Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Naruto. Alright, I know that I said I wouldn't be updating before I left…but I raced to finish this so I could have a farewell thing. Oh, and to tell you how long I'll be gone! I'll be gone in Michigan (only reason I'm telling you: That place seems to have NO public wireless internet! At least, not at our Michigan house *anime tears*) from the 18th till the 29th. Since there's gonna be a lot to do(and my laptop battery sucks), I think I'll be able to get one chapter done, most likely two, probably three, and possibly four. If I'm lucky, I'll get five done, and when I get home, I'll add what ever chapters that I've finished as an apology for being gone for so long. Alright! Here's your farewell chapter!
Chapter 6
Alveus Os, Everto Saevio
:::Sogyoku Hill:::
Rukia watched with blank eyes as the Sogyoku roared to life in front of her. Oddly, she wasn't afraid. She just hoped that Yamamoto would live true to his word, and let Ichigo and the others leave without harming them. But she knew somewhere deep in her heart that they wouldn't get away. Everything was for naught. As the Sogyoku shot forward, ready to impale her with its fiery beak, she closed her eyes, bidding all of her friends and family goodbye. The intense heat on her cheeks grew…then suddenly diminished to smaller levels. Rukia waited. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes slightly. She saw black outlined with bright light. Am I dead? Am I in the current, ready to be reborn? Rukia thought, and closed her eyes again. She waited…and waited…and waited. Nothing. Rebirth is freaking boring! Rukia thought, and opened her eyes, hoping to find a soul that would talk with her as they traveled along to rebirth. But she didn't see any souls. Instead, what she saw was Kurosaki Ichigo, a bandage stretched on his face, and his hand resting on the hilt of his Zonpaktou. Around his body, was a pale cloak, and his Zonpaktou was the only thing between Ichigo's body, and the Sogyoku. "Ichigo…!" Rukia whispered in shock. She didn't actually think that Ichigo would get all the way up here.
"Hey, Rukia." Ichigo said, giving her a warm, cool-boy smile. But that 'I'm-an-aaaaaaawwwwwweeeesome-guy-and-you-know-it' moment was ruined, when from out of his cloak, popped an orange and purple fox with five tails tipped purple.
"DAMN IT ICHIGO!" The fox yelled, making everyone but Ichigo drop their jaw. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOVE ME IN YOUR SHIRT, AND WHAT'D YOU DO? YOU SHOVED ME IN YOUR SHIRT!" The fox shrieked.
"Well, what was I to do?" Ichigo argued back. "You cant fly, can you? How were you supposed to get up here?" Ichigo yelled.
"I could have stayed on the ground! I'd be perfectly happy down there, thank you very MUCH!" The fox roared while flailing around wildly.
"Stop moving or I'll drop you!" Ichigo snapped at the fox, before yelping as the Sogyoku backed away from the two. "What's it doing?" Ichigo asked as the bird hovered above the ground, its flaming wings making crackling sounds every time they were flapped down.
"Backing off for another attack." The fox growled, baring its fangs at the giant creature. "Throw me to the stand. If you miss, I'll try to hold the thing off." The fox said. Ichigo nodded, and grabbed the small creature by the scruff of its neck, and then, whirling his arm back, threw it, allowing it to flip and land smoothly on the stand of the Sogyoku.
"Naruto!" Ichigo shouted. The fox looked up, its tails twitching nervously. "I'm counting on you." The fox nodded as Ichigo shot forward, his Zonpaktou drawn back to attack the bird. But right before he collided with the Sogyoku, a giant, thick rope wrapped around its neck, stopping it in its charge. Ichigo pulled himself to a stop, his eyes wide with shock, and almost dropped Zangetsu to the ground. He looked down with confusion, and instantly spotted what had happened. It was a Captain, with some giant, shield-shaped object that had a protruding rope that led from the shield, to the Sogyoku, holding the bird in place. "I don't know what that is, but I can use the distraction." Ichigo muttered before jumping backwards and pulling his body into a fast back flip. Right as he landed on the stand next to the fox, the Sogyoku burst into a million pieces, courtesy of the Captains of Squad 8 and 13. Ichigo gripped the cloth of Zangetsu tightly, and with a flick of his wrist, made the Zonpaktou spin at such a rapid pace, that it looked more like a gray-silver circle in the air, instead of a giant butcher-knife of a Zonpaktou.
"Ichigo! What're you doing? Get away from here! I've resigned to my fate! I don't want you to save me, now go AWAY!" Rukia yelled. Ichigo sighed, while the fox held back a snicker.
"Naruto, you wanna help?" Ichigo asked, looking to the fox. Naruto shrugged his orange shoulders, and jumped onto Ichigo's back, his front paws and head on his right shoulder. "Rukia, sometimes you talk to much." Ichigo finally said as he grabbed his Zonpaktou, his rietsu built to high levels. Naruto began to glow a deep orange, and he closed his eyes. "Just shut up and watch." Ichigo then drove the entire Zonpaktou into the stand. In an instant, the stand began to glow a bright blue and orange, before, in an amazing, bright flash, the stand exploded outwards, showering the Soul Reapers below with fragments of wood and cement. "You worry to much, Rukia." Ichigo said as his form was finally cleared from the dust. He stood on the air like it was solid ground, with Rukia under one arm, and Naruto, looking completely annoyed with his position, under the other. "We're not alone, you know. Uryuu, Chad, Orihime, Yoruichi, Ganju…and Naruto too…we all came here to rescue you."
"We've worked to hard to get here, and we're sure as hell not going to turn back now." Naruto added, nodding his head thoughtfully. Rukia scrutinized the fox, before shrieking and pointing.
"You're the Demon Fox!" Rukia yelped, shaking her finger dramatically. Naruto raised a foxish eyebrow.
"Uh…yeah?" He offered with confusion.
"But…but…you cant be here! And why do you have that necklace of teeth? And why do you have a Zonpaktou and five tails?" Rukia yelled.
"Hmm…Apparently I can, because it's my Mask Fragment, I'm an Arrancar and they carry Zonpaktou, and because I've grown in power so now I have five tails." Naruto responded, his voice level as he answered each question without much worry. "And besides. I warned you that Demons have more then one tail." Naruto then scoffed. Rukia, on the other hand, was staring off into space, her eyes swirls as she tried to process the information.
"…um…I don't think she was expecting that…" Ichigo muttered. Naruto rolled his eyes, and then closed them, trying to block out everything as he thought through battle strategies with Kitsune, Ryu, and Arashi. He had finally gotten through fifteen strategies, when Ichigo suddenly began to shake the fox, bringing him out of his sub-consciousness. Ichigo no longer held Rukia, causing Naruto's eyes to widen .
"DEAR GOD, DID YOU FRICKIN' DROP HER?" Naruto yelled, once again flailing in anger. Ichigo sputtered in surprise, and, in his stuttering, didn't find an answer. "OR DID YOU EAT HER? OH MY GOD!" Naruto yelled, covering his eyes with his paws.
"Neither! I threw her to Renji!" Ichigo responded. Naruto uncovered one of his eyes, and looked to where he saw Renji…a long ways away.
"That's even worse, you retard!" Naruto barked. Ichigo looked down to Naruto.
"He's running, and I need to help. Do you think you can stick the landing without any help?" Ichigo asked. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the orange-haired boy.
"You wouldn't dare." Naruto hissed lowly. Ichigo grinned, and suddenly, Ichigo's grin, and entire face, was shrinking. Naruto could just barely hear Ichigo through the wind that whistled past his ears.
