Disclaimer: The ideas and concepts used in BLEACH belong to Tite Kubo, as well as any regular characters. Most of the characters in this story belong to me. Thank you.
Shin stayed silent and vigilant the whole way through the chasm to the open field that stretched out to the bordering mountains. Hoji occasionally sneezed or 'Tch'ed as they went along, but the silence was far too odd for Suichi to stay passive about. It wasn't like Shin to ignore a battle, or Hoji not to talk about one. That's why Suichi stayed far behind them as they walked. The uncomfortable aura that they both exuded was too great for him to get caught up in.
The town should be here somewhere Suichi thought. Then again, if it isn't, then this must a trap like I thought! Those stupid bastard, they walked right into Lulao's-
"Oi, Suichi! Quiet down" Hoji shouted. "We're here."
HE CAN READ MY MIND!? Suichi shouted internally.
"He can't read minds" Shin said, "we just know what your thinking face looks like."
"That's great" Suichi said "but you didn't really testify that." Shin turned to a rolling area of the field, one that ascended up and dipped back down. He flash-stepped over first. Hoji and Suichi followed immediately. Down in the rolling valley was the town of Gevlav, a city built out of misfortune. For countless years, this area had suffered the attacks of nature. Earthquakes, floods, even a meteor strike. However, despite all the death and destruction, the people of these rolling plains decided that their perseverance would triumph over even the terror of nature.
They built their mighty town, Gevlav, in the greatest crater they could find. Houses built in the sides of the crater all around the great tower that still continued to stretch above the limits of their city into the sky. Somewhere down there the Kyuuhiouto leaders waited for the oncoming walking-slaughter house that was Shin Kenpachi.
"Let's go!" Shin commanded. All three simultaneously darted forward and wound up back-to-back, shoulder-to-shoulder in the center circular pathway at the base of the tower in town. "Now let's think" Shin said. "Where would they be if they knew we were coming?"
"The tower?" Hoji asked half-sarcastically.
"To obvious" Suichi said. "If they know we're here the heads will move out."
"Incidentally" Shin added, "if they know we're coming, shouldn't they have a defense set up?" Twenty men clad in ninja garb darted into scene suddenly, surrounding the three. Shin's face was locked with an emotionless embarrassment.
"Good going, Shin" Hoji said.
"Split up?" Suichi whispered. The other two nodded and reached for their blades.
"Halt!" one of the ninja shouted as they all drew their swords. "By order of the leader of this town, General Ken Yaburashiji, you are to surrender yourselves to the glorious Kyuuhiouto!"
"Screw you!" Hoji shouted out.
"That's it" the same ninja lowed. "Company, prepare to attack!" All the warriors spread their legs into attack position.
"Shin," Suichi started, "you and I go in opposite directions and scour the town."
"Right" Hoji said, "and I'll take the tower."
"You do that" Suichi said amusedly.
"We'll save the body once we find it so you can kick it before we kill him" Shin added.
"Tch!" Hoji hushed furiously, "screw you guys too! Screw everybody..."
"I got it" Shin said. "First one to find him, head back to the center of town and pin his weak-ass body against the tower gate."
"Oh yeah" Hoji growled.
"Best of luck, monster men" Suichi said, preparing to release his sword. All this strategic talk went on between the time it took for the ninjas to prepare themselves and then actually flash ahead.
"Attack!" shouted the ninja. All three were gone, and the ninja's swords clashed together in the air against nothing.
"I'll have to find him fast" Shin said to himself, sprinting through the empty streets and peering into empty homes. "This guy won't be easy, that's a given. If he's the leader of all these maniacs I'll have to expect an all-out brawl...and a strong shikai." Shin started throwing open doors, gazing into the multitude of single-room homes as he blazed about. Most were empty, but some had ninjas who were bored until Shin found them. Now he was running from people as well as to find people.
"You guys want me dead, right?" Shin shouted back. The ninjas didn't respond. "Fair enough." Shin spun around and floated across a flat section of the stepped town's street. With his sword out, he kicked the ground behind him and dashed at the ninjas. One swipe sent them all flying back with all the energy of Shin's sword colliding with their stomachs. "I don't need any of you dead, though. Just out..." Shin skidded to a stop in the street and sheathed his sword again. The bodies of the knocked-out ninjas went tumbling past him.
"Weak..." Shin lowed. He dashed forward again and continued to check the houses at light speed. As he neared the top of the steep slope of homes, the street widened out with the contour of the crater. He stopped in the middle of a wide intersection and looked around. He could already sense that no one was in the area, but a fog of doubt came over him.
Someone's here he said to himself. It's no pushover, either. It actually feels...darker than normal. Who is it? "Who's there!?" Shin demanded sternly. From behind him a foot stomped to the ground. Shin turned and glared down his new prey...
Meanwhile, Suichi continued his much more stealthy hunt around the other half of town. All the houses of ninjas he found he ignored and because of his superiority at evasion, they couldn't acknowledge him in time either.
