Gotei 13: General Yamamoto's Chambers
"Yamamoto-sensei, why have you called us here?" asked Ukitake curiously.
"I have called you all here because two of our captains have decided to disband from Soul Society and we now have two divisions without captains," answered Yamamoto with a slight frown on his face.
"Which two captains have left our ranks?" asked Aizen though he already knew the answer. Right now, the chamber was filled with the captains from the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 13th divisions. The other captains that weren't present were too busy or out in the human world so they couldn't make it to the meeting.
"Urahara Kisuke of the Twelfth Division and Shihoin Yoruichi of the Second Division," said Yamamoto.
"Yoruichi-chan has left?" repeated Kyoraku clearly upset because he enjoyed ogling at her. Yamamoto and Ukitake both knew why Kyoraku was upset at hearing Yoruichi left and frowned at him.
"Those traitors should be dealt with immediately," demanded Komamura. Yamamoto raised his hand to calm down the captain wearing a helmet over his head.
"No, the Council 46 has decided that since both made numerous contributions to Soul Society while they were captains that they will merely be banished, but should they interfere on Shinigami business or use their abilities then they will be captured and executed," said Yamamoto.
"Is it truly wise to let Urahara-san live? He was the captain of the Twelfth division and knows many of Soul Society's secrets," said Aizen as he offered his own opinion.
"The matter has already been resolved so we speak no more of it. What we will speak of now is who is a viable replacement for them as we can not leave those two divisions without a captain," said Yamamoto with a hard look to get his point across.
"I say make that kid, Uzumaki or whatever, as the new captain of the Twelfth division. He has the brains to take it over and his skills are just as impressive," shrugged Kyoraku.
"Kurotsuchi Mayuri might be better as he has been part of the division longer and he fits the requirement as he has reached Bankai," pointed out Ukitake before he started to cough.
"I have to agree with Kyoraku-san, Uzumaki-san has made some major contributions to Soul Society during his time within his division. His soldier pills alone have not only increased the efficiency of dealing with Hollows, but also decrease the amount of deaths out in the field," smiled Aizen. He could really care less about the two facts that he pointed out, but knew it would help Naruto get the title of captain. With the title of Captain, Naruto could start performing his illegal experiments without having to worry about getting in trouble as he could make Council 46 agree to let him do them.
"Uzumaki-san would make an ideal captain of the Twelfth division," agreed Unohana.
"Hmm, though I have no doubt Uzumaki would make an excellent captain. Kurotsuchi does fulfill the requirements and as such he will be given the title of captain once I see that he has attained Bankai," said Yamamoto. Aizen frowned inwardly at that, but didn't worry to much because he knew that Naruto would never take orders from that man and would challenge him for the title.
"Now that the Twelfth division captaincy has been dealt with, we must discuss who should become the new captain of the Second division," sighed Yamamoto as he was growing tired of this already, but knew it had to be done.
Break
"So, Mayuri will be taking over as captain of the Twelfth division?" frowned Naruto as he sat down in front of Aizen and drank some tea.
"Yes, unless you are willing to show them your Bankai then he will be inducted as the Twelfth division captain," said Aizen with a small smile, as he knew Naruto had obtained his Bankai long ago, but never felt the need to show it to anyone.
"Hn, showing them my Bankai would merely allow others to analyze it and prepare against it. One should never show their true power until they have to," replied Naruto.
"Well then, it looks like you will have to challenge Mayuri to a fight after he receives the title of captain," smiled Aizen.
"Defeating him will not be a problem," said Naruto simply.
"Of course, he is weak and no match for your power," agreed Aizen as he finished his tea.
"Do you have any further information regarding these Vizards? I have yet to produce any significant results from the blood samples I obtained," asked Naruto, as he changed the subject.
"Not yet, but I am trying to contact my former taicho to see if he will meet with me. As of now I am busy with trying to find Urahara as he has disappeared completely from my sources," frowned Aizen.
"I see," said Naruto with a bit of disappointment.
"Do not worry, I will have the information you need on these Vizards in time, but finding Urahara is more important as of now. Tell me though, have you had any success duplicating the Orb of Distortion?" said Aizen with a greedy look in his eyes.