"I think I would!" He had shouted. Naruto opened his mouth, ready to shout up at the boy…but was cut off as his back slammed into the ground at seventy miles an hour. Of course, if this had happened to a normal person, their spinal cord would have been turned to dust, or at least really small pieces. But since this is a Demon that we're talking about, his spinal cord cracked in many places, but were held together with Demonic Energy. Even so…he'd be feeling that in the morning. Naruto rolled over onto his side, and glared at the side of the crater that his body had created, daring it to start laughing, like how his Zonpaktou spirits were. Of course, dirt being an inanimate object…just settled for staring back at him. Naruto pulled his paws up to his body, and then lifted his chest off the ground, before shaking all of the stray dust and dirt from his fur. With a quick roll of his head, his neck cracked, and he clambered out of the crater that his small body had somehow made. With hardly a backwards glance, Naruto trotted off towards where he could sense Ichigo getting ready to take down some Vice-Captains. He allowed his body to grow to the size of a male lion, and kept trotting, right past the line of Soul Reapers that were watching Ichigo take down three Vice-Captains single-handedly. He paid hardly any mind to the gaping expressions that came from all; including the Captains of Squads One, Two, and Six.
Naruto paused in mid trot, and looked over to the Captains of Squads 8 and 13. "Thanks for the help." Naruto deadpanned, surprising everyone with his knowledge of human language, before he continued to trot off, his tails flicking absentmindedly. Any minute now… Naruto thought blankly.
"Halt!"
Yup, right there. Naruto muttered sarcastically as he stopped moving, and looked over his shoulder at the giant, wolf-headed(…looked it up, it's a wolf…but he shall forever remain Fox-Buddy in my eyes! *huggles Fox-Buddy*) man who was…massive. He had to be around nine feet tall…at least. And what was even more intimidating then his size…was the Captain's Haori for Squad 7 that he wore. Shiiiiit…Giant Captain equals Giant Shikai which equals Gianter Bankai. Naruto thought.
'Gianter?' Arashi scoffed.
Back off! Naruto grumbled as he turned to the line of Captains and Vice Captains that he had walked past. "What?" Naruto demanded, trying to calculate his apparent opponents abilities; so far, he had come up with nothing.
"Do you really think you can just walk past us without one of us challenging you?" The wolfish Captain asked. Naruto sighed heavily, drooping his head mockingly.
"Well I was hoping," Naruto droned sarcastically "that you idiotic Soul Reapers wouldn't notice, since your brains are so freakishly small." How I do enjoy to taunt people… Naruto chuckled. "Even that old man. He's just as dumb as the rest of you. You didn't even notice me running around the Seireitei, even though you should have been able to track my every move when I was painting the entire place."
"Why you…" The wolf-man snarled.
"…you're not human…" Ukitake, Captain of Squad 13 and current Traitor-in-Question, finally spoke. Naruto looked at the man with wide eyes.
"I've been standing here, talking, for five minutes, and that's what you come up with? Seeing a talking fox must be harder to process then I thought." Naruto suddenly grinned, and began to glow strangely. "Will this make it better?" With a crack and a flash, Naruto stood in human form, his fox ears in his hair twisted sideways, and his hands in his pockets. Ukitake fell over backwards, his eyes swirls like how Rukia's had been. Oops… Naruto mentally laughed. Naruto turned back to the wolfish Captain and the others, raising an eyebrow. "I'm getting a little bored now, you know. Even Ichigo is seeing more action then me, and I'm the vicious one in the group."
"You. You're an Arrancar." Yamamoto said, his eyes opening in shock when he finally realized just what he was looking at. Naruto pulled his hands from his pockets, and clapped them slowly.
"Congratulations. You finally know what the hell I am. Took you long enough." Naruto scoffed the ending to himself, before crossing his arms over his chest, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Since you're the one who commented on challenging me, are you the one who's offering me a fight? 'Cause if you're not, I'm going to make some popcorn and watch Ichigo beat the shit out of your Captain over there; and he will, trust me on that." The Captain walked forward, and drew his Zonpaktou.
"I will not waste time with you, Mr. Fox Arrancar." The Captain said.
"Please, call Vulpes Naruto. Mr. Fox Arrancar was my father." Naruto pulled his Zonpaktou from his back, and began to twirl it around, before suddenly stopping, and looking off into space. "…I think…" He then added hesitantly. Kitsune, Ryu, Arashi, Fluffy, Everto! None of us know my father's name. Discuss. Tell me what you guys think later.
~Stop being so sarcastic with this, Naruto!~ Kitsune complained. ~Sarcasm is much more fun when I'm there!~
:Kitsune!: Ryu snapped. :I thought he was going the right way with this, but I guess not. You should be careful with this guy, Naruto. He's powerful.:
I'm aware with that. Naruto grumbled. Ruin my fun why don't you. If I end up dieing, wouldn't you all want to die with a big-ass smile on your face, or would you rather die being all sour? Discuss THAT.
"Fine. I will not waste time with a Sealed Sword, Vulpes-san. I, Captain of Squad 7, Komamura Sajin, shall defeat you in battle. Tenken!" Komamura roared.(Seriously…does anyone know his release command? Nobody on line does, and says that it's never been revealed…it annoys me greatly.) Naruto looked around, searching for a change in Komamura's Zonpaktou. Maybe fire, wind, water…some type of indicator that a new power was coming onto the field. But there was nothing. Just a pissed off-looking Wolf-Man standing fifteen feet away.
"…uh…was that it?" Naruto asked cautiously, wondering if he should be on guard or be laughing on the ground. Komamura suddenly threw a fist forward…and another fist followed, smashing right into Naruto's gut, sending him catapulting back, and into a rock, smashing it to pieces. As Naruto lay under the rubble, he said one sentence. "Holy shit, his fist had a frickin' growth spurt!"
'Naruto, we need to know his abilities. The others and I might be able to figure it out if you're able to fight him long enough without getting killed. Can you do that?' Arashi asked.
"That's not that reassuring, the killing part." Naruto said out loud as he pushed himself from the rocks. "But yeah, I think I can do it." He added as he held Kitsuneryu no Arashi out in front of him. He breathed out slowly and evenly, allowing his rietsu to calm as he once again searched for any sign of a Shikai released. There still was not one sign. Nothing. "Alright…" Naruto muttered, before he vanished with Sonido, and reappeared to the left of Komamura, and swung his Zonpaktou to the side without turning, attempting to catch Komamura in the side with his blade. But, even though the wolf-like man was large in size, it didn't mean that he was slow. He managed to swivel his body so that when he turned, the blade slid right past him, before he swung his sword. Naruto yelped as he ducked, his fox ears nearly getting shaved off his head as a giant sword swung from behind him. But when Naruto looked around, the sword was gone, and there was no person large enough to swing it in sight. Naruto back-flipped away, and pointed at Komamura. "Do you mind telling me what your Shikai does? I'm a little confused!" Naruto called.
"It wouldn't be smart to tell you that, Vulpes-san." Komamura said, readying his Zonpaktou again.
