Chapter 24

"Damn this is a pain!"

Grimmjow was storming the halls in a funk, trying to avoid any strong spiritual powers. Grimmjow was in a bad mood. A really, really bad mood. He thought to himself "It looks like Ranko took up on Barragan's challenge and came loaded for bear. All of these guys she's brought seem to be fairly powerful."

Grimmjow slammed his fist into the wall, thinking predatorily "What I wouldn't give for a good fight right now! But if I pit myself against these guys, I'll just be helping Barragan's grudge against Ranko, not my own! If Ranko wants to chase some human tail on earth, it's not any of my business. It's her woman." He then wiped his nose a little, as a tiny bit of blood was coming out. "Shit, another lesbian nosebleed. Anyway there's no way I'm helping Barragan. I don't even understand this stupidity. If she's an ally of Los Noches, then she'll help us fight against the soul reapers one way or another. But WE made her the enemy for some stupid decision by Barragan. And now he's dragged most of the Espada into this stupid decision as well!"

Suddenly he heard an incredibly annoying voice "Akane! Shampoo! Ukyo! Where are you, my pretty ladies!"

Suddenly running down the hall behind him was this short little old man. "Hey you there! Big guy!"

Grimmjow was a first weirded out by the old man's appearance, but then shrugged him off saying. "Don't bother me geezer. You don't want to mess with me."

"But you have to tell me where Ranma and the girls are. Ranma was here before right? That's what I heard at least. You know, short, big breasts, red hair, beautiful gorgeous body."

Grimmjow thought to himself "So Ranma's her real name, or just a fake name. Well whatever, that doesn't change anything." He finally said "I don't give a shit old man. It's Ranko's problem and not mine. I really can't give a crap about what Barragan does to some human girls."

Happosai jumped and landed on his shoulder "Aw come on, don't be so unhelpful. All I want to do is find their girls and out of gratitude run my skin on their bosoms! Now come on be a pal."

Grimmjow lost his patience and his tolerance(even he thought harming innocent kids or molesting innocent women was sick and depraved. He had standards) grabbed Happosai by his shirt and lifted him up in the air in front of his face. "Either stay out of my way, or get annihilated you little insect! I'm quickly losing what little patience I care to spend on you losers."

Happosai didn't look to pleased "So THAT'S how you want to do it huh?"

Happosai then started twirling his pipe, then at the perfect angle, smashed the end of the pipe right into Grimmjow's chin. This technique usually would create enough inertia to send a strong martial artist flying 40 feet into the sky, but to Grimmjow it launched his jaw backwards, feeling like a quick, very painful, and very annoying punch to the jaw.

Grimmjow turned his head back forward and said in rage "That's it! I'm going to tear you a new one you little-!"

Grimmjow's eyes widened. In Happosai's free hand was a massive Happo-fire burst, so big that it filled Grimmjow's entire field of vision, and was almost too big to fit in the reletatively small corridor. And it was already lit.

Happosai said nastily "Here a present for you! Catch!" He then pushed the ball slightly higher in the air, and then substituted out of his extra pair of clothes to get out of his steel grip, landing on the floor under Grimmjow's legs.

And just a second later, it exploded in Grimmjow's face.

(BOOOM!)

The giant bomb made a gigantic mess of the corridor, with stone pieces falling all around him. Grimmjow was only a little worse for wear. He had raised his arms to defend his face when it blew up, and while the explosion was huge, it wasn't nearly strong enough to harm through his hierro. Still, there was dust and tiny burns all over his arms and face. Nothing that wouldn't heal quickly, but he was still enormously pissed.

"That dirty rotten bastard! (cough)" Grimmjow said in rage.

Then, before Grimmjow could even react, Happosai climbed up the back of his pants and shirt, then put the coal of his smoking pipe directly on his back."

Grimmjow reacted in confusion "Ow, what the-?"

Happosai then stood in front of Grimmjow and said arrogantly. "Haa! Alright tough guy, how's it feel to be weak for the rest of your life? Hahahaha!" He laughed nastily.

