Chapter 12
Stand up, be Stronger
Music
Baddest Presentiment; Bleach OST, Shadows Close in; Bleach OST, Grief and Sorrow; Naruto OST
The hallways of Las Noches always seemed to stretch on forever, it was nearly impossible to see the other end of one of the main corridors because of the distance. The ceiling of these hallways was nearly a hundred meters high, held up by incredibly thick pillars of solid marble. Like the pillars the floor was made of the same material, and seemed to shine dully in the low light of the grand fortresses underground chambers.
The throne room itself was a huge creation, with enough room to hold a division of soldiers. Half of the chamber was made of nothing but solid marble floors and white walls. The other half was that of a large platform accessible through a series of white steps, at the top was a large white throne with a back which easily stretched up three meters.
"This is interesting" Orochimaru said as he entered.
Within the chamber was at least twenty figures all covered in the deep shadows which seemed to radiate from the pillars and walls, all starring at him with a mixture of calculating, bored or down right murderous eyes. The energy in the room was so dense that it was almost palpable. Such is the price for bringing the most powerful Arrancar of Las Noches together.
"What's this?" the Snake said with a chuckle "Are all of you here because of little old me?"
"How I would love to smack that smirk of your face" Cirucci Thunderwitch, the 5th Espada growled in annoyance.
"Remain calm Cirucci" Gentenbainne Mosqueda, the 6th Espada cautioned.
"Yeah woman, there's no need to get your panties in a twist" Nnoitra Jiruga, the 8th added with that murderous smirk.
"Bite me Nnoitra" Thunderwitch spat, her spiritual pressure rising by several levels, letting everyone know that she was not in a good mood.
Nelliel sighed as she walked past Orochimaru to her place among the most powerful beings in Hueco Mundo. It wasn't just the Espada, others where here as well. She recognised several of the older Numeros among them, as well as several new arrivals Aizen had recently placed within their ranks.
Coyote Starrk seemed as bored as ever, looking torn between remaining awake and trying to fall asleep while standing up. If he could she knew the Primera, the 1st Espada, would in a heartbeat. Baraggan Luisenbarn, the former king of Hueco Mundo and the 2nd Espada was frowning at the Snake Sannin, whatever else he was thinking she could only guess. Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio, the 4th, was watching as Nnoitra and Cirucci continued their rant.
A powerful spiritual pressure fell upon the audience chamber, and in unison they all looked up to see that their ruler had arrived, silently settling into his throne before any of them had noticed him. He leaned back, right hand reaching up to remove his wide rimmed glasses and to smooth back his hair. He then looked down at all in attendance, making eye contact with every one.
"Good evening" he said in a soft and calm voice, so quiet that many would wonder how they could hear it from where they were standing "It appears that we have had a small problem, this will be addressed" he gazed at Orochimaru "I would like to hear your excuse, Septima Espada"
"Research my lord" was the 7th Espada's reply "While I was fighting the Shinigami I was also gathering data on their anatomy"
"And why would you do that?"
"For the Hollowfication process" Orochimaru replied, there was no need to sugarcoat it, every Arrancar here knew of the research "The more I know about the inner workings of a Shinigami the more likely the chance of us making successful hybrids. As you know the experiments with Shinigami have been one failure after another, the two forms cannot cohesively merge and the test subjects simply turn to ash"
"Hmm" Aizen hummed, that same calm smile spread across his face "Go on"
"We need strong subjects, captain-level at best. The stronger the individual, the more likely it will be for the Hollowfication to be successful, as well as to try and make sure they remain adequate warriors and not feral beasts" he licked his lips with a long, forked tongue "As you know any Shinigami who survived the process become nothing more than mindless drones, useless in every regard. That was the reason for my little trip. I needed bodies to perform research upon"
"And you gained these bodies"
"Quite a few, enough for me to continue"
"And your skirmish with the seated officers?"