"No, he destroyed all his notes on it and without a sample of it I will not be able to replicate it or its effects. I might be able to start developing a prototype, but I will need some more knowledge on Arrancars and Vizards to do so," explained Naruto.
"I understand, I will get you that information immediately then while also keeping an eye out for Urahara-san," said Aizen with a small nod of his head.
First Division Quarters
Yamamoto, Kyoraku, Ukitake, and Aizen along with over 200 shinigami were gathered to watch the fight between Uzumaki Naruto and Kurotsuchi Mayuri. It was ironic that Mayuri had finally received the title he craved for so long and in less than an hour, someone he loathed for the position had officially challenged him.
Many were surprised by the action that Uzumaki took because it was a well known fact that he didn't really like being involved in such actions. He was one of those shinigami that preferred to stay in the shadows and be left alone. The young third seat shinigami never really demonstrated any fighting abilities since he had joined the Twelfth division even though he was the top student in the academy. That is why many people had shown up to watch the fight because they wanted to see if the prodigy from the academy was just a fluke or truly possessed the skill that many instructors were still bragging about even today, fifty years after he had graduated.
"I always knew you were jealous of me, and I will take great joy in killing you," glared Mayuri. Naruto stared at the man who wore too much make-up with an impassive look on his face. He knew he could easily beat this man if he went all out, but that would draw too much suspicion onto him on how he had grown so strong when he never demonstrated such skill before. Low to mid-level Kido and the basic abilities of his shikai would be what he would use to be this fool who thought himself better then everyone else.
"Kurotsuchi, Uzumaki, this will be a one-on-one fight where anything goes. The fight is not over until one of you is incapacitated or dead," said Yamamoto as he explained the rules. Naruto and Mayuri both nodded their heads to show they understood as their eyes never left each other.
"You may begin," announced Yamamoto as he banged his staff on the ground. Mayuri grinned as he quickly drew his zanpakuto then unleash his shikai, as he knew he couldn't afford to hold back against Naruto. He may loathe the young shinigami with all of his being, but he was not going to let that cloud his mind as faced the brat.
"Scratch out, Ashisogi Jizō," grinned Mayuri as he released his zanpakuto. His zanpakuto's blade disappeared and its in place formed a deformed looking trident with serpentine blades and a guard that looked to be in the design of a baby's face.
"Eternal Darkness, Xemnas," said Naruto impassively as his zanpakuto disappeared and two red beams formed in his hands.
"Such an interesting shikai, it seems like the type of thing that a Quincy would have seeing is how your beams are made out of pure spiritual energy. The only difference is that instead of using the spiritual energy in the air to create those beams, it is drawn straight from the being that makes up your zanpakuto," taunted Mayuri as he tried to get a rise out of Naruto.
"How pathetic, I expected more from you, but it seems you know nothing at all," replied Naruto with a disappointed look in his eyes. Mayuri's eyes narrowed in anger and decided to shut the brat up once and for all before disappearing via the use of shunpo.
Naruto calmly raised the beam in his left hand and blocked the blow that came at him from that side. He then tilted his head and looked at Mayuri with a bored look in his eyes as he easily held the man off with one arm.
"I may prefer to study and learn as much as I can, but there is a part of me that enjoys a good fight. I hope you will supply me with one before this is over," said Naruto before disappearing and reappearing behind Mayuri.
"You dare mock me," growled Mayuri as he used shunpo to avoid being cut in half.
"It was merely a request," said Naruto impassively. Mayuri's glare intensified before he reached up and pulled out the mechanical ear on his forehead. It turned into a small handheld scythe that he spun around a few times before throwing at Naruto. Naruto just deflected it back at Mayuri before launching a kido spell.
"Destructive Art#54: Abolishing Flames," said Naruto before launching a large purple blast of spiritual energy at Mayuri.
Mayuri easily dodged it with shunpo, but the moment he reappeared he screamed in pain when he felt something cut off his left arm before he was able to use shunpo to escape again. He glared at Naruto as the stump of his arm started to bleed profusely. Naruto just looked at him impassively, but was severely disappointed by the lack of skill Mayuri possessed.
'That bastard, he used the kido as a diversion then snuck up behind me,' thought Mayuri angrily before reaching into his uniform and pulling out a syringe.
