Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach. This will be the official third chapter. I don't really have anything to say, besides the fact that my laptop will be fixed relatively soon, so I'll just cut the crap and move on. (Sorry if some crap is screw up. I typed this chapter on two different computers at once, so it kinda is screw up a bit!)
Chapter 3
Incursio
:::Inside the Senkaimon:::
"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ichigo screamed, his arms pumping as he ran at full speed through the oozing purple halls of the Senkaimon. His friends were around him, with Naruto running up ahead with Yoruichi, his own arms swinging smoothly as his legs pushed himself forward at inhuman speeds, without using the Arrancar equivalent of Shunpo, called Sonido. "YORUICHI, WHAT IS THAT THING?" Ichigo yelled, pointing over his shoulder at a giant bullet train-shaped object that had a giant circular light high up near its top. The object was flying towards them at faster speeds then they were running, its sides grinding against the walls of the Senkaimon.
"It's the cleaner! It only comes through here every seven days! And it's just our luck that today is the day!" Yoruichi called over her shoulder, panting as she forced herself to run even faster.
"Wouldn't you know when the cleaner was coming through here?" Naruto asked, his purple and golden eyes looking over to the shorter cat. The Rescue Squad fell silent, then all glared at Yoruichi.
"Damn it Urahara!" Yoruichi cursed, her eyes shining, promising death to the blonde man once they all got back. Naruto grinned, his fangs gleaming, at the idea of Urahara's bloody insides being thrown about by Yoruichi and her curled claws. It would be interesting to see…hopefully he was in a gigai. Otherwise…Urahara would have a lot of fun being reborn...
"Uh, it's getting closer!" Uryuu called from the back of the pack, speeding up by half a mile, and pulling up next to Chad and Orihime. Ichigo reached up to Zangetsu's hilt, ready to draw it and attack the cleaner, but Yoruichi flicked his shin with her black tail.
"Don't reveal your spiritual powers to the cleaner, or it'll blow you to smithereens! Just keep running! Look! We're almost there!" Yoruichi called, motioning up ahead with her ears. Orihime suddenly put on a determined face, and spun around, running backwards at a swift pace. She touched her Hairpins on either sides of her head, and called out:
"Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily! Santen Kesshun, I reject!" She cried. A triangular glowing orange shield appeared, and the cleaner smashed into it, grinding against the barrier. Orihime smiled triumphantly, while Naruto sighed, and palmed his forehead with his bandaged palm. Orihime's smile faltered as the barrier began to crack. Suddenly, the barrier exploded outwards, and all were blown out the exit of the Senkaimon. When all the dust finally cleared, Orihime's smile was back on. "Look, we're out!" She said triumphantly. Suddenly, Yoruichi leapt at her, and head butted her in the left eye.
"We were LUCKY!" She shouted. Orihime held her eye, tears running from her eyes, and whined
"My eeeeeye!"
"I TOLD YOU not to reveal your powers! If even one of the six petals had been hit directly, we would all be dead!" Youichi scolded.
"Oh calm down. She didn't know that, and she was just trying to help." Ichigo said. Naruto rolled his eyes, and yawned, looking off into the distance, thinking carefully. Ichigo suddenly grinned. "Hey, look! I bet that's the Seirei-whatsit Urahara mentioned! Come on!" Ichigo said, attempting to run forward. But Naruto reached forwards, and ripped his claws into the back of his kimono top, holding him in place.
"Not so fast, Ichigo." Naruto said.
"What? Why?" Ichigo asked, stopping in his pulling and looking over his shoulder.
"It's not smart to go running up to the front door of our enemy." Naruto explained.
"Naruto's right, you know." Yoruichi said, walking up to Ichigo's side. "If we went running right at the front door, then something bad will end up happening. There are walls that are hidden, with four gates in the walls in the North, South, East, and West." Yoruichi began.
"Each gate has one single Guardian. The Western Gate is right in front of us, and that means that Ikkanzaka Jidanbo is waiting to take on whoever tries to come up to it. Watch." Naruto said. He looked around, then kicked up a 1-foot section part of the ground. He bent over and picked it up carefully. He then promptly hurled it towards the Seireitei, and right as it got within 50 feet, gigantic walls came crashing down from the sky, and a giant man with black sidebruns followed the walls and the gate. Naruto looked back to Ichigo. "See?"
"So? I can take him." Ichigo growled.
"And I know that." Naruto responded. "But we don't have time to be wasting on you fighting him to announce our presence to Soul Society. It'd be better to arrive secretively, or as much as we could anyway. If you fight him, then everyone will know that we're here, and they'll set up a defense that will stop not only you, but all of us. How will we rescue Rukia if we're already beaten, locked away, or worse, killed?" Naruto asked. Ichigo paused. He wasn't a stupid little brat. He was smarter then he let on. He wilted in defeat.
"Fine. What do you have in mind then?" Ichigo asked. Naruto shrugged.
"I dunno. I just know that we cant go racing into battle like that." Naruto responded. Ichigo paused, and slapped his palm to his forehead.
"I have an idea." Yoruichi said. Ichigo and the others looked to the cat hopefully. "I know someone who will be more than happy to aid us in invading the Seireitei. She lives far out in the country. At the rate that we can travel for the entire day with little breaks, it'll take about two days to get there. If we walk late into the night, then wake up early, then we might get there in under two days. It depends how fast we can travel." Yoruichi said. Ichigo stared the cat down.
"Do we have any other choice?" He asked.
"Not really." Yoruichi responded.
"Then let's go."
"Alright. Follow me. Naruto, walk up with me. And remove those bandages. We'll have to go through some worse areas of Rukongai, and it'll help if you can scare people away." Yoruichi said.
"And the ears wont cover it?" Naruto asked. "Not to mention the Hollow rietsu, the strange outfit, the Zonpaktou, the mask fragment, and the Hollow hole?" Naruto asked, his orange fox ears twitching. "And Ichigo and my hair is enough to scare anything away."
"Hey!" Ichigo protested.
