Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Naruto in the matter.
Speech Rules:
"Talking": Human speech
"Talking": Human Thought
"[Talking]": Name of Spell
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 4: A Mission!
Zaraki was in the squad 4 barracks being treated after his fight against the Ryoka, Ichigo Kurosaki. His body was bandaged, showing how much damage his own body had received from Ichigo Kurosaki. The Ryoka boy was truly formidable, he remembered being quite disappointed at the beginning when the boy had done nothing but run away and when the boy couldn't even pierce his skin with his large cleaver sword. He thought that Ikkaku had lost to a loser and was planning on punishing his subordinate for slacking off so much.
He thought it was the end when he broke Ichigo's Zanpakutō and pierced his chest effectively killing Ichigo since his pulse has stopped but the boy had somehow revived himself and had gotten a major power up being able to finally pierce his skin and have his own blood flying in the air. The rest of the fight was about attrition, about who could last longer than the other.
Despite being the last one standing, his own Zanpakutō had shattered like glass and he fell unconscious admitting defeat. Kenpachi Zaraki had never known defeat, there were only ever two people who had ever bested him in a fight and the first one had left the battlefield while the second one was a person who had too many responsibilities to ever entertain a battle.
Naruto Namikaze was one of the few people in the Gotei 13 that Zaraki had shown respect. He remembers that day when Naruto stood towering over him, bloodied with his blade pointing at him and a very uncharacteristic bloodthirsty grin that you don't see on the face of the young captain of squad 2. It was a grin that made his blood boil in excitement at seeing a hidden beast inside someone so young.
Still, Naruto had practically admonished him for not knowing the name of his own Zanpakutō. He remembers feeling annoyed but what Naruto told him that day made him start to think differently about his own Zanpakutō. He was just like his Zanpakutō, a nameless person who watched in envy as others are called by their own name yet he didn't have a name in which people can call him by. It was very frustrating and he hated that feeling more than anything and then he realized how his Zanpakutō must have felt when it tried to talk to him while he treated it as a weapon to take life.
He remembers giving his own lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi at the time a name by naming her after the first person that had given him the thrill of battle. The person he looked up to as an idol and wanted to surpass. Which is why when Ichigo had told him the very same thing that Naruto had done, he resolved to try even harder to learn the name of his Zanpakutō, if only to just grow even more stronger.
Especially now that there are people who can defeat him, Ichigo may have fallen first but the boy had proven that he was able to grow each battle, that in itself is a very terrifying ability that only few people ever possess and by the end of the Ryoka invasion, he didn't doubt that the boy will be stronger than him.
Zaraki raised his broken blade in the air as he stared at the fragile weapon that he had mistreated in the past, it will be a long journey before he can even deserve to know the name of his own Zanpakutō. After that, he's going to be able to fight in a lot of fun battles and maybe he can get to have his rematch with Naruto and maybe Ichigo as well.
"You look all roughed up, Zaraki!" Naruto spoke as Kenpachi turned his head to look at a smirking Naruto and he couldn't help his own grin.
"Did you come here to see me, I'm touched!" Said Zaraki mockingly but there was no heat, just squabbling between friends.
"Ah! Fishcake you're here!" Said Yachiru which made Naruto get a tick mark but decided to ignore the remark by the lieutenant since he was technically being punished by Karma for all the pain he caused to the Sandaime Hokage, The Godaime Hokage and Jiraiya with his nicknames.
"Hello Yachiru, you've been taking good care of Zaraki!" Naruto said as she nodded her head happily.
"Ichi really gave Ken-chan a good fight." Commented Yachiru which Naruto could obviously see from the injury on Zaraki's body.
"I could see that..." Said Naruto before Zaraki decided to interrupt Yachiru and Naruto.
"As much as I don't mind you two talking with each other but I'm sure you didn't come here to catch up." Said Zaraki, which Naruto nodded.
"Well you're quite sharp, that aside I have a mission for you once you recover." Said Naruto which got Zaraki's attention.
"Mission?" Questioned Zaraki as he looked at the smirking Naruto and he knew that the mission involved a battle to the death, it's just his intuition and he couldn't help the excitement.