"It seems I underestimated your skill, but it will not happen again," grinned Mayuri as he plunged the syringe into his arm and his left arm regrew to the shock of all the shinigami watching the fighting except the captains.
"Surrender and I will spare your life. You do not possess the skill to match me," said Naruto.
"Fool, I will show you why I was given the rank of captain and it just wasn't because that idiot Urahara ran away," sneered Mayuri before his body started to glow purple as he released his spiritual energy.
Captain's Box
"It seems Mayuri is releasing his Bankai. I believe that Naruto will no longer have the upper hand now," said Aizen with a fake smile.
"I don't know, that kid seems to be a much better fighter then Kurotsuchi. I got my money on him beating that weirdo even though he after he releases his Bankai," replied Kyoraku before taking a sip of his sake bottle.
"Kurotsuchi may not be much of a fighter, but his power dwarfs Uzumaki's and I believe he will be the victor of this fight," coughed Ukitake.
"Hmm," was all Yamamoto said as he watched the fight with a bit of interest.
Mayuri vs. Naruto
"Bankai," laughed Mayuri as he released the second stage of his zanpakuto. Naruto watched with impassive eyes as his zanpakuto transform from a deformed looking trident to some type of overgrown mutated caterpillar that easily stood as tall as a two-story house. The caterpillar possessed a red cape, a baby's head, and a silver halo over it while out of its mouth came a cloud of poisonous gas.
"How do you like it? Now you will feel the power of Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō," grinned Mayuri. A powerful kido barrier sprung up around the spectators to protect them from the poisonous gases that came out of Mayuri's Bankai.
"Cover this place in your poisonous gases," laughed Mayuri. His Bankai just roared before releasing a huge breath that covered the whole area in its gases.
"You should have never challenged me you arrogant brat. I am the only one immune to its poison and soon your body will start to deteriorate on you," smiled Mayuri with an insane glint in his eyes.
There was no response and Mayuri was about to dispel his Bankai, as he believed Naruto to be dead, but his eyes widened in horror when a huge black hole appeared in the sky and the poisonous gases started to get sucked away.
"Destructive Art#88: Black Hole that Swallows All," said Naruto as the gases were sucked away to reveal him standing in the same spot. Mayuri just watched in disbelief as all traces of his poisonous gas disappeared and the fighting area was once again visible to all.
"Impossible," spluttered Mayuri with wide eyes.
"Your Bankai is impressive and against any other opponent it would have no doubt killed them, but you underestimated the power of my shikai," said Naruto.
"What are you talking about?" growled Mayuri as he hoped to stall for some time to come up with a new strategy.
"You thought my shikai was formed from the spiritual power that resides within, the opposite of how a Quincy would fight. Though it was a good attempt to analyze my shikai, in the end, it was ultimately incorrect. My shikai has the abilities to form matter out of nothingness, which is how I am able to create these beams," explained Naruto, as Mayuri's eyes widened in horror, as he understood what that meant.
"That would mean, you could create any type of matter with or without the proper chemical substances," stuttered Mayuri as he looked up at the black hole that was still located above them in case he were to release more poisonous gases.
"I am not able to create anything, but I am able to create things that are immensely helpful in battle. Most of them focus on refining or developing my own kido spells like the one I just used. This fight is over, so long as that black hole remains above us, your poisonous gases are useless," stated Naruto.
"No, I refuse to lose to someone like you," yelled Mayuri before ordering his Bankai to destroy Naruto. The large caterpillar charged at Naruto at impressive speeds for something of its size, but compared to the speed of a shinigami who had mastered shunpo to the level Naruto had it was as slow as a snail.
Mayuri eyes went from victorious to horror as his Bankai exploded in a shower of blood as Naruto cut it in half starting from its mouth all the way down. He was in so much shock he didn't realize Naruto behind him until it was too late and his beam was sticking out of the middle of his chest.
"Farewell," said Naruto before using his other beam to behead the crazed scientist. He looked down at the now dead shinigami with a satisfied look in his eyes.
It wasn't until he had killed the man that he realized how much he detested the older shinigami. Unohana was one of the few people Naruto held great respect towards and Mayuri was her complete opposite. He was one of the many corrupt shinigami that the Council 46 and captains allowed to exist without so much as a reprimand for his many indiscretions.
