Chapter 11
El Nido de Serpientes
Music
Confrontation; Bleach OST, Destiny Awaits; Bleach OST, Fade to Black A02; Bleach OST, Grief and Sorrow; Naruto OST, Fade To Black_3BLM_51a; Bleach OST, Storm Center; Bleach OST
The forest was dark and silent, that was what worried him. No forest should ever be silent. There should be the chirping of birds, the clicking of crickets, the calls of nocturnal animals. Yet there was nothing, it was as if a great evil had descended upon this place, scaring the animals away.
That was exactly what happened.
He had come here as part of a combat squad from the 9th, sent to eliminate an unusually large nest of Hollow. How many wasn't known, but according to reports from scouting groups it was just a bunch of average ghosts, there were no sign of any Menos Grande.
His breathing was quick and ragged as he ran through the dark and silent forest. His sword out of its sheath and held tightly in his right hand. He came to a clearing and stopped, looking around nervously into the canopy for anything that even looked like a monster.
A roar, eerie and terrifying erupted from the forest, sending a swarm of birds from their perches in a squawking mass. He flinched back from the scream.
They were all gone. His entire team had been massacred within minutes. The Hollow were like nothing he had ever seen before, although he had heard reports. They moved like a well oiled machine, each one covering the other as they attacked with ferocity expected from a pack of hungry wolves.
He spun to see a humanoid silhouette rise from the grass, slowly and purposefully, like a predator stalking wounded prey. He couldn't make out features or clothing. But he could make out the long hair which ran to waist length, the sinewy body, a bow of some sort seemed to be tied to its back.
It raised its hand and a trio of cobras shot out from its sleeve, hungry maws of poisoned teeth came at him. He didn't even have time to scream. Before he died he saw glowing yellow eyes with sickle like pupils, they looked like that of a snakes.
------
Six months passed.
He was sitting cross legged on the stump of a log, arms crossed and eyes lightly closed in deep meditation. This was one of the easiest ways to call upon the spirit of ones Zanpakuto. At least that was what he had been told. Meditation calmed the mind and body, allowing the spirit to pull you into its inner world and interact with you.
For someone like him with an almost hyperactive, sugar rush energy the most difficult thing was to be sitting completely still. For the first half hour he had tried desperately to suppress the urge to move. He growled, I am a former ninja, a former Hokage, this shouldn't be a problem!
He took a deep, cleansing breath and relaxed into his meditation. In the blink of an eye his other four senses became more acute. He could hear the chirping of birds a kilometre away, feel the sounds of footfalls from within the barracks, he could smell the whiffs of food coming from the kitchens. Hmm, beef stew tonight.
Suddenly he felt an incredible tug and when he opened his eyes he was sitting atop the Hokage's palace in Konoha. He looked forward to see the mass of structures of the Hidden Leaf Village reaching into the distance, and behind him he knew were the Hokage stone faces.
"Finally you have come"
He looked up to see Kazerasshu, standing twenty meters above him, looking down upon him with those calculating eyes. He vanished from view, reappearing at the other end of the palace as Naruto rose to his feet. He was still wearing his robes, his Zanpakuto still sheathed to his side.
His swords spirit had definitely come armed, shuriken and kunai pouches were attached to his upper legs and an exact duplicate of his own sword was on his back, held there by a strap across his torso. His sleeveless ninja vest was carrying a mass of scrolls and other weapons in its pockets.
The blonde grinned "So how do you want to do this?"
Kazerasshu raised a silver brow "How do you mean?"
"I realised something" he began, gazing at his Zanpakuto with a calculating eye "That if I want to become strong enough to earn this position then I cant just train myself. Sure I can hone my Kido to a razor edge, I can work on my fighting ability and my swordsmanship until I'm blue in the face, I can master Shunpo…But if I am truly to become stronger, if I am to be worthy of being Vice-Captain one day I cant just train myself, I need to know my Zanpakuto, learn from him and grow stronger with his help" he looked the silver haired ninja in the eyes "I need your help"
His Zanpakuto smiled in approval "How long have you known?"
"A few months" the blonde replied, before bowing deeply and respectfully "I'm sorry I haven't tried this sooner, but the Patrol Corps has taken up a lot of my time" he raised his head "Help me become stronger sensei"
His Zanpakuto chuckled "Very well then, but know this. I will not go easy on you. I will work you until you are half dead from exhaustion. I want to become stronger too after all"
He bowed again "Hai Sensei"
He raised his right hand and shot out a handful of shuriken and kunai, they embedded themselves in the wooden roof, forcing Naruto to jump back to avoid them. He landed on the edge, looking down as the last kunai struck the wood at his feet, attached to the ring at the end of its handle was a small sealed slip of paper, which lit up and started burning like a fuse.
A paper bomb
He tried to jump away, but was a split second too late as the bomb exploded, its shockwave sending him spinning to the ground below, he righted himself, landing on a smaller structure across the main street, digging his hands into the wood to stop and steady himself.
