Bleach 533: Kurosaki Isshin - The Shinigami
Scene opens up where it left off with Ruken and Uryuu standing looking in the direction of the large mass of smoke. Uryuu is looking towards his father in surprise and disbelief.
Uryuu: You can't be serious! That makes no sense at all!
Ryuken: hmph, Really! what makes you say that?
Uryuu lifts his hand in frustration
Uryuu: I know what happened with the battle against Aizen when he and Urahara joined the fight. If he's that strong and skilled why didn't he fare any better?
Ryuken: [sigh] anything else?
Uryuu: Yes, he used the same attack as Ichigo, which means he must have the same type of Zanpaktou, right?! I'm sure Ichigo's isn't a flame type Zanpaktou, So how can he have the second strongest flame Type?
Ryuken: His reiatsu hadn't fully recovered at the time he fought with Aizen.
Uryuu: What?
Ryuken: The larger the battery the longer it takes to fully charge, same principle. He'd spent so long as a human that there was no guarantee if or how much of his reiatsu he would regain. How much damage it would cause trying to overuse his abilities without his body being prepared for it.
Uryuu:...
Ryuken: Also you've forgotten two important things regarding his fight with Aizen.
Uryuu:?
Ryuken: Firstly he was already under the effects of Kyoka Suigetsu, so even trying out his stronger attacks would have been absolutely pointless.
Uryuu:...
Ryuken: and secondly, that that whole fight was choregraphed by Urahara Kisuke.
Uryuu:?!
Ryuken: Their primary objective was to ensure that Aizen kept his guard down more than anything else so that Urahara could place the seals in his body and keep him occupied long enough to not take notice of them. They had to be strong enough to be interesting but not strong enough for Aizen to put his guard up.
Uryuu: ...But Ichigo...everything that happened to him...are you trying to say that was all part of his plan?
Ryuken: (sighs) Uryuu, you no longer have the luxury of being a child and letting your emotions getting in the way of your thoughts.
Uryuu:?!
Ryuken: You still fail to truly understand the monster that Aizen was. Think clearly, even with multiple contingencies there was never really any hope of beating Aizen, especially in a straight up fight, given that almost everyone was under the effect of Kyoka Suigetsu. If we could, then that would be our good fortune, however if we couldn't then we had to prepare for the worst
Uryuu: ...and that was?
Ryuken: For all of us to be wiped out and for the Zero squad to finish up the job.
Uryuu:!
Ryuken: Even if Kurosaki was unable to defeat Aizen, once the seals were in him then it was almost certain that Zero squad would be able to weaken him to the point of being sealed especially since they wouldn't be under the effect of his illusions.
Uryuu: ...But then why did Ichigo have to-
Ryuken: -No idea.
Uryuu:!
Ryuken: It was never a part of the original plan. That was something Isshin decided on his own and it's not my place to question him on why he decided that.
Uryuu:...
Ryuken: Anyways, (takes a long drag from his cigarette) back to the original topic, even now I can't tell you whether Isshin has regained his reiatsu completely or if he can ever reach his previous potential.
Uryuu: ...
Ryuken: and regarding his zapaktou
Ryuken flashabacks to the conversation he was having with Masaki in his office at the hospital. They're still sitting in the two chairs with Masaki holding his hand between hers.
Ryuken: Masaki...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted him, or you.
Masaki smiles and lets go of Ryukens hand and leans back in her chair and laughs a long girl laugh.
Masaki: oh don't apologise Ryuken, I may not have got the hottest man in Soul society but at least I've got the second hottest.
Ryuken: Sorry?! What?
Masaki: oh! erm, I guess that's a secret to share for another occasion. No one was ever supposed to know about it and I only found out because I was spying on him hehe. He really hates me talking about that.
Ryuken comes back out of his flashback,
Uryuu:...
Ryuken: I have absolutely no idea, all I can tell you is what I've been told...the rest...well we'll just have to see that for ourselves.
Scene changes to Voldo who is standing somewhere on the other side of the explosion. He seems unhurt though his clothes seem a little scuffed and dusty . Isshin appears about a hundred feet away facing him, his hand resting on his sword. His sword is already released, the handle is red with tassels coming off of the edge of the hilt. Voldo speaks, his voice has a hollow almost artificial quality to it.
Voldo: Kurosaki Isshin, the father of Kurosaki Ichigo.
Isshin: oh now you feel like speaking.
Voldo: Your previous battle has been recorded. You have not been appointed as one of the special war potentials. You shall be eliminated.
Isshin: you know...you almost sound like darth vader, next you'll be telling me [mimics voice] 'I am your father Luke' heh.
Voldo:...
Isshin sighs and slowly draws out his sword.
Isshin: I think it's time you went to sleep with the fishes.
Voldo: Your shikai abilities have been analysed they are of no threat to us.
As Voldo says this, three more Voldo appear around Isshin surrounding him from all sides once more.
Isshin: Is that so? I don't recall ever showing you my abilities.
Voldo: Your encounter with Aizen Souske has been recorded, your shikai is characteristically similar and inferior to that of Kurosaki Ichigo, you are of no threat to us.