He waved it aside "One of the targets escaped, although she died from her wounds. My drones were in pursuit, and came into contact with the seated officers. I felt I needed to intervene"
"You felt like spilling blood, Orochimaru"
He bowed his head "Yes Aizen-sama"
"I am displeased" a spike of spiritual pressure assaulted him, forcing him down to a knee "Because of your bloodlust the Goteijusantai knows of the existence of Arrancar far sooner than I had planned, and because I had to send Nelliel to retrieve you they now have an idea of how strong you all can be"
Orochimaru's eyes were opened in terror, this mans power was greater than any he had encountered, and the murderous intent radiating from him made the White Snake feel like a child in the presence of a god "F-forgive m-me, my l-lord"
Just like that the pressure left and Aizen stood from his chair "Let this be a lesson Orochimaru, now continue your research"
"Yes Aizen-sama" the Sannin replied, a sheen of sweat running along his face.
He rose gracefully from his chair and looked away "Starrk, Barragan, Nelliel. A moment of your time please"
Gritting his teeth Orochimaru balled up his fist as the Espada filed out of the chamber, cursing Aizen and his power. He cursed Nelliel for interrupting his fight. If he had been able to kill those Shinigami then nothing would have come of it. How he hated that woman and her soft ways, she reminded him so much of that blasted old fool Sarutobi that he wanted to slit her throat.
"Hey are you going to kneel there all day?"
He glared up at that annoyingly mocking voice.
The 8th grinned "Seems like we both have a problem"
"What is that?"
"That bitch, Nelliel"
He growled dangerously at her name
"Thought so" the Octa replied "Walk with me, I want to talk with you about something"
------
The entire 2nd Division had been in attendance for the funeral, two hundred and fifty guardsmen, as well as the five branches of the Omnitsukido had assembled from across the Soul Society. Kaien and Miyako had arrived as well to pay their respects. In front of them were ten coffins, some holding the bodies of those lost just yesterday, others were empty as the bodies had never been found. He looked at the pictures set on top of the coffins and felt his stomach knot.
Kisa's body had been cleaned for the funeral, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed. White flowers of mourning covered her form, all from members of the Patrol Corps. Naruto choked back a sob and berated himself. How many times had he seen his comrades die in the line of duty? He had made many such decisions as the Hokage. He was a fool to think that death wasn't possible here.
The service had been well performed and after the coffins had been lowered into the earth it was over. Slowly the division filed out one by one. Many members of the Patrol Corps had stayed for a while, before leaving themselves. Eventually only Naruto remained, starring at the line of coffins, waiting to be buried.
A knock on the door made him look up "Come in"
He smiled when he saw them enter, both fully dressed in their new Patrol attire, both looking nervous as hell to be in their commander's quarters. Smiling Naruto rose from his chair "Thank you for coming"
Zero nodded his head, Kisa mirrored, albeit more nervously. He expected as much. Zero was a member of the Fon clan, well known for their assassins and their long running service to the Shihoin clan. By contrast Kisa was like Rangiku, an orphan found in the slums and placed in the Shinigami academy, she had proved to be the best scout in her year and shepherded into the Patrol Corps.
"Um, Naruto-sama" Kisa asked timidly "Did we do anything wrong?"
He looked at her questioningly "Why would you think that?"
She looked about nervously, and was visibly relieved when Zero answered instead "Forgive her Naruto-sama, usually when a fairly fresh recruit like herself is called to the commander's office it's usually to be shouted at"
"I see" Naruto replied, hiding a smile "Well you can relax Kisa, I haven't called you here to punish you" she seemed to let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding "But, just for curiosities sake, what did you do?"
"Um" she began with a stutter, before sighing "You know that black cat, the one which goes around stealing guardsmen's belongings?"
He smiled as said cat jumped up on his shoulder and purred "You mean this cat?"
"Yes" she said, before steeling herself "I was dared by the other members of the division to…um…nail the main cat flap shut"
At that the small black cat looked up from its grooming, looked the young guardswomen in the eyes and growled dangerously. He had seen a bump on its head a few days ago, and it had been mulling about for a few days after.
"I see" Naruto replied, before sniggering to the surprise of the cat, at its look he shrugged "You should have known that someone would try and get you back"
"So am I in trouble?"
The cat looked up to Naruto, almost to psychically say yes, but to its surprise the commander shook his head "Nah, I'll just let you go with a verbal warning" at that he winked mischievously "Don't do it again"
She nodded, and seemed to relax.