He skidded to a halt, raised his hands and shouted "Hado Sanjuuichi; Shakkaho (Way of Destruction 31; Shot of Red Fire)!"
A ball of red fire shot out of his hands like a bullet, soaring through the space towards where his Zanpakuto stood. He watched as the ninja put his hands together, he saw the hand seals for tiger and serpent.
"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Jutsu)!"
A wall of water seemed to explode from the street, coming up like a sheer cliff face of blue, his Hado slammed into it with an explosion of cooling steam and water. He could only look at the wall of water in shock and disbelief. That was a Jutsu, a water release Jutsu!
He heard another call from his Zanpakuto and knew immediately that he was in serious trouble "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu)!"
He watched as the wall of water came forward, heading towards him like a huge tsunami. Without thinking he ran, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and trying to ignore the crashing and crushing sounds as the tidal wave exploded through the city block behind him. He jumped, drew his Zanpakuto and roared its release command "Descend Kazerasshu!!!"
He swung the sword in a sweeping arc, releasing a blast of wind into the tsunami, huge blades of condensed wind blasted forth, striking the wave with the strength of a low level hurricane. The tsunami exploded in a mass of water and howling wind. Landing on a roof of a two storey house he looked up to the sky just as rain fell.
"Impressive" he turned to see Kazerasshu across from him, floating a meter off the rooftop "A midlevel Hado spell without the incantation, you are progressing well" he looked at his wielder for a moment "Aren't you going to ask me how I can perform Jutsu?"
He shook his head "We're in my inner world, its only natural you can use Jutsu here"
"Very good" the silver haired ninja applauded "So you will know that I will use all the Jutsu which were once in your arsenal, including shadow clone, water and wind based"
"What about the fox?"
"That is beyond me" he said with a shake of his head.
"Thank god for that"
Wordlessly he reached for the sword sheathed to his back, using his left hand to steady the bottom of the scabbard and his right to draw the weapon. The slow grind as he drew it was almost unbearable. He flicked the blade, a satisfactory swishing noise barely heard.
"Are you ready?"
He fell into a basic sword fighting stance "Bring it on"
He came too with a heave, trying with everything he had to regain his breathe. He looked down to see wet patches of blood from cuts and shallow slashes along his Shihakusho, he felt a drip of warm liquid from a small cut along his right cheek. Looks like wounds received in the inner world went with you to the real world. He made a silent promise to take off his uniform the next time he meditated.
He took a deep breath and waited, allowing the scratches and slashes across his body to heal themselves, within a few minutes all of his wounds were healed, not even leaving the slightest scar. Taking a last breath he rose and, taking his Zanpakuto from the ground walked to the barracks.
He was stopped by a sudden howl of wind and turned to see a member of the Counter Reversal Force kneeling before him "Naruto-sama" he said, making him force back a grimace, he would never get used to the title "I have a message from Yoruichi-taicho"
------
His captain was sitting in her usual throne, legs crossed and face leaning against a hand. In the room with her were ten members of his Patrol Corps, kneeling to the side with their heads bowed. She looked up as he entered and nodded, this meant that this was a serious matter.
"Come in Naruto" she greeted "A mission has just come up"
"What kind of mission?"
"Yesterday a unit of Shinigami from the 9th Division were sent to the world of the living to hunt an unusually large nest of Hollow" she explained solemnly "They haven't reported back to their captain since they got there"
"So has he sent a request for the Patrol Corps?"
"This comes from the Sotaicho himself, the unit was made of several seated officers, more than enough to take on a normal nest" she leaned forward "Naruto, the commander has issued an executive order, and is assembling a joint operations taskforce to find them. The mission is to find the missing team and exterminate the nest"
He looked down at the two teams and nodded, they returned it respectfully. In six months he had gained the respect of the Patrol Corps through missions, his leadership and the training sessions he put them through six days a week. In those six months he turned a professional force into an elite force able to give the Militia a run for their money. The two leaders the captain had assembled were the best in the corps, ones he would personally recommend.
Kisa was the leader of the 2nd Unit. The former Vice-Captain had nothing but praise for her and Naruto was the same. She had a lean figure with green eyes and long dirty blonde hair done up in a ponytail which stretched to the small of her back. Zero was the best in his squad and the leader of the 1st Unit. He was quiet and professional, yet a man who followed his ideals to look after his teammates. He was bald, whether natural or by his choice he didn't know and was the eldest in the corps, with a twenty year flawless record.
Like most of the corps they had adopted the new uniform. The black body hugging suit was still standard issue with a veil across the lower half of their faces. The difference was the sleeveless black vest, not so different from the leaf green jacket worn by Konoha Jonin and the two weapon pouches attached to their legs, containing shuriken, kunai, specially made explosive tags from the 12th Division's new research bureau along with other pieces of equipment.
He looked up at her "These two would have been my recommendations for such a mission, but with your permission I would like to accompany them"
Neither of them objected. They knew how much their commander liked working in the field. In the twenty Hollow extermination missions they had been assigned he had been present at all but one, and had the largest cleansing record in the history of the corps.