"…well, I admit, that might scare a lot of people away, but we need to be sure." Yoruichi responded. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, and tapped his foot. "…please?" Yoruchi asked. Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll let you help in tearing Urahara apart for sending us through the Senkaimon when the cleaner was coming through." Yoruichi deadpanned, her ears turned sideways. Naruto sighed.
"Fine. Let's go." Naruto said, and began to walk away. He touched a sharp claw to the delicate bandages, and then dragged his claw down his forearm, and then his upper arm, splitting them. He then tore away the bandages, and repeated the process with his other arm. Uryuu, Chad, and Orihime were shocked, to say the least. Naruto raised an orange eyebrow at their reactions. "What?" He asked.
"Your arms…they're the arms of a fox!" Uryuu said. Naruto sighed.
"All Vulpes keep a few visual traits in their human forms. Some keep angular features, while others keep wide chests and narrow shoulders. I, unfortunately, keep the arms of my fox form." Naruto explained, and shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked on. "You'll get used to it. Ichigo already has, and he's only seen one arm once." Naruto said, motioning over to Ichigo, who was taking in the sights. He just nodded in agreement with what Naruto was saying, and went back to looking around. The group walked in relative silence. A few times, a pickpocket would approach the group, and try to reach a hand into someone's pocket. But one glare from Naruto would send them packing. Naruto's glares kept most people at bay, but one grimy man followed the group for miles, a strange grin on his face. Naruto looked down to Yoruichi, and jerked his head over his shoulder in the man's direction. Yoruichi nodded. Even Naruto's frightening appearance wasn't sending this man running. The sun was beginning to set, and with it, the air was beginning to grow dark, and many drunk men were stumbling around the streets. The group was looking for a spot to rest, one that was relatively clean, yet was well hidden. A large area of tall fields and groups of trees presented itself ahead of the group, about half a mile.
"Hey, look!" Ichigo cried, pointing.
"Yes. We'll rest there for the night." Yoruichi said, looking up to the bright waxing moon that was high above them. Naruto's eyes glowed strangely in the dark like a cat's eyes would, and everything was much brighter to him. Naruto's eyes narrowed. Many animals that would gladly pick the meat off the bones of the other were stalking through the grass, and eyeing the group with hunger. Naruto looked to Yoruichi, who nodded. She had noticed. The group ran up ahead, with Orihime hanging back slightly, a strange look on her face.
"Something wrong?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder, and pausing carefully. Orihime shook her head.
"Nah." She responded. Naruto shrugged, and picked up the pace a little, along with Yoruichi. Leaving the others unaware up ahead with all the animals didn't present itself as a good idea. The others, thankfully, ran back when the two animalistic creatures were halfway towards the groove of trees that would shield them from prying eyes and any horrible weather.
"We found some dry wood that we could use as firewood." Uryuu said. Yoruichi smiled.
"Great! That'll help a lot!" She said cheerfully, but paused. Naruto did as well, and his ears swiveled around backwards. The fur on is arms and his hair bristled strangely, and he whipped his head around. Orihime was gone. "…Naruto…"
"I know, I smell it…" Naruto growled lowly. His ears flattened themselves to his bristling hair, and he waited. He could hear a struggle, but he couldn't tell from where. Suddenly, a loud, shrill scream echoed through the air. Naruto growled, baring his gleaming fangs, and ran forward, the grass making the distinct 'whisk!' sound as it swept across his body. The others instantly followed as Naruto ran back into the outer edges of the previous Rukon District he had passed through. He paused, whipping his head back and forth, his nose twitching, and his ears twisting in every which way. His chest rumbled with a heavy, animalistic growl that easily frightened the others, even Yoruichi. Another scream shot through the air. The group ran twenty more feet, to a dark alley, where a man was wrestling with Orihime. He was the man that had been following them all the way from the Seireitei. Naruto's fangs flashed as he bared them further. He lunged forward, his claws ready to rip at the man, and tackled him away from Orihime. The man shrieked in shock and anger as he was torn away from his prey. The man instantly jumped up, and began to circle Naruto, while Naruto did the same. The two sized each other up, baring fangs and snarling.
"Naruto!" Yoruichi cried.
"Stay back!" Naruto snarled, anger lacing his words. "This man isn't human. He's a demon!" Naruto shouted, his four tails appearing out of thin air. The man grew three snake tails from his spine, and scales appeared on the bridge of his nose. Naruto grinned shortly, his tails bristling. "A snake…good." Naruto said. "The I will have no remorse."
"No remorsssssse? On what?" The man hissed back.
"On killing you!" Naruto responded, lunging forward. He and the man clashed, rolling around on the ground, pulling their limbs from the battle much like two fighting animals would, hissing and growling, snarling and spitting. Using mainly their fangs and claws, the two battled, sometimes using their tails to trying to strangle the other.
Naruto bat the snake demon aside with his hand in a clawing motion, then swept the feet out from underneath him. Before the man hit the ground, he morphed into a purple snake that had to be ten feet long with three tails. Naruto morphed into his demonic form, easily matching the snake's size. The two circled each other once again.
"It doesn't matter that you came from a once-powerful raccccccce!" The snake hissed, its fangs dripping with venom and saliva. "I'm from the new Demon Lord's raccce, sssso you will have to bow to me, and give me that chick over there. She's gonna be my new Bitch!" Naruto bared his fangs, his fur bristling, and smoke beginning to slide from between his fangs.
"You. Will. Do. No. Such. Thing." He growled out.
"Oh?" The snake hissed. "And what will you do about it? You're jusssst a powerlessssss little foxxxxx." Naruto snarled particularly angrily.
"Do not doubt my race, you damn worm!" Naruto snarled. "My Lord is not dead…and that is the least of your problems. You see, you attacked an acquaintance of mine. Attempting to rape her does not fly smoothly with me. I vowed that I'd protect anyone in that little group over there, and you tried to get past that. A friend over there would easily kill you, but by attacking Orihime, you showed that you doubted my ability to protect her. Ichigo doesn't get to kill you…YOUR ASS IS MINE!" Naruto snarled, and leapt forward, flames shooting from his jaws. The snake shrieked and spat acid from its mouth to retaliate. Once the acid hit the ground, it melted away the dirt, and kept going, forming small holes that vanished into the darkness in the ground. The two animals twisted around each other, ripping and clawing, attempting to get the upper hand. (or paw/tail. Hah hah. Aint I funny?)
