UPDATE: 3/8/2012. A few of you have said you have felt that this is similar to other fanfics. As I said in the summary, this is from a challenge by The Infamous Man. This challenge has a particular stipulation for how the story starts; Ulquiorra/whoever dies and is given a chance to return to the Shinobi Nations for revenge by the Spirit King/Kami/etc. In this I am simply following orders. It will be my own tale from here on in, and it will be as unique as I can make it.
This fanfiction is my own take on The Infamous Man's Bleach/Naruto challenge where Naruto dies and evolves as a Hollow into Ulquiorra Cifer.
I should say that I haven't watched Naruto in a while, so if anything strikes you as off, please tell me and I'll correct it.
"Murciélago" Jutsu/Hollow techniques
'Murciélago' Thought
"Murciélago" Regular speech
'Murciélago' Flashback thought
"Murciélago" Flashback Jutsu/Hollow techniques
Ulquiorra looked at the onna, watching her face as two fat tears slid down her soft cheeks, dripping from her chin to the dome. He felt a soft tug at his soul as he watched her. He heard something, like a half-forgotten dream, and a faint image appeared in his mind's eye. Ah, yes; a memory. How long had it been since he had thought of his last life? A thin rakish girl, with short black hair and pale eyes, weeping before him, her hands outstretched, cupping his face, pressing her sobbing lips to his. Whispering…whispering…whispering…
"I love you Naruto-kun…"
Ulquiorra looked down as he faded. A name drifted out of the darkness…
Hyūga Hinata.
As he died a single thought came into his mind. 'Her heart was right…in my hands…'
XXXXXX
He hadn't seen this coming. Kakashi had written all the reports to show Sasuke as the hero, that he had saved the day every time. Naruto was the fool, the half-wit, the idiot who couldn't control his own power.
"I, Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, with the agreement of the Clan Heads, the Village Council, and the Elders, declare you a traitor. You have brought shame and dishonour upon the entire village. You were ordered to capture Sasuke Uchiha and return him to Konoha. Permission was given to use force if necessary. But instead, you attempted to murder him…"
If Naruto wasn't chained and manacled and he didn't have the damn gag in his mouth, he would have ranted and screamed and hurled abuse at Tsunade. But he wasn't able to. Naruto's face was mauled and scarred, courtesy of Sakura and Kakashi, and breathing hurt him sorely, thanks to the two point blank chidori he had received during his battle with Sasuke. He stared at them from under his eyebrows, his neck bent under the heavy steel collar; his eyes filled with betrayal, hate…and despair.
"…He surrendered peacefully, but you attacked anyway. Eye-witnesses reported it. Sasuke Uchiha was nearly killed by your brutal assault. Your betrayal nearly destroyed the last of the Uchiha Clan, and nearly cost Konoha her finest ninja. It is decided that you will be taken from this place and suffer execution three days hence, as should have been done when you were a child. The Kyūbi no Yōko is a threat to this village, one that should have been destroyed long ago, and it is clear that you no longer have the will or strength to suppress it."
Tsunade stood and to the cheers and roars of approval, she waved a hand to the two ANBU members, declaring, "Take the jinchuriki away."
XXXXXX
"…I shall show you true despair…" To match my own…
XXXXXX
The holding cell was large and bare. There were a dozen thick steel bars across the entrance, but there was a small door through them which allowed the guards in. Naruto's wrists were manacled, with long chains attached to the walls, stretching his arms to breaking point. His neck was held in a large collar, attached to a chain to the ceiling, and every time he breathed or moved his neck the sharp edges cut deep into his skin, causing blood to run down his naked chest. His legs were manacled to the floor, spread out from each other, so that he resembled a five-pointed star.
On the first day, Ibiki Morino and his Torture and Interrogation squad had entered the cell and had set to work on him. By the time they left, many hours later, his ribs were fractured, one of his eyes was blinded, his skin was burnt, his legs were broken and twisted, and he had more bruises than he could count.
Later the same day Kakashi entered. He walked right up to Naruto, watching him coolly. "Well, Naruto," he said. "Anything to say for yourself?"
Naruto's one good eye stared back impassively. Kakashi sighed and leant against the nearby wall. "Why did you attack him Naruto? The objective was clear; you were to bring him back, not kill him. And yet you attacked him. The finest chunin in the village," he looked back up at him sharply. "Was it jealousy?" he asked quietly.
Naruto remained obstinately silent, glaring at the ground. He wouldn't give his former sensei the satisfaction of his anger. Kakashi sighed and walked away.