"Eh, it was worth a shot!" Naruto yelled before ducking again, narrowly missing getting clipped in the head by a giant foot. Naruto pointed at where the foot had come from. "Would you three please figure out what's up with his Shikai? I'm tired of random body parts flying at me! Next it's going to be a tongue, or the teeth!" Naruto shrieked out loud, before using Sonido once again to appear off to Komamura's right. Once the man spun around to greet him, Naruto flashed away again, and reappeared behind him. When Komamura looked over his shoulder. Naruto jumped, and plummeted back towards the wolf-like man's head, forming the wind around him to increase his speed. Naruto brought his sword down to lob off Komamura's right ear, but before he could, Komamura brought up his sword, and caught Naruto's blade against it. Daaaaaaaaaamn it! Naruto whined, as he made himself slip off Komamura's blade, and drop to the ground in a crouch. Naruto slashed his blade up, and with a flash of sparks, got his blade caught on Komamura's once again. "Shit. You're really fast. And you're pretty damn good at parrying." Naruto said, grinning roughly.
"You have four ears. Don't you ever use them in a fight?" Komamura asked.
"Sometimes." Naruto muttered as he swirled his body out of the way, and kicked Komamura in the side. CLANG! Naruto's foot stayed connected to Komamura's side, while Komamura stayed standing. Naruto suddenly jumped away, but not for another attack or to dodge. He was clutching his foot and hopping around on his other foot. "Man!" Naruto yelled to the sky. "What the hell is your foot made out of? Steel?" Naruto yelled, looking up from his mangled foot. "My foot just freaking healed from being stabbed by Ichimaru, and now you go and break it with your side! THAT'S NOT FREAKING FAIR!" Naruto whined, rubbing his foot gingerly. He slowly put his foot back on the ground, before pushing his Demonic Energy into his foot, healing it slowly yet surely. Why do I have to fight the giant one? Why? Naruto moaned.
"You're an Arrancar, correct?" Komamura asked as he waited for Naruto to readjust his grip on Kitsuneryu no Arashi.
"Uh…yeah?" Naruto responded, raising an eyebrow.
"Then that makes you a Hollow." Komamura stated. Naruto shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
"Yeah, I guess."
"And you're a Ryoka."
"What's with the 20 questions?" Naruto sighed.
'More like Twenty Statements.'
Go away!
"If you're an Arrancar, which was once an evil Hollow, and you're a Ryoka…" Komamura began to glow red. "…then you must be the one who killed Captain Aizen!" Komamura growled. All of the Captains tensed, before they nearly all fell over, taken off guard by Naruto's next words.
"Uhhhhhh…who?"
"What? How could you kill someone without knowing who they are?" Komamura yelped. Naruto blinked rapidly.
"Uh…I didn't…kill anybody…" Naruto said slowly. He suddenly snapped his fingers. "You must be talking about that one sword shoved into the wall! I didn't know you could make a sword a Captain…you guys are insane…" Naruto said, his face falling at the end.
"What're you talking about?" Soi Fon snapped from the sidelines. Naruto finally grinned.
"How about we make a little bet? If you win, then I'll tell you what I saw. If I win, you all give my friends and I an hour head start, and if we can get out of the Seireitei by then, with no interruptions, then you leave us all alone for the rest of time. Deal?" Naruto asked. Komamura spread his massive feet, and crouched slightly.
"Get ready to lose, Vulpes-san. And get ready to surrender your information before you die." Komamura said. Naruto closed his eyes, before opening them again, his irises turning orange, and his pupils turning black.
Lend me some of your power, Kitsuneryu no Arashi. Naruto thought as he felt the power of Kitsune, Ryu, and Arashi flood through his body. "Of really?" Naruto asked. "You see, now I have an actual reason…" Naruto said, grinning broadly, before vanishing. "TO GET SERIOUS!" Naruto shouted from nowhere, before he appeared behind Komamura, swinging his Zonpaktou. "Ventus Vesica!" Naruto snapped his wrist, and with a dull throb of sound, a blade of wind flew from the sword. Komamura attempted to spin out of the way, but he still got cut deep in his stomach. Komamura staggered backwards, clutching his new wound.
"What was that? I dodged that!" Komamura grumbled.
"You know nothing of wind, do you?" Naruto asked, standing straight, with his Zonpaktou dripping with fresh blood. "The reason you can see Ventus Vesica is because of my rietsu. My rietsu mixes with wind, and condenses into a thin, large blade of wind. But what you can see is the core. What you cant see, is the outer edges, which somehow find a way to get thinner. Because these edges don't have as much rietsu in them, the wind is harder to see…almost…invisible." Naruto explained, slowly gaining a grin. "Even though it had less rietsu, it doesn't mean that it is any less powerful. In fact, I tend to believe that the outer edges are sharper, and faster then the core. What you dodged was the only the core…while there was an entire layer waiting for you."
"That's an amazing ability." Yamamoto called. "I take it your Zonpaktou has a Wind Affinity?" Naruto looked over to the man without turning his head completely to see him.
"I cant say it does." Naruto responded. "So, Komamura-san…is it annoying, getting injured by something you cant see? Now you know how pissed I am with your Shikai. And is it annoying that you don't know the full extent to my Zonpaktou? That goes along with how pissed I am at you right now!" Naruto snarled. Komamura's eyes narrowed, before his threw his fist forward. Naruto's eyes widened as he wrapped his body in wind, and managed to twist out of the way, his body spinning rapidly like a top as the wind propelled him. While the giant fist flew past him at high speeds, everything was slow to him. It came out of nowhere? That's not possible, though! This is his Shikai's ability? Damn, I don't know how I can counter that! Naruto thought.
:I got it! Naruto, attack the arm! Hurry, before it vanishes!: Ryu yelled. Naruto quickly stopped his spinning, jumped in the air, and brought his sword down hard. With a loud clash, Kitsuneryu no Arashi dug into the giant, armored arm. Naruto grinned, but in an instant, his grin was wiped away, as his body was jerked forward with the arm.
"Any more bright ideas?" Naruto yelped as he, along with the arm, vanished into a black hole the same width as the arm. Naruto opened his eyes, and pointed, screaming. He didn't now what, but the arm he held on to was attached to a giant…something…that was concealed in darkness. As the giant reached for him, the arm he clung to exited the strange area, and Naruto sprang away, dragging his Zonpaktou with him. Naruto crashed to the ground, his eyes wide with shock.
"Uhh…" Ukitake said from the sidelines. Naruto turned his head and looked at him, still not getting up.
"I'm guessing that's not supposed to happen?" Naruto asked. Ukitake and Shunsui shook their heads. "Alright then." Naruto grunted as he pushed himself to his feet, and, after wobbling for a second, straightened out, and turned to Komamura. "Did you know that could happen?" Naruto asked, pointing in the direction that the arm of the giant had vanished. Komamura slowly shook his head, his eyes wide.
"Truthfully…no." He muttered. Naruto planted his feet in the ground, and crouched slightly.
"I'm going to have to pay you back, either way." Naruto growled.
"Is that so?" Komamura asked, and raised his Zonpaktou. As he did this, another giant arm wielding a perfect, yet giant, copy of Komamura's Zonpaktou appeared. Naruto's ears drooped, before he managed to fold his body into a backbend to avoid the swiping sword.
"Dude!" Naruto gasped as he pulled himself out of the backbend, his eyes wide. He looked to the giant sword. I swear, it got faster! Naruto thought to himself as he gripped his Zonpaktou. He swung the sword, calling out his trademark wind attack, sending many blades of wind towards Komamura. This time, instead of simply twisting out of the way, Komamura jumped completely out of the way, pulling his arms close to him to avoid the attack.
"That's not going to work again, Vulpes-san." Komamura called. A grin spread across Naruto's face.