Isshin: (sighs) you really do like saying that don't you, fine, let me enlighten you on something.
Voldo:...
Isshin: Firstly, his zanpaktou is similar to mine, not the other way around. Since he's my son it's not that unusual to expect for some characteristics to pass through bloodlines. However, no matter how similar, they are still different since we cannot share the exact same Zanpaktou.
Isshin slides his sword out of its sheathe in one smooth motion and holds it out in front of him in one hand.
Isshin: Secondly, my son hasn't had, what you would say, a structured education into developing his abilities. He was thrown into the midst of battle from the very start and so has used what he found immediately available.
Voldo:...
Isshin: He has mastered, refined and perfected the basic attack of his zanpaktou to a point where my Getsuga Tensho would indeed be considered inferior to his.
Voldo: Basic...
Isshin: Time. Time is needed for a shinigami and their zanpaktou to develop and evolve together. so that they can master their abilities and work out the best ways to use them and adapt them. My son hasn't had the time to do that.
Voldo:...
Isshin grins as he slowly pulls back his sword and points it high above his head.
Isshin: I on the other hand have had plenty of time. *Jigoku o kakomu*! [encircling hell]
Twenty feet above Isshin's sword a small ring of fire appears, just big enough so that it would encircle Isshin's blade. It slowly begins to descend and as it does it begins to expand and grow until finally as it comes down to hover about 4-5 feet off the ground it's as thick as tree trunk and about 10 feet in diameter with Isshin in its centre. Isshin brings his sword down and holds it with both hands, he readies his stance and gets into a striking pose.
Isshin: Now this is how I prefer to dance. *Gestuga Tensho*!
As he says this Isshin strikes down cutting though the ring of fire in front of him. No wave of reiatsu comes out of his blade, instead four solid streams shoot out of of the ring of fire, each as thick as tree trunks themselves, straight towards each of the Voldos. All of them manage to dodge it jumping either to one side or higher up in the air. They begin shooting hundreds of arrows down on him but as each of them reach the ring they disappear in a flash.
Isshin: That won't be enough, the reiatsu and heat expelled out of Jigoku o kakomu distorts the atmosphere immediately around it forming a barrier of its own, you're going to have to retry much harder than that if you want to get through.
Scene change to Ryuken and Uryuu
They are standing where they were previously observing the fight. Ryuken has a neutral expression on his face whilst Uryuu's expression is of open shock.
Uryuu: I can feel the heat burning my skin all the way over here.
Ryuken: hmmmm?
Uryuu: and his shikai... I've not seen a shikai yet that can attack in multiple directions at the same time...and to use it as a shield at the same time...
Ryuken: I take it your finally impressed.
Uryuu:...I never realised he was this strong.
Ryuken: No...he hasn't shown his strength yet.
Uryuu: ?!
Scene change back to Isshin
All four of the Voldo's are now in their released form of Quincy Volstanding.
Isshin: Wow, that was an impressive transformation, I wonder what can you do with it.
Above both shoulders of each of the Voldo's a spear of reishi begins to form. It grows bigger and longer second by second until Isshin has eight spears that are each about ten feet long and two feet wide pointed at him. Isshin takes his sword and plants it into the ground in front of him, he gets down on one knee whilst holding it with both hands.
Isshin: Tch I was only wondering, who said you were going to get a chance to use it? *Ameterasu*!
The earth splits and cracks from where Isshin's sword is planted into the ground spreading out in all directions. The four horizontal pillars of fire and the ring turn into raging black flames the intensity of the heat increasing tenfold. The pillars begin to spin first slowly then faster and faster forcing all of the Voldo's to start dodging.
Isshin: Too late for that now.
Scene change to Ryuken and Uryuu
They are now standing much farther away from the fight then before. Ryuken is still standing firm whilst Uryuu has decided to sit on a boulder and rest his arms on his legs. They are both sweating profusely and Uryuu is panting quite hard.
Uryuu: Even at this distance?! I feel like I'm going to to turn to ash any second!
Ryuken:...
Uryuu: Why doesn't he run?! Surely he needs to get out of its range?!
Ryuken?! No. It's already too late for that.
Uryuu: what?!
Ryuken: Look carefully at what is happening.
You look out into the distance, the mountainside that Isshin is fighting near is beginning to crumble, so is the ground around the swirling black flames. Everything seems to be being sucked towards the black flames and destroyed.
Uryuu: Its sucking everything in?!
Ryuken: No, it's burning up the whole atmosphere around it.
Uryuu:!
Ryuken: In effect it's causing something similar to a Vortex or black hole, everything is getting pulled in towards it with extreme force. It's not that they're not getting out of its range, it's that they can't get out of its range.
Uryuu:...
Ryuken: This battle was decided as soon as that technique was used with him in its range.
Uryuu:... So now what?!
Ryuken: Have you not noticed, we prepare for the next round. Lets hope our luck can hold.
Ryuken nods off towards the right. Uryuu gazes in that direction and looks startled after a second. Far across soul society on top of Soukyoku hill you see a portal open. Out of it steps Juha Bach and his six Quincy.
Next week: Bleach 534 One step closer
