Hollowfied
By: Finn Mertenz
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR BLEACH. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN THEM.
Chapter 10: Sasuke's Quest! Saved By A Stranger.
Monday 7:16pm, August 29th 2020 A.D.
Basked by sparkling beams of twilight, the moon rose above the Seireitei, an orb of white. Vigorously panting above Tayuya's bloodstained outline, Naruto's own attire was soaked in crimson.
Straining to speak, Kushina's ethereal voice was unheard, bouncing off Naruto's deaf ears. Losing grip on his hilt, the metallic edge of his Zanpakutō reverberated, striking white stoned earth.
Falling forward, Naruto's whiskered and unconscious face struck cobbled Sekkiseki. Abruptly veiled by a looming shadow, Shibuki towered over him, turning his face from side-to-side.
"It's been a long time." Anko meowed.
Strolling with furred and black paws, this special feline sat with a twirling tail. The old Captain of Squad Two, she had connections from the past, several secrets that she kept hidden.
Meanwhile.
"I'm just glad you're okay." Gaara chewed.
Eating stolen food, Hinata snagged this meal from an opened window seal. Two living beings into the Soul Society, they still required food, and the necessity of rest, striving to survive.
Dressed in their tattered school uniforms, grey fabric was scoffed with pebbled dust. Sitting inside a desolate warehouse, the wall and ceiling was lined with cobwebs, thick with funneled thread.
Nervously twirling her fingers, Hinata gaze lingered upon Gaara's needle-pricked hilt. The handle to his Zanpakutō, it had no cross-guard, instead, layered and layered with tan linen.
As puzzled as his friend, Gaara couldn't explain the foreign blade he now carried. Because he didn't understand his own past, conveniently forgetting the twisted experiments on his childhood.
"Don't mention it." Hinata stammered.
Lying about their method of escape, Hinata's daring determination went unspoken. Unable to process her discovered might, she didn't know what to think, or how too feel, it was a blur.
To save Gaara, to prove her worth and too show her value, that was Hinata's goal. A dream she managed to accomplish, unlocking powers that she didn't understand, not yet.
Meanwhile.
Revitalized from a short nap, Sasuke frantically searched for Rin, developing attachment. Since the loss of Shisui, the loss of Itachi, his life was an empty shell, devoid of friends or family.
Atleast, until Naruto came along, bringing with him a familiar sensation of warmth. The comfortable heat of an ally, an acquaintance, a friend, a word Sasuke forgot about in recent years.
Seeking to cherish this renown emotion, he would do anything to stand beside Naruto. Blindly dashing down an endless street of white, his shoes clapped cemented bricks of Sekkiseki.
Confronted by the wide, curved and flat silhouette of a bandaged Zanpakutō, he froze. Blocking his path, Chōjūrō stepped out from behind this blade, holding one of its twin handles.
The 3rd seat for Squad Ten, Chōjūrō was originally the fourth seat, over twelve years ago. Now, he served under Haku, adorned with a black shihakushō and a white sash around his waist.
Wielding Hiramekarei, Chōjūrō's Zanpakutō was well known, apart of a vast collection. Once, he belonged to a group of seven Soul Reapers with sibling blades, now, the last loyal member.
A shy individual, Chōjūrō lacked all confidence in his abilities, questioning his rank. Losing role models from his past, he second-guessed his own role, a nervous child playing solider.
With pale skin, his hair was short, tufty and a faded shade of blue with spiked bangs. Rubbing squinted eyes, his face was timid and stretched, eager to end the sensation of conflict.
"Sorry... I can't let you go." Chōjūrō apologized.
Plucking his wrapped Zanpakutō from the ground, he swung its enlarged girth. Uprooted sections of Sekkiseki, broken rock spewed out, polluting the street with dirt and debris.
Unleashing a dazzled barrage of arrows, each projectile beamed like sapphire. Fueled by Sasuke's Reiatsu, his quiver was endless, drawing tangible Reiryoku from the environment.
Narrowly rolling from the vertical slash of Chōjūrō, his Zanpakutō sundered earth. Bisecting an erected wall of Sekkiseki, blue light ruptured into a cylindrical sphere, leaving a crater behind.