"You are a great disappointment to me, Naruto. The worst ninja I ever trained."
Naruto watched him retreat, silent as the grave.
"I hope you find penitence in your last hours."
His 'friends' came that day.
Rock Lee, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and Kiba were silent, standing in the background as the others sneered and gloated.
Sakura insulted him and spat on him, declaring the hate she had felt since they had first formed the team. The others students followed suit, blaming him for the misfortunes of their clans and those who died thirteen years before. Finally they all left, Naruto as silent as ever.
Then...
"Hello, dobe."
Naruto's eye looked up, staring straight into the Sharingan, the only light in the dark cell. He could barely discern Sasuke, only as a dark shape in the pitch blackness. He was mildly surprised to realise they had let him into the cell. Sasuke sneered as Naruto struggled to raise his head, his eye filled with venomous hate. He forced himself to stand upright, but the chains restricted his movements, and he could feel his damaged body click and snap in some places. He glared at Sasuke.
"Now, now, Naruto. That's no way to look at the new Uchiha Clan Head," smirked Sasuke, showing him the ring he wore on his finger. It showed the Uchia crest on a band of silver and gold.
Sasuke punched him clean in the stomach, his eyes livid. Naruto snarled at the pain. Sasuke had gotten stronger. His sealed chakra meant that he hurt all the more.
"So Sasuke, how come…?" he asked. Naruto tugged on his chains, making them rattle. Sasuke, understanding, smiled darkly.
"Kukuku. Allow me to explain. Think about it. I am the last loyal Uchia. My Sharingan promises Konoha's continued authority over the rest of the world. The village has more need of the Sharingan then the Kyūbi no Yōko. My children and theirs will have the Sharingan, and from that Konoha can conquer all the Lands. The council came to me offering a most intriguing proposal; remain loyal to Konoha, and they will give me all the power I want. They've already begun." He held up the ANBU mask at his side and placed it over his face, but Naruto couldn't discern the image painted on.
"But they have still more to offer. I might become Hokage, how about I take that dream of yours as well?"
Naruto snorted and leant forward again, ignoring Sasuke.
"Did you come here for a reason, or just to spout shit, ahondara?" hissed Naruto. He was going to die. He wasn't going to be polite now.
Sasuke smirked again, his Sharingan livid. "Yes; the village has decided to make me your executioner. They thought it only fitting as the Head of the Uchiha Clan and the one you nearly murdered. From you, I will gain the Mangekyo Sharingan, and become even stronger, all thanks to you."
He turned and left, leaving the cell dark again.
Naruto couldn't help it. He giggled. He giggled like a child, his voice rising. Chortling, laughing, and guffawing. He heard the guards and Sasuke stop still as they listened to the laughter of a madman. The cerulean eye gleamed like fire.
The next few hours were silent and still. As the sun set and the moon arose, a storm struck the village. Freezing rain struck the outside of the prison and seeped through the wall, the cold chilling his blood.
The second day began warm and dry, but the inside of Naruto's cell was still cold. He heard the tramp of feet approaching the cell.
"Here he is. Be quick," hissed one voice, a guard, nervously.
"Yes," said a second voice, quietly.
He continued looking down, his eye focused on the ground.
"N-N-Naruto-kun?" stuttered the second voice. The voice was sad and heavy, panting with fear and worry.
Naruto looked up, fixing his baleful cerulean glare on the bars. The voice whimpered in surprise and sadness upon seeing his ruined body.
"Who is there?" he asked hoarsely.
The bars creaked and the small door opened and Hinata stepped inside. Fat tears coursed down her soft face, her eyes wet and shining. She slowly, cautiously walked towards the prisoner. When she was a mere foot away, she stopped and knelt so that Naruto looked down at her.
"Hinata? What are you doing here? Come to spit at the cornered rat as well?" His lips twisted in an insane grin, his eye mad and wild.
Hinata looked pained at his words and shook her head worriedly, crying harder. "Forgive me Naruto-kun."
Naruto blinked in surprise. No-one had said they were sorry, except Rock Lee and the rest of Team 8, and even then indirectly, by their sad faces and the intense airs of self-loathing. He softened somewhat, but his eye still held the insane gleam.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan; it's enough to know that someone doesn't hate me." He smiled at her.
Hinata smiled through her tears, her lips quivering.
" N-no, Naruto-kun. I c-came here to…to t-tell you something… and if I don't do it now, I-I-I'll never get the chance…" She started to hyperventilate.