Naruto was suddenly whisked off his paws when the giant snake clamped its jawed on his right shoulder, and lifted him nine feet off the ground. He stared to fling Naruto ruthlessly around, but Naruto twisted in his fanged grip, and sank his own sharp teeth into the snake's body, right behind the base of the skull. The snake released its grip, and shrieked loudly as Naruto dropped to the ground, back on his back and his head, before rolling over, and adding more pressure to his bite. The snake whipped Naruto with his tail, attempting to get the large fox to release. Yet Naruto kept biting, growling and snarling from deep in his chest. Finally, the snake's thrashing slowed and calmed, until he stopped altogether, leaving Naruto standing by himself, blood running down his neck and dripping from his jaws. Naruto released his hold, and allowed the snake to drop with a heavy 'thump!'. Naruto licked his blood-covered lips, staring angrily down at the snake's carcass. He turned, and morphed back into a human as he walked, clutching his right shoulder as he did, and breathing heavily. "Damn snake." Naruto growled as he pushed his way past the others, his ears laying flat on his head. He looked over his shoulder. "Come on, then. We have an early morning tomorrow." Naruto said, and kept walking back towards the groove of trees. I cant believe it. Not even one day into the mission, and I already got into a fight. But that's not the only problem…what was a demon doing here in Soul Society? …this cant be a good sign… Naruto thought to himself. And it looks like Hachibi no Orochi is trying to become the Demon Lord...no, I don't like this one bit.
Naruto stumbled into the clearing where they'd be making camp for the night. A pile of wood was already stacked in the middle, and with a flick of his fingers, the wood ignited with a flurry of sparks and crackles. The others entered the clearing not long after the fire had been started, and all were as white as a sheet. Orihime, on the other hand, was completely white, with tears running down her cheeks, and shaking uncontrollably. Yoruichi was walking particularly close to Orihime, brushing up against the girl, as if to comfort her. Naruto wasn't paying any attention to them, though. He was busy inspecting his right shoulder, which had four holes in it, going all the way through. Each hole was big enough to fit three fingers through without having to touch the inside of the holes. Two of the dark, blood holes were on the beginning of his upper arm, and blood ran through his orange fur, turning it a deep maroon. "That aint pretty." Naruto mumbled, pressing the heel of his palm to one of the holes, and half covering another one of them. The other two holes bled freely, dripping more and more of the blood on the ground. Ichigo approached slowly and carefully, as if Naruto would morph and attack him, as he did the snake demon.
"Uh…are you…okay?" Ichigo asked slowly.
"Peachy." Naruto deadpanned, flinging blood off of his left hand.
"…um…shouldn't you get that looked at by someone?" Ichigo asked.
"I doubt there's doctors in Soul Society. Everyone's already dead." Naruto muttered.
"Well, Orihime can heal stuff." Ichigo said. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"She can? Well, it doesn't matter. A bite from a demon cant be healed by a human. Even one with Spiritual Powers." Naruto said. "Let's just hope my immune system can fight off that stupid venom, or you guys will be down one Squad Member."
"You don't sound too freaked out about being dead." Ichigo said. Naruto chuckled.
"I've lived a long time, Ichigo. And with a long life comes with many near-death experiences. This one just happens to have the words 'In Soul Society' in it. My mother once told me that dyeing isn't the end, it's just another beginning that doesn't sound all-to fun." Naruto said.
"Really? Where's your mother?" Ichigo asked.
"Dead."
"…that's really ironic." Ichigo muttered, causing Naruto to chuckle once again. "…my mother's dead to. She was killed by a Hollow. Do you think your mom's here?"
"No." Naruto instantly responded, making Ichigo choke.
"What? Why not?" Ichigo asked.
"When a demon dies, they get sent straight to Hell for their title as 'demon'. Even if the demon lived their life like a human, and was the best person on the planet when they were alive, without committing as many sins as humans usually do, without lying, anything, they still go to Hell. Even if a demon didn't know that they were one, they'd be greeted with flames and the devil once death comes knocking on their door. There's no way around it." Naruto responded.
"…that's depressing, knowing that what awaits you is a fiery pit of Hell." Ichigo sighed.
"Well, it's depressing, but it's also kinda funny." Naruto responded.
"Why and how is that funny?" Ichigo asked.
"Hell is filled with fire." Naruto deadpanned.
"So? What's funny about that?"
"I'm fireproof." Naruto answered. The two orange-haired teens looked at one another, then laughed lightly.
"I was under the illusion that you were fireproof only to your own fire." Ichigo said, looking at the fire that Naruto had started effortlessly.
"Nope. All fire, unless it's fire from a different demon." Naruto said.
"Wait a minute. If Hell is a place for demons and the worst-of-the-worst humans, then doesn't that mean that the fire there was created by a demon?" Ichigo asked. Naruto paused, his mouth open.
"Crap! It's depressing again!" Naruto cursed, and Ichigo laughed mockingly. "Stop laughing, you dick! Once I die, I'm going to come and find you and drag you to Hell with me!" Naruto barked.
"What? Why?" Ichigo yelled.
"'Cause I'm going to need someone to talk to!" Naruto responded, then flicked some of his red blood on the Reaper. "There! Now you are cursed by demon blood. You're coming with me, you jerk."
"Hey! Awe shit, it wont come off! Damn it, it's burning my clothes! What the hell is with this crap? Is it really cursed? Naruto, you suck!" Ichigo whined, trying to wipe the blood off.
"Is it really cursed?" Yoruichi whispered from Naruto's side. Naruto leaned down to her.
"No, but it's funny to watch people hop around thinking they are." Naruto said, his face splitting into a shit-eating grin. Yoruichi grinned, her own short fangs gleaming.