"The real reason I brought you two here is because of this" he opened a drawer and pulled out two pendants "These are yours" he said, tossing them at his two subordinates, they both caught them on instinct and looked at them, their eyes widening in realization "Congratulations, you are hereby the squad leaders of the 1st and 2nd units"
"Um, Naruto-sama" Kisa asked uncertainly "I can understand Zero-san getting a position, but why me? There are other more experienced members of the Corps"
"They're all idiots" the blonde said, waving them off "Not one of them has the talent to lead, but I've been watching you two, I have seen how good you both are at leading a squad. You both deserve those badges"
Both bowed deeply, speaking in unison "Thank you, Naruto-sama"
"You may both go" he said, sitting back down. They turned to leave, only to be stopped at the door by his voice "And one more thing!"
"Yes"
"Call me Naruto"
As they left the cat looked up to him and growled, before jumping past him to the windowsill and hopping out to the courtyard. For some reason after that Yoruichi-sensei didn't talk to him for a week.
A drop of rain hit his nose and he looked up to see dark grey clouds encompass the usually blue sky. The rain started as a couple of drops, but within a moment it became a torrent, soaking him to the bone within seconds. He didn't care. He remained where he was, watching the coffins.
They had all done well. Every squad had shown vast improvement in the few months since he had made commander. By now any dispute about his position had been silenced, everyone saw how him being in command was good for the corps.
But out of all the units the 1st and 2nd were always the best. Kisa had grown from a nervous young girl to a strong and confident woman, her unit loved her, and the rest of the squad saw her as a symbol of what could be achieved with the right instruction. Her strong will and stubbornness to never abandon a teammate had earned her renown. He could tell that making her a squad leader did wonders for her abilities and confidence.
His opinion of Zero being a brilliant squad leader was correct, like Kisa he was stubbornly determined to get the job done as efficiently as possible, with as little casualties as possible. His unwavering ability with the sword and inept accuracy with thrown weapons made him feared by the other branches and respected by the corps. He only let the mask slip in front of the other members of unites one and two, himself and Kisa.
He was in the middle of a formation, Zero and his squad flanking him as they seemed to glide towards their enemy. The Hollows looked up to the five Shinigami and, howling angrily jumped to attack.
His sword reeled back the commander delivered a devastating swing, cleaving a bull-like Hollows tusk mask from ear to ear. He turned as his first target deteriorated, unleashing a slight burst of wind upon a charging Mantis-Hollow, cutting it to ribbons before it got within five meters of him.
He let his guard down, a third Hollow lashed out with its long, curved claws. Those claws were met with tempered seal. When Naruto turned he saw Zero right behind him, holding up the three pronged claw with his own sword. Quickly the commander jumped over his subordinate in a slow somersault and swung his sword, neatly beheading the reptilian creature.
As he landed he looked to Zero and nodded his thanks, his second in command nodded back before turning and charging the next Hollow in line.
A single tear ran down his cheek, he couldn't take his eyes off the coffins or the pictures set on them. Zero looking disgruntled at being forced to take a picture. Kisa smiling softly, the eight members of their squads, they all seemed to be looking at him. Almost as if to say that it was his fault.
Maybe it was.
A hand gripped his shoulder softly and he turned his head to see Sakura, her emerald eyes looking at him in worry "You'll catch cold if you stay out here"
"I'll be along in a minute" Naruto said quietly.
She felt her heart tug painfully at the grief-stricken expression on his face. She could have told him that it wasn't his fault, but she knew he wouldn't believe her. So instead she placed her arms around him, holding him tightly, he put a hand on her arm and let his tears fall with the rain.
------
"I knew I'd find you here"
He looked up to see Yoruichi standing a few feet away from him, frowning. He had spent the night with Sakura, vanishing the next day and finding a place to sit and think on top of Sokyoku hill, looking over the entirety of the Soul Society. Usually when he was unsure about anything he would come here. It usually helped, not now.
"I'd rather be alone Yoruichi-sensei"
"Well, tough luck" his captain replied as she walked up and sat beside him, for a while they both looked out over the Soul Society, not a word spoken between them. After a moment she sighed "How long are you going to mope?"