Naruto watched her closely, confused and unsure of what was going on. Hinata regained her breath and then said, "N-Naruto-kun…for a long time now, I've…I've…" She stopped again, then, scrunching up her face, blurted out, "I love you Naruto-kun!" then dropped her face into her hands and wept.
Naruto stood there speechless. He couldn't wrap his mind around Hinata, sweet, innocent, shy, beautiful, gentle…
He made the links all in an instant. Her shyness around him. Kiba's and Shino's odd comments about her crush and her unwillingness to ever speak about it. Her shyness about him, her odd mannerisms. 'Perhaps if I noticed earlier, I might have…'
"I am sorry, Hinata-chan," he whispered.
She looked back at him in confusion, then abject depression, her shakes and quivers intensifying. He realised it a moment later. She thought he was saying he didn't feel the same way.
"If I had known you felt that way," he continued, hoping to save the situation, "Perhaps, perhaps I might have…"
Hinata silenced him by grabbing his cheeks in her hands and kissing him. He was so surprised he couldn't react for a minute, but finally his mind kicked back in and he responded. It was clumsy and messy, but it was sweet. Finally, she pulled back, holding his face in her hands. Whispering…whispering…whispering…
"I love you Naruto-kun…"
"I…love you too." And he was surprised to find he meant it. What a fool he had been, wasting his life on the bitch Sakura. "Will you wait for me?" he asked as footsteps approached.
She nodded and kissed him again. "I will."
XXXXXX
"Traitor? I've never betrayed anyone, not Konoha, not Aizen-sama…No-one."
XXXXXX
Naruto grinned up at the two ANBU members. "No worries, guys. Just help me a bit with the cuffs and everything else will be fine, dattebayo!"
The two men said nothing, silently removing the chains from the walls to retie to him later at the gallows, though their body language screamed worry. As they dragged him unresisting from the cell and through the prison, the Kyubi sighed. 'Well, Kit, it looks like the end is here. Afraid?'
'You?'
'Of course I am! I doubt there is an afterlife for me. And even if there is, all these damn fools who controlled me have pretty much guaranteed it'll be hell.'
'Sorry, Kyubi,' Naruto thought as they were brought into the blinding sunlight, and heard the roar of the crowd.
'Don't be. Of all the humans I could have died with, I doubt many would be as brave as you kit. When you get to paradise or whatever, think of me, eh?'
'Sure' thought Naruto sadly as he realised that, despite the animosity between them, the Kyubi cared for him in a way, and he would never see or hear him again.
'Showtime,' they thought together, grinning sickly at each other as Naruto was bound between two pillars of stone on the gallows so that he stood as if crucified.
The wooden platform was built in directly in the middle of the village square, and to either side were the leaders of the village. In front of him was the entire village, everyone gathered to see the 'event'. Some were on the ground, some on top of the buildings. They were all cheering and laughing, hollering for the death of the demon. A few pelted rotten food and refuse at him. However, in the corner of his vision, atop one of the buildings, a small group huddled, alone. He caught a glimpse of Team 8 and Rock Lee, as well as the Konhamaru Corps and Asuma with his team sitting on the roof together, watching the scene below. He saw Hinata being held by Kurenai, watching him and he could just about see her shoulders shaking.
Tsunade raised her hands for silence. The crowd slowly mumbled itself into quiet.
"We are gathered here today to bear witness to the execution of Uzumaki Naruto, former Konoha Shinobi and S-Rank traitor, for the crimes of High Treason and attempted murder of a Clan Head."
Thunderous applause.
'All humans are the same; love the sound of their own voices' murmured the fox.
"As a Shinobi he is allowed one honour; death at the hands of one of his fellow Shinobi. Will the appointed step forward?"
The cheers intensified as Sasuke stepped forward. The crowd eagerly approved of the Uchiha being the one to 'exorcise the demon'.
"Any last words?" asked Tsunade as Sasuke bared his arm to the shoulder.
Naruto remained silent and shrugged his shoulders, glaring Sasuke dead in his blood red eyes.
"Very well," smirked Sasuke. "Chidori!"
The fist passed clean through his chest, rupturing his heart and exploding out his back in a shower of blood. Sasuke ran him through to the shoulder, his ear pressed near Naruto's lips. Sasuke smiled widely. 'With the Mangekyo Sharingan, I can finally kill Itachi!'
Naruto spat up blood.