Grimmjow finally uncovered the amount of smoke over his eyes, took a quick look at his back. A symbol appeared on his back, but then it quickly disappeared. He then looked at Happosai with utter loathing. He then grabbed Happosai by the head and smashed him into the wall, pankaking him into the wall.

Grimmjow yelled with indignation "That...was some kind of seal, wasn't it? You...you tried to weaken me!" His rage was not fueled by lust for battle, but from utter loathing and hate. He really wanted to kill this old turd, right here, right now!

Happosai swallowed "(gulp) you mean, you're not?"

"Find out for yourself, you annoying old freak!" Grimmjow then smashed his left fist into Happosai, smashing him deeper into the wall. He then summoned a horrible amount of red energy in his other hand, and thrust his hand forward.

"DIEEEEEEEE!"

A gigantic dispersal of red cero energy shot everywhere from the wall.

As Grimmjow released his hand, knowing he didn't even need to look. But he did it anyway, just to make sure...and to see his work.

"Yep he's dead." There was barely anything left of him at all. "Good riddance." Grimmjow muttered.

Reflecting on what he just did, he felt rather odd. He felt unusually happy after killing him, but at the same time, he felt even more frustrated. After all, he failed to NOT get involved completely, but after burning that old man, his instincts told him to not bother keeping distance. "But why? And for who?" he asked himself.

Suddenly he felt two familiar spiritual energies colliding. It felt like...

Grimmjow thought for a second then smiled "Even though I have nothing to do with this mess, the hell am I going to wait around and not have any fun!"

As he left, an old man's evil cackle filled the air, as Happosai's body burned, the laughter continued to increase until the body completely disappeared.

…,

"Where are you Ukyo-sama?" He thought to herself.

Konatsu had been looking for nearly an hour. He felt that He had sensed Ukyo's power from a distance, but now he could barely find it.

Suddenly, Konatsu entered a large black room, and sure enough Ukyo came out of the door on the other side. She had been wandering for a while, exhausted from her fight.

Ukyo turned her head up and said surprised "Konatsu! What are you doing here?"

Konatsu said excitedly "We came to save you! And the others as well!"

Ukyo said half-heartedly rude, half very grateful "It's about time. Don't you guys no its rude to keep a girl waiting." However she really was ecstatic to see that they came.

"My apologies for letting you get captured. I deserve Seppuku at least for allowing you to-"

Ukyo giggled. She didn't want him to even consider that, but the gesture was pretty sweet of him "Don't sweat if, Konatsu. It really is great to see you came for me." she said with some signs of affection.

Konatsu's eyes sparkled "UKyo-sama!"

"Alright, let's get out of this hell hole before things really get crazy."

Just as Ukyo was walking over to Konatsu, a man appeared out of nowhere behind Ukyo and did a curt neck chop to her neck before she could react. Ukyo fell to the ground unconscious.

"Ukyo!" Konatsu yelled in shock and horror.

The tall black man said to the unconscious woman "For the pride of Aizen's army, I simply cannot allow our prisoners to escape."

Konatsu yelled "Don't you dare harm Ukyo-sama!" Drawing his sword toward the man.

Zommari turned toward Konatsu and noted his presence said "Are you sure that is wise, little ninja? You have no chance to defeat me, so don't waste your life so needlessly."

Konatsu will was resolute "I refuse. I'll never abandon my master Ukyo-sama."

Zommari looked down at the girl, and after a few seconds responded, "I see. So she is your master. I am sorry for insulting your honor, kunochi. I will not disrespect your purpose to your master any further."

Konatsu looked hopeful "So you will let Ukyo go?"

"That... is also impossible."

Konatsu's eyes widened. "That voice came from behind!" He quickly turned around.

It was another of him right behind Konatsu.

The tall dark man said "My name is Zommari Leroux, 7th Espada."