"That's so evil…I should try that…hmmm…possibilities…" Yoruichi thought, looking off to the side, her evil grin growing. "That's not why I came over here, though. You really should get your shoulder looked at. Orihime can heal, and Ichigo knows medical stuff."
"You weren't listening, were you? Nothing can heal a demon wound unless it's a demon that does it." Naruto said to the black cat. Yoruichi glared, causing the Vulpes to glare back.
"Do it. Just to make sure it's okay. Then you can heal it with whatever Ju-Ju-magic shit you demons have." Yoruichi said.
"It aint magic. But fine." Naruto grumbled. Yoruichi looked to Orihime, and nodded. Instantly, the girl jumped up, and began to rush over. Naruto glared at the cat. "You were planning this, weren't you…" Naruto growled. It was then Yoruichi's turn to wear a shit-eating grin.
"Maybe." She responded. Minutes later, Naruto had been forced to remove his vest and undershirt, with Orihime trying to heal the four holes in his shoulder and arm. Naruto stared angrily into the distance, muttering about cheating cats and stupid snakes. While everyone was watching Orihime attempt to heal the Vulpes, Ichigo was staring at something else. There were a few strange tattoos on the Vulpes' torso. First, was a strange circular pattern around his navel. Another was what looked like a kanji for four on his right shoulder, with four tail-like appendages branching off from a flame-like circle that surrounded the four. The appendages curled around the circle, to come to a stop next to the beginning of the next tail. On the left side of his stomach, was a smudged-out red kanji that was currently unreadable. But the most noticeable tattoo, was the exact copy of the mark on Ichigo's forearm, that went from the base of Naruto's throat to the bottom of his ribcage. And it was an exact copy, not one of those 'if-you-tilt-your-head-to-the-left-then-jump-up-and-down-like-a-babboon-on-staroids' type of copies, but a 'Holy-shit,-that-looks-exactly-like-mine!-Frickin-stalker!' type of copy.
"It's not working." Orihime said, drawing Ichigo's attention from the lightning-mark to the holes in Naruto's shoulder.
"I know. I told you it wouldn't work, you stupid cat." Naruto said, glaring at Yoruichi, and sticking his tongue out at her.
"Well, at least I'm trying to think of something!" Yoruichi cried in annoyance. Naruto rolled his eyes with annoyance.
"Yeah, well it'll heal on its own. It was only a three-tailed, and I'm a four-tailed. Because of that, it'll heal faster than if I'd been bitten by a six-tailed or a seven-tailed." Naruto said. "It doesn't matter anymore." Naruto said, pulling his undershirt and vest back on. He wiped most of the dried blood off the white material, then sat up straighter, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll keep watch, you guys sleep." Naruto said.
"Are you sure?" Orihime asked. "One of us could. You must be tired after fighting that other demon." Naruto shook his head.
"I'm fine. Demons can go a long time without sleep. Much longer than humans, anyway. You guys, on the other hand, need to sleep to keep your energy up." Naruto said. He lifted a foot, and kicked Ichigo in the right knee, making him scream a strange 'GAHK!' and fall to the ground. "See? Ichigo needs his sleep." Naruto said. "If he didn't stay up all the time, then he wouldn't be falling over randomly."
"You pushed me over, you son of a-" Naruto slammed the heel of his left foot into the back of Ichigo's head, driving his face into the hard dirt.
"Out like a light." Naruto said, grinning slightly. The others slowly began to disperse, until only Naruto and Yoruichi were left sitting against the tree.
"Do you really think you have enough energy to stay up through the night and then walk all day tomorrow?" Yoruichi asked. Naruto rubbed the right side of his neck in thought.
"Hm, probably. Now go get some sleep, Kitty-cat. Argue or call me any names, and you're going to get a face-full of flames." Naruto said. Yoruichi sweat-dropped, and trotted over to a warm spot near the fire before curling up and closing her eyes. Naruto sighed, his ears twitching in the direction of a wild boar that was watching the fire intently. Many animals were prowling around the small makeshift camp, waiting to jump on the occupants when all were asleep. Too bad for them, one wouldn't be sleeping that night.
:::The Next Morning:::
An hour before the sun rose, Naruto kicked everyone awake. Literally. With Orihime, he woke her up lightly, but the others, he kicked them in the side until they woke up. Yoruichi, separate from all of them, got a nice river bath for her wakeup call. "Nobody ever said I was nice." Naruto had responded when all but Orihime were questioning him on his wakeup methods. They set out after smothering the fire, walking quickly and quietly through the countryside. Not many towns were met throughout the day, but when they were, the group would cut straight through the middle to get through them faster. Breaks were only taken to catch their breath and to eat meals, but nothing else. During one meal, Ichigo had gotten into a fight with a man who had been riding on a large boar. Ichigo got trampled, to say the least, and much to Naruto's silent enjoyment.
"You planned that, you bastard!" Ichigo had shouted at the snickering Vulpes.
"I had absolutely nothing to do with it." Naruto said, even while he held his sides while laughing. Finally, when dinner time was approaching, Yoruichi announced that they had made it to their destination.
"Behold! The House of Shiba!" Yoruichi said, turning to look at the shocked faces of the group, and the wide eyes of the single Vulpes.
"…these people would suck at stealth." Naruto muttered, mostly to himself. In front of the small shack-of-a-house, were two giant arms that held up a banner that announced who lived in the house.
"The Shiba family wasn't known for stealth. More on fireworks and viciousness." Yoruichi called over her shoulder as she led the group up to the shack.
"Fire and viciousness." A feral grin spread across his visage. "Sounds like my kind of people." Yoruichi flicked an ear in silent agreement, then paused at the door of the shack. Two tall men crashed down in front of them, making a plume of dust to rise into the air.
"What do you want?" The two asked in unison. They shrieked at Ichigo and Naruto, then pointed as Yoruichi appeared from behind Ichigo's leg, an insane grin on her face with her right paw raised in a type of greeting. They instantly bowed. "We are sorry for not seeing you, Yoruichi-san! Please, allow us to escort you into Ms. Shiba's home!" The two said in unison once again, before jumping up and running inside. Yoruichi flicked her tail to signal for the others to follow, and lead them inside.