Crap Suichi chided himself, if either of them find him first, they'll never let me hear the end of it. At worst, Shin will try and train me, but Hoji will hold it over my head until I forget what the sun looks like. Suichi then came upon a house with one man in normal garb sleeping in a bed. His sword was up against the wall and no ninjas were around that he could sense. Trap Suichi thought. He did the smart thing. First he secluded himself and released his sword as quietly as possible. Then, he found the nearest ninja and used his assassination acupuncture to knock him out and carried his body to the house. The shinigami was still asleep, thankfully. Here it goes... Suichi tossed the body through and open window at the shinigami's sleeping body.
"ZA-HA!" shouted the gruff voice of a warrior. The very same shinigami that laid in the bed now dropped down from the ceiling with his released sword. It had a serrated crescent blade that curved inward from the tip attached to a plain metal handle. He dropped with the serrated cutter pointing down at the ninjas neck, but drew it up at the very last second. "Gah! You stupid moron!" he roared, snatching the unconscious ninja from the air and shaking him angrily.
"I told you little cocks, Do Not Disturb me! I get very jumpy when I'm in hiding." The ninja just groaned weakly and the shinigami threw him to the floor. "Damnation. I could've sworn I felt some huge pressure building up at the tower. I wonder if those guys are here yet?" Suichi, now in the hollowed ceiling where the shinigami once hid, dropped down like a cool breeze with his chain spike extending from his middle finger. The shinigami had no idea what hit him when Suichi descended upon him...
That was far too easy Suichi said, cleaning his weapon on his pant-leg as he exited the house. It couldn't have been him. I should keep looking... So he flashed away, searching the other nearby houses, unaware that he himself was being watched from far away.
"Tch-eehh!" Hoji roared. "What's with you guys!?" He darted around, deflecting and parrying, bounding from wall to wall as the ninjas below and above threw various spiked weapons at him without pause. "If you're going to pick a fight with me at least make it fair! You throw-y bastards!"
"Keep it up!" the lead ninja commanded. "If he can't advance up the tower, we have no concerns."
"Tch" Hoji grunted. Suddenly, he stopped in mid-air, slowly spinning around. The ninjas all threw a flurry of stars that collided against each other where their target once floated.
"Huh!?" one exclaimed.
"Where'd he go?" another asked. A slice of metal through flesh was heard out of everyone's vision. Hoji had impaled the lead ninja through the gut and forced his sword to drop.
"So" Hoji lowed to the dying man, "how bad is it if I get to the top of the tower, exactly?"
"V-" the ninja stuttered, "very...our leader is up there, a man named-" Hoji kicked him in the face, cutting off his flow of potential information, and withdrew his sword. Then, eyes glowing under his shaded brow and a gleaming smile equipped, he turned to the ninjas. Their morale was obliterated, and many considered retreat.
"W-Weapons up!" one of the shouted. They all drew out swords nearly identical to each other and shakily aimed them at Hoji. "Charge!" All the ninjas began to converge. A perfect shot for Hoji. He took his sword in his right hand and held it behind him, then put forward his open left palm. A chaotic ball of red energy started forming and jiggling in his hand. He clutched his fingers, further agitating the energy and making it bounce wildly in his grasp.
"By keeping the energy static" Hoji said to himself, "I can shoot in a straight line and destroy anything. However, since there's more than one target, a single shot won't work as well. I'll have to use a spread shot!" The ninjas were all before him, still charging, with blades ready to cut off his hand before he could act. He drew his arm back and glared them all down with a super-heavy gaze.
"Arashi no..." he started. The ball shined brightly and stopped everyone in their tracks. "SHIKYO!!!" Hoji punched forth his arm, sending a battery of multiple red lightning strikes forth! They pierced through the ninjas and blasted into the stone walls of the tower behind them, effectively rending the entire attack force apart. "TCH!" Hoji victoriously spat. "Suck on that, hos! Now then, which way is up?" Hoji glanced around for a stair well, even as the bodies continued to land around him, and found one with many puncture holes around the entrance on the far side of the room.
"Oh, cool!" Hoji noted. "It's still there!" At his word, the walls ominously crumbled and soon thereafter collapsed, leaving Hoji without a set of stairs to scale to ascend the tower. This made his eye twitch and his face elongate with deadpan disappointment. "Okay" Hoji enthusiastically started, "new plan. I'll just cut my way up!" So he took his sword, still in reverse grip, and jumped up. With one mighty slice he blew apart the floor of the next story and flashed his way upstairs. The rubble fell for a few moments, creating a dusty air which otherwise alerted the guards of the floor. Hoji stood opposite them, across from the clearing dust, with his sword forward and tongue out.
"Intruder!" the guards shouted. Hoji prepared to fight with a mad glare in his eyes and a vicious smile on his mouth.
Arashi no Shikyo: Storm of Death