Renraku-gakari.
Disclaimer: Skymaster23 has no connection to the Wham-O toy company.
"Cool, just like an rpg item." Ichigo tells him.
"RPG?"
"A kind of game in my world."
"Ah. Anyway, let's see what you can do." Pendleton says, and as the match begins, he slams his palm into the blade, shattering it as Ichigo and his friends look on in shock. "Mukaigaze: Hayate gareki!*" He shouts, and the fragments start to lift and spin around like a tornado.
Taking a few seconds to wonder if this move will be more similar to Byakuya's shikai or to the move Renji tried using on Aizen earlier, Ichigo grins and rushes head on, only for one of the fragments to morph into a platform that he steps onto, then floats out of reach and points at him. "Hadou no sanjusan: soukatsui."
"It's gonna be like that, is it?" Ichigo says after avoiding it.
"Any method is permitted by a king for his forces." Buford tells him as he points to four fragments, the first three being dodged until Ichigo blocks the fourth, grabs the flatside and flings it back at him.
"I was right, you were faking it with those gestures." Ichigo remarks as Buford leaps to another "platform". "Unlike Byakuya's, these blades have more autonomy... which means instant Frisbee."
Buford grins after a moment. "You guessed it, kiddo. Shall we continue?" He asks.
Ichigo grins as well. "I didn't use this earlier since i figured the explosion would hit me too." He says cryptically, before raising his Zanpakutō over his head. "Getsuga Tenshō!"
"But that's-" Buford thinks as he barely has all his fragments combine into a shield in time.
Before the smoke clears, Yamamoto speaks. "You children have had your fun, but there's still twelve bantai's for Kurosaki to acquaint himself with."
Once the match is over, Yoruichi asks if they can get going with Ichigo's tour. "I guess so. But i want to ask you something, first." He tells her while motioning to a corner of the sparring grounds.
"You learned about them, i take it?" She asks rhetorically.
Ichigo's displeased expression is all the answer she needs. A few minutes later, they start heading to the next location. "What's the niban-tai like?" He asks her.
"Compared to this portion being the goteijusantai's administration; the niban-tai is the black ops department. Equal parts Hattori Hanzo, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes." She tell him. "Just make sure you don't piss her off again, Ichigo." She warned. As the pair shunpo away, she thought back to after the reishukaku failed.
Flashback.
Still in cat form, Yoruichi hid from each patrol, and eventually reached one of the estates in the noble's district, that of the Ōmaeda clan. "Hey, Nakano, does anyone here own a cat?" One of the two sentries asked as she walked towards them.
"Cat? Not sure. What color is-"/"I'll be the judge of that." The other one began to ask just as the gate opened to reveal a very well-fed looking man with a folding fan and sunglasses. The man took one look at the "stray" and turned to the sentries. "Let her in."
The two glanced to each other and bow to him before shutting the door for him. The man leads the cat inside, passing several curious servants until they reach the main room and locks it. Then he turned and kneeled. "You return to us at last, Taichō."
Yoruichi reverted to human form. "It is good to see you again; but please don't call me that, Marenoshin. I no longer have the right for such respect."
Showing no reaction, he continued. "Very well, then. Was Urahara Kisuke able to undo Aizen's transgression from that time?"
"He was able to prevent the soul suicide, but they never lost the hollow infection, so they ran off." Yoruichi explained quietly. "Even to this day, he hasn't found a way to help them... wherever they are."
"I understand." Marenoshin replied. "Shall i inform Yuushi-"
"It's best we don't reminisce for too long; all i need is access to my family's arsenal for the shield."
"Yes at once. But who are we to entrust it to?"
"We'll go with Ukitake, he'll get Kyōraku to join him. Retsu would understand, but she's too much like Yama' to bring into this."
"Right, I'll dispatch a messenger to them as soon as possible."
End flashback.
The two arrive at the niban-tai entrance, where they are met by the two leaders. Neither look pleased to see Ichigo, who waves blankly at them.
"Lev's 'ust geffif over whib." Ōmaeda says, only to have his shin kicked fast enough that Ichigo could barely see.
"What did i say about talking out of turn, you useless slob?" Sui Feng told him, and turned back to them as Yoruichi covered a hand over her mouth in amusement. "Let's just get this over with; i have more important matters to deal with." The former said next, and motions for them to follow her.
"This is where the seireitei's standard and hidden security forces reside and hone their skills. Nothing happens in the Seireitei that i, niban-tai taichō and keigun shoushireikan, Suì-Fēng, do not know of."
"And I'm keiratei gundancho, Ōmaeda Nikkōtarōemon Yos-Oof!" The large one says until she bashes him in the gut.
"I told you not to talk with your mouth full."
"Eh, b... but isn't that the... other way around from be... fore?" He asks while holding himself.
"Be nice to your brother, would'ya, Sui-Feng." Yoruichi tells her, only to drop her smirk. "Oh wait, i didn't-"
"Say no more."
"Did you have a brother once?" Chado asks the taichō.
"Five of them, it's only me running the Feng clan now." She replies without looking at him.
"That must have been awful for you." Orihime says, but get no reaction either.