"Be careful with the owner of this house. She's a little…insane." Yoruichi said. Naruto's grin widened by a fraction once again, as if in anticipation. The group was led through a door, to find a woman with messy black hair and a wooden arm sitting on a pillow, a bottle of sake clutched in her left hand. A giant grin was spread across her face, threatening to split it in half.
"Yoruichi…it's been a long time." The woman said. Yoruichi walked to the middle of the room, motioning for Naruto to follow, while the others stayed near the back of the room.
Why do I feel like she's treating me like a bodyguard? Naruto groaned in the back of his mind. A trio of laughter erupted from his mind, and he mentally smothered it with annoyance.
"That it has." Yoruichi agreed, sitting on her haunches.
"So? Why have you come here. And why have you brought a Soul Reaper and a mutated Arrancar with you?" The woman asked. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he flexed his claws threateningly. He would not stand for any mockery on his appearance.
"We've come to ask a favor of you. I'll explain the entire story later. But what we need is your help to infiltrate the Seireitei." Yoruichi said. The woman stared Yoruichi down with complete seriousness.
"Will it be dangerous?" She asked finally.
"Probably." Yoruichi responded, appearing just as serious as the other woman did. Suddenly, the woman grinned.
"Then I'm in." She said, and raised her sake bottle. "I've always enjoyed endangering other people. It's exciting." Naruto looked down to the black cat at his side.
"Still my kind of person." Naruto muttered.
"Everyone, this is Shiba Kukaku, the head of the Shiba Clan. Kukaku, this is Kurosaki Ichigo, Ishida Uryuu, Inoue Orihime, and Yatsutora Sado. This 'mutated Arrancar', as you put it, is Vulpes Naruto (That's not his full name…). He's a Vulpes, or a Demon Fox." Yoruichi said. Kukaku's jaw dropped as Naruto waved slightly.
"Yo." Was all he said.
"…a demon…fox? As in part of the race that rules all demons?" Kukaku asked.
"Currently others are doubting our ability to remain on top, but yes." Naruto responded, then bowed deeply, catching all others by surprise. "I've heard much about you from Yoruichi, Shiba-san. I'm honored to finally meet you." Naruto said before straightening himself. Ichigo promptly fell over, and Yoruichi coughed, while the others just stared with shocked expressions. With a clatter, Uryuu's glasses slipped off the bridge of his nose. Once Kukaku had gotten over her initial shock, she stood up, and bowed back to Naruto, before straightening, grinning.
"And it's good to meet you, Vulpes-san. It's an honor to meet a demon from the highest order. I'll do all I can to help you get into the Seireitei." Kukaku said. Naruto inclined his head with respect.
"Arigato." He said.
"…well…that was…surprising." Yoruichi said, coughing again. "You never bowed to Urahara." She pointed out.
"While Urahara is a man that I respect very deeply, that doesn't erase that he is, in fact, a laughing idiot." Naruto responded in a monotone. Yoruichi blinked, while Kukaku set into a fit of laughter, along with Ichigo, who had finally recovered from falling over.
"There is one way that I know for certain will get you into the Seireitei…but in order to use it, you'll all have to train extremely hard." Kukaku grinned. "And I know just the person who can teach you. GANJU! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Kukaku yelled.
"Yes sis." Called a voice from the other side of a door. It slid open, and a painfully-familiar man was bowing on the other side. He lifted himself, smiling cheerfully. "It's my pleasure to help y-" Ganju paused when his eyes met Ichigo's. Naruto sighed, and palmed his forehead, while Yoruichi took a sudden interest in her claws.
"YOU!" Ganju and Ichigo yelled in unison, pointing at each other.
"Nice weather Soul Society's been having." Naruto said, making Kukaku and Yoruichi nod as they ignored the fighting that erupted.
"ENOUGH! GANJU, STOP FIGHTING ICHIGO, OR I'LL KILL YOU BOTH! BRING THESE IDIOTS TO THE TRAINING ROOM AND TEACH THEM TO USE THE SPIRIT SPHERE(forgot what it's called)!" Kukaku yelled. Ganju immediately bowed.
"Alright!" He cried. He turned to leave, but glanced back at Naruto. "Hey, what's your freakish friend doing?" Ganju asked. Ichigo shot a glare at the man, but looked to Naruto, who had taken a seat next to Yoruichi while Kukaku took a seat to face them.
"Hey, Naruto! You coming?" Ichigo called.
"This meeting is for the adults only." Yoruichi called over her shoulder.
"Naruto's only fifteen." Ichigo pointed out.
"Only in looks and demon years, Ichigo, only in looks and demon years." Naruto responded. Ichigo glowered, but followed the others out of the room.
"No, seriously, how old are you?" Kukaku asked.
"I'm nearing my 8,000 birthday." Naruto responded. "Which would make me 16 in demonic years."
"So…every 500 years is 1 year to you…" Kukaku said, then grinned. "That's pretty damn cool. You're older than any Soul in Soul Society." Kukaku said. Naruto nodded, smiling slightly. "So how many tails do you have? I've heard that foxes can grow multiple tails." Naruto uncovered the mark with four in the middle of the fire circle on his right shoulder. But it didn't have just four tails surrounding it. Two tails had moved apart, making way for the beginning of a fifth tail. Naruto raised an eyebrow at it. It looked like half a tail that was slowly growing almost unnoticeably. "4½? What's that mean?" Kukaku asked, staring at the kanji within the circle that read just that.
"It means I must be growing my fifth tail. The last time I grew a tail was around 40 years ago…this is quite a surprise." Naruto said, and poked his shoulder as if the beginning of the fifth tail would vanish. It didn't.
"That's certainly odd. The tail just doesn't…appear?" Kukaku asked. Naruto shook his head.
"No. Our most-recently grown tail slowly splits down the middle to form another tail. Every hour, a few more inches are split, until the next tail is completely grown." Naruto responded.
