Chapter 7: Revealed

Deep within Seireitei and inside what seems to be a large chamber, a Garganta opens and stepping out of the portal was Aizen, Naoto and Sano.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Soul Society." Aizen said, gesturing around him. And yet despite the light greeting of welcome from their leader, the sight which greets Naoto and Sano was anything BUT welcome.

In front of the trio was a chamberful of dead people seated around a large table. And from what Naoto and Sano could determine at first glance, the occupants of the room had been murdered and had been dead for quite some time.

"What the hell happened here? It looks like someone decided to start the party without us." Naoto said lightly though a small frown can be seen from beneath his mask. The blonde arrancar still had to keep appearances in front of Aizen though it was difficult not to react strongly at the sight of such carnage.

"Some party this is." Sano muttered with distaste as he looked around. "They didn't even bother cleaning up their own mess." The bloodsplattered chamber so strongly reminded Sano of his own past that it wasn't amusing anymore. It was only through sheer force of will that he was able to conceal his rage.

"That would be a wasted effort since hardly anyone ever comes in here. And even if someone did, an empty chamber would raise just as much attention as this room full of dead." Aizen stated cryptically.

"Welcome back Aizen Taichou." A voice greets. A pair of figures steps out from the darkness. One was a white-haired man with foxlike features and a malicious grin on his face while the other was a dark skinned man wearing an orange scarf and visors.

Both men were wearing the white haori of captain classed shinigamis.

Instantly, Naoto and Sano were in front of Aizen and were about to attack when Aizen's voice stops them.

"Stand down Naoto, Sano. These two are not our enemies." Aizen commanded, causing both arrancars to visibly relax.

"My my.... Such vicious attack dogs you brought back here Aizen Taichou." The foxfaced man drawled with the infuriating smile still on his face.

A smile which reminded Naoto of Kyubii at it's most malevolent which caused him to instantly dislike the man.

"Who are you callin' a dog ya' freak?" Naoto snarled which only caused the foxfaced man to smile wider. "You've got some nerve to call me that in my face."

"Heh.... Feisty too. Can I play with him?" He adds as he fingers his zanpaktou causing Naoto to grip his rochin tighter.

"Enough." Aizen said causing both men to loosen their grips on their weapons. "Naoto... Sano... These two are my associates here in Soul Society. Third Division Captain Ichimaru Gin and Ninth Division Captain Kaname Tousen."

"Are you two the ones responsible for this?" Sano asks, tilting his head towards the dead bodies. "Not that I'm complaining or anything but couldn't we have been able to find some use for them? This is a terrible waste of resources."

"An excellent point. Unfortunately, they offer nothing of value to our cause and leaving them alive would no doubt cause us problems." The one called Tousen replied. The way the man tilted his head and turn towards him led Sano to believe that Tousen had some sort of vision impairment.

Though that didn't make him any less dangerous.

"They killed the ruling council on my orders." Aizen said. "It was a necessary part of my plan and like Tousen said, they really aren't that much use to us alive."

The two arrancars wisely kept their opinions to themselves lest Aizen becomes suspicious of them.

"But that aside, I'm sure you're wondering why I brought the two of you here in the heart of enemy territory." Aizen's smile was creepy to say the least and the fact that Naoto and Sano were in a place where everyone with a weapon was out for their heads didn't make the two feel any better.

When neither Naoto or Sano answered, Aizen continued. "I want the two of you to test Soul Society's defenses for any weaknesses and give me your reports when we go back to Hueca Mundo. Given your abilities and success thus far, you are extremely suited for this task. Just don't allow yourself to be seen while on your mission. We don't want to reveal our true strength just yet. I will be expecting you two at the execution grounds in a few week's time. I trust you know where it is from the briefing we gave you?"

"Of course Aizen Sama." Sano replied with a curt bow.

"Don't worry Aizen Sama. We've got this one covered." Naoto added. "You can count on us."

"I know I can." Aizen said with a smile. "I'll see you in a week then. Now go." The two arrancars nod and disappears in a burst of sonido.

"So those two were the ones you were talking about eh? The ones who survived the Menos Forest and became arrancars on their own? They seem pretty reliable." Gin commented with a smile.

"Yes they are. They've yet to fail me on any of the tasks I've assigned them." Aizen said. "If anything, this mission I gave them will help me determine their dedication to our cause."

"I am concerned about one thing though." Tousen spoke out. "You were right about the fact that they seem to be hiding their true abilities for some unknown reason. But they're definitely much stronger then your average adjuchas."

"Indeed. But then again, many arrancars act the same way, biding their time and waiting for their opportunity. This makes it easier to manipulate them." Aizen said, glancing at the spot where the two arrancars stood previously. "Those two are a few of the more ambitious ones who have the power to back it up even if they don't openly show it. If they pass this little test, I have plans for them." Aizen revealed with a sinister smile.

Naoto felt himself involuntarily shiver, almost causing him to stumble in mid-sonido. Luckily, he is able to regain his composure just in time. But his near blunder did not go un-noticed.

"You alright Naoto?" Sano asks in concern. "You almost lost it back there."

