49 End of Seireitei Arc + Bonus

*Author Note*

Our resident discord artist Yurei has actually created a whole freaking manga about Yuna's first piece of backstory I wrote. Check it out on his pixiv: www pixiv net/en/artworks/105946123

*End of Author Note*

Naruto looked around him, and seeing everyone pointing their swords at him, he could only smile wryly while raising his hands.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not resisting, so how about you put those swords away so that we can have a proper conversation? I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

The people surrounding Naruto briefly wondered how he could stay so calm despite being surrounded on all sides and were even more surprised that he still wore a confident smile. It was obvious that he was either confident in getting away or confident that he could explain everything to everyone's satisfaction.

Initially, nothing happened after Naruto stopped speaking, but a few seconds of silence later, Yamamoto put his sword away, resulting in everyone doing the same.

He had crossed blades with Naruto for a while, so he believes to have a decent grasp of Naruto's personality, allowing him to put a little trust in him.

"Very well. For now, who was the one who has been causing chaos in Seireitei for the last few weeks, and what was the reason for the person doing it."

"Well, nee-san is an ice user."

As soon as those words left Naruto's mouth, an aura of hostility started radiating out of multiple Captains, resulting in Naruto chuckling in amusement before he continued talking.

"Well, as for her reason... she loves messing with people, especially if they are prideful individuals."

Silence reigned for a few seconds before an utterly outraged Soi Son started speaking.

"She loves messing with people? That's all? She plunged Seireitei into chaos just for that!?"

"Hahaha, that really is just like her~"

Suddenly, middle-aged-sounding laughter echoed over the execution ground, immediately attracting everyone's attention. Seeing the source of the laughter, Yamamoto scowled and immediately started scolding the one responsible.

"Shunsui, you damn brat. What are you laughing for? Are you drunk? What have you been doing all this time!?"

Hearing Yamamoto's scolding, Shunsui's neck immediately shrank back as he awkwardly scratched his head.

"Old man, I had no choice. Despite being a little drunk right now, you should definitely praise me. I've been drinking with Yuna for the last two days, preventing her from causing more chaos, so isn't that a good thing?"

"""""YOU DRANK WITH HER!?"""""

Instantly multiple outraged voices were heard, making the situation even more awkward for Shunsui. However, the most outraged was Yamamoto, who smashed the tip of his walking stick into the ground, resulting in a loud bang that silenced everyone present.

"So you spent the last two days drinking with the enemy? You better have a good explanation for this, or you are in deep trouble."

"Mah, calm down, old man. I really have a good explanation. She was much stronger than me, and that was the best way to detain her. Please also remember that I can't exactly use my Bankai within the city."

After Shunsui finished his explanation, Yamamoto's frown deepened even further as his gaze remained on Shunsui for a few more seconds before wandering back to Naruto.

"Is your sister stronger or weaker than you?"

"Mhh, if it is just a question of raw power, then we are pretty even, but she is significantly more skilled than me if we are talking about techniques and general combat experience."

Yamamoto's eyes widened slightly when he heard Naruto's explanation, not expecting there actually to be a gap between Yuna and Naruto.

So, he pondered Shunsui's verdict a while longer until he came to a conclusion.

"Very well, I don't approve of the method, Shunsui, but I won't scold you for your approach any further."

Considering Naruto's strength, the claim that Yuna was stronger, and the fact that Shunsui's Bankai would have devastating consequences for Seireitei, Yamamoto decided to let this matter drop.

So, as soon as he issued his verdict, Shunsui sighed in relief while removing some sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

'Phew, seems like out of the crosshair.'

After he was finished with Shunsui, Yamamoto's gaze returned to Naruto, and he resumed speaking.

"So, why did your sister decide to stand against Soul Society and follow Aizen? Depending on your answer, you might be considered a criminal as well. Well, you invaded Seireitei, so you already ARE a criminal, but I'm willing to let that matter slide, considering the circumstances."