"S-Sas-uke, I…I win…"
And with his last strength he smiled. It was the soft gentle smile Naruto had given long ago, before all this. Above the cheers of the crowd, Hinata's scream and whimpering sobs were hidden as she buried herself into Kurenai's embrace.
Danzo lowered his head and cursed to himself. 'Itachi's work…Naruto's…Mine…undone. Tsunade…you-'
Sasuke's scream silenced everything. Everyone knew that he should have gained the Mangekyo Sharingan. It was the villages only hope of defeating Itachi and the Akatsuki. But they all saw Sasuke staring into the metal of Naruto's headband and saw what Naruto had done. He had, with his final hours, denied Sasuke the one thing he desired from him.
The death of his best friend.
XXXXXX
"…Memories of a dead man are worthless…Who I was before is meaningless…"
XXXXXX
Ulquiorra opened his eyes. He was lying on something soft and pale, that gave off a light the colour of shining silver. Above him hung a great golden phoenix, with eyes of red flame. Ulquiorra frowned slowly and sat up, finding himself in his sealed form, his zanpakuto lying beside him. This was his 'afterlife'? He was lying on a floor of some pure white material, soft as silk. Above him, there was a high vaulted ceiling of a deep royal purple.
'It appears that I am, at last receiving some sort of reward for my past life…'
"Why, you seem a bit more optimistic now, Ulquiorra," said a voice. He turned about suddenly, and found himself gazing at a great throne of some vast black material, carven like a phoenix, a lion and a dragon arising from a pool of fire, inset with thousands of gems of a million colours and shades. Before the throne was a large mirror, a dozen feet high and eight wide, bound about with a frame of golden serpents and topped with a large silver hawk. Atop the throne sat another vast being.
Ulquiorra had no doubts about who he was looking at. The Spirit King. The ruler of all creation. Monarch of existence. Its eyes were fire the colour of white fire, its body the colour of interwoven sunlight and darkness. It was dressed in a billowing robe of purple with elaborate golden detailing. It had no hair, instead, across the bald dome were all the symbols of faith; the crucifix, the sickle moon, the eight spoke wheel, the Star of David, the Shinto gate, the symbol of Hinduism, the pentagram of paganism, and thousands of others he did not know. But there was one thing that surprised him.
The Spirit King was old. Very, very old. He had a long beard that flowed down His chest and was tucked into a belt across His waist. His face was lined and wrinkled, but His eyes were bright and clear.
"Welcome to the Transcendent Realm, Ulquiorra Cifer", said the Spirit King. His voice was soft and thunderous, gentle and violent. "I have watched your progress with great interest."
Ulquiorra merely fell to one knee and bowed, so surprised that he was here, and at the revelation of the Soul Kings nature, that he was unable to speak. In any case there really wasn't anything he could say.
"Do you know why I summoned you here?"
Ulquiorra shook his head, still gazing at the floor. "No, your Majesty."
The Spirit King smiled gently and rose from His throne slowly walking over to him, standing over him, towering like a pillar of light. He rested His hand on his head and gently ruffled his hair, like a grandfather with a young child.
"'Your Majesty'? That's a new one. Most are too surprised at seeing me. Ulquiorra, have you seen yourself?"
Ulquiorra looked up at Him, and he saw himself reflected in His eyes. If he had emotions, he would have started.
His left side was normal, his white skin and tear marks, his empty green eyes, his black hair, mask, his white uniform and his zanpakuto.
But on his other side, was him. An orange and blue jumpsuit, wild blonde hair and a single cerulean eye, with peach skin and three odd whisker marks with a kunai holster strapped to his thigh.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" he said, surprised.
The Spirit King nodded sadly. "I am afraid I must apologise to you, Ulquiorra. I'm so sorry for all the pain you suffered. I made a terrible mistake."
'A mistake? How could the Spirit King make a mistake?' wondered Ulquiorra.
"Very easily I'm afraid," muttered the King. Ulquiorra blinked in surprise, then realised that the Spirit King was all powerful; He could easily see into his mind.
"You see Ulquiorra, there are many different Dimensions, as you know, each a different reality, unique among its brethren." As He spoke, the Spirit King gently guided Ulquiorra towards the mirror. "However, the Dimension you were in just now, made up of the worlds of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, Hell and the Mortal World, is special. It is the only Dimension which allows access to this one. That is why the Shinigami exist, to protect the door." The Spirit King chuckled. "I suppose Nnoitra was right; they're only glorified guard dogs now I come to think about it."