Yoruichi smiled "I knew you would, and your request has been granted"
"Thank you Yoruichi-sensei"
"You leave as soon as the force has been assembled, report to the 13th Division barracks"
"Hai, Yoruichi-sama" they said in unison, bowed deeply and in a blur were gone.
------
They arrived at their designated meeting point barely ten minutes after receiving the mission, a training courtyard positioned behind the barracks of the 13th Division. Naruto and his squad descended upon the stone tiles like a flock of birds, landing gracefully in a crouch and rising up to assess the area. The courtyard was large enough to assemble a full Division of the Court Guard.
"Are we early" Kisa asked, looking around for any sign of any other life in the premises.
Their commander shook his head "No, we're right on time" he took a few steps towards the centre and frowned "We had the farthest to travel and we end up being the first ones here"
"Not exactly"
They turned to see a full combat squad of Shinigami approach from the other side of the courtyard. He could tell that they came from the 9th Division, mostly because along with the regular robes they wore a long white longcoat not dissimilar to what a captain wore. At their head was a man with long spiked purplish hair, the bottom half of his face obscured by a white mask while the top was covered by goggles.
"I take it you are the Patrol units sent by the 2nd Division?"
Naruto nodded "Uzumaki Naruto, 5th Seat"
The masked man nodded back "We seem to be of the same rank, Tosen Kaname, 5th Seat"
"Pleasure" Naruto said "But that leaves us in a problem, if we're both of the same seat then who is going to lead this operation?"
"That would be me"
Why is everyone sneaking up on me today? Naruto thought, suppressing a groan.
He turned to see two figures approach from the barracks. Both wore normal Shihakusho with swords sheathed to their sides. One was a man, tall and youthful with spiked black hair. He wore a standard Shinigami uniform with the badge of a Vice-Captain on his left arm. The other was a woman, also young in appearance with long black hair done up in a ponytail, like her compatriot she wore a standard Shihakusho. Narutos first impression of her was simply that she was down right hot, but he kept it to himself.
The male gave a mock salute, a lopsided grin on his face "Yo, my name is Shiba Kaien, Vice-Captain of the 13th Division and the commanding officer of this taskforce" he looked to the woman a moment, then nudged her, she gave him a frown but stepped forward and bowed politely.
"Shiba Miyako, 3rd seat of same Division"
"She's our second in command" Kaien added "And also my wife, so hands off"
Should have known
"You have all been brought here because a squad of the 9th Division has been placed on missing in action" he frowned "Probably just some idiot who forgot to send the regular report, but we've been ordered to investigate so if we find them alive and fine bring them back bloodied and bruised, got it?"
Naruto chuckled "I think we'll get along just fine"
"And you are?"
"Uzumaki Naruto, 5th Seat, 2nd Division"
"Ah I have heard of you" Kaien replied with a smile "Apparently you're a once in a century genius"
"Their words, not mine"
"Ahh a humble man" his wife said with a kind smile "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh Naruto-kun, I've heard a lot about you"
"Anything good"
"If you mean bringing the Patrol Corps up to combat status equal to the Militia then yes, very good" she replied.
"I actually didn't do that much"
"Stop being so humble Naruto-sama"
"Damn it Zero stop calling me that"
"I think it suits you"
"Kisa" he said warningly.
"What" she asked in mock innocence "Would you rather we call you Naruto-sensei or Senpai"
"Plain Naruto is fine"
"That is impossible, Naruto-sama"
He groaned "You see what I have to work with"
"I know how you feel" Kaien replied, smirking "I get the same problem"
A cough brought their attention to their other representative "Can we begin" Tosen asked "I would like to get my people back"
"Guys no fun" Kaien muttered.
"I realised that too"
"Boys" both flinched at the commanding tone of Shiba's wife. It was so unexpected from the seemingly humble woman "Don't be rude"
"Yes dear" Kaien said with a theatrical sigh "I take it we have permission to open a Senkaimon"
His wife nodded and walked a handful of steps away from the force, in a graceful motion she drew her Zanpakuto and stabbed out, the top half of her swords blade vanished, smoothly she turned the blade and a pair of double doors appeared before them, opening to her as if her sword were a key. She sheathed her blade, turned and held out her hand, her middle and index finger stretched out to allow a black Hell Butterfly to perch itself.
"Come along" she said softly and walked through the doors.
Naruto elbowed Kaien "Who's in charge here, you or her?"
"I don't know half the time"
------
The double doors opened and in a blur twenty four Shinigami flew through, landing in a battle line a hundred meters above the ground. Naruto frowned in annoyance. He was expecting a forest like this to be full of animal calls, but it was completely silent. What was worse was the feel of the place. He could feel a dark presence blanketing the area, like a pressure at the back of his head.
Raising his hand he knew that the ten Patrol Corps soldiers were paying close attention, in a smooth motion he swung his arm out to the side. A burst of wind and all ten members of his two finest units scattered in two man cells.
"Do they know what to do?"
The blonde looked over to Kaname and frowned "Of course, they have been fully prepped for this mission"
"We will be moving as well then" Tosen stated.