Just 12 years old, Sasuke fought a 19 year old Soul Reaper, an immortal guardian. Unyielding and determined to stand, he fought for missing friends, putting his life on the line.
Twenty minutes later.
Crouched beneath a self-made fort of wooden crates, Rin hid from sight. A normal girl in an unnatural world, she eerily felt out of place, missing her bed, and the smell of her books.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara or even Hinata, Rin possessed no known power. Still, she frequently found herself in the thick of action, the center of attention for many Hollows.
Oblivious to the aura inside, Rin had no idea what residual essence she commanded. Born on the exact date and time as Naruto, they shared similar youths, each missing their parents.
Now, sulking over past mistakes, Rin's face was downcast, holding her chin with each palm. Lost in thought, she became startled by Gennō's aged and arched back, hunched at an angle.
The 3rd seat of Squad Five, Gennō served Obito, a Quincy who passed into the Seireitei. Entering the Soul Society with Kakashi, he was the only Quincy to pass over, to become a Soul Reaper at death.
Fighting under this former Quincy with distinction, Gennō was a 60 year old man. Wearing a black shihakushō with a white sash, his skin was wrinkled and covered in liver spots.
Extending from the coiled collar of his attire, a black cowl was stretched upright and over. Concealing his scalp and the entirety of his hair, only a withered face was visible, framed like a photo.
"By order of my Captain, you will go no further." Gennō's voice was rasp.
Unsheathing a worn Zanpakutō, this blade was older than its underaged opponent. Defined by a wooden sheath, hilt and scabbard, this Zanpakutō resembled a grasscutter with chipped edges.
Plunging this weapon out, Gennō's attack barely missed Rin, striking bare Sekkiseki. Slashing and slicing, this blade shredded strays clumps of cloth, falling from Rin's short skirt.
Serving as a member of the Middle School Volleyball Team, Rin's finesse was trained. Flipping with splendid reflexes, she preformed cartwheel after cartwheel, maneuvering from plight.
Clasping the wooden tip of his pommel, Gennō's alarm reached heightened levels. Enthralled by recent news, he wasted no time to chance, weary from the defeats of Tayuya, Dosu and Shikamaru.
"Explode; Kuba." His elderly voice murmured.
Triggered by this set of words, Gennō's Zanpakutō molted like a rotten carcass. Engulfed by a crackling torrent of flames, the previous length of his katana was replaced by a naginata.
The stretched length of a polearm, he swept this unique blade in a horizontal slash. Running like a game of track, Rin leapt to safety, displaying the expertise of a veteran athlete.
One hour later.
A steady stream of blood dripped from the opened wound on Sasuke's fingers. Brandishing a transparent bow, this weapon was fueled by Reiatsu, enamored with the hue of sapphire.
Embroiled in an extensive conflict, he panted for air while Chōjūrō gasped aloud. The surrounding landscape was scarred, beaten and torn to near ruin, Sekkiseki absorbed the blunt of damage.
Wielding the twin hilts of Hiramekarei, Chōjūrō awakened his Shikai with a cry. With the phrase, Separate; Hiramekarei, previous linen was parted by watery Reiatsu, azure and glinted.
Sharing identical tones, static arrows clashed against pulsating beams of Reiatsu. Fighting in far-off alleyways, their battle commenced inside the outskirts of Squad Ten's compound.
Watching this confrontation, a sole raven perched atop ornate shingles of orange. Situated on the slanted roof of a collapsed building, this sable craven glared with a jittery beak.
Blindsided by Chōjūrō's startling advance, Sasuke used his ethereal bow like a staff. Colliding with the sound of thrashing waves, the air was permeated by a lingering mixture of Reiryoku.
For a Quincy, fighting in the Soul Society was a taboo act, unnatural and unheard of. Unlike Soul Reapers, Humans and Quincy continued to age in the world of the dead, discovered by Itachi.