He glanced at Ulquiorra, seeing if he would laugh. Ulquiorra remained straight-faced, though a small part wanted to chuckle at the Spirit King's joke. The Spirit King nodded, as if a belief or hypothesis had been proven correct. "Well," He continued, gently positioning Ulquiorra before the mirror, "Every other Dimension has access instantly to either 'Paradise' or 'Hell', each one different for each religion in each Realm, but on rare occasions, strong beings," here the surface of the mirror suddenly began to ripple like disturbed water, revealing the instant of the execution, "Can break through the barrier between the Dimension and enter another."
Though his mind was broiling with the Spirit King's revelations, Ulquiorra dragged his attention back to the present and watched as Naruto slumped and as Sasuke roared in anger. Then he saw Naruto's soul move away and float away, shaking uncontrollably, screaming in pain. As he watched with growing awe and mounting apprehension, he saw Naruto and the fox being split, the Kyuubi fading with an ethereal howl of agony. Then Naruto vanished. The mirror abruptly moved to Hueco Mundo. Naruto was rolling and screaming in the sand, his flesh hardening and paling. Soon, a whole flock of Adjudicas were gathered about the screaming boy, watching the form mutate.
"You were so wretched. So sunk in despair. You broke into Hueco Mundo…" Naruto suddenly rose and before Ulquiorra's amazed eyes, he killed the Adjudicas, consuming them, eating them alive, trapped between his mortal form and a Hollow existence. "And from there you evolved," the Spirit King continued as the mirror faded into darkness, showing Ulquiorra standing before Kurosaki, an immovable object and an irresistible force colliding.
"Do you know the reason why you hated Kurosaki?" the Spirit King asked gently, a small tear of gold sliding down His face. Ulquiorra and Kurosaki duelled like madmen, a face of determination and a mask of emptiness. "Because he reminded you of what you once were."
Ulquiorra watched as he and Kurosaki fought on, battling above the dome. It was true of course. The human was infuriating; how could someone fight for others and be so strong? It was incomprehensible. As they fought the phrase 'It's not fair!' had been foremost in Ulquiorra's mind. He had tormented Inoue because she and her friends were fools; such naivety and faith in each other was foolish. In the end, everyone betrays their friends. Helping them had done Naruto no good, and it would do none for Kurosaki.
"Do you know why you lost?"
"I was weak and pathetic" spat Ulquiorra as he and the Hollowfied Kurosaki battled across the sky. The Spirit King shook His head.
"No; you wanted to lose."
Ulquiorra looked incredulously at the Spirit King. "He reminds you of who you once were. You reminded yourself of all you once hated. You realised that Kurosaki had to win. Your Lanza Del Relampago was barely at full strength. You wanted him to win. You didn't want him to suffer like you did."
Ulquiorra watched as his reflection acted extremely bizarrely. It didn't even attempt to hit Kurosaki. I was holding back, he realised. Something wet crawled down his right cheek. He raised his 'Naruto' hand to his cheek and pulled away a tear. The Spirit King smiled sadly.
"You were not meant to die that day Ulquiorra. It was a mistake on my part. I called you here to give you an offer."
Ulquiorra looked back at the King as he sat on His throne, watching him intently. "You were not meant to die Ulquiorra. As Naruto, you should have lived a long and healthy life. Alas, the Kyubi no Yoko was bound to you and as a result you suffered great pain and torments. You deserve happiness Ulquiorra. I offer you another chance. I will return you to your home Dimension, and I will give you another chance. Will you accept it?"
Ulquiorra did not think for an instant. "No."
The Spirit King nodded. "You assume that Naruto is meaningless. You assume that thousands of years have passed since your death. Dimensions have different time scales, and Hueco Mundo is different. Only three years have passed, but there is more you should know. Naruto would have saved the world, or doomed it. The chance of the worlds continued existence and prolonged happiness rested entirely on your shoulders. Who you were is not meaningless."
"My death made it so. I am meaningless. After my death I desired only purpose." Ulquiorra gazed into the eyes dead on, his voice cold and empty. "I am an Espada. A weapon. A tool. I require a purpose, or I require extermination. I do not require happiness, your Majesty." Ulquiorra bowed and knelt, awaiting the Kings words. He had indeed changed since he was Naruto; all he had desired was to be the perfect weapon. Having suffered like Zabuza, he finally understood what the missing-nin had meant about being a weapon. To feel purpose, even if it was a violent and bloody one, was to retain his sanity. His entire Hollow existence, tormented by his dark memories, had turned life into a nightmare he could not escape. But with a purpose…
The Spirit King coughed politely. "What about the Heart? What about…Hinata?"