"We should wait until my people report in"
"That is not necessary"
His frown was threatening to become a scowl "Why did you ask for my squad when you're not going to let them do their job?"
"We didn't ask for your squad" his counterpart replied calmly "It was an order from the Sotaicho"
"Enough" Kaien growled in annoyance "You're all giving me a headache"
Kaname looked to the Vice-Captain for a moment, and for a while Naruto thought he was going to protest, before bowing apologetically "I beg your pardon Shiba-Fukutaicho but I feel that sending my assault squad out will cover more ground and give the Patrol Corps support"
He turned to Naruto "What do you think Naruto-kun?"
The blonde messaged his forehead for a moment "I can see nothing wrong as long as they're fast and quiet"
Kaname nodded to him and turned to his men, they all bowed and scattered in every direction, again in groups of two. Frowning Naruto wondered if they were fast enough to keep up with his units.
"We will remain here" Shiba ordered, gaining nods from his wife and both 5th Seats.
------
The two units were well versed in basic patrol patterns behind enemy lines. Never move on the ground, always traverse the terrain from high points, remain in cover, move fast and swift, and stay on high, unyielding alert. Do not slip your guard, not even for an instant. If you lose focus you die. Know your surroundings, never underestimate your opponent and always guard your comrade's backs. These were rules he had hammered into them. To Uzumaki Naruto abandoning comrades was not an option. These were the rules their commander schooled them in. They were schooled until it was drilled into their skulls.
"Those who abandon the rules are scum, but those who desert their friends are less than scum"
Every squad leader in the Patrol Corps took that statement to heart. Their commander said a great man told him that, one of his greatest mentors and friends. Whoever that man was Zero would have liked to meet him.
Landing on a branch of an ancient tree he checked the limb to see if it could support his weight, then he raised his hand, his comrade jumped to his side a moment later. Silently the squad leader looked over the terrain. There was nothing but high trees in every direction, each one ancient and standing between twenty to fifty meters in height.
He felt a flash of rietsu and frowned, had they been followed?
Two members of the 9th Division appeared in the branch below them, looking up to the Patrol troops. Zero looked down and nodded a greeting which was returned by them both. Obviously Uzumaki-sensei had been overruled, and now they had two combat specialists with them. They would be handy in a fight, but they weren't useful when it came to the silent task of reconnaissance.
He heard a rustling in the grass and raised his hand, motioning for them to take cover wherever they could. He and his comrade did just that, as did the other two, albeit less quietly. Taking cover within a barbet of thick foliage Zero looked down to the long grass below, his spiritual pressure augmenting his eyes.
A Hollow was down there, it moved quietly and with stealth, it would have succeeded if not for its large size. It took the form of a long white serpent with black markings covering its sinewy form, with a dragon like Hollow mask covering its face, a long mane of black swept from below the frill protecting its neck. The creature slithered across the ground a few more feet, reared its head up to check the surrounding area, let off a low level hiss and continued on.
It was alone, he felt no other spiritual pressure nearby, but he wasn't about to take the chance. The mission was one of reconnaissance, nothing more. He turned to his subordinate, who nodded. Then he turned to the two combat troops and stopped. They had come out of hiding, slowly drawing their Zanpakuto and positioning themselves along the long branches for a surprise attack. He shook his head at them furiously, and made several hand signs to stop and pull back.
They didn't listen and together jumped down towards the seemingly unsuspecting Hollow, swords raised for killing swings. From out of nowhere another snake exploded from the undergrowth, its long jaws catching one of the 9th Shinigami and crushing him in an explosion of gore and shattered bone. The other was caught off guard and didn't realise his target raise itself and dart towards him with a hunters efficiency, coiling around him and squeezing until bones cracked and screams of agony became mute.
It was a trap.
They knew they were here "Move, now"
The two Patrol troops launched themselves from their perch, flying from tree limb to tree limb in a desperate attempt to escape. Another snake lunged from the branch they were approaching, its jaws catching his partners head and came down with a sickening crunch, cutting off his surprised cry. Zero hit the branch, used its elasticity to jump into the air, somersaulted and aimed his fist at the creature, preparing to blast him with a midlevel Kido spell.
He never got the chance. A fourth snake appeared below him, jaws open to swallow him whole, the last he saw was serrated teeth and a dark abyss.
------
Kisa landed on a branch and calmly looked left to right, her senses on high alert. A moment later her partner landed beside her in a crouch, his eyes also scanning the surrounding area, she sensed nothing, not even a bird or a rodent. This worried her, in a forest like this there was always life, always. The lack of it brought a chill up her spine.
Screams suddenly assaulted her ears, coming from several meters behind them. In unison she and her comrade both turned to see two members of the combat squad sliced to pieces by a group of six snake-like Hollow. The men were barely able to swing their swords before they were set upon and vanished in a mass of white scaled hide and darting mouths. She watched with dread, trying to sense them but finding that she could not, and turning to her subordinate urged him to run.