But, this revelation didn't dampen Sasuke's resolve, lit by a fiery desire for friendship. Parrying the occasional strike of a Zanpakutō, the spiritual hull of his bow wavered on impact.
Launching a swollen projectile, spiky black hair rustled beneath an artificial breeze. Met by the liquified aura from Chōjūrō's duel blades, his released Zanpakutō sprung into action.
Revealing curved indentations near its base, they formed a self-made cross-guard. Constructed with metallic alloy and a blackened tone, each blade emanated a glow of stark sapphire.
A battle reaching the level of Lieutenant, opposing forces battered one another. Entertainment for a pair of crimson eyes, a shadowy silhouette stalked these opponents from a hidden distance.
Meanwhile.
Using flat palms to flip and twirl, Rin evaded the rapid slashes from Gennō's advance. With scoffed shoes from school, she kicked his wrinkled face, dislodging droplets of spit.
Scaling crumbled chunks of Sekkiseki, she eventually stood atop the roof of a wall. Briefly embarrassed by the short length of her skirt, she tugged on ruffled cloth, trying to hide her thighs.
Alarmed by the raised tip of Gennō's Zanpakutō, Rin's eyes dashed to an opened manhole. Crouching beneath a torrent of explosive tags, these inscribed pages fumed from Gennō's naginata.
Sliding from harm, Rin fell into a labyrinth of underground tunnels, canals and safehouses. Built solely for Squad Four to traverse the Soul Society, it was a confusing maze to all else.
Now, watching his opponent flea into the darkness below, Gennō cursed his bad luck. Sheathing his Zanpakutō with a dramatic flare of scarlet Reiatsu, he knew how deadly the labyrinth was.
One hour later.
"Really? All by yourself?" Gaara was stunned.
Shocked by Hinata's statement, he scratched strands of crimson hair in confusion. Carrying the needle-pricked handle of his blade, this tan scabbard dangled from his grey school pants.
Hinata confronted a Soul Reaper and dragged Gaara to safety, a factual decree. Now, they discussed her strange abilities, powers and skill from an unknown place, with no explanation.
"Yea... It really was weird, huh?" Hinata stammered.
Usually a shy and timid girl, Hinata's budding persona slowly crept from her shell. She wanted to understand the meaning of life, to hold her own purpose and value, like a hero.
Manipulating Reiryoku into a vibrant aura of white, Hinata learned to control Reiatsu. However, this surprising revelation had no answers, enthralled by secret might from a buried power.
"So, these are the Ryoka?" Fū murmured.
The 4th seat for Squad Nine, Fū was accompanied by his upcoming teammate. Known as Torune, he was the 3rd seat of Squad Nine, and a fanatic servant of his captain, Danzo.
Standing upright while his partner knelt, Fū's face was framed by vibrant orange hair. With fair skin and amber-colored eyes, he was a 19 year old spirit, a Soul Reaper for the underworld.
An identical age to his friend and draped in a familiar shihakushō, Torune hummed. Wearing a black mask, his hair was the same tone, jutting out from atop his freshly-trimmed scalp.
"Lord Danzo wants both of them, dead." Torune praised his Captain.
Strapped with slanted tantō's on their back, each hilt protruded over their right shoulder. Layered in black bandages, they unsheathed these blades, directing them with lethal intent.
Wielding his own Zanpakutō, Gaara was pierced by the needled pricks on his hilt. Enthralled with an out-of-this-world sensation, his arm blindly twitched and spasmed, clenching tight.
Fighting with instinct, Gaara unknowingly deflected a vertical slash from Torune's tantō. Spraying stray sparks, the sound of metal grinding against metal polluted the air, the sound of Zanpakutō.
Scantly hesitating, Hinata confronted a charging Fū, with eyes pure like diamonds. Gripping the sharpened edge of his Zanpakutō, she stopped him with her bare hands, cloaked in white.
Young students, mortal Humans far from home, Gaara and Hinata stood firm. Characterized by unique goals and devout resolutions, each of them refused to back down, for Sakura.
Four hours later.
Opening his eyes, Sasuke woke from a poorly rested nap, groaning aloud. Estranged by a staggering crater of earth, dirt and Sekkiseki, his previous opponent, Chōjūrō, disappeared from sight.