Soft lips pressed to his, the soft warmth of her body, the beating of her heart…
"I love you…"
Ulquiorra froze. Hinata-chan? He felt the void in his chest pull and tug, and the Naruto side began to cry again, and his own side began to shudder with some alien emotion.
"Meaningless," he managed to grind out, though he questioned if he was speaking the truth. "Love such as she spoke of does not exist. Hinata-chan will have found another to replace me. It is of no importance."
He turned as he heard a soft whispering from the mirror.
Konoha.
The very sight filled him with anger. But it also felt comforting in a dark obscure way. There was his old apartment block, there was the Hogake Monument, there was the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, and there was the Academy, there the Cemetry. Every sight familiar and once beloved. It gave a feeling of catharsis. The mirror moved in on the Hyuga Mansion, zooming in on Hinata's room. In the three years she had changed a great deal. Her hair was now down to the small of her back in long dark lavender tresses and her body was clothed in a long light grey and purple jacket with cargo trousers. It appeared she had developed further as well as her breasts were now larger and made her look even more mature and more beautiful.
She was kneeling in front of a small shrine, her hands clasped in prayer. The mirror moved into an over the shoulder view. The shrine was simple, but well kept, as if it was the most important thing in the room. The small alcove contained a small picture of Naruto in a gilt frame, grinning broadly, as well as a bloodstained and filthy Konoha headband, and a pair of chopsticks bound with a velvet bow. Hinata's soft voice echoed out of the mirror, and Ulquiorra felt himself weaken at her words.
"Hello, Naruto-kun. I'm sorry but I've been on a mission for a while, so I haven't had a chance to talk to you. Nothing much here as changed since I was here last. Kiba and Shino help me to carry on more and more. Rock Lee helps as well, but sometimes it's just a struggle getting out of bed. Tsunade has changed so much, even more over the last few weeks. I saw Jiraya in the wilderness. He still remembers you fondly, and cried with me when we talked about you. Naruto-kun, I'm so, so sorry. My father wishes me to marry soon. He's even selected a nobleman already. I've told him I don't want to marry, that the only man I'll ever love is gone, but he won't hear of it. I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but it might be that…that we shall meet again soon."
The image faded away. Ulquiorra rounded on the Spirit King, his face uncharacteristically haunted and angry, his eyes dark. "Is this a punishment? Do you show me these things to punish me for serving Aizen-sama?"
The Spirit King shook His head. "No, I only show you this to remind you of your past. Ulquiorra, do you not wish to help your old friends? Do you not desire peace? Happiness?"
Ulquiorra was silent, staring at the Spirit King. "If you send me back," he said slowly, his gaze flickering back to the mirror, "Many will die."
"I know. But, I trust you to kill only those who you need to. I doubt you wish sixty years of violent happiness followed by eternity in Hell."
Ulquiorra nodded. "Then…Send me back."
The Spirit King grinned, and suddenly seemed a lot kinder and less sombre.
"Excellent," He declared, clapping Ulquiorra's shoulder and nodding. "Now, Ulquiorra, before you return what about your body? Will you return to Hinata and the Elemental Nations as Naruto, or as Ulquiorra?"
Ulquiorra looked into the mirror, which was once again showing the Elemental Nations. Naruto Uzumaki or Ulquiorra Cifer?
"I found purpose as Ulquiorra. I am no longer a Shinobi, I am an Espada."
The Spirit King grinned and turned him about, facing the mirror. The view faded out, revealing the Land of Waves, the Great Naruto Bridge in the forefront. He watched his body slowly return to normal, and readied himself to be returned to his former home.
However, the manner of his re-entry was slightly less dignified than he might have hoped. The Spirit King kicked him in the backside, propelling him through the mirror. As he flew through the mirror, which sucked at him like water, the Spirit King called, "Good luck, Ulquiorra! Head to Sunagakure as soon as possible. Preferably in three days!"
As Ulquiorra faded into unconsciousness, he briefly marvelled at the Spirit Kings apparent insanity.
Ulquiorra is back! Right, as the challenge says, and the stuff at the top, this is an UlquiorraXHinata fic. I should say, this is not going to be a pleasant ride. As Ulquiorra says, lots'a people are gonna die. Akatsuki, shinobi pretty much every faction, is going to get it. But don't worry, there'll be good parts too (E.G. The romance :3). R+R and have a nice day.