Hearing Yamamoto's question, Yoruichi immediately became interested in how Naruto would answer. After all, this was exactly what she wanted to know about this whole situation.

"Mhh, I can see why you would think that nee-san sided with your enemy, but your assumptions are incorrect. Nee-san is only on the side of a single person: herself. If something benefits her, she does it, and if it doesn't benefit her or those she considers close, then she won't. It's that simple."

Yamamoto briefly considered Naruto's words before a frown appeared on his face.

"However, what could she possibly get from following Aizen? Additionally, didn't her action harm 'someone she considers close'? Namely, you?"

"Not really. Nee-san is aware that I'll be able to weasel my way out of this in some way or another. As for why she followed Aizen to Hueco Mundo, I think that's pretty obvious.

I mean, Aizen even declared himself to be above the gods, so how can nee-san possibly not follow him? I mean, she bullied the Kuchiki clan just because they acted arrogant; just imagen what would happen to someone claiming to be above the gods. This will be a lot of fun."

As soon as Naruto finished speaking, a collective shudder went through the crowd. However, Naruto wasn't done talking yet, so he continued with a ferocious expression on his face.

"Let's not forget that the first person who entered Seireitei was nee-san and nobody else. Meaning, the first week of chaos was solely created by her alone."

Another shudder went through the crowd as a few faces paled in terror. However, before the mood could settle, laud roaring laughter echoed over the execution ground, drawing everyone's attention.

The crowd quickly noticed that the source of the laughter was yet again Shunsui, who was currently kneeling on the ground while repeatedly smashing his fist on the ground.

"HAHAHA, AIZEN CHECKMATED HIMSELF THE MOMENT HE TOOK THAT MONSTER WITH HIM, DIDN'T HE!? HAHAHA!!!"

While everyone was dumbfounded by Shunsui's sudden mood swing, Naruto simply nodded in approval, dumbfounding those that noticed. All of them couldn't help but wonder just how dangerous extended exposure to Yuna was.

Meanwhile, in the dimension between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, four people could be seen walking side by side towards the exit that led to Hueco Mundo. So far, no one has said anything, but due to not being satisfied with the silence, Yuna decided to start talking.

"That thing you did with your hair and glasses was pretty slick, Aizen."

Despite Yuna talking to him, Aizen didn't answer her. He briefly had the desire to nod his head in agreement but didn't do so and simply continued walking.

"So... Did you practice that in front of a mirror beforehand?"

*Clack* x2

Two louder-than-usual footsteps could be heard as Gin and Tosen both were briefly stunned by Yuna's words and stepped down harder than they intended while pausing their steps for a short moment.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make up stories like that about me."

Although Aizen clearly denied Yuna's words, Yuna herself couldn't help but smirk a little. Others might not notice, but she did. It was only for a split second, but she could clearly tell that Aizen's heartbeat grew slightly irregular as soon as she finished speaking.

"Mah, no need to be ashamed. If I were to declare myself to be above the gods, I would practice the whole thing as well. Let me guess; You have a book lying around somewhere where you have written down all kinds of domineering lines you could use in all kinds of possible scenarios."

To Aizen's credit, his eyebrows didn't even twitch, and his facial expression was unchanged despite Yuna's words. However, Yuna could easily tell that he grew slightly irritated due to her claims, so she naturally continued pushing.

"Geez, no need to be so stiff. Stuff like that usually doesn't come naturally. It's only obvious to practice as much as you can before you make your debut. It takes time to get used to talking like a big shot."

"I did NOT practice any lines in front of a mirror, nor did I write anything down."

"Suuure~ And I'm a well-adjusted human being that has not a single perverted thought in her mind."

[Whoa, there! Aren't you afraid of a lightning tribulation due to telling such outragous lies?]

'Mah, in-between realms like this usually are outside of the heaven's watch.'

[WAIT! THAT COULD REALLY HAPPEN!?]