"What do you want me to say" he all but shouted, his voice a hollow whisper "I took my best people into that forest. I sent them out to scout and because of my incompetence they were all killed" he looked down at his division badge "I resign, I'm unfit for command"
She smacked him on the back of the head, growling like a feral lioness "How the hell could you have known that monster would be out there. I read the reports Naruto from all the survivors, their surprise was perfect, they didn't release any spiritual pressure at all. There wasn't a damn thing you could have done" He looked at her in shock "You want to quit because a few people died. Against the Hollows it is war, people die in war no matter how hard you try to protect them!"
"Didn't you ever lose people precious to you?"
She sighed "Of course I did, the first time I lost people under my command I felt just as you did"
"How did you deal with it?"
She seemed to think for a moment "I promised myself that I would never forget the names of those I lost, I would keep them with me in my head and in my heart"
"That's all?"
She chuckled sadly "I also started taking a liking to Sake" he remained silent "Look Naruto in our line of work things like this happen, you lose the people you work with, eat with, drink with, train with, sleep with. You lose people who become as close to you as brothers, sisters, lovers…but you need to remember that they will always be there, in your memories, and in your heart"
He nodded.
"Didn't you lose people when you were the Hokage?"
"I did" he replied "But I guess a new life makes you forget things like mourning the dead and the hurt that comes with losing people you care about" he let out a long breath and looked up to the sky "I'm going soft in my old age"
The two of them sat in silence, and after a moment Yoruichi rose from her place "I'm due back, Soifon will nag if I don't get the paperwork done"
"Sure thing" Naruto replied "And Yoruichi"
"Yes"
"Thanks"
She smiled "Anytime kid" she vanished in a blur as she shunpo'd away, anytime
------
The Sotaicho calmly set the report down on his mahogany desk and caste his gaze upon the man he had asked to give the report. Kaien Shiba certainly looked worse for ware. He had suffered from several injuries thanks to his fight against this unknown assailant, including cracked ribs and a mild concussion.
"So, you are certain of this"
"Hai Sotaicho" Shiba replied respectfully "The Hollow were well organized and caught the patrol and combat squads completely by surprise. Casualties were high. But the worst of it all was that man, the one who seemed to have control over them"
He suddenly felt a great weight press against his shoulders. The commander in chief was looking at him intently, giving him a hundred percent of his attention "Describe him to me"
Surprised Kaine reiterated what was in his report "He was dressed in white, with scale like markings on his face and neck, almost like they were bone or the fragments of a mask. He held a Zanpakuto, and it seemed that he was about to release it before the other one arrived to stop him. He was able to use techniques and attacks that you would expect from a Menos Grande, most notably Cero, as well as being capable of using a variant of Shunpo. From his spiritual pressure he was Captain-level at least"
"And the other one?"
"Her spiritual pressure was almost overwhelming, at least as strong as a higher level Captain" Shiba explained, then managed a mischievous smile "Plus she was very cute"
"Lieutenant" Yamamoto said warningly.
"Sorry" the Shiba apologized, then became dead serious again "If she hadn't have intervened when she did then there would have probably been four more body bags"
"Hmm"
"Sotaicho, I know I am probably overstepping my boundaries, but I have a feeling you know what they are"
"I do"
"Nearly ten years ago our scouts in Hueco Mundo found evidence of anomalies within the Hollow" Kaien turned to see his Captain, Joshiro Ukitake walk into the Captain-Commanders office with a grim expression, the commander didn't try to stop him "Or to be more specific, they found beings whose power and spiritual pressure are way above the norm" he looked to his lieutenant "You know of the Menos Grande?"
"I do" Kaien replied with a nod "They are giant Hollows who appear from time to time. They are said to hold vast reserves of spiritual pressure but are rare. Usually when one appears they are left to the Royal Guard, or Captain-level Shinigami"
"We have found evidence of these Hollows evolving"
"Evolving?"
"We call them Arrancar" Yamamoto spoke up "They are extremely powerful Hollow who have shattered their masks and gained the powers of a Shinigami, it is said that the strongest of them are on par with a Captain"
"On par, with a Captain" Kaien repeated the words with a mix of disbelief and horror.
"But they are very rare and from the few we have surveyed they are usually solitary creatures" Ukitake added "We decided to hold back and leave them alone, they never seem to have any interest in the living world"
"Well there were two of them in the real world" Shiba growled "And by the way they were interacting they seemed to be working together, in face the woman seems to have been the snake handler's superior officer"
"What did she say to him?"