"Demon Foxes are very different then I thought." Kukaku said, staring intently at the Vulpes. "Is being an Arrancar something natural for a…Vulpes, was it?"
"Yes, its 'Vulpes', but no. I accidentally ate a Hollow, and my soul turned into a Hollow. Urahara was able to morph my Hollow form into an Arrancar, and he trained me until we left for Soul Society yesterday." Naruto explained. "I'm a 'rare case', as you would put it." The next hour was filled with explosions from the training room, and explanations from Yoruichi and Naruto about why they needed to get into Seireitei.
"So…you want to rescue a Kuchiki…" Kukaku said, then laughed. "I cant believe one of those damn stuck-up nobles got caught! Yeah, I'll still help. But only if I'm able to laugh about her getting caught whenever I want."
"Go ahead." Yoruichi responded. "You mentioned 'Spirit Sphere'. Does that mean that you intend to use the Cannon you were working on the last time I saw you?" Yoruichi asked.
"Yup." Kukaku responded, her grin as wide as ever.
"I take it you've finished it, then?" Yoruichi asked.
"Of course." Kukaku answered, grinning widely. Naruto looked back and forth between the two.
Cannon…caaannoooon…sounds…explosive. Naruto said, a smirk crossing his face.
:::The Next Day:::
Naruto woke with a snort when the ground shook once again. It had been shaking ever since Ichigo had started training to try and learn how to use the Spirit Sphere. Every time he tried, he had, for the better of terms, blown up. The Vulpes' eyes narrowed into a glare at the wood above him. This was the ninth time Ichigo's explosions had woke him up. And he had been sleeping for only three hours, after finally finding a place that would ditch Yoruichi and her 'funny' jokes that, truthfully, annoyed Naruto to no end.
The orange-haired Arrancar jumped up, threw his Zonpaktou onto his back, and tied it to his torso with an orange cloth (…I like orange…). Naruto stormed out of his room, and down the labyrinth of halls, and finally to the training room, where Ichigo was laying on his side in the middle, his body covered in dust and the wooden floor cracked around him. "Louder, Ichigo! They didn't hear you in MEXICO!" Naruto yelled with anger, dark circles under his eyes. Ichigo jumped up, glaring.
"It's not my fault I cant control my spiritual energy!" Ichigo protested.
"Yes, it is! Practice more! I've had my spiritual powers within a shorter span then you, and I can already HIDE my FREAKING PRESENCE!" Naruto yelled back, waving his arms in the air.
"Well…well…SHUT UP!" Ichigo shouted, pointing.
"Vulpes hardly need any sleep! We can usually go for 12 days with only five hours of sleep! I've gone for nineteen days with no sleep whatsoever! Vulpes hardly need ANY!" Naruto repeated. "And with the three hours that I get, YOU SCREW THEM UP with your damn explosions!"
"…but…he…you…ball…AURGH!" Ichigo yelled, and threw himself dramatically to the floor. "I DON'T GET THIS CRAP AT ALL! CONTROL RIETSU, MORPH RIETSU, MOPLD RIETSU, IT'S ALL THE SAME!" Naruto blinked, and raised an eyebrow as Ichigo lay silently on the floor.
"Try imagining it like a living thing." Naruto said, making Ichigo raise his head. "That's how I learned how to control it. Imagine your rietsu like a living thing, that doesn't know which way to go, or what to do. If it thinks it has nothing to do, then it'll run free and leave your body. But if you give it a purpose, to either run through your body to supercharge your energy and your strengths, or to do something else, like create a Spirit Sphere, then it'll do just that. It takes quite a bit of energy, but after a while, it becomes easier, and it even increases your rietsu." Naruto said, and picked up the Spirit Sphere. He held it in his hand, and focused intently on the ball. With a slight crack, a Spirit Sphere appeared around Naruto. Instead of being blue, though, it had light orange walls, showing off his Hollow rietsu easily. Naruto then pulled his rietsu back into his body, and the Spirit Sphere vanished. Naruto tossed the small orb back to Ichigo, yawning tiredly. "Good luck, and hurry up. We need to leave around noon." Naruto said, and left the room. For the rest of the day, Nobody heard or felt any more explosions, and nobody could find Naruto or Ichigo. Some people believed that Naruto was off somewhere sleeping, and that Ichigo had finally blown himself to smithereens. This didn't concern anybody to much, until it came time to leave. The two were still missing.
"Where the hell are they?" Yoruichi growled, stalking in a circle near the Spirit Cannon that would shoot the group into the Seireitei.
"…I'm beginning to see the downside of Ichigo blowing himself up completely…" Uryuu muttered, mainly to himself, even though everyone else could hear him. Suddenly, the ground shook, and a loud crash echoed from inside the small village that was not too far off from the cannon.
"MY WATERMELONS!" A man's voice cried, and a batch up crushed watermelons launched into the air, a dust cloud forming.
"OUTTA THE WAY, OLD MAN! I'M FREAKING WINNING!" Shouted an ever-familiar voice. The group of Souls and spiritually-aware teens turned towards the village, as more explosions rocked through ground, and more dust shot into the sky. Random produce, and random people, would sometimes take flight, either completely silent for lack of speech ability, or screaming their heads off.
"NOT FOR LONG YOU ORANGE-HEADED FRUIT!"Screamed another voice, and more dust learned to fly.
"I'LL WIN, AND YOU KNOW IT!"
"NO, I'LL WIN! I'M BETTER AT RUNNING!"
"NOT IF I USE THE SHUNPO THING!" TWANG! "DAMN IT!"
"HA, YOU JUST CRASHED INTO THE BARRIER WALL, YOU IDIOT!"
"OH, AND I GUESS YOUR STUPID DIFFERENT-SHUNPO CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER!"
"OH REALLY! JUST WATCH MY SONIDO, AND EAT MY FRICKIN DUST!" GNND! The sound of a powerful shockwave shot across the air, and another followed quickly as a small orange speck appeared on the horizon.
"I WONT LET YOU WIN SO EASILY!" Shouted the first voice, and a blue speck appeared behind the orange, quickly gaining on it.
