Chapter 7

Tatsuki and Orihime were heading to the cell that they were able to learn from a couple of the Soul Reapers they managed to defeat, but as they got closer to the cell area, they were stopped by Gin Ichimaru. The silver-haired captain smiled at the two of them as Kurumi appeared next to the Captain, who seemed to have a calm but sad look in her eyes.

"Hey, Orihime. I'm surprised to see that you were able to make it this far with just the Karate Queen. A shame you won't be able to get farther than this." Kurumi said as she drew her sword while Tatsuki prepared herself until she saw Gin vanish and chop the back of Orihime's neck before taking her someplace.

"No, wait!" Tatsuki shouted as she tried to grab Gin by his cloak but was too late as he vanished before her hand could even hold him. "Dammit." Tatsuki bit her tongue as she turned and glared at Kurumi, who was looking at the human with a bored look in her eyes before Tatsuki began Boston herself.

"You said you'll beat me? We'll bring it on bug breath!" Tatsuki shouted as she charged at Kurumi and summoned the Boosted Gear.

[BOOST!]

Tatsuki felt the power make her even stronger as she sent a right hook that clashed with Kurumi's sword before she followed up with a low sweep that made the Arrancar fall on her back until Kurumi rolled out of the way before Tatsuki stomped on her face, creating a massive crater in the ground. Kurumi got right back up and sent a punch from where she was, but Tatsuki felt some invisible punch connect to her stomach as it launched her to the wall and made a human-sized indent in the wall itself.

"W-What the hell?" Tatsuki asked as she pushed herself off the wall before coughing; she felt a broken rib, and some blood leave her mouth until Kurumi readied another punch and fired once more, but this time Tatsuki rolled out of the way, but her left leg was grazed by the attack and bruised it severely.

"Ah! Dammit. Son of a bitch that hurt!" Tatsuki said as she grabbed her left leg before she saw Kurumi walk toward her with a tired expression on her face.

"Look, don't make it harder on yourself and just let yourself get knocked out. You hardly have any strength left, and even if you boost your strength again, it would only be similar to an adrenaline rush, and you'd tire yourself out faster. Your punches and kicks are fine-tuned but weak against more experienced and stronger foes like myself. Plus, you are in no condition to fight. Three broken ribs. Damage to the internal organs as well as bleeding internally. Also, your little boost is wearing off, and your left leg is severely damaged, which will become worse unless it's treated quickly." Kurumi said as she strolled to Tatsuki and sighed at the stubborn human as she tried to send a pathetic Dragon Shot at Kurumi for the Arrancar to reflect it away with a swipe of her hand.

"You done? If so, then Nighty night." Kurumi said as she knocked out Tatsuki with a chop to the neck.

Kurumi picked her up and took Tatsuki to where Gin placed Orihime before leaving the two girls alone once she felt the Soul Reapers of Squad 4 show up in the area.

'That girl has spirit, but she's got a long way to go before entering the big leagues.' Kurumi said to Tatsuki out of pity as she ran through the sewers back to her base, where her master had ordered her to go once she completed her mission.


Ichigo and Chad were climbing out of the sewers with Hanatoro as he noted that there were no guards in the area after his battle with Renji from the previous day. "It's kind of strange, but I thought there would've been more security here after my fight from yesterday."

"I'm guessing they didn't think that the enemy would show up so soon. They know we have Hanatoro, but they might underestimate his abilities since he was able to heal you in just a night." Chad said, which Ichigo acknowledged before Chad began to wonder if the others were okay in the Soul Society. Ichigo seemed to have sensed his partner's worry for their friends until Ichigo tapped Chad's chest with a fist before looking at him dead in the eyes.

"Don't worry about them. Uryu, Orihime, Tatsuki, Ganju, and Issei are alright. They're smarter than I am and skilled enough to come with us. I know they would never pick a fight with an enemy they have no hope of beating unless they have no other choice in the matter." Ichigo said as Chad nodded before placing Hanatoro on his left shoulder as they ran through the run up the steps to Senzaikyū.

Everyone began to walk up the long stairs to get to the top.

"How long until we get there?" Chad asked before Ichigo yelled back to Chad, who was sweating from the very, very, very long staircase that went up to the Repentance Cell.

"Keep running! We're almost there!" Ichigo yelled back as they eventually reached the top of the stairs.

"We finally made it…." Chad announced, gasping, as he placed Hanatoro onto the ground, who thanked Chad and apologized for being a burden to him, which the gentle giant waved off.

"That's strange… There are no guards up here. Why is that? I would've thought that with the Ryoka threat, they would've tightened security." Hanatarō mentioned as he felt his phone buzz before gasping at the message, making both Ichigo and Chad turn back to see Hanatoro shake like a leaf.

"What's going on? Hey! Hanatoro!" Ichigo asked as he shook Hanatoro a bit before the small healer shakily replied to Ichigo's question.

"Y-Your friends...T-They've been captured." This made the two Ryoka gasp at the reply before Hanatoro explained the message. "Captain Gin Ichimaru arrested Tatsuki Arisawa and Orihime Inoue as of today. Yesterday, Uryu Ishida and Ganju Shiba were arrested by Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi after being defeated and nearly killing Mayuri Kurostichi. Issei Hyoudou defeated Lieutenant Iba but killed Fifth Seat Yumichika in single combat and has taken Momo Hinamori." He listed before his eyes widened at the final part of the message until he spoke to them aloud.

"I-Issei Hyoudou is also reported t-to have k-k-killed Captain Sosuke A-Aizen," Hanatoro said, alerting Ichigo and Chad before Ichigo swiped the phone away and looked at the message.

"No...No. There's no way Issei would take her hostage and kill a Captain. He isn't a killer! He isn't!" Ichigo shouted through clenched teeth until he tossed the phone back to Hanatoro, who caught it with shaky hands before Chad put a hand on his friend's right shoulder.

"We'll speak to Issei about this later, but right now, we need to find Rukia and get out of here," Chad said as Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." Ichigo said as he pushed his questions for the Fullbringer away until they suddenly felt an enormous amount of Reiatsu crashing down on top of their bodies. They all froze in place due to the weight of the spiritual pressure.

"What! What is this?" Chad asked aloud before they all saw a man walking toward them.

"Are you the strongest one?" The man's voice asked as Ichigo could look up at the man to see that he was the source of the spiritual pressure crushing them.

He was a tall, muscular Shinigami with a rugged and aggressive appearance. He had green eyes and long, stringy black hair. A noticeable trait that Ichigo picked up was the long, thin scar running down the left side of the man's face and across his left eye.

He wore the standard Shinigami uniform, white bandages across his midsection, and a sleeveless captain's haori, which has a ragged look. He styled his hair into stiff strands and attached small bells at its tips, and wore a unique black eyepatch over his right eye. The eyepatch was something Issei would call fashionable since it had a more elegant touch to it due to it having a gold-like lining and a chain as one of the straps.

"Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?" The man asked when he stopped in place. The sound from earlier came from him.

Ichigo pulled his Zangetsu from its bandage wrap and swung it at the stranger without hesitation or warning, such as what his instincts told him. The man smiled as he blocked the massive sword.

"Nice one!" The man complimented with a smile as he clashed with Ichigo's sword before the Substitute looked at Kenpachi and asked.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, come on. I'm sure Ikkaku already told you about me, no?" The man said as Ichigo had a flashback to his meeting with Ikkaku. He recalled the last part of their conversation before he left him.


"Are you the strongest in your group?" Ikkaku asked.

"I am," Ichigo replied as he got ready to head out while Ikkaku smiled at him.

"If that's the case, you'd better watch out for my Captain. He is not interested in weaklings, so let me give you some advice about him. If you truly are the strongest one in your group, he'll be coming for you." Ikkaku warned Ichigo as the Substitute turned to him and asked.

"Is he powerful?" Ichigo asked as Ikkaku replied with an amused chuckle.

"You'll see when you meet him."


"I'm Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the Eleventh Division, and I'm here to fight you to the death." Kenpachi declared as Ichigo jumped back to get some distance between them, sensing the danger the man possessed. One glance behind him revealed Hanatarō had fainted, and Chad was on his knees, affected by the man's massive Reiatsu.

"Wow! Look at all that drool!"

Ichigo was shocked when a toddler appeared on his shoulder. She wore a Shinigami and had pink hair.

"You scared him pretty bad, Kenny!" The pink-haired girl said childishly as Kenpachi looked at her and replied with a childish response.

"Well, what did you expect? Those two are weaklings," Kenpachi replied.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, surprised that he didn't even sense the girl's presence before the girl smiled as she introduced herself.

"I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, Lieutenant of Eleventh Division!" She chirped, which made Ichigo look at her warily.

'She is not a normal Shinigami. I can tell she is a soul, but there's something else…? Maybe she's similar to Shirō?' He thought before looking back at Chad. "Chad! Get Hanatarō out of here and head to Rukia!" Ichigo ordered as Chad looked at him with widened eyes as if he thigh his friend was insane.

"Are you crazy?" Chad yelled as he slowly picked up Hanatoro, which wasn't easy due to the massive spiritual energy from Kenpachi's body. "You can't win against him!"

"Go. I'll join you as soon as I can. I will have to fight him with my full power, and I don't want to kill you accidentally." Ichigo said his concern as Chad nodded and left the battle that would get bloody until Yachiru looked at them and tilted her head cutely.

"Huh. They got away. Oh well. Kenny would've been bored by those bunnies, so I do hope you can give Kenny a great fight since he's been sad about not having a chance for a decent battle." Yachiru said as of explaining Kenpachi's dilemma until Kenpachi patted her head, stopping her from ranting on.

"You won't go after them?" Ichigo asked as he readied himself while Kenpachi looked at him with a smile.

"Hell no. I don't care about them. The only thing I want is to fight you. I've been waiting here for a while and want to clash swords with you. So get out of here, Yachiru. I'll be fighting him now." Kenpachi said to Yachiru as she smiled at him.

"You got it, Kenny!" Yachiru said as she disappeared using Shunpō.

"You have a good stance. I can't find even one opening," Kenpachi looked at Ichigo and praised the boy before Ichigo replied to him.

"I have learned from one of the world's best swordsmen," Ichigo said proudly.

His words elicited a strange grin from the more prominent man. Before, his expression was full of bloodthirst, like an animal barely restrained by a leash. However, listening to Ichigo's answer, Kenpachi replied in a surprisingly soft voice, "Haha… Well, so was I. You also have a lot of power; no wonder none of the other lieutenants were able to beat you. However, I am different from them, though; I'll give you a chance," Kenpachi said as he opened his Haori, revealing his bare chest. "Cut me anywhere!"

"What? I won't attack anyone unarmed. Do you think I'm crazy?" Ichigo raved.

"No, I don't think you're crazy. This is a handicap, a charity. It's nice you won't attack someone unarmed but save your sympathy for someone else." Kenpachi said.

"Shit, fine, you asked for it," Ichigo said as he reared his large sword back and swung it while charging at the massive Captain. As the large blade came down, it connected with Kenpachi's neck but stopped there. Ichigo felt pain in his hands to see they were bloody. Ichigo looked in shock at his attack and saw that he didn't even faze the Captain. 'W-What? He survived that attack, and the force was reflected…how?' Ichigo questioned as Kenpachi looked at the wasted effort.

"That's…disappointing…my turn. I just hope you don't die too quickly." Kenpachi voiced as he pulled his sword out. "You seem surprised; while your blade is impressive, it won't cut me," Kenpachi said as he pushed the giant sword with his hand, surprising the Substitute.

"Your blade won't cut me because I have more Spiritual Pressure. When two Spiritual beings fight, the one with the weaker power gets hurt. That's all there is to it." Kenpachi informed before he started to attack Ichigo. Kenpachi eventually got past Ichigo's guard and swung his jagged sword, but luckily Ichigo was able to block the attack. But the force of the attack sent Ichigo through several stone walls.

Ichigo stood on shaky legs and saw the dust blocking the hole he made and bolted. 'Shit, shit, shit! What do I do?' Ichigo asked himself as he ran through the maze of alleys to hide from the monster after him.

The wall near Ichigo cracked and exploded as Kenpachi charged through the wall.

"Ha, I've finally found you. Now, are you ready to fight and stop hiding!" Kenpachi announced, causing Ichigo to tighten his grip on Zangetsu and charge at the Captain. Ichigo repeatedly slashed at Kenpachi while simultaneously appearing at different sides of him, trying to hit Kenpachi's sides, but with every hit, Ichigo felt the backlash from his attack.

'Damn it! What the hell is this guy made of? No matter where I hit him, he doesn't seem fazed by my attacks. How am I supposed to beat this guy?' Ichigo asked as he could feel the pain in his hands become too much, causing him to try and escape. When Kenpachi was about to deal a killing blow to Ichigo, he vanished thanks to Shunpo.

"Hiding again…this is getting boring," Kenpachi muttered as he began to look for Ichigo again.

While Ichigo was hiding, attempting to catch his breath, he saw that he was leagues away from the monster he was facing. 'How the hell am I supposed to beat him if I can't scratch him?'

Ichigo was then brought to his inner world as he looked to see Zangetsu standing on top of a pole.

[How disappointing Ichigo. You have so much potential to defeat opponents such as him, and yet you run. Why is it that you run in fear?] The spirit asked as Ichigo looked at his clenched fists and replied.

"There's no way I can defeat a guy like that! No matter what I do, nothing can even graze him. I'm trying to slice through steel, but not even a full swing can harm him. What am I supposed to do?" Ichigo asks as Zangetsu looks at his eyes before holding his own Zangetsu out towards Ichigo.

[And who said it was you facing him? Do you believe I'm just a hunk of steel like how that man treats his Zanpakto?] Zangetsu asked as he let loose his spiritual energy, surprising Ichigo before the older man flew at him and grazed his cheek with just the tip of the blade.

Ichigo was amazed by the massive spiritual energy that Zangetsu radiated before he recalled how Kenpachi didn't even care to learn his own sword's name until he realized he was just like him. He knew Zangetsu's name, but what else did he know about him? His techniques? His power? He didn't know any of that kind of information.

Zangetsu charged at him once more as Ichigo clenched his fists and let himself get stabbed by Zangetsu before the Zanpakto let a small smile appear on his face.

[So you finally realize it, don't you?] Zangetsu asked as Ichigo nodded before he vanished from his inner world to be faced with Kenpachi, who found his hiding spot before his spiritual energy rose even higher. This made the Captain stop as he smiled at this.

"Yes, I can feel it. Your spiritual pressure is increasing. Now let's continue our fight!" Kenpachi yelled as he swung down at Ichigo with his jagged sword. Ichigo quickly jumped out of the way and slashed his sword at Kenpachi's chest creating white sparks, but there was a visible wound on him, making Kenpachi smile as he felt that attack.

"You wounded me. This is getting exciting!" Kenpachi announced before he slashed at Ichigo, only for Ichigo to blur out of existence and appear at Kenpachi's back, then sliced and stabbed at Kenpachi's exposed back.

Kenpachi turned around a swung his sword at Ichigo, only for Ichigo to do a back flip, landing safely on the ground before he launched himself at Kenpachi. Using the momentum from the launch, Ichigo twisted himself and slashed the Kenpachi's chest again, causing the battle-loving Shinigami to laugh at the fun he was having.

Ichigo appeared at Kenpachi's side and slashed at Kenpachi's leg and knee. Then disappeared again only to reappear at Kenpachi's opposite side and stab at his abdomen. The Shinigami grinned madly; he swung in Ichigo's direction, hitting him, sending the orange-haired teen a few feet back.

Ichigo took a calming breath as he watched Kenpachi still stand, even with all the bleeding gashes covering his body. 'How is he still standing? No matter how much I cut him, he doesn't seem affected.' Ichigo thought.

[Don't worry, Ichigo, if he can bleed, he can die. Just continue attacking him.] Zangetsu voiced, casing Ichigo to narrow his eyes and nod.

Kenpachi looked up into the sky and started laughing. "T-this is great! I finally have an equal someone to match me…How long has it been since I felt this." Kenpachi raved before he focused on Ichigo. "I finally found a worthy opponent!" Kenpachi yelled as he pulled off his eye patch, creating a big explosion and a sizeable yellow-ish pillar of Spiritual Pressure.

'Um… Zangetsu. A little help here, please?' Ichigo voiced nervously.

[Of course.] Zangetsu voiced as he lent Ichigo his spiritual power, causing blue-ish white energy to encompass Ichigo like Kenpachi's enveloped him.

"Heh, you can increase your spiritual pressure too." Kenpachi voiced as Ichigo shook his head.

"No…This isn't my power. It's Zangetsu's power. I'm only borrowing it." Ichigo voiced with evident pride in his Zanpakto.

"Using your Zanpakto's power? What bullshit. Your Zanpaktuo is a tool only for war, nothing else." Kenpachi raved as his spiritual energy rose even more significant until Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw the sword screaming within its world as Zangetsu appeared at his side.

[Do you hear it, Ichigo? Due to this man neglecting his Zanpakto and not caring for it, the sword is being harmed by its releasing energy. That would've happened to me if you had ignored me as he did. Now let's fight together, Ichigo.] Zangetsu said as Ichigo nodded in reply as he readied to end this battle. Kenpachi smiled at this.

"You and I, Ichigo, are the same. You shouldn't say something so ludicrous! Now let's finish this." Kenpachi yelled as he charged. Ichigo closed his eyes for a second as the sword glowed a bright blue with a hint of red added to the mix. Kenpachi swung his sword in an arc towards Ichigo, only for him to block the jagged blade with his sword. The blue-red energy expanded around Ichigo as he reflected Kenpachi's attack causing his hands to bleed as Ichigo had done at the beginning of the fight.

The two energies collided with each other until Kenpachi's sword snapped in half Kenpachi's body was littered with hundreds of slash and stab markings.

Kenpachi coughed up large amounts of blood and grinned in satisfaction as he looked at Ichigo. "...That was fun." Kenpachi voiced as he collapsed on his knees.

"I suppose you can say it was." Ichigo voiced as he held onto the Zangetsu's blade tighter. "I am sorry I wounded you so much," Ichigo said since it was true. Kenpachi was covered entirely in his blood from hundreds of cuts he sustained from Zangetsu.

"No need for apologies. This was one of the greatest fights I've…ever…had." Kenpachi said before he fell unconscious.

"Thanks Ichi-chan. I've never seen Ken-chan so happy before." A short cute pink-haired girl voiced as she appeared on top of Kenpachi's body.

"Um… you're welcome," Ichigo said, unsure as he sheathed Zangetsu on his back before the girl picked up Kenpachi's massive body.

"Now be sure not to die, Ichi-chan, or else Ken-chan would be sad. See you later!" The girl excitedly as she carried Kenpachi's body away.

'Thanks for the help Zangetsu. I would've died if it weren't for you.' Ichigo thought as he fell from his injuries until a small black cat appeared before him.

"I'm surprised you were able to defeat Kenpachi. Now it's time to help you achieve the next level of your power."


Issei ran with Momo beside him as they hurried up the stairs to the Repentance Cell holding Rukia. Momo told him about the message that came through and was shocked to hear that not only were half of his friends captured but that he was being framed for the death of a Captain that he didn't take part in. Momo believed him and still kept going with him until the bitter end.

'Issei. I know you didn't kill Captain Aizen. I have a feeling I know who killed him, but I'll continue following you. You've protected me this whole time, and even now, you still trust me. I'll make sure that trust is not misplaced!' Momo shouted in her mind as she ran with Issei until they made it to the top of the staircase, where there were no guards in the area, which made Momo go on high alert.

"Issei. We need to be careful. I'm betting that there's a Captain nearby."

"Yeah, that would make sense. Since I defeated both Ida and Yumichika, it makes sense they would send their strongest people to the repentance cell where Rukia is being held. Let's watch each other's backs and hope we can avoid them." Issei suggested making Momo agree with his idea, but as they took a few steps into the area, a voice called out.

"Oh my. So it would seem that the hostage has become a traitor of the Soul Society and joined forces with the Ryoka. The Fullbringer no less." A female voice stated as a blade formed at Issei's neck, but before it came closer. Issei elbowed her stomach, making her back away from Issei, which gave him enough time to escape her reach with Momo behind him. Issei turned to face his attacker, and sure enough, the same woman kicked his ass back in the World of the Living.

'It's her, alright. A petite woman with grey eyes, black hair that's worn in two long braids, a sleeves captain's Haori, along with some black uniform. Also, that blade is one I recognize, but she hasn't activated her Shikai yet, which will give me an advantage somewhat.' Issei calculated as he stood in front of Momo, who was scared of seeing the legendary captain in front of her.

"Momo. Leave this place and head to Rukia's cell. It would be best if you didn't die in my consciousness. Just tell them I forced you to fight and save Rukia. Now go!" Issei shouted as Momo clenched her fists tightly and nodded before running away from the two with some tears in her eyes that she quickly wiped out.

"I will! You better catch up with me, okay? So don't lose do you hear me!" Momo shouted/asked as Issei chuckled at the girl running from the area as he summoned his Shikai.

"Yeah. I'll catch up. Right after I take care of this bitch." Issei said as he saw a blur that became Soifon in an instant. She was about to stab his eye until he backed away from the attack until Issei felt like he was stabbed in the back to see that crystals of sorts were embedded in his back.

"D-Dammit. What the hell was that?" Issei asked himself before seeing Soifon glare at the one who disturbed her battle.

"There was no reason to get involved, Tosen. I told you that he's mine." Soifon said with disgust in her tone as Issei looked behind him to see that the blind Captain from last time was the one who attacked him. Tosen bowed to the other Captain and apologized to her.

"My apologies, but I wanted to see how this human could kill Captain Aizen. He was a friend of mine, you know." Tosen said as Soifon nodded as she didn't know Aizen as well as Gin and Tosen but didn't care as she hated those who butted in her battles with her opponents. She may be an Assassin, but she at least has honor in action.

"Be that as it may, Tosen, I can handle him. I've seen his Fullbring up close and can deal with him so stay out of the way." Soifon said as she saw Issei struggle to stand up. Tosen nodded and backed away from her as he observed Issei's wounds begin stitching as the human used his spiritual energy strings to remove the crystals from his back.

Issei panted heavily as he stood up and did a hand sign before whispering to himself. "Keikatsu." He said as he felt his body begin to heal himself with the help of Ascalon's healing light as Muramasa stitched his injuries before Issei had his strings wrapped around his arms and legs, giving him a robust set of armor.

"Bakudou 8: Seki," Issei said as he felt his armor gain an extra layer of protection before using his Blut to increase his armor.

"Heh. I have to admit. It's been a while since I've been hit with an attack like that, and I've done a decent amount of training this past month too. In the end, it's all going to come down to what happens first. Your Shikai breaks my armor and kills me, or my armor holds while your arms get tired. I do wonder which is stronger. Spear or Shield?" Issei asked as he let his spiritual energy shoot into the air as the stings expanded over his entire body, making him look like a real samurai.

Soifon smiled at the challenge as she charged at Issei and had her Shikai out before pummeling his armor. Issei kept his arms up and blocked the punches that the Captain sent his way. She was surprised as she stroked the components that the Seki spell didn't activate appropriately since the original Seki spell is meant to paralyze and repel any attacks that hit the forearms. Still, for some reason, it didn't react to her punches.

"Hmph. I don't know what you have planned, but I'm excited about this fight! I was bored of our last fight, but you surprised me when you landed one hit on me, so hopefully, you don't die on me too soon!" Soifon proclaimed happily as she sent a sickening right hook into his face that sent him back a couple of inches, but Issei stood firm as he panted heavily and smirked at her.

"Then show me what you got. My armor is still standing!" Issei shouted as a taunt for her which she gladly accepted as she unleashed a barrage of punches, kicks, and stabs at the Fullbringer and was a bit annoyed that the armor was still standing.

'What the hell is this armor made of? It can't just be strings and spiritual energy, right?' Soifon asked herself as she kept up the assault until she sent a helicopter kick into Issei's back that hit his spinal cord before he coughed up blood and wheezed from the force behind it before wiping his mouth.

"Heh. Not bad." Issei said as he felt his armor begin to crack, which made Soifon smile as she realized the armor's weakness.

"I see. Your armor takes your spiritual energy and makes a strong set of armor that can take multiple attacks from both blades and physical attacks. However, you are running on empty, so your defense is starting to break down. Soon your shield will break, and I'll win!" Soifon yelled as she increased the power behind her punches which made Issei grunt through the pain as he stood tall and strong.

'I'm not giving up!' Issei mentally shouted as he felt a strong sidekick send him into one of the pillars surrounding them until the stones fell on top of Issei, crushing his body.

Soifon dusted her hands as if she was victorious until she heard the rubble being moved by Issei coming out as his armor started to break even more until it finally left him with only his chest plate and helmet. This amazed the two Captains since they couldn't believe that this human was still alive after a massive assault from the Captain that specialized in hand-to-hand combat.

"Are you kidding me right now? How in the world are you still standing?" Soifon asked as Issei smiled at her and patted himself on the back mentally as he went through his plan.

'You think this armor is just a shield? And that mistake is going to cost you this fight!' Issei said as he felt the power building up inside of him as his armor was breaking down. 'I've been absorbing all of the power from each of your attacks. Storing all of them inside of my core. Doing that takes a lot of energy and burns through my Ultimate Shield, but I'll take those attacks. And forge a spear that'll shatter and shield!' Issei shouted mentally as he felt his power begin to expand tremendously until Tosen called out to her.

"Soifon! Finish him quickly!" Tosen shouted as Soifon snapped out of her shock as charged at the intruder. Issei looked at her with a challenging smile which made her smile back at him.

"Show me what you got! Don't hold anything back!" Soifon said as she was ready to finish him until Momo appeared in front of him, surprising the two Captains and Issei.

"Momo!"

"Lieutenant Hinamori!"

"I won't run away! Not ever again!" Momo shouted as she held up a strong barrier that was still holding out from Soifon's assault until Momo had her Zanpakto released as she fired at the Captain.

"Snap, Tobiume!" She shouted as Soifon held out her hands and used them. "Bakudou 39: Enkosen. Bakudou 9: Geki!" She said as the shield stopped the attack before Soifon looked at the Momo, falling backward with a pale face as the second Kido spell took hold of her.

"Just as I thought. Your attack was in vain."

"Oh really? Well, it wasn't in vain, Soifon." Issei said from the smoke, surprising Soifon as Issei caught Momo by the back. "Thank you, Momo. You bought me the extra time I needed." Issei said as his body was free of the armor before he sent a decisive left punch at Soifon.

"Try this on for size," Issei shouted as he sent the punch into her stomach.

"HOKOSURU!"

Soifon was blasted away from the area as she ended up in the wall creating a Soifon-sized indent in the wall. Issei smiled as he was about to head towards Momo until Tosen was in front of the Lieutenant.

"I'm afraid you still have much more to offer. However, I can tell that the last attack took all of your energy. Would you be willing to accept my offer? I'll heal you so that way you can fight me. Do so. Then I'll ensure Lieutenant Hinamori is healed and receives no punishment for aiding you. Not a bad deal, no?" Tosen asked as Soifon came out of the rubble, panting a little while holding a hand over her stomach, surprising Issei that she only came out of that attack with just a few scratches and a bruise on her stomach.

'Seriously? I sent a fully charged Hokosuru into her stomach, and she only got a few scratches and a bruise on her stomach. Damn, she's a tough one.' Issei said as he readied himself but could barely move until Soifon stopped in front of him and smiled at the Fullbringer, surprising him until she bowed to him, increasing his shock.

"I have to thank you, Issei Hyoudou," Soifon stated as Issei replied with confusion in his tone.

"Uh...Why? Because I hurt you?" Issei asked as Soifon replied to his question.

"A little, but the real reason is that you showed me how complacent I've become. I assumed I achieved my strongest point, but I still have much to do to gain more power, it seems. You were able to hurt me even without…." Sui-Feng voiced and stopped realizing she was about to give her trump cards. 'Even If I'm not using Bankai or my Kido/Hakuda combination techniques, I'm still going incredibly fast that most Shinigami are hard pressed to even catch a glimpse at me. But Issei is following my movements and is getting better at reading them by the second.' Soifon analyzed before continuing her explanation.

"I just realized that if I want to hurt someone who hurt me that I need to get even stronger than I am now," Soifon informed, causing Issei to nod slightly.

"I can understand and hope that after this, you will be able to beat the person that hurt you. It's only fair, after all. You seem like a nice person, a bit of a bitch with a ten-foot pole in her ass but still alright." Issei said, not knowing who she wanted to hurt, but his words got a somewhat shocked look from the Captain.

"I'm your enemy, and you're saying this to me. Why?" Soifon stated because she wanted to know, it gave her enough time to get her strength back.

"Well, even if you are my foe, I don't hate you. Heck, I don't hate any Shinigami. I'm just here to save my friend, that's all. But with our fight, I don't have an endgame, while you do. If I win, I knock you out, then continue to try and save Rukia and, with my odds, fight a few more Shinigami along the way. But if I lose, you kill me, and everything ends for me. But I plan on winning, and if I think about it that way, you still live, and I will be able to believe in your ability to get retribution." Issei voiced his thought process as he gathered his strength thanks to Ascalon and Muramasa stitching him.

"That's comforting weirdly." Soifon mainly voiced herself since no one believed she could fight and defeat Yoruichi. They all just thought she was an obsessive cold-hearted bitch. Hell, even she didn't believe in herself that much. But this kid felt in her resolve even when she didn't, even if they had only known each other for about half an hour, and he did it out of genuine kindness.

"Yeah, sure," Issei stated, not knowing how his words would affect his future with Soifon. "Now, let's fight." Issei declared he got into a battle stance until Soifon asked him a simple question.

"What fight?"

Soifon voiced as she appeared behind Issei, holding the stinger of her Zanpaktuo to his neck. Issei glanced down to see Soifon's wrist had a barely visible hole with blood covering her entire arm.

"H-how did you get over here?" Issei asked in a slightly nervous tone until Soifon smirked at his reaction before whispering in his ear.

"It was surprisingly easy for me. Especially since I'm very…flexible." The Captain whispered seductively into his ear before blowing into it, making Issei stiffen in shock as he felt a little turned on by her flirting.

'OH. MY. GOD. She flirts with people she's about to kill!? And I'm surprisingly okay with that? That makes sense since I'm a little turned on by her actions right n-nOW!.' Issei thought until he felt a hand grab a specific part of his body, making his face turn red like a tomato. While he was embarrassed beyond belief, Soifon stroked his chest and began to heal his injuries but still held the stinger blade at his neck.

Tosen was glad he was blind because he was unsure of what he was hearing while Soifon stayed close to his ear and whispered some more.

"You know Issei. This was arguably one of the most exciting fights ever." Soifon said into his ear. "And it would kill me to eliminate such a promising sparring partner if you understand me?" Soifon voiced her opinion as Issei got the message from the woman causing him to nod quickly, getting the message she was saying. '

I'll let you live if we fight again.'

"It's good that you understand," Soifon said as she traced the stinger blade on Issei's jawline before glancing down at his chest and the rest of his body before smirking at him. "Not bad. You'd make a much more suitable replacement for my lazy-ass Lieutenant. Now, I was never here. You were never here. We have never met." Soifon stated with her arms crossed as Issei tilted his head at her.

"Who are you?" Issei questioned, stating that he understood.

"Good, see you later…Issei-kun." Soifon whispered before she disappeared, leaving a stunned brown-haired teenager.

"What The Actual Fuck, Just Happened?"

[I believe this is what you call a Good Ending, or is it a Red Flag in those Dating Games you play.] Muramasa said as he enjoyed the view and the show he was able to watch from his partner's point of view until Issei realized that Momo was gone except for Tosen.

"Dammit. I thought for sure he was gone too." Issei said as he looked at Tosen, as he drew his sword out and was about to speak until he collapsed from a figure behind him.

"Woah! Okay. Thanks for taking care of him, but who are Ugh!" Issei asked before feeling something pierce his stomach until he collapsed in the arms of the figure that knocked out Tosen.

"Let's get you somewhere safe. Now that I got Ichigo back at the base, we can work on training you both to become stronger." The voice said as the figure vanished with the Fullbringer on their shoulder.


Yoruichi nervously sat near Ichigo's unconscious body while holding a white mask with five thick red strips on the left side of it.

'I know Ichigo confided that he had Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow powers, but I hoped it wouldn't end up like this.' Yoruichi thought as she inspected the mask, only to disintegrate in her hands, causing her to narrow her eyes. 'It seems it's trying to get out of him.' Yoruichi concluded as she looked at Issei's unconscious body to see that his wounds were being healed by a golden light and stitched by strings that appeared all over his body.

Yoruichi turned to see Ichigo stirring in his sleep until he sat up before he looked at Yoruichi and appeared in front of the purple-haired Shinigami and grabbed her, and then threw her into a wall. "That's for drugging me and, from what I saw, leaving both Ganju and Hanatoro at the Shinigami's mercy!" Ichigo yelled at her before he felt something hit him in the face making him turn his head.

"Oh fuck! Ow! What are your fists made of? The same stuff as Kenpachi?" Ichigo asked as Yoruichi held her fist in pain before clenching her fingers to see they were not broken. "What the hell is your head made out of?" Yoruichi muttered, which Ichigo ignored as he yelled at Yoruichi.

"Why the hell did you take me away from them? If you had the time to save me, you could have easily taken Rukia from her cell?!" Ichigo demanded. "I could have held my own against Byakuya, long enough for you to escape with here!" Ichigo yelled at her until she hit his head, sending him into the wall.

"First off. Shut up. Secondly, you know nothing about the Soul Reapers' power, especially the Captains. You may have the powers of a Shinigami, but you have no idea how to wield its power. Thirdly, it's pointless to try and defeat an enemy you know absolutely nothing about. If you faced Byakuya as you are now, then you would've been as good as dead." Yoruichi explained as she heard Issei groan from his mat before sitting up.

"In that case, why don't you tell us what's so powerful that you had to drug me, leave everyone to their fate, and stare at us in our sleep?" Issei asked as he looked at Yoruichi's body before having a bloody nose from the goddess before him.

"What the hell! Your Yoruichi?! I thought you were just a talking cat!" Issei shouted as Yoruichi smirked at his question and was shocked before she adopted a severe look on her face.

"I wanted to help you both achieve the second release of your Zanpakto's. The technique is called Bankai (Final Release)." Yoruichi stated, and Ichigo looked away with a slight blush.

"I-Is that some sort of sex move or something?" Ichigo questioned nervously while Issei laughed heartily at his friend's pure heart and mind making Yoruichi rub the bridge of her nose as she shook her head.

"No, you idiot! Every Zanpaktuo has two releases. Shikai (Initial Release) and Bankai (Final Release), to achieve Shikai, you must learn your Zanpakto's name. To achieve Bankai, you must manifest your Zanpaktuo and fight them into submission." Yoruichi informed as she led the boys to an underground room that looked similar to Urahara's.

"It takes about ten years to manifest your Zanpaktuo spirit…." Yoruichi stated only to get interrupted by Issei.

"I've done it a few times actually, and it seems pretty easy to me," Issei said, and Yoruichi had to hide her surprise, but Ichigo seemed surprised since he didn't expect Issei to be able to do something like that.

"Are you sure?" Yoruichi asked, only to feel someone tap her shoulder.

"Indeed. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Yoruichi. My name is Muramasa. I am Issei Hyoudou's Zanpakto." The spirit surprised the Flash Goddess as she recognized the name from the Kuchiki family but to see that the Zanpakto Spirit has become something new and different makes her believe Kisuke's theory on why Muramasa's abilities are different from before when he was with Koga Kuchiki.

"In that case, the only way for you to obtain Bankai is by defeating your Zanpakto's and understanding what your Bankai is. The growth of a Zanpakto also reflects the growth of a person. General Captain Yamamoto is the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society. He has lived for a thousand years, years that have molded the man into the Head Captain the Soul Society knows as this nearly invincible and ancient being. His zanpakuto's raw power represents how those centuries tempered such an old soul. It's how Captains like Mayuri and Byakuya achieved Bankai at an extravagant level because they have a better understanding of themselves, which equates to power. Mastering your Zanpakto is understanding yourself as a person, and most of the Captains know who they are."

"But if that's the case, then how come Kenpachi didn't use his Bankai?" Ichigo asked as Yoruichi replied.

"He is an exception. For one to become Captain of Squad 11, then they must defeat and kill the Captain. It's how the rest of the squad respect their power and skills in battle." Yoruichi explained as she pulled out a doll and took Ichigo.

"Issei. I'll leave your Bankai training to Muramasa. He can help you better understand your Bankai and how to utilize it in combat. Once you unlock Bankai, I'll teach you what I once taught my pupil back when I was Captain." Yoruichi said as she took Ichigo to the other side of the training arena while Muramasa took Issei to the other side and produced a massive bird cage of strings around them both.

"Now then. This'll be your challenge. You must learn to fight with all that you know and defeat me in battle. You must learn how to combine your Shikai abilities, Fullbring, and Quincy abilities into one form. You've grown as you have learned how to use your strings for offense, defense, trapping, and healing, but now you need to master not just Bankai but also Quincy's final form. Your grandfather left a passage about that in his journal, though know that using Quincy's final form takes a tremendous amount of training. Are you prepared to enter the Forest of Death?" Muramasa asked as an illusion of a forest surrounded them both before Muramasa vanished into the area, making Issei gasp in shock before he felt an arrow pierce the back of his left shoulder.

"Heh. Then if that's how I get stronger, bring it on, Muramasa! I'm not one to back down from a fight!" Issei shouted as he summoned his bow and a couple of arrows.

"Let the hunt begin."


Scene!

Now Issei will obtain his Bankai, but it'll be a unique one since Muramasa never had a Bankai, but I have a couple of ideas on what his Bankai should be. As for his Quincy power, by final form, I meant the form Uryu took, but Issei won't be able to unlock it until he meets a particular Explosion.

Now Ichigo is strong and will kill people eventually. Still, it won't be Kenpachi or Ikkaku since both helped Ichigo evolve as a person, and also, the Third Seat deserves that promotion to a Lieutenant.

Also, as for Tatsuki, I wanted her to lose against Kurumi to learn that while she may wield a Longinus, she still has a long way to go before she can clash with a Low-Class Arrancar like Kurumi.

Chad and Orihime will also find a way to get stronger, but for now, they'll only be limited to the abilities that they have right now.