Naruto walked towards Zaraki and whispered a few words to his ears making his eye shot wide open in surprise and excitement. "What?!" Shouted Zaraki in shock as he looked at Naruto as if asking for answers.
"It's the orders of the captain commander himself, make sure he doesn't live or at the very least make sure he won't be able to play Shinigami again." Said Naruto, which Zaraki grinned savagely.
"What an interesting mission you've got there Naruto! I've always wanted to kill that bastard, he's been pissing me off quite a lot about those talks of justice and those nonsense. Consider it done!" Said Zaraki with a grin which was mirrored by Naruto.
"I knew I could entrust such a mission to you Zaraki, make sure you have your own fun as well when killing him but make sure to destroy him also don't let him suspect anything." said Naruto which Zaraki nodded his head excitedly his eyes gleaming, it seems his sword was going to have a taste of blood after all those years of so called peace.
Naruto then smiled as he backed into the dark corner essentially disappearing in the shadows of the room. Yachiru was curious as to what the mission was as she jumped next to Zaraki bed.
"Ken-chan, what kind of mission did fishcake give you?" asked Yachiru whining for answers while Zaraki patted her head.
"You will know what the mission is, Yachiru. Still, it's best if we keep it a secret for the moment." said Zaraki, many people might think he can only swing his sword around like an idiot but Zaraki was still a warrior with a code of honor despite some of the questionable actions he made in the past.
He knows how to keep a secret and he's good at keeping secrets. Naruto had given him this mission because it will be written off as him being the typical captain of the squad 11 where people become captains by killing the previous one and because Naruto trusts him enough to fulfill his job.
If what Naruto said is true, then he's going to take his time enjoying killing that bastard in the most painful way. Who would have thought that someone who preaches about justice all the time is a traitor to his own people. Now that's something you don't get to hear or see everyday. Still, he gets to fight a captain class and kill him so he has no complaints.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Man, how scary!" Said Shunsui as he took a drink from his sake bottle as he stared at the boy he viewed as his own nephew. It was after he had taken down Chad that he had received the news of Aizen's supposed death and had finally understood what Aizen hoped to achieve.
"I guess, your intuition was right when you said that attacking Aizen back then would have only accelerated his plan." Commented Shunsui as he was in the middle of playing cards with Naruto.
"It wouldn't have done much for his plan since he needed the last piece of the puzzle which is the Hōgyoku, I only said that we shouldn't antagonize him because it would have been troublesome to deal with a civil war." Said Naruto as he took a drink from the sake cup that he had next to him.
"Still, a civil war would have done nothing but increase his standing in the Seireitei. That would be really scary considering that he might actually be able to easily manipulate young soul reapers to join his cause and paint us as the evil and corrupt Soul reapers." commented Shunsui, which Naruto could understand where his senior was coming from.
"Well, when you put it that way I think I understand!" Said Naruto while Shunsui smiled.
"Anyways, I heard you gave Zaraki a mission!" Said Shunsui, he obviously knew what the mission entailed but he was more concerned since he wanted to persuade Tōsen to drop any of his agenda.
"Yes, I did give him the mission. As much as I'd like to hold hope that Tōsen would wake up, those who believe in their own justice can't be persuaded easily. I've learned that lesson a long time ago..." Said Naruto as Shunsui understood, given that he was one of the few people to know about Naruto's past and his death at the hands of his own teammate and brother figure.
The old Naruto was so eager to change people by targeting their humanity that is hidden within his opponent. He was good at persuading people like Zabuza who had hardened his heart and killed innocent people without mercy but yet he couldn't persuade his own teammate Sasuke Uchiha to see the light.
The reason isn't because of his inability, if anything he should have been able to convince his teammate whom he had known the longest. The difference is that Zabuza's resolve was shaky but Sasuke on the other hand believed that the path he is currently walking in, is the right path and that any who stand in his path should be striked down.
In a way Tōsen was like Sasuke, the guy was driven by his own version of Justice. He won't be convinced otherwise and if not stopped, many people will be hurt because of it.