"Oh really?" He asked, right before Komamura was nearly split in half at the waist. His eyes widened as he looked down at his falling blood. "Surprised?" Naruto asked, before pointing over Komamura's shoulder. "You might want to look behind you, Wolf-boy." Komamura looked behind him slowly, and his jaw nearly dropped. Another Naruto stood behind him, grinning like a madman, his sword dripping with Komamura's blood.
"How did you…?" Komamura managed, before he didn't say any more; he was just to stunned. The Naruto that had attacked him successfully pointed over Komamura's shoulder.
"Why don't you look again?" Naruto asked. Komamura looked behind him once again, right before the Naruto burst into bright particles of light, and vanished into the air.
"What?" Komamura gasped.
"A Clone made of Light. It's another ability of my Zonpaktou. Good luck telling the difference, because there basically is none. They even have my own abilities stored within them." Naruto explained, his grin growling a little larger ever second. "Now what, Wolf-boy? You going to give up and let me and my friends leave here?" Naruto asked. Komamura shook his head, appearing to be in a daze. "Dang. I was hoping that that last attack would shock you so much that you'd agree…false hopes." Naruto muttered.
"I'm going to steal your trick, if you don't mind. Look behind you." Komamura said. Naruto's eyes widened, and right before he turned completely around, a giant metal hand crashed into his back, sending his body into a full-body whiplash, and sent him skidding and rolling across the ground. When Naruto finally managed to halt his 'trip', he was covered in his own blood, with small cuts all over his body, and dust covering his face, arms, and chest. The Vulpes managed to get to his feet, using the back of his hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Ah ah! No copying!" Naruto called through a wince. I might have broken a bone in that…
'Yup.'
Not helping, Arashi! Naruto grumbled, glaring at nothing. He suddenly yelped and brought up his sword, catching the giant blade of Komamura's Zonpaktou against his own. As he was forced to slide back as the sword continued its path, Kitsuneryu No Arashi creaked and groaned, and a small crack appeared in the blade. With a loud howl, Kitsune's power fell to nearly undetectable levels. Kitsune! Kitsune, are you alright? Naruto called, glancing down to the cracked blade worriedly. There was no answer. Damn it, Kitsune!
:Kitsune cant hear you, Naruto! Don't let our blade crack again! Right now, you have no control over Kitsune's abilities. If you keep this up, then you'll have to surrender that dumb information and you'll die!: Ryu snapped. Naruto nodded before ducking, allowing the giant blade to ricochet of Kitsuneryu No Arashi, and swing away from him. Naruto turned an annoyed glare to Komamura.
"Now, I'm pissed." Naruto snarled, his rietsu whipping around him. With a loud crack, the Vulpes vanished. Komamura swung his head from side to side, attempting to find the Vulpes. Claw nor tail was visible of the Demon, when suddenly:
THWAK!
Komamura gasped with surprise as a swift kick to the side of the face sent him tumbling, Tengen being knocked from his fist. Naruto landed with a silent 'tap', and stood instantly, stalking forward. He raised his sword threateningly, but before he could do anything, Komamura swung his arm down as he stood. With a loud band, the giant hand appeared again, this time karate-chopping Naruto into the ground. The Vulpes yelped as thousands of pounds of weight came down on his torso suddenly. He slowly managed to bring his Zonpaktou around, and sliced the ground underneath him, creating a deep crevice. He fell into the gash in the ground, and winced as the hole turned completely black as the hand, no longer having his body to keep it from falling further, collapsed onto the opening. Within seconds, light flooded back into the space as the hand retreated back into its own separate dimension. Naruto cracked open his eyes, and glanced up, checking for another attack. When none came, he shot back out of the opening…only to get sideswiped by the giant sword. Naruto hissed as the sword managed to cleave through his right shoulder, nearly taking his arm off. With a sharp jerk of his body, the sword slid out from his shoulder, his blood splattering the ground. The Vulpes, flipping around to get further from Komamura, landed unevenly on his legs, and stumbled. This gave Komamura an opening, in which he threw his fist out, Tengen's fist appearing and slamming into the Vulpes.
Why am I suddenly losing? Is it because I'm only at 2/3 of my strength now? Naruto thought as he kept attempting to duck and evade, only to get slashed, stomped, or punched in every direction.
'Don't forget, Kitsune is Ice and Shadow, but he also holds your ability to look at a situation and decide what the best course of action is. Without him, your body is dodging, while in reality, all you are doing is moving randomly.' Arashi said, a hint of distress being carried in his words. Naruto's eyes widened. Without Kitsune helping him, he was doing nothing. It was the same as him standing still on the field, only to get pummeled. For all he knew, he could actually be helping Komamura attack him!
So then how do I prevent this crap? Naruto asked as he was sideswiped by Tengen's fist.
:Attempt to move randomly. Don't look at the attacks, just move. Hopefully, you'll move out of the way.: Ryu responded for the Winged Fox Spirit.
Hopefully? Naruto shrieked through his thoughts as he saw the sword coming straight at him. Fine, I'll move randomly! Naruto growled, and then started to twist and turn his body without much thought. And to his surprise…he wasn't getting touched anymore. "Oh my god…it's working!" Naruto whispered to himself, and jumped backwards while his mind was screaming at him to duck. If he had ducked, he would have gotten his head cleaved from his body. Instead, his hakama near his shins was cut slightly. Naruto grinned, and turned to Komamura, holding Kitsuneryu no Arashi firmly; that was his mistake. Tengen's arm was shoving the giant sword forward, and while he watched the sword approach, he forgot to not think about his moves, and thought about the best way to dodge. He jumped forward, spiraling over the blade, and when he pulled out of the spiral…he was impaled through his right abdomen with Komamura's small version of Tengen. Naruto eyes widened, his Zonpaktou frozen at his side in preparation for an attack. He had done the one bad thing to do in his situation. He had thought about a way to get out of the way of the giant Tengen. He had succeeded in one, but not in another. With a sickening squelch, Naruto's body was thrown from Komamura's sword, and, with a hard crunch, his body hit the ground.
The Vulpes tried to stand, but when he did, a larger crack appeared in Kitsuneryu no Arashi. Ryu screamed in pain, before Naruto felt Ryu's power diminish within his body. Kitsune was Ice, Shadow, and his ability to decide what to do in battle. Ryu was Fire, Light, and his ability to move as he did while fighting. Without him, his body wouldn't obey his movements, so as he attempted to stand, he just ended up back on the ground. Komamura slowly approached the orange-haired Vulpes. "It truly is a sad day when a creature as odd and rare as yourself must perish. But it must be done." Komamura said. He stopped right at the side of the boy as he continued in his attempt to bring himself to his feet.
Come on! Move, damn it! Naruto thought as he continued to twitch. Why wont I just MOVE! It's my body, and I demand that it MOVES!
-You sure are in some deep shit now, Vinco!- Cackled Everto from within his mind. Naruto snarled mentally at the monster, not wanting to waste time yelling at him.
"You should just stop trying to move. You cant beat me, even if you could stand up." Komamura raised his Zonpaktou over his head, his eyes half-closed in respect for the Arrancar. "You'll never win. I am a Captain, and you are just a little Ryoka." He scoffed at those words, even as he lay bleeding. "Goodbye, Arrancar."
The sword came crashing down, and blood splattered the ground.
Done! And that would be the end to the sixth chapter! …just kidding. You all would probably be pissed if I did that.