Taking the chance to recuperate, Sasuke escaped, creating vast distance for safety. Tearing the religious and stained cloth of his attire, he crudely bandaged the wounds on his fingertips.
Spiked hair was slick and scoffed with dust, coloring his white robes in a layer of beige. Propped against a cobbled wall, black eyes danced across sparkling stars, counting their number.
Still recovering from old and past battles, Sasuke closed his eyes for a second time. Preparing another search for Rin, he had to regain his strength, slipping into unconscious slumber.
Meanwhile.
"Don't worry! You're almost there!" Moegi encouraged.
Directing Guy, the Captain of Squad Eleven dashed throughout dozens of alleys. Continuing his endless search, he combed countless streets of the Seireitei, running all day without pause.
"You said that five hours ago." Guy groaned.
Swiftly pointing over an adjacent wall, Moegi tugged on Guy's tattered haori. Denoting his rank as a Captain, this aged cloth was covered in old cuts and ancient holes from bygone conflicts.
"Over that wall!" Moegi declared.
Grumbling in annoyance, Guy raised a sole leg to his chest, unleashing a kick. Terrifying in scope and scale, he demolished a concrete barrier of Sekkiseki, his blow to fierce too absorb.
"Then let's go that way!" Guy's resolve was absolute.
Meanwhile.
An all encompassing abyss, as black as the void with a darkened and dense aura. Naruto drifted aimlessly with ungrounded feet, glancing for any and all sources of light, a way out.
Bridging the horizon like a crescent of scarlet, Kushina extended motherly grace. Abruptly dampened by a horrific roar, the screech of a Hollow radiated, trailed by a twisted shade of orange.
Roused by a steady trickle of water, Naruto rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Sprawled across grey rock, he rested in the Prehistoric Catacombs, the cemented foundation for the Seireitei.
Seated on his knees, Shibuki loomed over a pristine canal of crystal clear water. Squeezing crimson liquid from a dirtied rag, his face was encircled by sporadic clumps of brown hair.
"Good, you're finally awake." Anko napped in Naruto's lap.
Licking her furred paws clean, this black cat purred aloud with a swishing tail. Pushed aside with frantic protest, her whiskers jutted like Naruto's, yawning with feline reflexes.
With an opened medical bag, Shibuki carried an assortment of restorative pills. Designed for the dead, he had no idea if they worked on the living, but that didn't deter or stop him.
"Try these, they should help with your muscles." Shibuki offered a handful.
Nodding in approval, Anko sneezed as Naruto swallowed a mouthful of medicine. Gagging on a revolting taste, spewed spit flung from his mouth, wheezing and choking for air.
The third seat for Squad Four, Shibuki was a 15 year old Soul Reaper, and a friend. Originally serving in Squad Twelve, he migrated after the departure of his Captain, the loss of Minato.
"It feels like I'm dying..." Naruto groaned.
"That might be a side-effect." Anko wrinkled her nose.
Sticking his tongue out in a numbed stupor, Naruto's whiskers twitched and throbbed. Grabbing his throat, regurgitated moans were muffled by streaming water, diluted by vomit.
Why was he here, wasting time instead of looking for Sakura, an outspoken question. Met by the leering gaze of Shibuki, he was the former physician for Squad Thirteen's Lieutenant.
"You ran around all day, that didn't help much." She licked her paw.
Defeating Dosu and Tayuya in his rampage, these injured Lieutenants earned renown. This prestige now swelled throughout the Seireitei, bringing new and old Soul Reapers to alarm.
"I saw the Senzaikyū." Naruto murmured.
Saw, but unable to reach, physically exhausted from his fierce battle with Tayuya. A conflict he scantly remembered, moments of thought were nothing but haze, obliterated from memory.
Struck by a beaned boop from Anko's paw, she stiffly meowed in protest. Explaining the relentless Soul Reapers above, she forced him to rest, discussing a plan early in the morning.
Two hours later.
"Aren't you coming with?" Rin offered her hand to Anko.
