Naruto brushed back his blond, spiky hair with his right hand as a frustrated expression spread quickly across his face.
"This was a complete wash," Naruto grumbled sullenly as he sheathed his zanpakuto, staring up at the eerily black sky. "Aizen is coming… All we accomplished is putting Karakura Town in danger…"
"Maybe this is a blessing in disguise," Kensei commented as he brushed the debris from his clothes. "One: we put the Akatsuki on notice. We now know that Madara's Akatsuki is hiding in the World of the Living. They are bound to clash due to their differing ideals, so why not let them take each other out? And then we swoop in and clean up who's left in the aftermath."
"Yeah? And what of Karakura Town after that?" Naruto argued as he got directly into Kensei's face. "Karakura Town just gets wiped off the map and we come in and avenge it afterwards? That's not what I signed up for!"
"Look, there's casualties in all wars Naruto, and I don't know if you picked up on this yet, but we are in a war!" Kensei argued back. "I'd sacrifice a town in order to save millions in the end! Because if Aizen or Madara get their way, this whole world will be sucked into their conflict!"
"I don't sacrifice lives!" Naruto growled in a low, aggressive tone as he grabbed a handful of Kensei's shirt collar, pulling him two inches away from his face. "There's always another way."
"Yeah, whatever," Kensei stated as he pushed Naruto away from him, shoulder checking Naruto as he walked past him in a huff.
"You got a problem with me?" Naruto asked, his hand reaching for the hilt of his zanpakuto as Hiyori punched him in the back of his head, Naruto letting out a comical yelp as he held the back of his head in pain.
"Would you two idiots shut the hell up?" Hiyori exclaimed as she walked toward Kensei. "It's over for now…"
As Hiyori said this, a sudden burst of spiritual pressure was felt being exerted toward Karakura Town, which felt quite familiar.
"Ichigo?" Naruto said aloud as he looked toward the direction of the spiritual pressure. "And… what the hell is that?"
"This isn't good… this feels like a Hollow, but different…" Kensei stated as Hiyori looked at him in shock.
"You mean like…" Hiyori began to say aloud before another spiritual pressure spiked dramatically, causing Naruto's eyes to widen in response. Naruto disappeared from the battlefield in an instant, using the flash step to go toward the massive spiritual pressure.
Meanwhile, the Grand Fisher has just returned to Karakura Town after his defeat at the hands of Ichigo, this time showing up in his new transformed state.
"I will kill him this time!" Grand Fisher bellowed angrily as the entire street trembled as if in fear of the mighty imperfect Arrancar.
"Sorry, but Ichigo had to step out, but maybe I can take over for him," a voice stated boldly as Isshin appeared instantly before the Arrancar, wearing a shihakusho that seemed like one a captain would wear.
"Who the hell are you?" Grand Fisher exclaimed as Isshin shot him a confident grin.
"I'm his father, Isshin Kurosaki," Isshin told Grand Fisher as the grin on his face shifted to a look of utter dismay.
"I see, so Ichigo Kurosaki is a pure blood, which would explain why he was able to defeat me the first time," Grand Fisher murmured as he stared at Isshin with a jolly grin on his face. "But I'm not interested in you. Bring me to Ichigo or die where you stand."
"Not today fish face!" a voice exclaimed as Naruto sent a pure stream of spirit energy toward Grand Fisher, who was swept away by this display of power. His eyes widened as he flew backward, regaining his footing as he sent a large cero toward Naruto in response. Isshin glanced over at the cero, flash stepping in front of Naruto. Before the cero could make impact, Isshin deflected the blast into the sky with one finger.
"Naruto, while I appreciate the help, I don't need it," Isshin said to Naruto, who gave him a toothy smile as he noticed Isshin's uniform.
"So, this is your true power old man?" Naruto exclaimed as he gave Isshin a hardy slap on the back. "You're incredible! I knew Ichigo was so special for a reason!"
"Thanks kid," Isshin said as a small smile spread across his face, only to dissipate quickly as his eyes darted to Grand Fisher, who leapt into the air in frustration, aiming a massive aerial fist toward the two Shinigami. Isshin glanced up with a look of disinterest as he stopped the Arrancar's fist with the same finger he used to deflect the cero. He pushed against the Grand Fisher's fist with his index finger, causing the Arrancar to be pushed backward, rolling into a nearby building with a devastated expression upon his face.
"H-How is he so powerful?" Grand Fisher wondered aloud as he stood up slowly, awaiting Isshin's next move. Naruto grinned broadly, prepared to join Isshin in his attack on Grand Fisher. But his grin faded quickly as a hand sprawled over his face, smashing him into the ground headfirst without any warning. The hand picked him up, punching him in the chest, causing blood to spit out Naruto's mouth, which just splashed into his eyes due to the hand covering his face.
The person dropped Naruto, but before Naruto could hit the ground, they kicked Naruto across the town, sending him into a building over 1000 feet away. The building collapsed around him, leaving the Shinigami in a pile of debris. The person's face twisted into a savage grin as it was revealed to be another Arrancar, this one a tall, muscular man with light blue spiky hair, wearing a white hakuma. His piercing blue eyes stared at the location where Naruto was kicked to, chuckling softly to himself as he observed his work.