With lightning fast speed the Espada drew his sword and swung down fast at Konatsu. The nimble ninja barely got out of the way doing a back flip.

Konatsu kept on backflipping trying to get a good distance away from him. "Gotta keep up my speed. Not only is this guy surprisingly fast, but it almost felt like two of them!"

Suddenly, Konatsu backflipped right into a third Zommari. He instinctively jumped back in surprise, now drawing his sword.

"Wha-"

The Zommari now in front of him monologued, along with all the others even though it still sounded like one voice "I guess what is going on in your head now is how did I get behind you once without you noticing, while the me you were facing is still where he is now. And then after backing away from the me that just appeared, another one appeared right behind you again. I understand your confusion shinobi, so let me explain. It is sort of a magic trick of sorts?"

Suddenly the two other Zommari's appeared right behind Konatsu and to his left, and then a fourth one appeared right to his left as well.

Konatsu thought alarmed "Damn. I'm surrounded!"

Konatsu then said out loud "Is this afterimage? Or splitting cat ears? No...Its different then that isn't it?"

Zommari smiled "Ranko chose her warriors well. Yes this is different in a way to those techniques. This technique is called, 'Gemeles Sonido'. Among the Espada I can use the quickest sonido. By using Sonido again in the middle of using it, I am capable of creating a speed doppelganger using that spent energy that has solid form. One could say that the method of Gemeles Sonido is exactly the same as the Japanese technique Afterimage and the Chinese technique Splitting Cat Ears. Only the execution of creating a solid clone is different."

Konatsu nodded "I see. I see. Guess there's no point in holding back against a technique like that."

He said curiously "Holding back you say?"

Konatsu smiled "Yes." Suddenly three large puffs of smoke and leaves appeared behind Konatsu. And when the smoke cleared there were 4 Konatsu's standing there.

Zommari's eyes widened "That is-"

Taking advantage of his surprise, all four of them jumped in the air and behind one of the Zommari's each, pointing their swords at each Zommari, who turned around to face their opponent.

Konatsu answered "Yes. Ninja art Body Duplication Technique."

Zommari nodded "Very well" He and his clones each extended their swords toward their respective opponent. "Shall we begin?"

With the start of several flash steps and sonido's, the accelerated clash started.

In a flash, the room became a mad house of speed. Each Zommari fighting each Konatsu. Konatsu blows were rapid and aimed at his vital points, while Zommari fought with very well timed blows and parries.

Zommari mocked "Foolish. You think this is enough to defeat me! Your strikes are far too weak!"

However, one by one, Zommari's strong blows with his sword started overpowering Konatsu's furious attacks. The Zommari clones managed to surround the 4 Konatsu's and drive them together in the center of the room.

"Your speed is most impressive and your ability to attack from the air is greater than my own, I have to admit. But physically your attacks still lack significant power. This is the boundary between hollows and humans."

All the Konatsu's eyes widened in fear.

"This was fun shinobi, and a great test of my skills, but I'm afraid this game is at its end. Farewell." Then they drew back his swords and thrust them forward.

Konatsu then smiled.

One of the Konatsu's brought his sword out with blinding speed, parrying the blow. All the other Konatsu got pierced and dissipated. Unexpectedly.

Instead of dissipating in a cloud of smoke, the duplicates exploded with a pressurized cloud of dark mist.

All of the Zommari's started tearing up and holding up their eyes.

"What is this?" one of them yelled.

"Pepper Spray!"

"You filled your duplicates with pepper spray?"

Konatsu jumped through the cloud of peppered smoke with absolute speed and deftness, swinging his sword as he jumped around the area. repeatedly attacking them from different directions, as the Zommari's coughed and tried to gain their position.

After he believed he had struck most of their vital points, Konatsu stood outside the cloud and thought to himself "I hope that is enough to take the fight out of them."

However when the cloud of pepper spray faded, the 4 Zommari stood there. And while the slashes looked deep, they were only able to draw a little amount of blood.

Zommari chastised "Like I said before shinobi, your weak attacks are not effective enough against me."