They darted from treetop to treetop back the way they came, hoping they would be able to reach the seated officers. A jaw of serrated teeth exploded from the thick foliage, grabbing her partner's leg with a sickening crunch. Through his pain he looked to her and mouthed run before he was dragged into the dark abyss.
She watched in horror and was about to charge after her subordinate. Then another launched itself from the forest below. She was ready. Fisting into her leg pouch she pulled out a handful of shuriken and threw them at the beast with deadly efficiency, each star shaped blade hit the mark, embedding them selves into the Hollows hard skin, the paper bombs tied to them finished the job. With a satisfying boom the Hollow, torn apart by the explosion fell into the darkness with a screech.
Landing on a treetop she stretched out with her senses in a desperate attempt to find her squad mate, she could not. Gritting her teeth she turned to run back to the seated officers, they needed to be warned, another Hollow exploded from the depths. She turned with a start.
She could not dodge it this time.
------
"Patrol squads, come in please" His three fellow seated officers looked at him, and he curtly ignored them. His units had missed their first status report. They never missed a status report "Kisa, Zero respond, units one and two respond!"
Kaname picked up his own communicator and clicked it on "Assault squads report" no answer, nothing but static "Assault squads report!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this" Kaien muttered. Then something in the dark horizon caught his eye. Someone was running, or for a better term limping from treetop to treetop, desperately waving to get their attention "Hey Naruto-san, isn't that-"
"Kisa" Naruto finished in surprise, and in a flash he was moving, catching her before she stumbled from the treetop, she looked pale and her eyes were half lidded, she barely seemed to acknowledge that he caught her "Kisa!"
Suddenly she became lucid, a trembling hand grabbed his robes, holding on with whitened knuckles "Naruto-sensei" she whispered hoarsely "Help me"
He felt blood on her stomach, and tearing away the cloth saw large puncture holes the same size as what a kunai would inflict on her abdomen, greenish liquid oozed from them and equally green veins began to appear and expand around the wounds.
Poison
A familiar snake-like Hollow exploded from the trees, its maw open showing serrated teeth stained with blood and oozing green venom. Kisa looked at it in horror, Naruto looked at it as if it where a bug he really wanted to squash. He raised his free arm and whispered a Kido spell.
"Hado Gojuushi; Haien (Way of Destruction 54: Abolishing Flames)!"
He swung his free hand and a curved blast of deep purple spiritual pressure escaped from his hand, it struck the approaching Hollow with perfect efficiency and within seconds of contact incinerated it as if it where doused with petrol and set alight. It gave a pitiful scream before falling through the forest canopy, disintegrating before it vanished into the darkness.
"Naruto-sensei" her voice was so weak, so small that he felt a pang which made him forget about the Hollow he just incinerated, she was getting paler and her eyes seemed to become too heavy for her to keep open "I'm sorry…I would have loved to be there…to see you…become Vice-Captain…Naruto-sensei"
"Kisa, hang on…Kisa!!!" she could no longer hear him and with a small serene smile let the darkness take her.
Naruto looked at her still face and with his free hand closed her hollowed eyes. Now she at least looked at peace. Taking a breath to try and calm himself he reached for his communicator. There would be time to mourn the dead later "All units return to the rendezvous point, I repeat all units return to the rendezvous point!"
------
The snake crawled through the tall grass, its target a single figure standing just inside the tree line between the forest and a gap nearly a hundred meters at it's widest. As it approached the figure turned, and the Hollow stopped, rearing itself back until it stood a head taller than the humanoid silhouette. It looked down upon him, hissed and bowed.
The silhouette bubbled with mirth before turning back to look up at the sky, watching the handful of Shinigami hanging in the air as if there were invisible ground beneath their feet. The snake came alongside him, reared back and watched the silhouettes with the smaller creature.
"I will deal with them alone"
It looked to its master, and hissed.
A toothy, predatory smile adorned his face "Hmm, off course you agree, you are a puppet after all"
In a blur he vanished from his place in the trees.
------
Three figures appeared around him, all looking down on Kisa's dead form with a mixture of fear and anger towards the Hollows who had done this to her. She was one of the kindest, most respected and most beloved members of the squad. Her death would hit them all hard.
"Is this all" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Hai Naruto-sensei" one replied, barely able to tear his eyes from the body "They came out of nowhere; we couldn't even sense them until they were right on top of us. They emitted no spiritual pressure, almost like they weren't even there. We are all that remains, the combat squad is gone"
He couldn't see what Kaname's reaction was because of his mask and goggles, but he could feel from his spiritual pressure that he was shocked. He looked down at his second unit leader one last time before picking her up in his arms and handing her to one of his last surviving Patrol Corps members "Get through the gate and alert the Soul Society immediately…and take her with you, I'm not leaving her body here"
"Hai, Naruto-sensei" the new leader said sadly.
He heard the sound of bells and knew that Miyako-sama had opened the Senkaimon. His subordinates looked to him for a moment before nodding and jumping through the two timber gates, following the black Hell Butterfly to the Soul Society. As the doors slowly closed the roars began, unnatural screeches which echoed across the landscape, seemingly coming from every direction.
