. Have you seen 'em?"
Kyuubi grinned. "As a matter of fact, I think I have. I seem to recall," Kyuubi's grin grew larger, "that he was a quite a tasty morsel, and entertained me with the antics he called swordplay before I finished him."
Naruto yelled, "Damn it, fox! I need his power to use my zanpakuto's shikai!"
"Relax brat, I absorbed his powers, and I can assure you that I am capable of unleashing your zanpakuto. However, I want something in return. You must carry revenge out on Akatsuki."
"Who?"
"YOU FORGOT THAT AS WELL?!? YOU IDIOTIC SPAWN OF A HUMAN PARASITE!!!! THE ONES THAT KILLED US!!!!!"
Naruto's grin was feral as remembered the men in red clouds. "Don't worry, I fully intend to make them regret ever screwing with Uzumaki Naruto."
"Very well. However, being the stupid ape that you are, I must explain a few things to you. Transforming you from a Hollow to a Shinigami has made you into an insanely twisted and evil being called Arrancar. Or at least it should have, but my presence has altered this."
"That's strange, I thought you would love nothing more than for me to be evil."
"Do not compare the depth of true evil to that of the mindless raving of the Arrancars. They are hardly better than the Hollows they once were.
You, however, are something beyond that. Part human, part shinobi, part spirit, part Hollow, part Shinigami, part demon; you are something the world has never seen."
"I thought you said I was an Arrancar."
"You are an Arrancar. With benefits."
"Like what?"
"Your sanity, you stupid ape." Kyuubi sighed in frustration. "We have run out of time."
"What?"
"Fool. You're still fighting Haku. Don't forget to call upon me to unleash your zanpakuto, NOW GO!!!!"
Naruto snapped his eyes open to see the last of his kage bunshin being destroyed. His hands flashing through the familiar seals, he yelled Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!
With his temporary shield in place, Naruto reached deep within himself to find the Kyuubi's reiatsu. Grasping the hilt of his broadsword, Naruto roared:
"Enfadar, Kyuubi!"
Naruto flexed his right arm, now covered in short, black fur that seemed to absorb the light.a large clawed hand covered in short midnight black fur, with a jagged, crimson stripe running from his shoulder to the center of the top of his palm. Although his arm was still arguably human, his hand certainly not. Where the red striped ended, there seemed to be a closed eye. Five thin, crimson lines ran from the "eye" across the enlarged palm to the end of each finger. The fingers themselves were abnormally long, about eight inches, each one ending with a slightly curved claw. Covered in thin black fur, his hand seemed more fitting for a nightmare than reality.
Naruto thrusted his hand towards Haku, his arm extending and claws spread wide. Haku flowed into another mirror as the former one exploded into a shower of shards. Naruto spun around, smashing all of the mirrors into oblivion. Haku charged through the falling glass with zanpakuto drawn in hopes of catching Naruto off-guard.
Naruto's hand contorted, the bones snapping as it shaped into a perverse imitation of the broadsword it one was. The closed eye rested upon the hilt of the weapon where it joined Naruto's arm, and red veins ran through the entire length of the dark blade (imagine Soul Edge from Soul Calibur and you won't be too far off). Naruto easily blocked Haku's assault, and knocked him down with a flick of his wrist.
Naruto slashed downwards at Haku, but Haku blocked, halting the demented blade a mere foot from his throat. The two held that position for maybe a second or maybe hours; neither could tell. Then Naruto grinned, and the eye on his blade opened a hair, revealing a sliver of a burning red eye. The blade broke split into five fingers again, Haku's blade traveling up the length of Naruto's arm. Naruto only grinned wider, and the five claws shot downwards into his chest.
The blade fell from Haku's hand, Naruto's crippling wound already re-stitching itself. Naruto blanked out as he remembered Iruka, a man whose parents were killed by Kyuubi, yet still taught Naruto and treated him to the occasional bowl of ramen.
Figures I would remember a teacher in a school. Naruto drew a small portion of Haku's reiatsu. Sure, he needed to nourish himself, but he didn't want to kill Haku either. Sure, he knew they were both already dead, but he didn't want to risk his friend's life- err, afterlife- by taking all of his reiatsu.
Naruto looked at his hand, noting that the eye had shut tight again. Naruto's arm stretched as he tore a hole in the ceiling and pulled himself up to the roof. He looked around, observing a large, mainly white city. There was a cliff in the distance with what looked like an absurdly large medieval execution platform. Naruto gasped as a flaming bird appeared at the top of the cliff.
As he felt the power roll by him, he began to jump from building to building towards it. Screw Sarutobi, if he could beat that phenomenal bird with all of that reiatsu, he was certain he would get his memories back. He locked Kyuubi back into the zanpakuto form, and began to head to the execution cliff, grinning all the way.
Jutsus
Kage bunshin no jutsu- shadow clone technique
Tajuu kage bunshin no jutsu- mass shadow clone technique
Kawairmi- replacement technique. Allows a nin to replace himself with another object (in the manga/anime, they mainly use logs)
Sword Moves
Enfadar, Kyuubi!- Rage, Kyuubi!
About Naruto's Zanpakuto's Release
Basically, its an arm that is extremely versatile, able to stretch, contract, and take on entirely new shapes (such as, but not limited to, a sword). Also, its' regenerative abilities are far beyond the rest of Naruto's body. As for what the eye means…. Well, you'll just have to wait and see.
RnR so I know if I'm doing well and how I can do better. I promise Sasuke will be in the next chap. Cya!