'Haha...'

[Gahaha!]

Despite Yuna's words, Aizen decided not to pay any attention to her and simply continued walking. He wasn't expecting things to get this annoying, even though they hadn't even reached Hueco Mundo yet. He couldn't help himself but ponder if bringing Yuna with him was a mistake.

"Oh well, jokes aside. I'm looking forward to what Hueco Mundo is like, and thank you for bringing both of us with you."

Aizen was just about to nod his head in acknowledgment when his thoughts briefly froze up.

'Both of us? What is she talking about.'

Aizen briefly looked to his side to catch a glance of Yuna and almost tripped due to what he saw. Right next to Yuna, another woman was happily walking next to her while pressing one of Yuna's arms in between her chest.

Obviously, Aizen had done his research about Yuna and immediately realized who that person was.

'Isn't that Hinata!? Why is she here? How did she come here? Why didn't I notice her up until now? What the hell!?'

Obviously, Aizen wouldn't openly show his emotions, so he somehow managed to keep his stoic expression and simply nodded his head.

"Well, I told you that I would take you with me to Hueco Mundo, so I don't really mind an additional person."

While Aizen was internally sweating due to not noticing Hinata's presence at all, Gin sighed in relief that Aizen apparently was aware of Hinata's presence.

'As expected of Captain Aizen, he noticed her presence. To think someone could reach such a high degree of stealth, how frightening~'

Meanwhile, Tosen had not the slightest clue what everyone was talking about. After all, he was blind and had to use his other sense to detect Hinata.

'What is going on? Why did she say 'both of us'? I can only feel one additional presence. This must be an additional plot Aizen-sama came up with without my knowledge, so I'll have to ask him about this later. I guess the second person is already in Hueco Mundo, or perhaps there are still in Seireitei to continue collecting information? Mhh, I feel the latter is more likely, but I really wonder when Aizen-sama managed to rope in an additional person.'

As for Hinata herself, she obviously sneaked in while those light beams were descending. After seeing the four possible candidates who she could follow, she decided to choose Tosen, who seemed to have the hardest time detecting her from this group.

Frankly, she wanted to surprise Yuna with her presence, but as she had expected, Yuna found her before she could sneak up on her. So, she decided to simply cuddle with Yuna a little, not bothering about the people watching in the slightest.

As for why Hinata decided to follow Yuna, that was pretty obvious. Hell, Yuna spent a single week unsupervised within Seireitei and somehow managed to pick up three new girls. Who knows what would happen if Yuna were to run around her for multiple months?

Anyway, although that was certainly one of the reasons she followed Yuna, another one was that she was rather curious about Hueco Mundo. No matter how she looked at it, she felt like a place inhabited by Hollow should be rather bleak, but considering Aizen decided to make his base there, it couldn't be that bad, right?

All in all, she was looking forward to what might happen from now on and what kind of interesting Hollow she might be able to meet. Especially what kind of interesting transformation could be archived now that Aizen possessed the Hogyoku. She was looking forward to finding new interesting life forms while staying by Yuna's side.

**********

*Author Note*

Well, I guess this could be considered the end of the first volume, but since we are only at 2k words and I don't want to post such a short chapter, have a little omake~

*End of Author Note*

**********

Around four years ago, three middle-aged men were patiently sitting in a car, occasionally letting their gaze wander over a nearby building, even going as far as to look at it with binoculars.

"There are seriously only three brats living in that house. How is that possible?"

"Does it matter? This is the perfect chance for us to make it big."

"Yeah, considering the parents just let their brats live in such a luxurious house, they must be loaded. I'm sure we can get a lot of money out of this if we kidnap one of them and demand a ransom."

"I agree. Since it's only a bunch of kids, it should be easy to intimidate them not to contact anybody. I'm not sure about the house's security system, but snatching one of them away while they are walking around the streets should be child's play."