"Is that…?" Chad asked, squinting. The blue speck, now revealed to be an orb, along with the orange one, crashed into the other orb, sending it catapulting into a tree. Yet the tree, being a weeping willow, just caught the orb, and shot it back towards the blue, sending the blue one off course.
"…wait a minute…OH MY GOD! MOVE!" Yoruichi screeched, arching her back, and leapt out of the way as the two giant orbs crashed onto the property, and then slid to a stop. Dust and debris was kicked into the air as they skid to stop. The dust slowly cleared, and when it did, it revealed Ichigo and Naruto, both laying on the ground of their own respective spirit spheres, Naruto's being a burnt-orange, and Ichigo's being a bright blue. They were both covered in sweat, and breathing heavily, yet they were both laughing lightly as they struggled to regain their breath. Naruto slowly stood up inside his orange sphere, holding the Spirit Sphere Conductor in his clawed, foxish hands. Ichigo slowly followed, gagging on the air. "What were you two DOING?" Yoruichi yelled. Naruto looked over to the cat as if it was an insane question.
"Huh?" Ichigo asked.
"WHAT ON EARTH, SOUL SOCIETY, AND HUECO MUNDO-"
"And the Demon World!" Naruto chimed in.
"-WERE YOU TWO DOING?" Yoruichi yelled. She looked like she desperately wanted to bash the two in the head, but she had learned from experience that hitting the side of a Spirit Sphere was not a good idea.
"Ultimate Pinball." Naruto said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Ichigo nodded in affirmation, then grinned.
"Which somehow managed to get races mixed into it. I get extra points for taking out that Watermelon Seller." Ichigo said, his voice slightly echoing from inside his Spirit Sphere.
"Nuh uh!" Naruto protested, his fox ears twisting backwards in his orange hair in annoyance. "If you get extra points for that, then I get extra points for running over that Hollow!"
"That was a man in a mask!"
"WELL, IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH!"
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Kukaku yelled, stopping the two from their fight. They looked over to her, their eyes partially narrowed. "How did you guys even play this 'Ultimate Pinball'? And why?"
"Well…" Naruto said, then began the short tale.
:Flashback:
Ichigo sighed in boredom. He had finally mastered the Spirit Sphere. It had taken him only 37 minutes after Naruto had given him the tip on controlling his rietsu. But it made him ecstatic. But there was a small problem. Now he had nothing to do. Ichigo suddenly stood up, and walked over to Naruto's room, where he was curled up underneath the blankets of a bed, sleeping quietly. "Hey, Naruto!" Ichigo called. Naruto groaned, and rolled over. "Naruto!" Ichigo called again. The Vulpes just ignored him, and continued to sleep. Ichigo glowered at the fox, lifted the Spirit Sphere Conductor, and whipped it at him. The ball connected with the back of the fox's head, making a resounding and painful crack. Naruto shot up, screaming bloody murder.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU DICK?" Naruto yelled, his fangs and claws elongating threateningly.
"I'm bored!" Ichigo responded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"So? Go play in the middle of a highway! Or better! An interstate!" Naruto yelled.
"Entertain me!" Ichigo barked, the statement more of an order.
"Why should I? You just hit me with a frickin ball!" Naruto snapped back.
"Because you're my Entertainment Monkey!"
"I'm not a monkey!" Naruto growled.
"Still. We're going to have to leave soon, but I'm bored!" Ichigo said.
"Then go do something."
"Cant think of anything." Naruto opened his mouth, but Ichigo cut him off. "And don't say to go play in the middle of an interstate." Naruto closed his mouth.
"Well…I do have one idea…" Naruto muttered. Ichigo raised an idea.
"What is it?" The orange-haired teen asked. Naruto grinned.
"Ultimate…Pinball."
:Flashback End:
The group who were not involved with the Pinball just stared with dropped jaws and wide eyes. "So we've been playing Ultimate Pinball ever since then." Naruto responded from inside his Spirit Sphere, and shrugged.
"How do you even move the Spirit Sphere? They're not supposed to be moveable without a chant." Kukaku said. Naruto grinned, his fangs gleaming creepily.
"I discovered a loophole. Strangely, it only works for Ichigo and I. It involves placing more rietsu into the Conductor, and then implanting your thoughts into the rietsu that's flowing straight into the Conductor's core. The thoughts then tell the Spirit Sphere how to act. Ichigo's still working on how to use Shunpo inside, but so far, all he's succeeded in doing is crashing into the walls of the Spirit Sphere and punching himself in the gut with the Conductor." Naruto responded, and Ichigo nodded, scowling slightly. "I've already gotten the Sonido thing down, but it takes a lot of rietsu to use."
"Care to demonstrate the moving ability?" Yoruichi asked, completely interested and amused.
"First off, we're leaving, right?" Yoruichi nodded. "And we're being fired from the inside of that thing, right?" Another nod. "Then we'll meet you inside the cannon." Naruto said. He glanced over to Ichigo, and grinned. He then closed his eyes, and stood completely still. Ichigo soon followed what Naruto was doing, and nothing happened. Then suddenly, the two opened their eyes. Naruto's were glowing orange, and Ichigo's were glowing blue. The two then took a step forward, and almost as if the Spirit Sphere was obeying their every thought, rolled forward. The two kept walking until they were in front of the entrance to the Spirit Cannon. Their Spirit Sphere's vanished, and their eyes returned to normal after they blinked deeply. The two grinned at each other, then both raced inside the Cannon.
"I got in here first!" Ichigo's voice shouted.
"No, I did!" Yoruichi sighed. These two were like siblings…with a big rivalry problem.