Together the four remaining Shinigami drew their Zanpakuto and formed the ends of a diamond, each one surveying a quarter of the landscape for any sign of the bastards who had killed off most of the 9th and 2nd squads. They exploded through the trees, dozens of snake-like Hollow, and with a growl resounding in his throat the blonde recognised them as the same breed that had attacked him and his friends during their final examination some six months ago.
"Get ready" Kaien commanded, spreading his legs and holding his sword in a basic kendo stance. They were completely surrounded. He counted twenty, maybe thirty of them and what was worse more could still be prowling below the tree line.
A bang could be heard in the distance, and like someone had turned off a valve the screeches and movements of the Hollows stopped. They all swivelled their heads to see a blackened silhouette in the distance, waist length black hair flying in the wind and arms folded against his chest. They starred right at him for a moment, then turned and fled back into the forest.
The four Shinigami watched the retreating monsters in confusion. Then they all saw the figure, standing thirty meters away from them. Getting a look at his features was impossible from here, but Naruto recognised the form from somewhere. The waist length hair, the sinewy form, the bow seemingly tied around his back. He recognised this silhouette, and the more he thought about it, the more dread he felt.
He heard a hum from their unknown assailant, a mockingly soft sound "Hmm, is this all who has survived?" his voice was soft, yet it carried a chiding, snide undertone to it. By know Naruto felt an incredible chill rise up his spine. Then the spiritual pressure assaulted them, and the former Hokage had to concentrate on remaining on his feet. It felt evil and foul, like a Hollows.
"How disappointing, I expected better from seated officers in the Goteijusantai"
"Who are you?" Kaien asked, taking a step forward, putting himself between the unknown man and his three subordinates.
Soft laughter emanated from the silhouette "You don't need to know, I am not in the habit of introducing myself to trash"
A deep boom could be heard, and he was gone, vanishing in a blur of motion.
"Shunpo" Kaname muttered questioningly before a hand came from nowhere and slapped him on the side of the head. The impact sent him soaring down into the forest, smacking off a sturdy tree and landing in a heap in the middle of a small clearing.
"Don't be ridiculous" the figure said in an amused tone "This is far too advanced to be a lowly Shunpo"
"Tosen-kun" Miyako called in worry, taking a few hurried steps forward. Another low level boom and the figure was in front of her, or rather a meter above her, right foot high in the air, ready to come down and impact the top of her head. She wouldn't be able to block it in time.
There was a blur and the kick was blocked by an unsheathed sword. Kaien stood between their attacker and his shocked wife, teeth gritted as he struggled against the backlash of the strike. Naruto came in, drawing his sword and soaring into the battle, aiming to impale the enemy on his unreleased Zanpakuto. Another boom and he was gone, reappearing several feet away. It was then that he got a good look at their attacker.
His hair was black, his face and exposed flesh was white. His face was long, reminding him a little of Kenpachi's with yellow eyes and sickle like pupils. His body was lean, dressed in a white jacket with a high collar covering most of the bottom half of his face, a pair of trousers and a loincloth with knee high white boots, tied to his back was some kind of white bow of some kind of rope, tied behind the small of his back.
"Orochimaru" Naruto whispered the name like it was a curse.
With a hum he reached out with his right hand, grabbing hold of the zipper to his jacket and pulling it down, showing a white shirt with black around the shoulders underneath. It revealed the bottom half of his face and Naruto could see small blade like protrusions of white running across his cheeks, almost like the remains of scales "Hmm, I was called that once, a long time ago"
"Naruto-kun, who is this" Miyako asked as she gracefully withdrew her Zanpakuto from its sheath "Do you know him from somewhere?"
"Yeah" Naruto ground out, gritting his teeth so hard he could hear them scrape "You could say that. He was once one of the most powerful Ninja in my village. A student of the Third Hokage, and considered a genius scientist and a brilliant tactician, basically a prodigy. A member of the legendary Sannin who turned on his village, Orochimaru, the Snake Lord"
"Hmm, it seems you know the Leaf Villages version of events" the Snake lord said nonchalantly, a grin then came to his face "But that was a lifetime ago boy, and through death I have gained more power than you could possibly imagine. I cannot believe I held it off for so long" he pointed at them with the middle and index fingers of his right hand "Observe"
A small ball of light came into existence, almost like rays of energy flew down from the life energy of the place and solidified in his hand. The ball grew in size, a purple hue which flowed with power and a ferocious hunger to destroy all in its path, with a sick smile Orochimaru whispered "Cero"
It was like an explosion, muffled by a great distance, and then a beam of purple energy exploded forth and came towards them. Just by looking at it Naruto knew that being struck would be fatal. They were just able to dodge. The blast of purple light curved around and slammed into the forest with a detonation which levelled every tree for twenty meters of the impact point.
Looking up the blonde could see Orochimaru coming straight at him, opening their fight with a couple of quick, swinging punches and slaps, quickly the former Hokage crossed his arms across his face in an effort to defend himself. His every counterattack was met with thin air as the Snake Sannin moved in his infamous Nebi fighting style, moving and twisting ones body to avoid an enemy's assault and retaliating with quick punches, kicks and slaps
"Rankle the seas and the skies, Nejibana (Twisted Flower)!"