Suddenly three Zommari's appeared right behind the real Konatsu.

"Shit!" he thought.

The three brought their swords down. Konatsu made a lightning fast gesture with her left hand.

"Gaaaaah!"

All three swords struck Konatsu with an powerful downward strike, sending Konatsu with incredible force into a nearby column, collapsing it on top of him. Cloud and dust spread everywhere, material collapsed around him, and it looked like was buried.

Zommari said respectfully, "It looks like your duties, as well as your life, have ended, honorable shinobi."

(SPLAAASH)

Suddenly a pressurized blast of water came from the rubble and blasted one of the Zommari's into the wall. Three other blasts then shot out knocking each of them into the wall as well.

"What the-?" They said at once.

Suddenly Konatsu's voice came from the clouded debris area,

"Y'know, my evil stepsisters never really taught me anything. Sword skills, speed training, ninja stars, yama wielding, smoke bombs; it was all either self taught or what I could remember from my parents. My foster family were a lesser clan, not of the Iga or the Koga, who knew some very old, very ancient ninja techniques. This technique was the ninja animal transformation technique."

Konatsu's form started to take shape. The Zommari's tried to discern what it was, until his eyes widened "What is this?"

Konatsu continued to talk as he stepped out of the debris "Most of them could only use it to the very weakest extent, transforming only into woodland creatures, due to lack of skill and most likely…. inbreeding. However, if it is used by a true awakened ninja, it can be used as a far more deadly technique."

Dark green scales surrounded parts of his arms, chest, legs and cheeks. The rest of his body was covered with a light green skin. A green lily-like cap had appeared on his head. His mouth was filled with small, sharp teeth.

Konatsu stepped forward, no longer a human. He was now a Kappa. "It is the YOUKAI NINJA TRANSFORMATION TECHNIQUE!"

Zommari said in shock "You can turn yourself...into demons?"

…,

Konatsu ran forward and jumped into the air. Mid-axis, he took an enormous breath, and blasted a torrential amount of water, blasting three of the Zommari's backwards. Konatsu came down on the 4th and closest Zommari, grabbing his blade with a scaled hand as he tried to defend himself. The blade cut into his scaled hand but Konatsu sliced down with his sword, delivering a killing blow to one of the clones.

Zommari said with an impressed voice "I see. It seems dealing with you will be tougher then I thought. However-"

The front one rushed forward with his sword, but Konatsu blocked. However, a second after, both of the other speed clones sonido'd forward and sliced deep into his scaled arms as they moved past him.

"Aaaaaah!" he yelled as he spared one arm to clutch one of his wounds. Zommari then thrust forward with his palm, smashing him in the face and knocking him down, his kappa transformation suddenly faded.

Zommari continued "-Did you really think a little water monster was enough to defeat an Espada."

Konatsu, surprisingly from the ground said with a smile "Nope."

"What?"

Konatsu got to his feet and started tearing what was left of his ninja shirt and wrapping it around his arm wounds.

Zommari's eyes widened "You...you are a man!"

Konatsu grinned then said "Yep. And just so were clear, the kappa was just sidedish of my attack. This...is the main course!" he yelled as he thought to himself, "Amazing. I'm using food puns like Ukyo-sama!"

He then pulled two cylindrical objects from her leg pockets and threw both of them high into the air. The first one that came down looked like some kind of sushi role, which he grabbed with his mouth and swallowed in seconds. The second one was a scroll, which fell between his fingers which were doing an ancient hand sign.

Zommari was stupefied "What? What was that?"

Konatsu smiled and said "The first one was Toushintan. It's an old medicine that brings my spiritual energy and ki to an extremely high burnout point." Suddenly an enormous amount of battle aura and spiritual energy started flowing out of his body, "If I can't expend this energy all at once, it will turn me into a tool of death, without any reason. However, with the help of this scroll...I can show you something truly terrifying."

Konatsu then yelled "Transform! ONI!"