"She told him he had overstepped himself. That he was ordered to leave us alone" his brow furrowed "This could mean that several of them have gathered together and are cooperating"
"A worst case scenario" the 13th Division Captain muttered, before turning to his sensei "What should we do Sotaicho"
"Put a retreat on sight command for those two to anyone below the rank of a Lieutenant" Genryusai said with empathy "Triple the surveillance of the Hollow world…beyond that there isn't much we can do"
------
It was a few days before he gained the strength to visit the memorial again, by now the coffins had been buried into the ground and the names of those lost had been etched into the stone monolith. It was one of several dotted around the graveyard, with the names and ranks of those lost in battle. At the top of each marble memorial was inscribed the phrase.
'To those who fought and died in the service of the Omnitsukido'
Sakura, Shikimaru and Temari had come with him for emotional support. The pink haired girl placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder, which he turned and smiled softly. He took a few steps forward and starred at the ten new names, silently saying his goodbyes and making each of them a promise.
He would get stronger, he would not fail again.
"You better not Naruto-sensei" it sounded like Kisa's voice
"We'll be watching you Naruto-sama" that one sounded like Zero's
I'm sorry; he thought I am so sorry
"Quit with the apologies, we all know it wasn't your fault. Just give that snake bastard a good one two for us" Kisa's voice chastised
"Agreed" Zero's voice added.
I will; he didn't know if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but he made the promise anyway, because he had every intention of keeping it.
There was a blur of motion and a howling of wind and Naruto turned to see the entire force of the Patrol Corps standing behind him, all starring at the memorial, silently saying their goodbyes to friends lost. He looked to his new second in command, Jet. The lean man looked to Naruto and nodded respectfully, with a small smile Naruto returned the respectful nod.
The Patrol Corps stood in silence, saying their last goodbyes to their brothers and sisters in arms.
------
"We have been training for eight hours"
"I know"
"Do you wish to continue?"
He looked up at his sword and saw the handful of kunai sticking out of his hands like three clawed fingers. He forced himself up to his feet, ignoring the blood spilling onto the cracked floor. Falling into a stance, sword ready to defend "Yes"
"Very well" Kazerasshu said and threw the Kunai. He recognized the fluttering form of a paper bomb tied to the back of the blade to the far left.
Spoilers for Bleach; do not read unless you already know.
I must admit, for a while I considered that Tite Kubo was losing his edge with the Manga, not with Ichigo, but with the Gotei 13. I mean the monumental way the Espada's top three lost to the Captains was a little…I don't know, very good guys far superior to bad guys, even though early on it was pointed out that the Vasto Lorde were stronger than a Captain.
Shunsui vs. Starrk was pretty awesome, and the Zanpakuto release was a welcome and awesome surprise, but I was hoping that the Primera would at least take a few down with him before he croaked. I mean he was the 1st Espada, the Primera, the most powerful of them all (Minus Yammy when he becomes no. 0). It was a shame too, I liked Starrk.
Soifon vs. Barragan was okay, I was honestly expecting her to lose the fight, especially when I saw his specialty, and in a way she did. Then the Vizored Kido caster showed up, okay the Vizoreds introduction was awesome but Kubo has made a last second save too much of a habit for his story.
Toshiro vs. Harribel was a cool fight as well. Forget that Tia Harribel is my favorite Espada. The fight would have been one of the best in my book, and even when the Vizored showed up she still looked like she would make a good fight out of it before being taken down. Then Aizen stabbed her in the back. I really hate that man. If she had died in battle with her head held high then I wouldn't have minded as much, as long as she went out with honor. But being stabbed in the back by your commander because her two superiors were killed was a little, well; I don't know what it was.
Even though it looks like she's dead I'm not so sure for two reasons. One, usually a Hollow is disintegrated when cleansed by a Zanpakuto. She didn't disintegrate, she fell. Then there's the lack of a look into her past, like Starrk and Barragan before they died. So for know I'm sticking with the belief that she ain't dead, even though everyone seems to believe that she is. Same goes for Starrk for reason one. I didn't see him disintegrate either.
Anyway, rant over.