"Yup, there should be a lot of money somewhere in that house. Even if it isn't cash, expensive art will do as well. As long as we get access to that house, we will be rich.

Hearing his comrade's words, the other two eagerly nodded their heads with predatory smiles on their face.

"Very well, let's get this started."

After they made their decision, they patiently waited for someone to leave the house, and they couldn't help but feel lucky when not even an hour later, a single young girl with red and blue hair exited the building.

"Jackpot, let's snatch her as soon as we get the chance."

""Oh!""

The trio continued covertly following the girl, but yet again, they couldn't believe their luck when she actually started wandering through small alleys, seemingly not even aware of any dangers at all.

"That's it; get her!"

As soon as these words left one of the three thug's mouth, they charged at the young gird, and before she could react, she had a sack around her head and was tossed inside a white van without anybody noticing.

Around half an hour later, Hinata stood in the kitchen and was currently cooking something. As she was pondering what kind of side dishes she should make, the telephone rang, causing her to frown. Despite forcing her to interrupt her cooking, she still went to the phone and answered it politely.

"Hello, this is the Uzumaki residence. How can I help you."

"We have kidnapped Yuna; if you want her back, grant us access to your house, and don't even dare informing your parents or the police. If you dare to do that, hehe, bad things will happen to your sister."

Hinata briefly wondered if she should correct the mistake of Yuna being her sister, but she didn't really care about that as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Nah, don't wanna~"

Before the other party could react to Hinata's words, she had already put down the phone, cutting the connection.

Just like that, another hour passed, and just as Hinata and Naruto had finished dinner, the phone rang yet again, causing Hinata to roll her eyes and pick it up.

"Hello, this is the Uzumaki res..."

"Fine, we won't need access to your house, but we demand a million Yen of ransom for us to bring her back unscathed."

"Nah, don't wanna~"

Just like that, Hinata yet again cut the connection, causing Naruto to raise his eyebrows.

"What was that all about?"

"Someone kidnapped Yuna."

"Oh? My condolences."

"Yeah."

Another out passed, and Hinata was currently sitting in the living room, watching a random silly show on TV, when the phone rang yet again.

"Hello, thi..."

"100000 Yen! We only want 100000 Yen for us to..."

*Clack*

Before the other person could finish speaking, Hinata hung up the phone yet again just before it started ringing again.

"Hel..."

"You can have her back, okay!? Just take her; We can't stand her anymore!"

Hinata briefly heard the sound of cake hitting someone in the face in the background before shrugging her shoulders.

"Sure, that will be 500000 Yen."

"E-Excuse me?"

"Transfer me 500000 Yen, and I will take her back."

There was a brief pause from the other side before the person started yelling at Hinata in outrage.

"You want to make us pay money to return her?! F*ck you; we will get rid of her ourselves! Let's see what you think about your actions after seeing her corpse!"

"Sure, have a nice evening~"

Yet again, Hinata hung up the phone with an amused expression on her face before returning to watching TV. However, around another 10 minutes later, the phone rang yet again.

"H..."

"I'LL PAY YOU THE MONEY; JUST GET HER OUT OF HERE!!!"

"Mah, I'm afraid it's a million now~"

"..."

"..."

*Splat*

"..."

"..."

"Fine, we'll pay."

"Thank you for your patronage~"

Hinata felt like she heard someone coughing out blood from the other side of the phone, but she was sure that that was just her imagination as she hung it up after transmitting her bank information so the other side could send her the money.

"Naruto, we just got some bonus money! Is there anything you want!?"

As Hinata yelled these words through the house, Naruto's excited voice immediately answered her.

"Hell yeah! Time for monitor number four!"

Hearing Naruto's voice, Hinata could smile wryly. She had no idea why Naruto wanted yet another monitor, but she didn't bother asking.

Well, she did ask when Naruto got his third one, but he only answered with: One can never have enough monitors, causing Yuna and Hinata to glance briefly at each other before shrugging their shoulders in tandem.