Water seemed to flow around them, as if they were the tendrils of some living thing which lashed out like the tentacles of an octopus. Orochimaru was forced back as the twisting tendrils of water came for him, jumping back, performing backward somersaults and an impressive spin to avoid the pressurised liquid.
Naruto twisted his head to see Kaien standing beside him, his Zanpakuto taking the form of a cross between a trident and a Chinese Halberd with a jagged, three pronged blade, and a long blue horsetail tassel which whipped about in the wind. They exchanged a glance and the blonde nodded, drawing his blade and holding it in front of him he called his swords release command and the long fishhook of a blade formed in his hands. Both fell into defensive sword fighting stances, waiting for the enemy to come.
"Miyako-chan" Shiba whispered "Stay behind us and be ready to open up the Senkaimon"
She nodded, her own sword unsheathed and held in her slender hands.
Laughter bubbled from the forests below "That's more like it, the released state of your swords are truly impressive sights. How I would like to examine the weapons of high level Shinigami"
"Bastard" Naruto growled "Come out here and face us!!!"
"As you wish Hokage-sama" the last word was spoken in that soft, insulting tone which made Naruto's skin crawl. Then with a boom he appeared before them. A cero already fully charged in his right hand. Together Kaien and Naruto acted, the Vice-Captain releasing a long, flowing tendril of condensed water, the 5th Seat swinging his sword, releasing a dense invisible blade of wind. In the same instant the Snake pointed his hand and released his condensed power.
A beam of purple light struck against the elements of wind and water, jockeying for possession and seemingly stalemated. Then the three powers exploded in a mass of raining water, gale force winds and an explosion which created a huge cloud of burnt air. In a blur Orochimaru was gone, reappearing above Shiba, a foot impacted against the Lieutenants head, sending him falling to the ground below like a meteor.
"Kaien" Miyako screamed.
"Go after him" Naruto called "Get him and Kaname away from here, I'll hold him off!"
The Sannin was only a handful of meters away from him, his reptilian eyes filled with a monstrous hunger. His cheeks puffed out suddenly, like he was about to throw up, a gurgling noise could be heard in the back of his throat. Then he looked up to the heavens, opened his mouth and seemed to gag. The tip of a blade appeared from his mouth, then the blade itself, an oval shaped silver guard, a hilt covered in dark green wrappings with a silver butt. He balanced it on his tongue for a moment, before making a subtle movement. The blade fell into his waiting hand, where he gave it an experimental swish.
"A Zanpakuto?"
"Correct" Orochimaru said, spinning the blade in his right hand "Though it is of a different breed than those frail things you use"
A split seconds warning was all he needed to bring up his sword to block as Orochimaru surged forward. The two blades met with a metallic clang, the power behind his opening strike pushing Naruto back several meters. Laughter bubbled from the Sannin as he attacked the blonde with stroke after stroke, vaguely reminding his opponent of an artist with a paint brush.
------
Nearly fifty miles away from the battle the sky was clear and unblemished. Birds sang their evening songs and a mass of nocturnal animals foraged below the forest canopy. The calm lasted for a second before everything went quiet, animals perked up, sniffing the air, and then ran in every direction. In the tree canopy birds took off, taking flight in hordes and scattering in every conceivable direction.
Something was coming.
The crack in the sky would not have been seen unless you were a few feet away from it, but it grew, seemingly tearing a hole in heaven itself. Slowly the cracks took the form of a closed mouth, two rows of omnivorous teeth clamped together. The huge fissure seemed to heave. Then it opened like the maw of a monster ready to swallow prey. Within was darkness, nothing. Then an insanely powerful spiritual pressure descended on the surrounding area.
A single silhouette elegantly stepped out of the void, tall and lithe with the body of a well endowed female. Even the wind itself seemed to hold its breath for the creature that had graced the forest. She took a deep breath, getting her anger back under control and opened her eyes to reveal shining light green orbs. Turning she shut the maw with a simple wave of her hand and brought her attention to the surrounding area. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she let her senses expand across a large area.
Power was being discharged fifty miles due west of her location, enough to kill any lesser life within a ten mile radius. One was her target. The other four she did not recognise. But two seemed to be unconscious.
"My, my" she said with a sigh, her voice soft, like a beautiful musical melody "What a show off he is"
Opening her eyes again she took off, vanishing in a blur with a thunderous boom.
------
The bastard was laughing hysterically now, his blade continuously seeking to skewer him with swift stabs. Those which could not be blocked or parried were dodged. Breathing raggedly Naruto jumped back and swung his sword, releasing a condensed blade of wind which would have sliced through solid rock with ease. His opponent jumped over the invisible sickle, and continued his assault unfazed.
He jumped back and swung his sword again, a wide blade this time. Orochimaru vanished, reappearing behind him, ready for a swing. The blonde ducked, the blade cutting a few hairs from his head, he then sidestepped as his opponents sword came down, and jumped back when it was redirected for a diagonal stroke.