'Perhaps that is why I truly agreed to join Aizen-san,' thought Naruto as he dispelled his shikai. He had never thought that he might have joined the man because he believed that Soul Society deserved to be destroyed due to the corruptness that when on, but it made some sense. Then again, the idea of being able to study and experiment without restriction because Aizen would use his zanpakuto to influence the council was a major factor as well. He would have to think more on the matter as he didn't like to be internally conflicted when it came to making a decision.
"Uzumaki-san, congratulations on your victory over Kurotsuchi-taicho," said Yamamoto.
"Thank you Yamamoto-taicho," bowed Naruto gratefully.
"From this point on you shall be the captain of the Twelfth division and I look forward to working with you," finished Yamamoto with a small nod of his head. The other captains nodded at Naruto as well and welcomed him to their ranks.
Twelfth Division: Mayuri's Lab
Naruto was now wearing the tradition captain robes as he walked around Mayuri's lab. He was here because even though he disliked the man, he couldn't deny the fact that he was a genius in his own right. That being said, there was bound to be a few things around here that might catch his interest and even help with his own experiments.
As he was walking around, he felt an abnormally high amount of spiritual power that could rival that of a lieutenant, somewhere in the lab. He traced the spiritual power to a hidden room in the back of the lab where there several tube like structures that could easily fit a shinigami in it. His eyes narrowed as he came upon the last tube and a woman who looked to be in her early twenties floated in the tube wearing absolutely nothing. There was a clipboard on the panel in front of the panel, which Naruto picked up and started to read it.
"Nemu," read Naruto. He figured that was the name Mayuri gave the woman as he continued to read more about her.
This Nemu, was apparently, created from Mayuri's research on gigai and artificially created souls. Her body was designed to survive even the most potent poisons and was equipped with several poisons internally to killed anyone or thing that would attack her from within. She was also able to survive fatal wounds that were inflicted on her according to the report, and didn't doubt that Mayuri had tested that theory thoroughly.
"Hmm, should she agree, I will make her my lieutenant," said Naruto as he went to release her from her containment. Mayuri may have thought of her nothing more then a subject, but Naruto wouldn't treat anyone like that as he had more respect for life then that man.
Break
Unohana was sitting at her table sipping on her herbal tea with a contemplative look in her eyes. The past fifty years had brought much change in her life as a shinigami. She had never let her personal feelings get in the way of her duty, but as of lately, she had been having trouble focusing. There was just a certain someone who always seemed plague her mind.
His name was Uzumaki Naruto, the new captain of the Twelfth Division, if what she had heard was right. He was the young man that kept entering her mind and making her lose focus. They started as just friends, but now she was hoping something more developed between them, but that seemed doubtful. The only way something would happen between them is if she made the first move and she couldn't because her duty came first.
"Taicho, Uzumaki-taicho is here to see you," said Isane as she entered the room and interrupted her captain's thoughts.
"Oh? Please send him in," said Unohana with a bit of surprise. Naruto had never been the one to seek her out, which is why she was caught off guard by his sudden visit. Isane just blushed slightly as Naruto thanked her before he entered the room and Isane took her leave.
Unohana couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face because she had to admit that Naruto seemed to fit into his new role of captain perfectly. The power and authority that rolled off him was intoxicating, so much more then it had been when he was just a seated officer.
"Congratulations on receiving the rank of captain Naruto-kun," smiled Unohana as he took a seat across from her. She then poured him a cup of tea, which he thanked her for as he took a sip.
"Thank you," nodded Naruto gratefully for the comment and the tea.
"I am surprised to see you here as you have never come to visit me in the past," teased Unohana.
"I was merely an academy student or a seated officer before, so it would have been improper to request a meeting with a captain like you on a monthly basis. Now that I am a captain, taking time to see you will be well within my rights," explained Naruto.
"Oh, does this mean you will come to visit me from now on?" asked Unohana with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"When I have the time and if you don't mind, I would like to visit you and talk with you like we usually do," said Naruto with a nod of his head. Unohana gave Naruto a brilliant smile at hearing him say that because now she knew that he had at least some feelings towards her even if he didn't realize it.
"I would like that very much Naruto-kun," replied Unohana with a beautiful smile. The two then started to chat as they always did and enjoyed each other's company.