:::Above Seireitei:::
The initial approach had gone fine…until Ichigo's arguing with Uryuu had screwed Ganju up in his little chants to keep the trajectory of the flying Spirit Sphere correct. Now they were grinding against the barrier surrounding Seireitei, with the Spirit Sphere slowly breaking apart. Naruto starred with narrowed, foxish eyes at the hole in the Spirit Sphere. Naruto suddenly blinked, and narrowed his eyes further at the top of the field that protected Seireitei. He suddenly snapped his head around. "Ichigo!" Naruto barked over the grinding noise. Ichigo turned to his Vulpes friend, his eyes wide and worried. "Sphere Walking!" Naruto said. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Everyone, let go of the spirit sphere! We cant have anyone's rietsu interfering with ours." Naruto said. The others, desperate for any solution to their problem, released the Conductor, with Yoruichi climbing onto Naruto's shoulder. Only Ichigo and Naruto were left holding the small ball. "Towards the top. To your left." Naruto said. Ichigo nodded, and his eyes began to glow a bright blue. Naruto's eyes once again turned burnt orange, with his pupils fazing to black. The two looked over to where the top of the barrier was, and began to quickly step in that direction. The orb began to slowly roll towards the top, where's Naruto's sharp eyes caught a single flaw in the barrier. Soon, the hole in the Spirit Sphere was right over the exact top of barrier.
"What now, genius?" Ganju yelled. Naruto glared at the man, then turned back to the hole.
Havent used this in a while…I hope I don't lose control… Naruto thought, and lifted his foot left foot. Red, bubbling power surrounded his foot, forming the large hind, clawed foot of a fox. The pure malice of the power filled the air inside the Spirit Sphere. The power was choking. Naruto's hair bristled and his stomach ached something fierce. "What am I going to do?" Naruto asked, his voice slightly morphed, but not overly so. "This!" His deeper, double voice barked as he slammed his foot down. A great grinding sound, like that of two metallic wires being shredded against each other, with the sound greatly magnified, shrieked in the air. The others hunkered down, covering their ears and closing their eyes tightly. Naruto flattened his fox ears to the top of his head with his hands, and used his forearms to cover his human ears, while closing his own eyes, and screaming loudly as pain shot through his foot, up his leg, to his spine, and to the base of his skull. The rietsu from the barrier flowed through his body, overwhelming his senses, and forcing his own orange rietsu to flow out from his body, and make the Spirit Sphere grow five times in size. "SON OF A BITCH!" Naruto yelled as his foot began to sink into the barrier. He sank his fangs in lower lip, and forced more of his red power through his foot, and began to maneuver it around the barrier. Within the yellowish-blue barrier, nine tail-like red appendages grew through it, and then, with a massive explosion, the entire barrier shattered like glass, shards falling to the screaming Soul Reapers below. Naruto ripped his foot back into the Spirit Sphere, and the collapsed onto his back, clutching the Spirit Sphere Conductor in his arms as he returned to normal. He gasped for air as the affects of the red power took its toll. I just remembered why I don't use that power anymore… Naruto thought to himself. The others opened their eyes and uncovered their ears once they realized that the sound had stopped, and that their Spirit Sphere was just hovering, a dark orange, in the middle of the air, with wisps of red power slowly retreating back into Naruto's body.
"Naruto!" the gasped as their friend panted heavily on the ground. He looked up at them and grinned.
"Hey, it worked." He croaked.
"You idiot! What was that?" Yoruichi gasped.
"…uh…inside secret?" Naruto offered.
I've never seen…this is the fourth separate power that I've seen him demonstrate…his normal power that he called 'Chakra', that power where he ate the Hollow, his rietsu, and now this red power…what is up with this? Yoruichi thought. Naruto looked to the orb in his hands with distaste.
"Shit." He growled. Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Naruto tossed the Conductor to Ichigo.
"That's gonna break." Naruto deadpanned. Not a second later, spider web crack crawled its way across the surface of the Conductor, before with a loud screech, it burst apart into thousands of shards. Naruto raised an eyebrow, and pocketed a few of the larger shards in his pocket. Who knows, they could come in handy later on. Ichigo stared with wide, twitching eyes at where the Conductor had once been.
"Euh..." He sounded, then pointed. "Crap! That's bad! I think!" Ichigo shouted. Naruto sighed as he felt the wall of the Sphere behind him begin to creep away from him, creating a large hole in the Sphere.
"Of course it's bad, you idiot. That orb kept this thing up. What do you think'll happen now that it's broken?" Naruto asked from his 'comfty' spot on the ground.
"...um...we'll all fall?" Ichigo suggested.
"Congrats." Naruto said as his body slipped out of the hole in the sphere. "Dont hit your head on the way down!" He called up to the shrinking sphere. Naruto spun around so he was performing a perfect head-long dive towards the ground, and blinked away the tears that formed as the wind whipped his face. "On the upside, we successfully invaded Soul Society." Naruto muttered to himself as he fell, his words being ripped away from his throat. He stared at the approaching ground. "And on the downside...I'm hurtling at 200 miles towards the concrete that will no-doubtedly break my face..." He added, still not showing much care. The Spirit Sphere finally exploded behind him, and five streaks shot off in five completely different directions. A giant, fanged grin spread across Naruto's face. "...Soul Society...is going to see hell."
Done! I wasnt entirely sure where to end this chapter, so i just ended it...well...there. Hey. I know you might be confused with the power thing, and currently, I'm a little annoyed with all the power to. So, I made this thing. Even if it's wrong, TO BAD. Some stuff might be changed, but I don't feel like reading through 40+ pages just to change that stuff. So…look down!
Red: KyuubiOrange: Rietsu
Gold: Demon Chakra
Purple: Normal Chakra
Now, this stuff will change, except for the Kyuubi one. But you'll just have to see how I change it, and why…something about Naruto will change just by the end of this thing…MUAH HA! Back to another note. I know this chapter was frickin late, and I'm sorry! I've been working on other stuff, so i couldnt really work on this! I dont know if any of you really care, so I'm going to write IN BOLD! There, now are you paying attention? There is another story coming out, probably before tonight is up, or REALLY early tomorrow(since it's 11:03 tonight). I'm not positive what the name of the story is going to be, but it's totally OC. I'm hoping it'll be a hit, because it's gonna be epic! Dont worry, the Bleach characters(yes, it's a Bleach Fanfic) arent going to be the OC ones. And if you're familiar with my work, then i think you'll like it. That's it! End bold...now! Okay, that's it! Bye bye.