"Getting tired are we?"
Naruto grinned besides his heavy breathes "Not a chance"
The snake licked his lips with a long tongue "I'm disappointed in a former Hokage, I was expecting something more from the son of the Fourth" a mocking smile crossed his lips "Your holding back boy, I can feel the barely contained rietsu coming off you in waves. Won't you show me just a piece of it?"
"Alright then"
"Hmm"
"I'll show you it" he held the sword with his right hand, his left pointed towards Orochimaru palm up, he reeled the blade back, preparing for a swing. He wasn't sure if he had mastered this technique yet, he had been able to unleash it, but half the time it just blew up in his face.
"At last you can fire it, although a little shakily" Kazerasshu said with a little pride "I'm impressed, you got done in one session when I thought it would take ten"
He looked up and saw to his surprise that the house before him gained hundreds of minuscule cracks, and then it collapsed in on itself. For hours he had fought Kazerasshu, trying to release the attack his sword had been hinting at. Had he just done it?
"Listen to me Naruto" his sword said firmly as he floated down and touched the ground "The power of such a technique is augmented greatly when you know its name, so listen up, for I'm only going to say this once"
He listened intently.
"The name is-"
With a deep breathe he opened his eyes to reveal oceanic orbs stained with crimson. Wind became visible, circling around his huge blade like a miniature tornado with his sword acting like its eye. He swung the sword and a powerful blade of condensed air, stronger than any he had fired before exploded forth. It was so dense that it was clearly visible as a long sickle like form of pure, unhindered energy. It travelled with such speed that Orochimaru could barely raise a finger.
"Ten no Kaze (Heavenly Wind)!!!"
When it struck the Sannin it seemed to bend around him, then explode in a mass of howling wind and smoke, followed by a strangled cry. With a slight swing of his sword the smoke was picked up by a wind current and dispersed. His eyes widened in surprise. Orochimaru was still standing. He was doubled over, his breath leaving him in shrill gasps, clothes shredded, exposed flesh covered in lacerations.
"Curse you" he whispered hoarsely "Curse you, you insect. I will destroy you!!!"
He spun his sword in his hand so fast that it looked like a disk, incredibly dense spiritual pressure encompassing his form like a raging fire. He spun around, bringing his sword to a stop, pointed towards the blonde's heart.
"Hiss, Rey Del-"
Before he could finish a spiritual pressure ten times his fell upon the area, this time Naruto did come down to a knee, using every ounce of pride and strength to stop himself from falling to the ground below. The new power even made Orochimaru stop in his tracks. There was a blur and another silhouette appeared directly behind him, a slender hand gripping the blade of the snake Sannin's Zanpakuto.
"You have overstepped yourself, Orochimaru"
He looked back with a snarl "Nelliel Tu Oderschvank"
The woman standing behind him was tall and, besides the situation Naruto could tell by her skin tight white battledress that she was very well formed. Her long, unkempt light green hair stretched down to her waist, her skin was olive coloured, a long crimson line stretching from cheek to cheek. Hazel eyes which were piercing and almost eerily calm starred stoically into the snakes without flinching. The remains of a mask were present on the top of her head, the top half of a demonic skull with an upper jaw of sharp teeth and two curved horns.
"This game is over" she spoke, her voice sweetly musical yet calm and stoic.
"Oh, and what game might that be" Orochimaru asked with that sickeningly calm mirth filled voice of his "I thought our lord wouldn't mind a few less Shinigami to worry about"
"He told you to leave them alone" was her answer, her hand still gripping the snake's blade "And to let him worry about the Shinigami"
"Ah yes now I remember" was the Sannin's reply "But I got so bored"
She glared at him for a moment, before raising her free hand "We're leaving"
"As you wish Tres Espada"
She frowned but paid him no more attention, a crack formed across the sky itself and Naruto could only look on in shock as it took the form of a closed mouth, which opened the reveal nothing but a black abyss beyond. Silently the woman stepped through the opening, followed a second later by Orochimaru himself. It was that which snapped him out of his shock.
"Where the hell do you think you're going you damn snake" he snarled "Get back here, we're not finished yet!!!"
The Sannin turned to him, watching him as the Gargantua began to close "Oh I believe we are. Use your head boy you just got a reprieve, if she hadn't have showed up I would have killed you" at that the mouth snapped shut and seemed to vanish.
Naruto watched the empty space for what seemed like an eternity. Then a hand softly gripped his shoulder. He turned to see Miyako, using her body to hold up both her husband and Tosen. She looked him over worriedly.
"Are you alright" she asked.
"No" Naruto replied, looking up at the sky "No, I'm not"
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed on this story so far, I honestly wasn't expecting this big a reception. So far the story has received over 40,000 hits, is on 23 C2's (A new record for my stories by far), on the favourite list of 257 fanfiction members and on the alert list of 289. Thank you to everyone who is paying attention to this, I am humbled by your support, silent or otherwise.