"Such emotions are meaningless. The first four were weak, and the fifth one got careless." Sui-Feng tells her, only to be shouted at.
"You take that back right now!"
"I beg your pardon; of what business is it to you how i speak of my own family?" She asks while turning around.
"I have every right because i lost my brother too." Orihime tells the taichō, who gives no reaction while Ganju glances at the former.
"And?"
"I not only lost Sora-oniichan, who saved me from our abusive parents, but i saved him after he turned into a hollow. So i know exactly what it's like."
Sui-Feng checks her face and body language, but only finds honest sympathy. She gives no reply and keeps walking.
Eventually, they reach a room with a green chair and rectangular table to it's left. "Oh... I see you kept it all." Yoruichi says as she glances around.
"Huh; does that mean this was your office, Yoruichi-san?" Ichigo asks, causing several keigun to lean out of wall and ceiling panels, each brandishing weapons right behind him, only to be reluctantly called off after Yoruichi says Suì-Fēng's name in a scolding tone.
"Nah, this is just the barracks." She then says while Ichigo and his friends turn to see what the pair were looking at, only to find an empty hall.
"...Then you were the former commander of this branch of the shinigami at one point." Uryu says out loud.
"I was the first female head of the Onmitsukidō, and the first to have it answer directly to the Sōtaichō." She tells them while plopping down in the chair. "No dust at all? Good job... kind of cold though with no one using it for so long." She says to herself as she slides a hand on the armrest.
"Yes, i had it tended to after the three escaped." Suì-Fēng tells her.
"Shihōin-san; about those signatures..." Chado says aloud as he points to the back wall. "Why's the first one flipped around." He asks, causing him and the other two to notice Ichigo, and the two leaders to look away as Yoruichi sighs.
"That one is of my first ancestor; Shihōin Chika. We do not speak of him. It's the same in each bantai regarding the first generation of taichō." She says grimly.
Nobody present speaks until she glances and nods to Suì-Fēng, who walks over to Ichigo. "I observed your movements while dispatching my fukutaichō and the other two. You were given personal training from Shihōin, correct?"
"Uh, yeah, she showed me about the difference between shikai and bankai-" Ichigo tries to say when Sui-Feng fold her arms.
"Which you managed to achieve after only knowing what a shinigami is for three months."
"Uh, yeah... Is it okay to tell them about all that, Yoruichi-san?" He asks, and explains about the hidden cavern after she vouches for the pair.
After he gives the whole story. "...I see; you only know zanjustu." The taichō says to herself, outwardly calm. Outwardly. "Only the basics when it comes to hakuda?"
"Pretty much. I've known how to fistfight since i was a 4 year old practicing with Tatsuki."
"Tatsuki?" She asks while looking to Orihime, who non-verbally corrects her.
"No... well, Arisawa Tatsuki is a friend of mine and Inoue's, back in our world, who's family owns a karate dojo. Never was able to win against her."
Suì-Fēng pauses to memorize the name before continuing. "Very well then, while you do know enough to bring down three fukutaichō; it would seem you will need more lessons in that area."
"Not more sparring! I did that twice today, so i-" Ichigo tries to say before the taichō grabs his arm and the two vanish.
Ōmaeda then takes charge. "Umm... now then, follow me to the Ōmaeda mansion to see how real shinigami operate."
A few moments later, Suì-Fēng and Ichigo arrive at a dilapidated part of the seireitei. "I said i don't wanna! What the hell-isn't this seki-seki stuff supposed to be indestructible?" He asks her as he pokes a piece of melted stone with his foot.
"Only from direct hits; this was the residence of a member of the five noble houses until he was arrested for murder. No one has been here until Yamamoto-Sōtaichō and his two students fought here a few days ago." She explains before raising a hand, causing a structure to appear all around him. "But that is not why you are here; you must exit this maze in ten minutes." She adds from the part of it she is standing on.
"Do what, ten minutes?! Wasn't i only supposed to be sparring with you?" He asks her, only for her to look insulted.
"Don't be so full of yourself, ryoka. There are keigun operatives at each dead-end for you to demonstrate your skill on. Defeat however many of them you encounter in battle and then i will consider mentoring you."
"Aw, dammit... just blow your whistle or whatever, already."
While that is going on, Buford and the Kotetsu sisters are sharing stories at yonban-tai when they hear an explosion. "That makes six now. I wonder what Kuchiki-san sees in that kid when he can't even shoot back?" Kiyone asks outloud before reaching for another cracker.
"I just hope Suì-Fēng-taichō doesn't take it too far, we're low on supplies as it is." Isane replies while shaking her head.
"You fought with him yourself a little while ago, didn't you; do you suppose he is worth trusting like my taichou says he is?" Kiyone asks next.
"Does he now? Well, he only won against me because Kuchiki-taichō's method of fighting is similar to mine, but it will ultimately depend on whether or not he was exposed to that ability Aizen has like we were." Buford told them, which ended the conversation, each one unwilling to consider what the future may hold.
Chapter five.
* Headwind: remnants within the gale. Though I'm not sure if the g should be there.