Suddenly an enormous red cloud appeared around Konatsu, after a few seconds a dark and powerful spiritual energy started flowing from the center of the room.

Zommari shouted "What...is this sorcery?"

Suddenly from out of the cloud, Konatsu appeared standing tall.

Konatsu was surprisingly muscular for his size and his skin was completely red. He had large horns on his head, and bright, evil looking red eyes. A devilish, battle loving grin appeared on his face. His ninja sword had now disappeared and replaced by a gigantic Kanabo (Super massive mace).

Konatsu grinned "This is the legendary demon who's physical strength was said to strong beyond strong. The ONI!"

Before they all could move, Konatsu lunged forward and smashed down with his kanabo, his speed which hadn't dropped a bit despite his enormous weapon. The Zommari tried to block, but it smashed through his sword and crushed his body down, dissipating the speed clone immediately.

The second to last Zommari sped behind him and tried to slash him from behind, but Konatsu's instincts kicked in and he turned around grabbed the Zommari by the face and smashed him into the ground with such force that it defeated the clone.

Konatsu glared at the last, real, Zommari and yelled "You'll pay for hurting Ukyo with your blood!" he yelled with bloodlust as he charged at the last Zommari.

Suddenly the last Zommari, apparently the real Zommari suddenly stared at Konatsu,

...when suddenly both his eyes glowed.

Konatsu instincts went into overdrive when he covered his face with his hand, and suddenly he felt something weird. His club hand started moving on its own. "What?"

His hand suddenly lifted his giant mace and slammed it into the ground, refusing to let go.

"What the-?"

"My apologies, I usually prefer to use this technique to its fullest extent. But this will be more than enough to defeat you. Now hold still." He said as he sheathed his sword and put his hands forward.

"You have no choice of course." A darkish cero suddenly fired from his hands and sent Konatsu flying backwards into a wall.

"AAAAAAAaaaaah!" Konatsu screamed from the impact. The oni's muscle and resistance enhanced body was able to protect him from getting destroyed by that attack, but his transformed body was at his limit from that attack.

"If I can...just..."

Suddenly his stamina broke down at his transformation technique dissipated. His skin and body turned back to normal, and his giant mace turned back into Yoruichi's family sword. "No," Konatsu said quitly not knowing how to finish this battle.

Zommari said pleased "It seems your stamina has failed you, along with your chances of winning. Do not feel too disheartened. In lore, even ninja prodigies didn't have the relentless will that true warrior samurai have."

"I'm...still going to defeat you, and take Ukyo with me."

Zommari smiled even "You had better start worrying about defeating yourself instead of me."

"What in the world are you talking abou-Gaaah!" he said in scock.

Suddenly his katana hand started moving his weapon toward his own chest. His other hand tried to restrain its twin, but it was a losing battle.

"What is this?" he cried.

Zommari explained "Through my eyes, I can project a sort of eye shaped seal that attaches to my opponent. Wherever it hits, I have complete dominion over that body part and what it does. I have come to call this power 'Amor', which is "love" in traditional spanish."

Thinking as quickly as possible, Konatsu smashed his fist into his possessed wrist, forcing it to drop the sword for a second. Then with all his wits, he loosened his belt string, grabbed his possessed arm, plunged it under the loose string, and tied it back up as quickly as possible with a sharp tug.

He then grabbed his sword from the ground as fast as he could, expecting to be attacked by Zommari, but instead he just stood there and clapped.

"Ahh, I've see you've managed to restrain your own body part without fully injuring yourself. Impressive."

Konatsu complained to himself in his mind "Yes but I have so many injuries and my strength is fairly low. Is there no way I can win this? Why hasn't he attacked yet?"

Zommari smiled "I'm sure you are wondering why you are still standing while I could have stabbed you in the chest while preoccupied with your own hand. Well let me explain."

"While the speed clones are a simple trick for me, they cannot be repeated within the same battle beyond a certain point, at least without additional training."