Biting this outstretched palm, Rin recoiled, retracting her sprung arm with haste. Guided through the Prehistoric Catacombs, the tunnel below was sealed by a furry black paw.
"What about Naruto?" Complaining, she bit her own finger.
Escorted throughout the labyrinth beneath her, Rin now stood atop a marbled surface. Hewn and layered into brick, the Seireitei was lined and constructed with ornate Sekkiseki.
Standing up to stretch, Rin's back jointed while muscles popped, groaning with relief. Raising her face to the sky, the painted rectangles on her cheek were chipped and flaked off.
"I hope Hinata is doing better than me." Falling to her butt, she sat.
Unknown and unheard, Fū and Torune chased after Hinata and Gaara in the background. While this occurred, Rin continued to sit with a sulking head, burying her face into crossed arms.
"You look lost." Kagerō spoke.
The Lieutenant of Squad Twelve, Kagerō served directly under Orochimaru. With skin as pale as snow and minty green hair, pupils were highlighted with a deep hue of sapphire.
"You should come with me, I can help." She offered an extended hand.
Usually emotionless and devoid of expression, a faint smile etched itself into view. Meekly accepting this aid, Rin sought to grab Kagerō's palm, blockaded at the last moment by an arrow.
Leaping between these young girls, Sasuke's face was sneered with bare teeth. With an iron cross draped around his right wrist, an arch of azure stretched forth, shaped like a bow.
"Don't touch her." Sasuke's eyes were sharp.
Caressing her own chin with innocence, Kagerō gently stroked an towering wall of Sekkiseki. Melting beneath her fingertips, dense rock dissolved into a puddled pile of wet ooze.
"I just want to play." Kagerō's tone was benign.
Tilting her head to the side, strands of pale emerald hair rustled as wind thrashed out. Anxious from this confrontation, Rin was startled by Kagerō's strange nature, missing all emotion.
Launching another barrage of arrows, the air was singed by a bright beam of sapphire. Cutting threads of viridescent hair, Kagerō evaded these projectiles, sliding across the ground.
Deprived of a Zanpakutō, Kagerō was strangled by the iron collar on her emaciated neck. Illuminated by dazzling starlight from overhead, her shihakushō was sprinkled in a layer of white dust.
"Oh dear, these aren't the Ryoka." Orochimaru moaned.
Walking around a hole-stained wall of stone, Orochimaru's hair wavered beneath wind. Washing over the pristine cloth of his white haori, pebbled dust and freckled debris stained him.
"You've caught the wrong experiments, I need the blond one with whiskers." He shook his head.
Apologizing with a bowed face and pleading palms, Kagerō knelt in front of her Captain. The target for a hail of arrows, this bombardment was shattered by the swept hand of Orochimaru.
"I've already played with enough Quincy, run along." His attention was elsewhere.
Unconcerned and disinterested, Orochimaru turned to leave, but arrows blocked his path. Puncturing the cobbled earth near each foot, he was unable to advance, surrounded by blue light.
"I dare you to say that again!" Sasuke's teeth were clenched.
Raising an outstretched hand, Kagerō stood before directing her right index finger outward. Swollen with a brief build up of static and arched lightning, she unleashed Hado Number Four: Byakurai.
Unleashing a concentrated beam of buzzing Reiatsu, it blindly surged forth with great speed. Leveled by sideway shots from Sasuke, a volley of arrows broke off her energetic attack.
Moving beyond Kagerō's understanding, Sasuke vanished into a blurred and faded mirage. Instantly teleporting across the damaged landscape, he emerged atop a crumbled wall of Sekkiseki.
Quivering another hail of arrows, they spat out in repetition, like a Gatling Gun of blue. While Kagerō rolled for safety, Orochimaru yawned with boredom, raising a sole hand to his face.
"The Hirenkyaku? Not bad, but I've studied enough of your kind." Orochimaru didn't care.
Hirenkyaku was an advanced form of Quincy movement, employed only by their clan. While Reiatsu was the physical pressure or force released from a person's Reiryoku, when released.