"I consider killing him a mercy! People like him will have to one day realize the repercussions of their action and when they do, the only thing that will remain is immense guilt and a sin deep enough that atonement is going to be a very difficult and painful path but even then, Sins can no longer be washed away." Said Naruto as he took a deep breath before deciding to continue.
"Let's say we managed to capture him, he will only be tortured for eternity and suffer for the rest of his life because you and I know that Yamamoto-sensei will not let him walk away with just a slap on the wrist." said Naruto which Shunsui understood, his sensei hated traitors the most and Tōsen was going to be at the receiving end of his sensei pent up anger that had been held for years.
"When you put it that way, I think I can understand where you're coming from." Said Shunsui, he knew how much anger Yama-jii was holding over the years, he knew nothing good will come from an enraged and an overpowered old man who is too stubborn to listen to anything other than turning his target into a toast.
"The only thing we should be even more concerned about is sensei taking our heads and mounting it on his office." Said Naruto calmly making Shunsui spit his sake in surprise.
"What makes you say that?" asked Shunsui, being concerned since Naruto had good intuition so most of his predictions had come true.
"It's been practically 5 days since the Ryoka walked into our territory and up until now the one causing the most ruckus is still running around messing with everyone. Ichigo Kurosaki took down several of our unseated and seated officers before he targeted Lieutenant Abarai and later Kenpachi himself and he won." Naruto recounted the damage done to the Seireitei while Shunsui started realizing what Naruto was trying to say.
"If another captain were to lose to the Ryoka...well do I really need to say it?" Asked Naruto as he smirked at Shunsui whose face turned pale.
"Shit Yama-jii will definitely lose his shit, now I'm dreading our next meeting after this whole situation is over. It's kind of embarrassing now when I think about it, for us captains to start losing against an amateur soul reaper. I doubt most of us would be able to look in his eyes. He will scold us for getting rusty over the years and not honing our skills like we were supposed to be doing." Commented Shunsui, he definitely dreaded that day.
If another captain were to be defeated then the title of captain would be a total joke. Yama-jii had only allowed for the captains to deal with the Ryoka since he wanted to save face. If captains were to start struggling as well then this might actually turn into a bloodbath after the whole Aizen fiasco is over with.
"This whole Ryoka invasion could end if I decided to interfere but if I'm being honest, I'd rather sit back and watch everything unfold..." Said Naruto as he looked at the balcony that gave a view of the Seireitei.
"...everyone had gotten comfortable in the peace and prosperity that we are currently experiencing and due the record of Soul Reaper always remaining undefeated over the countless centuries and everyone had started to get arrogant and overconfident that they would always remain victorious. Many people need a lesson in humility if we were to ever hope to survive against Aizen and our future enemies." Said Naruto, which Shunsui smiled at.
Yamamoto may have been a very stubborn old man but he had taught them valuable lessons that shaped each of them to who they are today. Naruto being the youngest among them had a better vision for the future, he always thought about the safety of Soul Society. Unlike most others, he doesn't believe himself to be indestructible and believes that there is still room for improvement and learning.
This is why Naruto was considered to be one of the most popular and admired Soul Reapers in the Soul Society, even more popular than Byakuya Kuchiki himself which is a testament to Naruto's influence. Naruto had been creating techniques and honing his basic skills to the limit, it reached a point that the Shin'ō academy had used Naruto's name to motivate the young students to emulate a strong role model.
He kind of envied Naruto since his cute junior was really good with women, he remember walking one time with Naruto on the streets of the Seireitei and they ended up being swallowed by beautiful women that were screaming his name and asking for autographs. Especially that beautiful chick with those big knockers who was daring enough to ask Naruto for an autograph on her bosoms.
As if reading what Shunsui was thinking, Naruto let out a small smirk on his face. "Hey, don't give me that look. I think you're pretty handsome yourself, you have that flamboyant air around you that no woman can resist." Said Naruto, which made Shunsui smile brightly.
"Oh! Naruto, my cute junior, saying such words to little old me. Nanao-chan has been so mean to me lately." Said Shunsui in a little dramatic way which made Naruto chuckle at the guy.