"My eyes however, are different. They require my absolute concentration, in this form, to maintain, so I could not have attacked you while trying to control my arm."

Konatsu looked confused. "Then why not stop control of my arm before I run you through with my other sword hand."

Zommari smiled "Because it's completely unnecessary."

"Wha- Aaaaah!" Konatsu screamed as someone cut into his good arm, almost losing had it not been for his ninja reflexes.

Konatsu turned around to look at his attacker but his eyes widened.

"UKYO-SAMA!

Ukyo was standing holding her spatula towards him, but her eyes were lifeless. Ukyo continued to run at him and attack him.

"Ukyo-sama, what are you doing?"

Ukyo didn't answer, and continued to attack him.

Konatsu was scared of this situation and pleaded, "Ukyo-sama, please snap out of it!"

"It's no use, kunoichi. Once the seal from my eye hits another person on the head, it controls their entire body now matter what."

Konatsu's eyes widened as he saw the eye symbol on her forehead.

Konatsu blocked Ukyo's spatula with her katana, but he could push back Ukyo's trancelike state. Ukyo pushed Konatsu's sword back and smashed her spatula into his chest, blasting him backwards.

"How can he do this? Isn't there any to free Ukyo from his control? There's gotta be one...that's it!"

He then said outloud "I have to risk one more transformation."

"Transform! INCUBUS!"

Suddenly in a puff of smoke, Konatsu had now grown a devil's tale on his butt, increased pheromones and bat-like wings on his back and head.

Zommari proclaimed "Another transformation? What in the world is that?"

Konatsu smiled and said "An incubus. A love demon. What else?"

Konatsu then seamed to about to blow a kiss toward Ukyo and yelled, "Eternal Gratitude Technique!" Suddenly in a cloud of smoke, a bunch of glowing kiss marks appeared across Ukyo's face."

Ukyo in mid swing, stopped her attack and just stood there.

Zommari was surprised by her sudden stop "What...what is this? Why won't my Amor reach you anymore! Move!"

However, Ukyo refused to move. The two powers on her, the eye seal and the kiss marks, seemed to cancel each other out.

Zommari yelled in frustration, "MOVE!"

Konatsu grinned "Sorry about that. In Spain you call that Amor...In Japan we call it 'charm'." He then unstrapped his free arm from his belt and showed the eye tattoo on his hand, which suddenly vanished.

Zommari was beside himself with rage. Zommari screamed "Don't make fun of me!" Ukyo then fell to the floor in the daze, again unconscious.

The remaining Zommari rushed forward with his sword, slashing at Konatsu, using Sonido to get in close with severe speed. He quickly tried to defend against Zommari's onslaught, but it was too little avail. Konatsu had very little energy left.

Out of desperation, Konatsu extended the bat like wings from his back, flew into the air, and came down at Zommari with one final strike.

"Haaaaaaaaa!"

Zommari guarded against her sword and additionally Konatsu tried to wrap her wings around Zommari's sword arm, but Zommari fired a Bala from his other hand and blasted the wings apart, knocking Konatsu back.

Quite shortly after, the incubus transformation started to fade.

"You have mocked me for long enough! This battle has lasted far enough." He raised his hand forward and said "Now you die!" Slowly a dark purple cero started charging from his hands.

Konatsu was tired, breathing heavily. No matter the intensity or focus, he knew didn't have nearly the reserves as his friends who had fought for far longer than him. His second transformation sapped a large chunk of his energy, and the third one pretty much took what was left.

"It looks like you are out of techniques, kunoichi." Zommari mocked as he charged his cero to its max.

Konastu closed his eyes and thought to himself "Not yet. I won't allow it to end like this! I need more power! I need to save her!" Suddenly a large amount of reitsu started coming from his body.

Konatsu suddenly smiled a little and answered Zommari's assumption, "No. There is one technique."

"Hmm?"