"I'm fine." Naoto assures his longtime friend. "It's just that this whole deal stinks. Aizen's up to something when he gave us this mission."

"I think that's pretty much a given. But something tells me that this is one dirty work we can't afford to fail." Sano said. "Think about it dobe. He's a captain here and yet he's asking US to test his own home turf for weaknesses. Doesn't that strike you as wierd?"

Realization dawns on Naoto. "He's testing us." Naoto snarls. "The teme's freakin' testing us and using us to confirm if his assesment of Soul Society's defense is correct."

"Yeah. But we couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to gain favor with Aizen." Sano said with a grim smile. "If we play our cards right, this could be our ticket straight to the top where we can really do some damage when the time comes for it."

"I suppose you're right." Naoto said reluctantly. "But you kmow how dirty these kinds of missions can be."

Sano gave his friend a non-commital shrug. "We've done missions like this before in the past so it's nothing new. Just bear in mind that this is for the greater good."

"Yeah. But that doesn't mean I have to like it one bit even if it is for the greater good." Naoto stated grumpily, staring at the landscape beneath them. "In any case, let's get this done. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

For the next few weeks, Naoto and Sano did as they were told and tested various parts of Soul Society for weaknesses in their defense as well as the shinigami's response time to intrusions which was, suffice to say, severely wanting.

During the same period, they also bore witness to the sinister genius that was Sosuke Aizen.

How his apparent death threw Soul Society into chaos sparking a chain of events which ultimately saw fellow shinigamis drawing their swords against each other.

Everything seemed going along smoothly until.....

"No way.... It can't be." Naoto whispered.

Sano didn't bother to comment. But that was because the raven haired arrancar was too stunned to speak at who they saw down below.

Unmistakable by her pale white eyes was Naoto's beloved during his past life, Hyuga Hinata.

Equally unmistakable by her bubblegum pink hair was someone Sano knew very well. Haruno Sakura.

Both were wearing the black robes and carried the zanpaktous of their enemies, the shinigami.

"T-They're also shinigamis?" Naoto said in disbelief before scowling in anger. "I knew we'd see them again sooner or later but this is too damned soon."

"Yeah, I agree.... And who knows how many more of our old friends we're gonna be running into." Sano stated thoughtfully. "Hn.... This complicates things."

"No." Naoto said suddenly in a dead serious tone of voice. "It changes everything."

(Execution Grounds-2 weeks later)

In her relatively young career as a shinigami, Hyuga Hinata had seen things she thought she'd never see as a shinobi.

Monsters which made even kage level shinobis cower in fear.

Feats of power and strength which dwarfed even the legendary Sanin.

And political intrigue and deceit which made the shinobi world's cloak and dagger stuff seem like child's play.

But a shinigami coming back from oblivion was something else altogether.

She had been one of the shinigamis present along with her old friends Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru & Higane Kotetsu who had seen the corpse of Captain Sosuke Aizen pinned to the wall by his own zanpaktou with their own eyes.

But standing in front of them restrained by no less then the legendary Goddess Of Flash Shihoun Youruichi and the Second Division Captain Soi Fon was the supposedly deceased Fifth Division Captain.

Only minutes earlier, a message sent out by the vice captain of the Fourth Division Kotetsu Isane revealed Aizen's treachery to the Gotei Thirteen. He and his cohorts had been responsible for the death of the entire Central 46 and had framed Kuchiki Rukia in the hopes that it would throw them off-track.

But the ryoka's invasion had thrown a monkey wrench into that plan and the one called Kurosaki Ichigo had managed to delay Aizen long enough for the rest of the Gotei Thirteen to arrive and surround them.

"There is nowhere for you to run anymore Sosuke Aizen." The captain general's voice booms out. "Surrender."

The traitorous captain could only chuckle at this prompting Youruichi to ask him what was so funny.

"My apologies. But it's almost time." Came the cryptic reply. Before the Goddess Of Flash could reply, a sudden flash of steel cuts the cloth that was binding Aizen's zanpaktou and prompts her to jump back to avoid injury. At the same time, something small and hard rams into Soi fon's stomach and drives her back more surprised then injured.

"Ahh.... Naoto, Sano. We are just about to go back home." Aizen said casually as two figures in white appear by his side. From what Hinata could tell, they were humanoid in figure who wore white versions of the shinigami's robes and carried weapons. What distinguished them was their masks which identified them as some sort of hollows.

A huge hole suddenly opens up in the sky revealing a huge number of Menos Grande. From the hole, rays of light suddenly comes down and engulfs Aizen, the hollows and his cronies. A light which the Captain General had called Negacion which was supposedly used by the hollows to rescue their own.

But as the traitors and their Hollow cohorts disappeared into the hole, Hinata noticed the blonde hollow turn and gaze at her in a meaningful and familiar way.

A look which only one other had given her.

"Naruto kun....?"

Author's Notes: Hey guys. Thanks for sticking with me all this time on this story. Here is my new update uploaded straight from my brand-spankin' new Nokia E63. There'll probably another one before the year ends for another one of my stories so watch out for it. As usual, R&R please :)