It was a fact that the Lieutenant of Squad 8 is the one that manages the squad, it reached a point that some even started to call her captain because of how strict she is on them and on the captain that was supposed to be her own superior.
"Well you can give her a gift or something. Just give her something she might like." Said Naruto which Shunsui had already planned to do since it was a way to get on her good side. It was kind of a pity seeing a captain trying too hard to appease his own lieutenant instead of the opposite.
"You know, it's really nice to have a drink with somebody. That Ryoka kid had rejected my attempt at inviting him for a drink." Said Shunsui, which Naruto had already heard about.
"Hmm, well from your own description he seems to be the gentle type who doesn't fight unless it's for others sake. He probably had it rough growing up, humans tend to like taking down those that are imposing to gain some sense of satisfaction in their own strength." Said Naruto which Shunsui nodded having come up to the same conclusion.
"It's really sad, I sometimes wish people could stop resorting to violence and be more friendly. This world will be a better place for everyone if people start to understand each other." Said Shunsui that Naruto had remembered Jiraiya's ambition for peace.
"I don't really believe that much in peace, I think that it's only a temporary ceasefire where each nation readies themselves to attack once more when the other drops their guard." Said Naruto which Shunsui turned to listen to Naruto feeling a little bad for the boy who was betrayed by his friend.
"Although, over the years I had thought about the concept of peace. It's not impossible to have lasting peace but that would require an extreme measure. It's like telling a kid to be careful while holding the knife so he doesn't cut his fingers but do you think he'll listen?" Asked Naruto as Shunsui listened silently to Naruto.
"He won't listen unless in two conditions, the first being that the parents would punish their child so they don't do it but that would be almost tyrannical and the child would eventually rebel against the parents similar to how revolution had started because of the abuse that they suffered under the higher ups tyranny..." Said Naruto as he took a deep breath taking another drink from the cup of sake before he pressed forward.
"...the only second option is to let the child himself try and come to his own decision after he finds himself with an injury. He won't ever repeat the same mistake of holding a knife because his wounds will be a reminder of how much pain it had inflicted on his body." Said Naruto as Shunsui listened in amazement.
"The same thing applies to us, we're like a child holding a knife not even knowing how dangerous it is but once that knife start to hurt us, people will be repulsed by it and would avoid it, this in turn would create understanding because a lot of people are affected as such people would grow appreciative of what they have and would avoid anything that would bring them harm wither in an emotional level or physical level." finished Naruto as Shunsui couldn't help the admiration for Naruto.
Naruto was right, he could now understand why he was refusing to help take down the Ryoka. It's not because he can't but rather he wants this to be a lesson for everyone, those who were defeated by the Ryoka will realize how weak they are, how arrogant they were and would start changing for the better. It might be slow but they have a century to see it through, they might even achieve peace with Naruto and the younger generation around. Change will eventually happen whether Yama-jii likes it or not.
"I really suck at card games!" Commented Shunsui which Naruto smirked at as he had been losing all the games so far.
"How about we go gambling after this whole Ryoka invasion is over!' offered Naruto which Shunsui grinned at.
"Well how can I refuse, you're a fortune kid!" commented Shunsui laughing as he was definitely in a mood for gambling but that will be in the future.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tōshirō was having a mental crisis, after his talk with Naruto that managed to calm him down he returned immediately to his squad barracks where his childhood friend is being held as a prisoner. He didn't know how long he would be keeping her behind bars but she was a flight risk at the moment.
He didn't want to chance it, especially with how unstable she is. Tōshirō shuddered at what could have been her mental state had he not come up with that excuse of having Momo around to motivate Rangiku to take her job as a Lieutenant seriously.
Not only did he manage to have Momo be dependent on him as well but for his own sanity as he needed someone to deal with Rangiku and Momo was the one who could manage to force Rangiku to work without needing to shout. He didn't want to know how it worked since he assumed it was just women's power to understand each other.
That aside, Momo had recently tried to escape her cell by putting one of his unseated officers in a Kidō spell which is Hakufuku. The Spell was meant to leave the guard unconscious before she makes a hole in the wall to escape in order to probably find Gin and kill him.