Naruto's eyes slowly looked down to the sword that had just impaled him through the chest. When the sword was jerked from his body, blood flew everywhere, splattering the ground. Blood began to pool underneath Naruto's body, and the puddle kept growing until it had passed his body, and had gathered into a thick river that slowly trickled away from him. Komamura sheathed his Zonpaktou, and closed his eyes. He pressed his hands together in front of his chest, and did a form of a bow. "I wish you a nice new life. I have read the Arrancars, when purified, go straight into the Current. I pray to Kami that your next life will be a happy one." Komamura said softly, before turning. Naruto's eyes slowly began to close as he physically felt his blood leaving his body. He felt every drop, whether it touched him or not. He could feel his veins emptying, the red liquid of life leaving him; and it scared him senseless. He had never really experienced death before, not even a near-death state. Nothing compared to this.
"No. I command you to not die." A light voice whispered next to him. "You're not allowed to die yet. Now fight, damn it." Naruto opened his eyes as he felt the voice leave him. What had that been? It was so…strange. The feminine voice had just come and gone, with no body to carry it. He had felt incredibly warm at that moment, but once the voice had left, the coldness had crept back of him. His pain had been dulled, but now it returned full force. The Vulpes, his ears picking up every beat of his slowing heart, looked off to his right. His eyes widened an invisible fraction. His blood had turned at a ninety-degree angle.
Blood doesn't do that… Naruto thought, and looked carefully at where the blood had turned. There! A white feather was on the ground, slightly touching the blood, and a blood handprint was next to it; by the looks of it, the handprint belonged to a woman. When had a woman who carried white feathers appeared to turn the direction of his blood? Suddenly, a rush of energy filled his body. He looked to the end of the trail of blood, and found that it ended where Kitsuneryu no Arashi sat on the ground, now completely broken in two. He watched as his blood slowly followed the line of the sword, covering the blade with his blood. He smirked lightly.
Komamura's ears twitched as he heard light feminine chuckling drift past him, along with a soft, warm wind. He turned, wondering if another Ryoka was by the Arrancar, and he had mistaken crying for a chuckle. But what he saw surprised him. The Vulpes…he was still alive. His blood had long-since trailed away from him, and had collected on his Zonpaktou. He watched as the Arrancar smirked slightly, before he attempted to form words. Komamura turned, and walked up to the boy, his hand going to his Zonpaktou. "Poor tainted creature…still being alive, even after I severed two of his arteries…" Komamura said, drawing his Zonpaktou. But he paused. The Vulpes was still trying to speak as he stared at his Zonpaktou, which was broken in two halfway down the wide blade. His eyes widened as the blade began to glow a deep orange, and as the Vulpes' irises turned completely orange, the pupil vanishing from each eye.
"R…ro…roa…" Naruto stuttered. Yamamoto's eyes shot open.
"Komamura! Stop him! Hurry, before he finishes his sentence!" Yamamoto ordered. Komamura raised his blade, this time to decapitate the boy.
"R-roar…y-you…De-demon…" Naruto whispered, his body glowing orange. His eyes drifted closed, and as he breathed out a final time, three words left his mouth. "Kitsuneryu no Arashi…" (A/N: Wanted to end it here, damn it!)
What happened next could only be described as a massive explosion that shook the ground. Rock was lifted from the ground as a massive pillar of orange flame-like energy shot into the air, black mist surrounding it. Ichigo, who had come out of his battle victorious, and was in the middle of demanding answered from Byakuya, paused, and turned towards the familiar signature. His eyes opened wide at the display of power, and even more as he saw a giant shadow twisting and morphing within the darkness.
Then suddenly, out of the mist, which was slowly turning to gray and white, shot a giant, feathered wing, with orange feathers, and dark-purple primary feathers. Then a second shot out. The wingspan had to be at least 110 feet from wingtip to wingtip. Suddenly, a long, orange, scaly tail with a silver arrow-shaped blade at the end, and silver spikes going down the tail, whipped out of the mist. Then another appeared. And another, and another, and another, until five of the tails whipped about. A white, smooth muzzle appeared out of the mist, slightly open, with white fog rolling past the enormous teeth. Two silver horns appeared at the top, along with two orange fox-like ears. Then, out of the mist, a giant, orange paw crashed down onto the ground, large, slightly-curved silver claws shredding into the ground.
The jaws of the giant creature parted further, a feral growl rolling forth. The creature tossed its head back, hiding itself in the mist once more. "!" A piercing, bellowing hollow erupted from within the mist. And with that roar, a great wind came, and blew the mist away, revealing the full form of the creature.
What stood before everyone, could only be described as a monster; a monster with the body of a fox, the tails of a dragon, and the wings of a bird. The wings were, indeed, around 110 feet from tip to tip, matching almost perfectly to the 100-foot-tall stature of the monster. The monster was basically orange; orange fur, orange scales, and orange feathers. The only non-orange parts of its body was the purple primary feathers, red arrow-shaped blades on its tails, and the blue, ice-like design running up his front right leg, and the bleach-white armor that covered some of his body. The fox's head was covered completely in a white mask, except for his lower jaw, which was covered in fur. The mask held the whisker-like marks that Naruto had when he was in human form, just in blood-red; the only other thing on the mask, was the Mark of the Chosen, which started up on its forehead, and then went down the center of his mask, stopping when it reached its black nose. Going from the back of the mask, down its neck, was a thick plate of armor, with silver spikes showing through. Another plate, divided from the one on the back of its neck, covered its back, going from the end of his neck, past where his wings connected to his shoulder blades, and down his back, until it reached the base of its tails, and then just stopped abruptly. The silver spikes continued down its scaly tails without the armor. On the front forearms of the monster, were white bracers, going from its wrists, all the way to its elbows, where two, long spikes jutted out, running back behind him, curving upwards, and stopping when the thin, long spikes reached the middle of its body. On its hind legs, were just thick, white cuffs around its ankles. Through the center of the creature's chest, was a large hole.
To complete the look of the monster before them…was the three gigantic swords that it wielded. Each were held to its back by different colored chains. The regular katana was held to its body by a blue chain made of sapphire. Dangling by a sapphire chain off the hilt of the katana, was a light-blue Hexagonal Crystal; the black hilt of this sword came over the creature's right shoulder. The next was a katana that had a flipped blade; the sharp edge was on top normally, and the blunt edge was on the bottom. This katana, its white hilt coming over its left shoulder, was held to the monster's body by a ruby chain. Hanging from a ruby chain from the hilt of the reversed katana, was a red Orb Crystal. The last katana, held to its body by a pure-silver chain, was a sword that looked half-finished; it had no sharp edges at all. Hanging from the purple and gray hilt, from a silver chain, was a purple Orthorhombic Crystal.
The monster's head was thrown back in a horrifying roar, its orange rietsu whipping out from its body as its massive wounds slowly began to close. Ichigo, who was still leaning on Tensa Zangetsu like a cane, stared with wide eyes. "Is that…really…Naruto?" Ichigo whispered in shock, watching as the whipping tendrils of power and the sharp blades of the scaled tails carved trenches in the ground with little resistance.
"You never learned of Arrancars, so you wouldn't know. Even with their Human appearance, they are still Hollows. They will all return to their true forms for their own purpose." Byakuya stated stoically as he stared blankly. But back on the other battlefield, everything was different. Everyone stared, their jaws dropped and their eyes wide, and their very being shaking in shock. The fox lowered its head, its orange eyes, void of pupils, staring at Komamura through the holes in the mask.