Konatsu explained "One technique that was passed down by my parents through generations of ninja. However, it can never be used by an unawakened one, only a legendary spiritual ninja born once every one hundred years. Even though I finally am one, and I taught myself the principles of it, the final part of the method of using it has been lost to the ages."

Suddenly an unusual amount of energy started forming out of Konatsu's body "However, a genius ninja far more skilled then myself, discovered the mastery of the technique during her training, and passed on the method to me."

The color of his reitsu started to materialize into physical form.

"She said, every shinobi's spiritual energy has a specific element of nature. She told me hers was lightning. She said her old apprentice's element was wind. But mine is...FIRE!"

Suddenly fire a yellow blaze of fire started pouring out of his back and then his entire body and enveloped his outstretched sword.

"What..what is this?"

Konatsu smiled and said proudly "SHUNKO! I can only maintain this for a few seconds. I barely have any energy left...but if this kills me, and I can protect Ukyo from you, THEN SO BE IT!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Konatsu charged at Zommari just as he fired his full power cero.

Konatsu swung his burning sword and hit the cero straight on.

(CLAAAASSH)

Zommari's dark energy collided with Konatsu's burning aura surrounding his body and sword. Their energies clashed as Zommari's cero continued to rain down on Konatsu.

Konatsu refused to give in. He shouted with his whole heart "I'D LET MY BODY BURN MY BODY TO ASHES BEFORE I LET YOU HARM UKYO, ZOMMARIIIII!" Konatsu screamed as he suddenly broke through the cero with one incredible push.

"Impossible!" Zommari drew his sword up quickly, but there was no stopping him now.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Konatsu fired off every bit of reitsu and energy he had left into his sword, creating an enormous fire blast throughout his ninja sword, slicing through Zommari's sword and plunging it into his chest."

Zommari's eyes widened as he looked at the sword through his body. Shunko disappeared from Konatsu's body, just as life seemed to disappear from Zommari's body. He then fell to the ground, seemingly dead.

Konatsu was completely out of breath after that"(gasp)(gasp)(gasp)(gasp), Ukyo. (GASP) Ukyo!" Konatsu yelled as he urgently went to Ukyo's side.

Konatsu picked her body up gently, "Ukyo-sama, please wake up. Please." Konatsu was on the verge of tears.

Ukyo finally started to stir "What happened? Did I get ambushed?" Suddenly she became fully awake "Whoa, did you beat that guy all by yourself?" Pointing to the fallen Zommari.

Konatsu said with determination in his eyes "Yes. I did it to protect you my sweet Ukyo-sama. I would never let him hurt you!"

Ukyo looked around in amazement, seeing the extent of spiritual energy and destruction that took place in the enormous room while she was unconscious.

Suddenly she started to giggle.

"Heh. Hehehehehe."

Konatsu was confused "What? What is it, Ukyo-sama?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that" she looked at Konatsu with honest affection "Sometimes, I can never tell if you're the fair maiden, or the heroic prince. Either way, just call me Ukyo from now on, m'kay?" She said with a brilliant smile.

Konatsu blushed deeply at this complement.

Konatsu lifted Ukyo's body up, now that the mark had faded. "Oh, Ukyo-sama. Ukyo-sama! I mean...I'm so glad you're safe Ukyo."

Ukyo smiled "Thanks Konatsu. Really."

Konatsu smiled in turn "No thanks are necessary. Now, we should join up with the others."

Ukyo nodded "Sounds good. I'll lead. I've gotten pretty good at this sensing spiritual energy thing."

"Lead the way Ukyo-sama, uh I mean, Ukyo."

After they left, the corpse of Zommari faded as another speed clone, as the real Zommari revealed himself from the other side of the room.

Zommari said to himself as if he was talking to the ninja, "You broke my sword and my will ninja. In the end, I did not have the heart to force you to fail your master, while myself only following a possibly misguided order from Barragan. You defeated my will, but I created my fifth speed clone just in time, for I also refuse to die before fighting alongside my true master, Lord Aizen. Farewell, kunoichi, and good fortune to you."