"Come on, I expected so much better from you," the man spoke up for the first time, seeming disappointed in what he saw from Naruto. "I heard you were one of the strongest Shinigami here, and yet you fell to a simple punch and kick?"
"Who said I'm done?" Naruto whispered darkly in the man's ear as the man's wild grin widened, not moving a muscle as Naruto kicked him in the side of his neck, a white aura circling around the blond Shinigami. The man did not flinch, staring back at Naruto with the same grin on his face, Naruto looking back in shock with his eyes widened dramatically.
"L-Lord Grimmjow, why are you here?" Grand Fisher stammered as the man turned away from Naruto, turning his attention to the other Arrancar.
"I didn't know that was of your concern," the man called Grimmjow said as he brushed off Naruto's foot, walking up to Grand Fisher with a sense of purpose. "You ask me what I'm doing while you face a Shinigami that's about to kill you. I guess you could say…"
Grimmjow turned toward Isshin, who looked surprised as Grimmjow kicked him directly into the Karakura Clinic, causing the entire building to collapse around him.
"I'm saving your life."
Grimmjow dodged a sneak attack from Naruto as he took hold of Naruto's leg and slammed his entire body into the ground, leaving a small crater from the impact. He used his hand to pick up Naruto from the crater, crown of his headfirst before he held him before his face. Naruto tried to punch the Arrancar in the face, which the Arrancar allowed. The attack did nothing, Grimmjow head butting Naruto in the face before he let him go, kneeing him in the chest as he did this. Naruto spit out a handful of blood, which stained the front of Grimmjow's hakama.
"You're not at your full potential yet," Grimmjow observed as he pushed Naruto away disrespectfully, who kneeled on the ground beside him. "I'll finish you in a second. For now…" Grimmjow cut his own sentence short by sending a red, one handed cero at the rumble that surrounded Isshin, the entire area being bathed in a blood red light as he did this.
"Sir, I would have…" Grand Fisher began to protest as Grimmjow turned to him sharply, staring at him with disapproval.
"Who are you to question what I do?" Grimmjow said as he placed his right hand in Grand Fisher's face. He blew the Arrancar away with another powerful cero, the Grand Fisher letting out a horrified scream as he was decimated.
"Weakling.." Grimmjow muttered as he turned away, right into another right hook from Naruto. "You don't learn, do you?" Grimmjow slammed his right hand into Naruto's chest like a knife, causing his hand to pierce through Naruto's stomach. As blood rolled down Naruto's mouth, he defiantly held onto Grimmjow's right arm with both of his hands, trying to pull the Arrancar's hand out of his stomach. Grimmjow opened his mouth, letting out a mouth cero that blasted Naruto in the face, shooting him forward into another building. Naruto tried to stand up, but he was beginning to feel exhausted. His knees buckled, causing him to kneel. Grimmjow held out his right hand, prepared to shoot another cero to finish off the stubborn Shinigami, but Naruto's eyes flickered as this occurred. His eyes went to the eyes of Kyubiakuma, using this surge of momentum to disappear before Grimmjow's eyes using a flash step, appearing next to Grimmjow and kicking him in the face, this time causing the Arrancar to tumble backwards. Grimmjow looked up in surprise as he felt Naruto's spiritual pressure increasing drastically, his grin slowly returning.
Naruto let out a primal roar as a red aura coated his body, Naruto pointing his zanpakuto at Grimmjow.
"Ban…"
Grimmjow snapped Naruto's sword in half with a quick karate chop, Naruto's eyes widening as this occurred.
"W-What?" Naruto exclaimed as Grimmjow unleashed a series of quick kicks and punches, each one devastating the exhausted Shinigami. Grimmjow kicked the remains of Naruto's zanpakuto from his hand, before he picked Naruto up by the throat.
"Fun fact kid, Aizen wants you alive because he wants that sword that you possess inside of you," Grimmjow said as he stared at Naruto disapprovingly. "Supposedly the sword inside you is the key to unlocking a power that is strong enough to kill a certain being… But I don't understand how a weakling like you was even chosen to possess such a powerful zanpakuto. You're a joke…"
Grimmjow's eyes shifted away from Naruto as he felt several spiritual pressures surround him.
"So, this is the Soul Society…" Grimmjow stated as Rukia, Renji, Rangiku, and Toshiro surrounded him.
"Let him go," Rukia ordered as she pointed her zanpakuto at Grimmjow.
"Nah, I don't think I will," Grimmjow said as he dropped Naruto to the ground. "How about I let my Fraccion have a little fun instead?"
"We're surrounded," Toshiro announced as several more powerful Arrancar appeared beside Grimmjow. "We have to protect Naruto at all costs. Let's go!"
It's good to be back. Sorry for the long wait, but here's the latest chapter of Naruto: Shinigami of the Kyubiakuma! The Battle for Naruto starts next time!