Due to his paranoia being at an all time high, he had already intercepted her before she could make it outside the squad 10 barracks and captured her. She had obviously tried to reason with him, hoping that he would understand how she felt but Tōshirō was afraid for her own safety. Poor Momo didn't know that she was being manipulated from the very beginning.
In order to stop her from ever pulling such a stunt, he decided to target her admiration towards Aizen by claiming that he wouldn't want his own lieutenant to throw her life away needlessly, which is what was needed for him to calm her down. He was relieved that she had listened even though he hated to use Aizen's name to calm her down.
Momo had obviously started sobbing in his chest as he took time to comfort her and listen to her. He had been doing this for the past several decades, he would always encourage her to talk to him if there was anything bothering her. This in turn had established a trust and a powerful bond between the two of them and he appreciated it greatly which is why for his own sanity, he didn't want her to run outside especially with how dire the situation really is.
After listening to her, he decided to seal her spiritual pressure despite her protest. Her mastery over Kidō is very annoying to him, he doesn't want her to go outside and die at the hands of people who aren't going to think twice about her own feelings.
Momo was like a delicate flower that can be easily torn apart and stepped upon. He doesn't like treating her like a glass but Momo had always wanted peace so if she were to ever learn the truth or if someone were to use her own feelings against her, she would break down.
"Captain." Rangiku spoke softly as she looked at her captain who was gripping his head.
"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" asked Tōshirō, Rangiku may not know what is actually happening since if she had ever learned that Gin was a traitor, she would probably be in a similar state as Momo but much more better since Gin hadn't manipulated her nor did he have her be dependent on him like Aizen had done to Momo.
That aside, Rangiku looked at her captain with pity. She had understood how he felt which is why she had walked towards him and gave him a comforting smile.
"I think you've done the right thing both as a captain of the Gotei 13 and as her childhood friend." Said Rangiku, which gave some relief to Tōshirō that he wasn't doing anything wrong.
"How is she doing?" Asked Tōshirō, having assigned Rangiku to be the one to keep watch over Momo, he believed that with the friendship that was created during her several stay in the squad barracks that Momo would remain docile and would start to get accustomed to the fact that her captain is dead, he just hopes when Aizen is revealed to be a traitor that she would take it much better.
"She's doing quite well, sealing her Reiatsu was a good choice since now that she can't break her way through the walls of the barracks and put her life into unnecessary risk. She's a little upset over the situation of sealing her Reiatsu but after a little talk, she understood your position and hopes that you would visit her sooner to talk things out." Said Rangiku which brought him relief.
"Right now, you're the closest thing to her. Aside from the now deceased captain Aizen, there is no one else she could lean on for comfort. I suspect she might also be afraid that you would be targeted and killed just like her captain." Rangiku added as Tōshirō let out a sigh, it seems that Naruto had predicted right.
That's a good thing, he had established himself as her second pillar that she could lean onto for comfort. At least, things were looking up. Hopefully things don't screw themselves even more than they should.
"We should keep her in the squad barracks for the time being and avoid having her wander outside until the execution day of Rukia Kuchiki." Said Tōshirō which Rangiku had understood and nodded at.
"Understood, captain!" Said Rangiku, having been contaminated by Momo's diligent nature and had started to put some effort into working but some habits can't be fully wiped away so she still often shirks her duties and drinks sake with the other lieutenant of other squads. Still progress is still progress in Tōshirō eyes.
Tōshirō then turned to the stack of papers that belonged to squad 5, now with the squad leadership being empty and with the second in command being in a bad mental state to lead the squad in place of her deceased captain. It was up to him as her childhood friend to make sure that Squad 5 would survive by the end of the whole ordeal. Hopefully, a new captain would be picked to lead the squad since he doesn't think that he can tolerate having to do his own duties as a captain, his lazy lieutenant paperwork and squad 5 paperwork.
He could already see Aizen laughing at him and his own suffering, he was definitely going to at least run his sword through the guy's chest for all the shit he had put him through over the years. The idea of impaling Aizen did sound appealing to the young captain and he was going to give it a try.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX