Naruto Zaraki

The air crackled with tension as Nnoitra sneered, his sharp grin widening. "Have you finished saying your goodbyes?" His voice dripped with mockery as he spun Santa Teresa with ease, the crescent blades carving through the air menacingly. "Now, let's begin the slaughter." 

Naruto smirked in return, gripping Yachiru's Zanpakuto tightly in his hands. The weapon felt unfamiliar compared to the tantos, but it thrummed with a strange energy that seemed to resonate with him. He adjusted his stance, his body low and ready to spring. 

Yachiru stood a distance behind him, her face pale but resolute. "Kenny, don't push yourself too hard," she cautioned, her usual playful tone replaced by genuine concern. 

Naruto didn't respond. His instincts screamed at him, both to run and to charge forward. But the fire in his chest wouldn't let him back down. "Alright then," he said, his voice carrying a rare determination. "Hajime." 

---

Nnoitra didn't wait. With a flick of his wrist, Santa Teresa arced toward Naruto in a devastating horizontal slash. The sheer force of the attack created a shockwave that ripped through the ground, sending debris flying. Naruto dodged to the side, his movements a blur, and retaliated with a quick downward slash aimed at Nnoitra's side. 

The blade connected but failed to even scratch the Espada's body. Nnoitra's Hierro absorbed the blow effortlessly, and he chuckled mockingly. "You'll have to do better than that!" He lunged forward, his scythe spinning like a whirlwind as he aimed for Naruto.

Naruto raised Yachiru's Zanpakuto just in time, blocking the strike. The sheer impact sent him skidding backward, his feet digging trenches into the ground. His arms trembled under the weight of the blow, but he managed to stay on his feet. 

Nnoitra didn't relent. He pressed forward, unleashing a relentless flurry of strikes. Each swing of Santa Teresa was brutal, forcing Naruto to stay on the defensive. Despite his enhanced strength and speed, Naruto was struggling to keep up. 

"You call this a fight?" Nnoitra taunted, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Naruto growled, his reiatsu flaring slightly as he pushed back against the onslaught. He ducked under a horizontal slash and countered with a spinning kick aimed at Nnoitra's torso. The kick connected, but again, Nnoitra's Hierro rendered it ineffective. 

Before Naruto could react, Nnoitra's scythe came crashing down. The blade grazed Naruto's shoulder, drawing a shallow but stinging wound. He leaped back, breathing heavily, his protective reiatsu barely holding up. 

"Not bad," Nnoitra admitted, licking the blood off his blade. "But this is nothing. Your reiatsu's weak. You'll never cut me like this." 

Naruto smirked, wiping the blood from his shoulder. "We'll see about that." 

---

Naruto's reiatsu began to grow subtly, almost imperceptibly at first. Each exchange of blows forced him to adapt, his instincts sharpening as the battle progressed. He moved better now, his strikes aimed at exploiting openings in Nnoitra's relentless assault. 

But Nnoitra remained dominant. His superior reiatsu and years of battle experience made him an almost insurmountable force. He caught Naruto off guard with a sudden Sonido, appearing behind him and slamming the hilt of Santa Teresa into Naruto's back. 

Naruto cried out as he was sent flying, crashing into a boulder with enough force to shatter it. Dust and debris filled the air as he struggled to his feet, his vision swimming. 

"Get up, brat!" Nnoitra roared, his voice echoing. "Don't tell me that's all you've got!" 

Naruto stood, his breathing ragged but his resolve unshaken. "You're a lot tougher than you look, I'll give you that," he said, his voice tinged with grudging respect. 

Nnoitra smirked. "Tougher than you can handle." 

Naruto's reiatsu flared again, stronger this time. The ground beneath him cracked as the pressure increased. He charged forward, his movements a blur as he aimed a series of rapid slashes at Nnoitra. Each strike was more precise, more powerful than the last, and for the first time, Nnoitra seemed to take him seriously. 

The Espada blocked each attack with ease, but the force behind Naruto's strikes was beginning to push him back. "Not bad," Nnoitra admitted, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "You're finally starting to entertain me!" 

---

Naruto jumped back, raising a hand. Yellow energy swirled around his palm as he formed a Rasengan, its size and intensity glowing with his reiatsu. He charged at Nnoitra, the Rasengan spinning furiously. 

Nnoitra smirked, waiting for the attack. At the last moment, he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the Rasengan as Naruto's momentum carried him forward. Nnoitra retaliated with a spinning slash, the chain of Santa Teresa extending to catch Naruto across the back. 

Naruto grunted in pain but used the momentum to twist around, bringing Yachiru's Zanpakuto down in a wide arc. The blade struck Nnoitra's shoulder, and while it didn't pierce his Hierro, the impact was enough to make the Espada take a step back. 

"You're persistent," Nnoitra said, shaking his arm. "I'll give you that. But it's time to end this warm-up." 

Naruto gritted his teeth, his reiatsu flaring once more. His strength, speed, and endurance were steadily increasing, and he could feel the battle shifting. But Nnoitra was far from done. 

With a roar, the Espada unleashed a Cero from his tongue, the golden beam surging toward Naruto with devastating speed. Naruto barely managed to dodge, the blast carving a deep trench into the earth. 

The two warriors faced off again, both breathing heavily but neither willing to back down. The battle was far from over, and Naruto knew he'd have to push himself to his limits, and beyond, to stand a chance. 

As Nnoitra spun Santa Teresa once more, his grin widened. "Let's see how much more you've got, Kenpachi." 

---

14: The Beast Unleashed

The battlefield lay in ruins. Deep trenches and shattered rocks scarred the earth, a testament to the ferocity of the ongoing battle. Naruto stood hunched over, his breathing ragged, his body battered but unyielding. Across from him, Nnoitra stood tall and menacing, Santa Teresa gleaming in his hand, the Espada's twisted grin widening. 

"Looks like I'll have to put in some effort after all," Nnoitra sneered, his golden eyes narrowing. His spiritual pressure spiked, blanketing the area with an oppressive weight. "You've lasted longer than I expected. But now, let me show you what true despair looks like." 

Naruto's grip tightened on Yachiru's Zanpakuto as he steadied himself. His body ached, and his reiatsu was still far from its peak, but he wouldn't back down. Not now. 

Nnoitra raised Santa Teresa over his head, his voice a low growl. "Pray, Santa Teresa." 

A surge of yellow energy erupted from his body, engulfing the area in a blinding light. The ground trembled, and the air grew thick with the sheer force of his reiatsu. As the light subsided, Nnoitra's transformed form emerged, towering and monstrous. 

Two additional arms extended from his sides, each one wielding a massive scythe identical to Santa Teresa. His carapace gleamed with an insect-like sheen, and the crescent moon horns on his head radiated a predatory aura. A twisted smile stretched across his face as he flexed his newfound limbs. 

"Well? What do you think of my Resurrección, brat?" Nnoitra taunted, his voice distorted and more menacing. 

Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. Instead, he lifted Yachiru's Zanpakuto, the blade trembling slightly in his hands. He couldn't afford to hold back any longer. 

"Alright, Nozarashi," Naruto muttered, his voice resolute. "Let's do this." 

The air around him shifted as his reiatsu surged, swirling like a violent storm. The cloth wrapping the handle unraveled, and the blade transformed into a massive axe-war cleaver hybrid, its presence overwhelming. Naruto gripped the weapon tightly, its weight both daunting and empowering. 

---

Nnoitra didn't wait. He charged forward, all six limbs working in unison as his scythes slashed in a relentless barrage. The sheer speed and coordination of his attacks were overwhelming, forcing Naruto to backpedal as he parried and dodged. 

Nozarashi's immense blade clashed against the scythes, each impact sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Despite the Zanpakuto's ability to cut anything, Nnoitra's immense reaitsu made it nearly impossible for Naruto to land a decisive blow. 

"Come on, Kenpachi!" Nnoitra roared, his laughter echoing. "You've got the power to cut anything, don't you? Show me!" 

Naruto gritted his teeth, his arms straining under the weight of both Nozarashi and Nnoitra's brutal strikes. His mind raced as he struggled to adapt to the Espada's new form. 

---

With a roar, Naruto swung Nozarashi in a wide arc, forcing Nnoitra to leap back momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Naruto lunged forward, aiming for one of the Espada's scythes. The blade connected, slicing cleanly through the weapon. 

But before Naruto could press his advantage, Nnoitra laughed. One of his hidden limbs emerged, a new scythe forming in its grasp. "You think breaking my weapons will stop me? I can make as many as I want!" 

The Espada counterattacked, his movements faster and more erratic than before. Naruto barely managed to dodge, the edge of a scythe grazing his side and drawing blood. 

"You're not cutting me down, Kenpachi," Nnoitra sneered. "Even with that oversized blade, you can't get through my Hierro!" 

Naruto's reiatsu flared, his frustration mounting. He swung Nozarashi with all his strength, aiming for Nnoitra's torso. The blade struck, but instead of slicing through, it slowed as if meeting an immovable wall. 

"What the hell?" Naruto growled, his arms trembling as he tried to push the blade forward. 

Nnoitra grinned. "Surprised? My Hierro isn't something you can just brute force your way through." 

The Espada slammed one of his scythes against Nozarashi, forcing Naruto back. Before the boy could recover, Nnoitra's limbs lashed out, two scythes slashing diagonally while another came down vertically. 

Naruto blocked the first two but was caught off guard by the third. The blade tore into his shoulder, sending him sprawling to the ground. 

---

As Naruto struggled to rise, Nnoitra stood over him, his grin widening. "You're strong, I'll give you that. But you're no match for me." 

He raised his hand, blood dripping from his palm. "Let me show you true destruction." 

Golden energy began to gather around his hand, darkening as it mixed with his blood. The energy swirled violently, forming a massive orb of condensed power. "This is Cero Oscuras," Nnoitra declared, his voice filled with malice. "You're going to love this!" 

With a roar, he fired the Cero directly at Naruto. The dark beam tore through the air, its sheer intensity shaking the ground. Naruto barely had time to react, his reiatsu flaring instinctively as he raised Nozarashi to block the attack. 

The impact was devastating. The ground around them erupted, a massive crater forming as the Cero Oscuras consumed everything in its path. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the battlefield. 

---

As the dust settled, Nnoitra stood at the edge of the crater, his expression triumphant. "Still alive, brat?" 

From the center of the destruction, Naruto emerged, bloodied and battered but still standing. His grip on Nozarashi was firm, though his arms trembled from the strain. 

"You're... tougher than you look," Naruto admitted, his voice hoarse. 

Nnoitra chuckled. "And you're more stubborn than I expected. But this ends now." 

Before Naruto could respond, Nnoitra appeared before him in a blur of Sonido, his scythes descending in a flurry of strikes. Naruto raised Nozarashi to defend, but his movements were slower now, his body pushed to its limits. 

The scythes broke through his defense, one slamming into his side and sending him crashing to the ground. Nozarashi fell from his grasp, embedding itself in the dirt a few feet away. 

Naruto lay on his back, gasping for air as Nnoitra loomed over him, his twisted grin never faltering. "This is it, Kenpachi," Nnoitra said, raising a scythe high. "Any last words?" 

Naruto's vision blurred, his body refusing to move.

The chapter ended with Nnoitra's scythe descending toward Naruto, the outcome uncertain as the scene faded to black.

Tbc