"Now who's the little one?"A voice drifted from the direction of the fox. The voice sounded like Naruto's, but it sounded different. More…hollow, as if it was coming from the bottom of a well. Behind his voice, it sounded like three others were whispering his words, giving it a strange, wind-like sound to his words.
"W-what di-did he do?" Ukitake asked. The fox turns his eyes to the man without turning his head.
"You mean you don't even know?"The fox asked, his mouth still not moving. The Hollow looked to Yamamoto. "You don't even tell your Captains what the true strength of an Arrancar is?"
"It's not information that should be known, since Arrancars are supposed to be extinct." Yamamoto said through clenched teeth.
"And look where that got you."The Hollow's voice growled.
"…b-but…you're still that Kid…" Ukitake managed to say, his eyes wide.
"Yes, Captain-san. Head-Captain-teme, why don't you explain?"The fox said. Yamamoto fixated a glare on the massive hollow, but complied, none the less.
"As you have learned, an Arrancar is a Hollow that has removed part of its mask to gain the form of a human, and a Zonpaktou. But what you didn't learn, is that an Arrancar can release their Zonpaktou, just as we can. But their release gives them back part of their Hollow appearance, and gives them all of their powers that they once had. In the released state, the stronger the Arrancar is, the more they resemble humans. And with that information in mind, this Arrancar is nothing but trash. He's-" Yamamoto was cut off by a vicious growl, coming from the throat of the fox. He, and the other Captains, looked up to the fox, and were amazed at what they saw. The fox had spread his five tails, and spread his wings to the full extent, before lowering his head, and laying his ears flat against his head.
"That may be true for other Arrancars, Teme, but that's not true in my case…"He growled. "I'm not just an Arrancar, I'm Vulpes Naruto, a Demon Fox!" He snarled.
"A demon fox…" Yamamoto deadpanned. "Right. Kill him."
"Right! Bankai! Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!" Komamura declared strongly. With a short, bright flash, a giant…giant…stood on the ground, standing 150 feet tall(A/N: Yeah…not his full height…). It looked like a giant suit of samurai armor with a giant version of Tengen in his right hand. Komamura, who's movements were following the giants exactly, or possibly the other way around, was surrounded by a faint red glow. Naruto blinked rapidly up at the suit of armor. He instantly adopted a blank look. His bottom draw dropped open slightly, and the words tumble out without him even moving his mouth.
"Well shit. Here I was, thinking I'd be the biggest thing with a sword here. My happiness just flew out the window." Naruto deadpanned.
"Hollow! Prepare for your death!" Komamura shouted. "You should have just stayed down and lived a little longer." He added to himself. He raised his arm, and so did the gigantic Tengen. Naruto blinked, and as the sword came down…he sidestepped. Komamura's jaw dropped as the sword slid right past him, even though, at that trajectory, his sword still would have hit the giant beast. "What the…?" He tried again. The same thing happened. Naruto just stared with wide, interested eyes as he stepped back and forth.
"Is that all that your Bankai can do? If so, I'm a little offended…" Naruto muttered.
"How are you getting out of the way, when the same thing worked before?" Komamura demanded. Naruto turned a large orange eye to the man.
"I don't know why I should tell you…but…when you cracked my Zonpaktou, you injured one of the three spirits inside-"
"THREE?" Shunsui shouted.
"-don't interrupt, please!" Naruto barked. "…that spirit was the spirit that held my ability of looking at a situation, and coming up with a solution in a split second. Because you damaged that, I couldn't think correctly. But now…Kitsune is healed."
~~That's right, so don't pull that stunt with me again, damn it!~~ Kitsune's voice rang out from the jewel on the regular katana.
"Pft. Whatever. Sorry, forgot they can do that when I'm in my released state." Naruto grumbled. "Anyway, you will have to do much better then that if you wish to defeat me…Captain." Naruto said chidingly. Let's see how pissed I can make this kitty… Naruto thought.
:Aha! Aha! You said kitty! I can call you foxes kitty now!: Ryu chided through the mental link.
~That guy's a wolf, you imbecile!~ Kitsune responded. Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes; even at a time like this, those guys always managed to squeeze in a good argument. But the orange-furred Hollow was snapped out of his thoughts when the giant sword swung at him.
Ducking wont work in a form this big… Naruto thought as he crouched, slowing the blade down with his mind. With a sudden gust of wind, Naruto shot into the air, his wings pulled close to his body. And then…he fell. Fell from 200 feet above Tengen…and landed right on the head of the giant. The two crashed to the ground, a giant cloud of dust billowing into the air. Tengen was immediately thrown out, and Komamura follow the exact movements, tumbling and sliding across the ground, just as Tengen did. Naruto swept the dust away with a giant wing, before positioning his wing at his side again. He shuffled his paws for a split second, before dashing forward, his giant paws making the ground tremor. Komamura saw the attack, and raised his Zonpaktou, Tengen doing the same. To the surprise of all there, Naruto swiveled his head amazingly, gripped the giant hilt of the backwards Katana in his jaws, and then ripped it from his back. He swung his head just in time to catch Tengen's giant sword against the dull edge of his own.
"What is with that weird Zonpaktou?" Komamura grunted as it appeared he had an imaginary struggle with another being.
"This is the true sword form of one of my Zonpaktou spirits." Naruto grunted out. "There are three Zonpaktou; Kitsune, a Katana. Ryu, a Flipped…and Arashi, a Bladeless."
"That third one doesn't sound all-to good." Komamura commented. Naruto winced mentally; Arashi was going at it now, screaming insults to the man before them.
"Think what you wish." Naruto said, before swinging his head up, the Flipped upwards, sliding the blunt edge off of the blade. Naruto swiveled his head, jabbing the Zonpaktou forward, only managing to catch the left arm of the giant, creating a deep scratch. Naruto raised a mental eyebrow as the cut was reflected on Komamura's left arm, in the exact same place. So all that damage the giant takes, is reflected on the wielder…that makes this a little easier… Naruto mused. A feral grin spread across his maw. Let's take that information for a test drive! Naruto turned his head, placing the Flipped back on his back…before suddenly launching himself head-first into the giant. With a loud, deafening thud, the two fell to the ground, and began to roll about, as if they were in a wrestling match. In between bites and slashes, Naruto was able to see Komamura tumbling around helplessly, receiving bite marks and claw marks from some, seemingly, invisible enemy. Naruto, who had stared to grin when he spotted the invisible assault on the giant wolf, lost his smile when he felt two giant hands grab him by his front leg and stomach. With wide, blinking eyes, Naruto was swept right off his feet, and then slammed into the ground, back first.
The giant hollow winced as he heard his wings crunch, before repairing themselves. 'Be more careful with my wings, damn it! I felt that one!' Arashi barked. Naruto ignored the Spirit as he clambered quickly to his paws.
That guy's stronger then he looks…I'll have to watch out for his physical strength. Naruto growled as his eyes darted around, searching for something to use to aid him in winning the battle sooner. When nothing presented itself to him, he turned a snarl to the giant Tengen.Guess I'll just have to use what I have…in that case… Naruto thought, and began to shrink, until he was only 50 feet tall. Everyone blinked with shock as the fox opened his eyes, his size halting in its change. Naruto looked over his shoulder at the other Reapers. "What? You really thought all I could do was swing a sword in this form?" Naruto asked, aggressiveness shining in his eyes. He looked back to Tengen, and with a vicious growl, stood up on his hind paws, his front legs being held close to his chest for balance. He reached up with his right paw, and whipped the Katana from his back. His wings, flaring slightly as he stood to help him gain his balance, pulled themselves loosely to his back. Naruto swung the Zonpaktou so it was in front of him, with his other paw to the side to balance his large body. "Don't underestimate me!" Naruto snarled. Nobody said a word. All that could see were just to amazed. Komamura, being the first to break out of his stupor, charged forward, Tengen following his movements. Tengen swung his blade, aiming for Naruto's right side. Naruto just flipped the blade so he was holding it upside-down, and caught the blade. Flicking his wrist, the giant Hollow spun the blade away, and jabbed forward with the Katana. Tengen managed to swing his body away, before he raised his sword, and brought it down. Naruto crouching slightly on his hind paws, managed to deflect the blade, and hold it in place, his fangs grinding together, and sparks flying from the two colliding blades. Then suddenly, Naruto's five tails divided, three on the right and two on the left, and pointed themselves at Tengen's head, chest, feet, and stomach. Naruto grinned. "What would happen to the wielder, I wonder, if my tails impaled this giant Bankai…?" Naruto asked tauntingly, enjoying the look that flashed across Komamura's face. "Why don't we test it out?" Naruto yelled maniacally, and drove his tails forward, the arrow-heads slicing through the air, towards the Bankai Tengen.
With a sudden show of skill, Komamura was able to duck under one tail, and then fly away from the rest, leaving Naruto to blink with a blank look. "Did you really think that would work, Hollow?" Komamura asked, swinging his blade to the side dramatically. Naruto sheathed the Katana.
"Hm. Not really." Naruto responded, before a sudden grin took over his maw. "You mind if I try an old trick again?" Naruto asked, raising a claw to point at Tengen.
"Wha-?"
"To late!" Naruto cackled as Tengen's shadow suddenly leapt from the ground, and twisted and morphed into another giant fox. "Atrum Effingo!" Naruto barked as the clone gained color. Without any seen instruction, the clone lunged forward, placing his front paws on the back of Tengen's shoulders. Naruto lunged as well, put pushed his paws on the front of Tengen's shoulder, and wrapped his tails around the waist of the giant. The clone wrapped his own tails around Tengen's arms and legs, and pulled back, making sure the giant didn't strike out at the original. Naruto nodded his thanks to the clone quickly, before opening his mouth, and, with a sickening crack, his jaw came unhinged, and dropped open even further, as if he was a snake. "Oi, Wielder!" Komamura looked to Naruto, confusion and slight fear written on his face as he was forced from any and all movement. "Sorry, this is gonna sting!" Naruto's voice called, causing Komamura's eyes to widen. "Cometes Offa(1)!" Naruto roared, before a giant white blast of fire erupted from his throat, and shot right past Tengen, the flames engulfing his head, before the blast kept going, and collided with the repaired barrier around the Seireitei, causing it to explode, sending massive waves of rietsu everywhere from that single location. The clone, having been extinguished by the bright light, had released its hold, and Naruto did as well, allowing Tengen to fall backwards, as did Komamura. Naruto dropped down onto his paws, a snarl spreading across his face, and turned his head to Komamura while the rest of his body stayed to the side slightly. His tails swung to the side, and his wings flared slightly. "Do you wish to continue? Or did my little fire ball hurt to much?" Naruto asked teasingly, his snarl never falling. The wolfish man slowly managed to prop himself up on his elbows.
"No…it did not…" He managed to pant out, before slapping a few embers off of his muzzle. Naruto raised a mental eyebrow as the man somehow got to his feet.
Well that sucks. He thought without much emotion. I was hoping that he was done; I'm getting a little bored…
-Oi!- Everto shouted. -The others are making me tell you to not be so cocky. You always are when you're in this form!-
I believe the humans call it 'Witty Banter', or something along those lines. Naruto replied, and didn't make a comment on anything else. He just turned his attention fully back to Komamura, mentally patting himself on the back for keeping the angry snarl on his face.
"I'm not done fighting you yet, Hollow." Komamura growled up to the giant monster, readying his blade once more.
"I figured as much." Naruto growled, and crouched slightly. He didn't have enough time to stand up again, considering Tengen was already rushing at him. But, instead of increasing his size again, Naruto just dropped down, and rolled out of the way as the sword fell. He noticeably winced as he rolled over on his wings, but easily shook it off, jumping back to his paws. He opened his mouth, and fired off another comet attack. "Cometes Offa." Naruto growled quietly as the attack left his throat. Tengen managed to duck forward; that was a mistake. Naruto lunged forward, and grabbed the back of Tengen's head with his front paws. With a surprising show of flexibility, Naruto threw Tengen's head down, smashing it into his right 'knee', which he had somehow managed to pull forward. With a sickening crunch, part of Komamura's snout was crushed. Ouch. That looked painful. Naruto thought absentmindedly, right before Komamura retaliated with a punch to Naruto's right side. The fox, thrown off balance, fell over onto his side heavily, exhaling with a loud 'OOMPH!'. Naruto attempted to jump up, but was just dragged back down. "The hell?"Naruto yelled, and looked behind him. The five arrowheads on the ends of his tails were halfway impaled in the ground from the sudden fall, keeping him to the ground. "Great. Just what I needed. My tails getting stuck! Damn it!" Naruto grumbled to himself, even though it sounded like regular talking to the Soul Reapers because of his size. Naruto bent nearly completely in half as his five tails strained to pull themselves from the ground. "See, now this is why Vulpes' don't have pointy things on the ends of their tails." Naruto muttered.
:Hey!: Ryu yelped, being ignored seconds later by the large fox. Naruto snarled as he managed to rip one of his tails painfully out of the ground. His ears twitched at the sound of high-pitched, almost non-existent whistling. He turned his head, and looked up, instantly widening his eyes.
"Oh shi-" Naruto was cut off as the giant sword of Tengen sliced through his body, sending him flying to the left, jerking the others of his tails out of the ground painfully. He fell heavily onto his side, before skidding a ways further, finally coming to a rest 200 feet from where he had started. Well THAT hurt. Naruto snarled as he leapt to his paws and whirled to Tengen. "Thanks for freeing me, you idiot!" Naruto laughed darkly, and pounced on Tengen, bringing him into another tumbling brawl, with Tengen trying to punch and slash, while Naruto attempted to bite and claw. Komamura ignored the many cuts that appeared on his body, including the one that went through his entire right shoulder, and Naruto ignored all the sword wounds he received.
With a sudden show of physical strength, Naruto stopped the rolling, and pulled the Katana from his back. He raised it over his head, an insane look in his eye. "This is where I beat you, you stupid wolf!" Naruto yelled, before bringing the sword down.
SPLAT!
Blood splattered onto the ground messily, and a katana covered in blood jutted out in the air. But there was one problem; it wasn't Naruto's Zonpaktou that was covered in blood, and it wasn't Komamura's blood that covered the blade. No. This blood was Naruto, and the sword that went through his entire body, from his right side, and out his left, was Shinzo, the Zonpaktou of the Captain of Squad 3, Ichimaru Gin. To say everyone was surprised was an understatement. Gin wasn't supposed to be at the Sogyoku Hill. In fact, he was supposed to still be in his hospital bed, recovering from when he had fought with Naruto a few days prior. And yet here he stood, his ever-present grin stretched across his face, and and his Zonpaktou extended to slice a hole through Naruto's body. Naruto looked down slowly and shakily, moving one of his arms to look at the small(to him) sword going through his body. His eyes were wide with shock, and large splatters of blood had shot up and speckled his mask. And then, in a massive explosion, Komamura and Tengen were blown back, and Naruto was thrown right off the blade of Shinzo, his size shrinking to that of his smaller Vulpes form. He was so shocked, he just lay there, his eyes wide, and his wings sprawled out to their now 14 foot wingspan.
"Tsk tsk, my little fox." Gin said, waggling his finger mockingly. "We cant have you killing off Komamura-san, now can we?" The fox-faced man(it pained Naruto to think this) looked to Komamura. "And we cant have you killing this pawn, either. At least…Aizen-sama doesn't wish for you to kill him." Gin's grin seemed to grow even larger, if that was physically possible.
"But Aizen's dead!" Komamura protested from his own spot on the ground.
"Am I?" Asked a voice. All turned to the talker, only to discover Aizen, dragging Rukia by the back of her white kimono.
"Aizen!" All of the Captains, minus Yamamoto, gasped.
"You were supposed to be killed by this Hollow!" Soi Fon barked, pointing to Naruto. The Vulpes finally began to come out of his stupor, and looked to Aizen.
"That's the sword I saw." Naruto said, mostly to himself, as he stared at Aizen. Ukitake, gathering up his courage, edged towards the Hollow slowly.
"What do you mean 'sword'?" Ukitake asked, kneeling by the Hollow. Naruto turned his orange eyes to the Captain, making him flinch involuntarily at the piercing gaze.
"I mean a few days ago I smelled blood. I followed that smell and saw him pinned to a wall by a bloody sword." Naruto said, jerking his head towards Aizen. The Vulpes slowly began to roll himself onto his paws, blood spilling messily and loudly onto the ground around him. "I thought it was a normal man, until that man vanished, and only a sword was pinned to the wall. Nobody appeared to notice, for a young girl was still crying." The fox grunted, stumbling as he finally gained his footing.
"What are you doing?" Shunsui asked curiously as he walked up to his friend. Naruto looked to the man without turning his head.
"What do you think? I'm going to go bite that bastard." Naruto muttered, shaking his body to rid itself of some of the blood.
"…uh…why?" The white-haired Captain asked slowly. "'Cause he's holding my charge, that's why. Ichigo'd be pissed if I just sit here."
Why not just let him handle it then?" Ukitake asked, only partially listening to the rant that Aizen was delivering at the moment. Naruto turned his head to the man, staring at him like he was insane.
"Did you NOT notice that Ichigo's laying on the ground all bloody?" Naruto asked with exasperation. Indeed, the orange-haired teen was sprawled on the ground, his body nearly cut in half at the abdomen. Renji also lay not to far off from the ranting Aizen, bleeding from his shoulders and chest. The idiot. He nearly got cut in half. Naruto thought with a quiet snarl as he readied himself to charge. Aizen's eyes suddenly flickered to the orange fox, and he smiled. His sword raised into the air, and aimed it at Ichigo.
"Don't take one step closer, fox, or your friend will lose his head." Aizen threatened. Naruto bared his fangs, and growled, his claws burrowing into the ground in anger. "Good dog." Aizen said mockingly, causing the Vulpes' fur to stand on end, making him look nearly twice his current size.
"If you take one step closer to him, you'll lose your head." Naruto growled in returned, trying to edge slowly forward. Unfortunately, Gin caught this movement.
"Oh Aiiiizeeeen!" Gin called cheerfully. "Little Foxy's moving!"
…well SHIT. Naruto thought, his body freezing where he stood. Aizen smiled, shaking his head slowly.
"Tsk tsk. Didn't I tell you not to move?" Aizen asked, raising his sword further into the air. "Too bad for you." The sword fell, and bit into bloody flesh. But it wasn't Ichigo's. Naruto stood over the boy, his fangs bared, and his ears laying flat against his blood-covered head. His wings were spread halfway, both wings catching the blade, while his back and right shoulder stopped the rest from getting to Ichigo.
"Don't. You. Dare. Touch. My. Friends!" Naruto bit out, blood splattering the ground noisily. Aizen raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? That was very fast, even for a Sonido." Aizen said.
"Save the compliments for another day, bastard." Naruto snarled, his limbs beginning to shake every few seconds. His tails stopped lashing, and his wings started to tremble.
"Looks like someone is a little weak at the moment. I commend you from being able to stand up to that last attack." Aizen said, applying more pressure to his blade, allowing the sharp metal to cut deeper into its victim. Naruto grunted quietly in pain, and whimpered involuntarily when the sword began to burrow into some of his bones. "Awww. Am I hurting you? That's so sad. If you'd just move, I wouldn't have to keep hurting you." Aizen taunted. "Wont you move?" Aizen asked.
"Kiss my scaly tail, you ass." Naruto panted, before grunting as the sword reached the middle of his bone. Ichigo opened his eyes, and looked up to the orange fox with wide, surprised eyes.
"N-Naruto! Get out of here! I don't care if I get hurt any more! Get out of the way!" Ichigo yelled. Naruto glared down to the orange-haired teen.
"Oh shut up you. I'm busy saving your life." Naruto growled, before glowering back up at Aizen. His lower jaw dropped, and fire began to boil up from his throat. Aizen's eyes widened, and he sprang away from Naruto, ripping his sword from the fox's body, right as the flames erupted from the monster's maw. Naruto, cutting off the fire, staggered slightly, and managed to step away from Ichigo's fallen body right before his own body collapsed onto the ground, his blood spilling everywhere. His older wounds from before he had released his Zonpaktou began to appear, increasing the flow of the red liquid.
"Naruto!" Ichigo shouted with worry evident in his words. "Naruto, are you okay?" Naruto opened an eye, and looked to the young boy blankly. Ichigo smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, standard question."
"Do you think I'm okay?" Naruto asked, exasperated. His voice was quiet, and cracked as he spoke.
"Well I'd like to!" Ichigo responded. The two looked up right in time to see Aizen fleeing into a rift in the sky, leaving everything silent. Naruto grunted strangely, and looked to Ichigo.
"Hey, Ichigo." Naruto said, gaining the attention of the boy. "You think Orihime would be able to close all of these wounds without freaking out over the wings and Hollow appearance?" Naruto asked. Ichigo looked to the side in thought, rolling his eyes slowly.
"Um…probably. I don't really know." Ichigo finally responded to the bleeding fox.
"Well, hurry up and find out. I'm not sure I can last much longer, you know." Naruto's eyes closed, and his breathing slowed. "Nighty night." He muttered, and then stopped breathing altogether.
As you all know, my laptop is broken. I only had a few paragraphs left, and right now, I'm typing all of this without seeing the words. So I'm sorry if there's a few errors, but this is the best I can do. Again, I'm sorry my laptop decided to commit Suicide-by-rolling-blonde-chick, and I hope that I can get my laptop back as soon as I can, after sending it in, that is. Still havent found any place to send it yet…alright, I guess I should go and see if I can find a place to send this piece of shit. On my Mom's old computer…*cries* R.I.P, Kitsune-242's Beloved Laptop, Lappy Topinski.
**1** Cometes Offa - Comet Shot : Amazingly, this wasn't one of Ryu's powers to begin with. Instead, he and Naruto worked through long hours of the night to create it, and learn to use it properly. Naruto and Ryu have almost mastered this technique. (Power of Naruto and Ryu)