Ordinarily, this is where the knowledge of Humans would stop, but Sasuke was more than that. Weaving currents of Reishi, spirit particles, he could ride these currents beneath his feet.
A similar technique to a Hollows Sonido and the Shunpo of a Soul Reaper, his speed was renown. But the Captain of Squad Twelve didn't care, annoyed by Sasuke's persistence.
"Say... I once had this experiment you remind me of, but I can't remember his name." He scratched his sickly chin.
"He always claimed that someone would rescue him, but what was his name?" This question stung.
Enthralled by these words, Sasuke's stressful teeth grinded against one another. With shaking hands, his ethereal bow of blue Reiatsu buzzed and pulsated, humming like a chittered insect.
"He was convinced that the Quincy actually mattered, that they held a future..." He couldn't remember the name.
Launched with unflinching courage, a sole arrow seared strands of hair from Orochimaru. Moaning with awe, his reptilian and snake-like eyes narrowed, as yellow as amber and honey.
Using his own body as a wall, Sasuke shielded Rin from sight, partially exposed. Catching a glimpse of this specimen, a forked tongue slithered from Orochimaru's mouth, licking his lips.
"But that doesn't matter... Who is your friend here?" His eyes were sharp.
Like Kakashi, Guy and Kimimaro, Orochimaru was a veteran Soul Reaper, a warrior. Able to dissect what amateurs couldn't perceive, he took sight of a unique power, beyond Hollow and Soul Reaper.
The Hōgyoku, a small crystal-clear orb that contained a bluish-purple sphere of light. Originally built and designed by Minato, but, instead of one, another was constructed by unknown hands.
Top secret to some but well know too others, the Hōgyoku allegedly bridged the words. That was the intent behind their inception, to dissolve the boundaries between Hollow and Soul Reaper.
However, its true power was more, an ability beyond the knowledge of its creators. To sense the heart of those around it, and materialize their deepest desires, like a dream come to life.
The center of this focus, the eye of the storm, Rin didn't understand her own past. Like Gaara, her memory was distorted and distilled, drained of key moments and figures through life.
"I'll gladly take you in! And your cell will be right next to my office." His voice was sincere.
"I'll limit experimental procedures to three a day, and I'll give you my finest grade of pain supplements." He smiled.
A truly generous offer, at least, from the feared and freakish Captain of Squad Twelve. He boasted about his kind nature, characterized by the squinted and sharpened eyes of a snake.
Waving a hand to grab, Orochimaru held his right arm adrift, basked by moonlight. Swiftly evaporated into scorched chunks of flesh, this Captain howled as he was struck by a single arrow.
"His name was Shisui." Sasuke spat.
Shrouded by the throbbing arch of Reiatsu he held, Sasuke's bow glimmered like jewels. Changing attention back to the tormented Quincy his opponent mocked, the air was polluted.
Spiraling currents of thick Reiatsu permeated the narrow alleyway, as dense as mist. Instantly dispelled by a crushing aura of pressure, this display took the appearance of heavy rain.
Forcing Rin onto both knees, she pressed each palm against the ground, barely breathing. More resilient, but still no match, even Sasuke began to stagger and waver, resting on one knee.
"That was quite bold of you." Orochimaru chuckled.
Holding the seared and singed stub of his arm for all to see, his smile was wickedly twisted. Oblivious to the pools of blood and bodily ichor that dripped from his wound, he didn't care.
Without warning, Orochimaru's remaining hand viciously gripped his lower jawline. Shoving two fingers inside his own mouth, he dislocated his jaw from its socket, allowing it to hang.
Gurgling, choking and regurgitating, the Captain of Squad Twelve gagged on wads of spit. Vomiting an outstretched hand, another palm trailed after it, clawing from Orochimaru's mouth.
Expelling an entire carcass from his gullet, Orochimaru crumbled into powdered white ash. But this relief was swept aside by a sadistic cackle, protruding from the slimed body below.
"But, I'm beyond wounds like that." His neck was soaked in mucus and ooze.
Standing up to stretch, his limbs shook lingering bile to the earth, drying his haori. Replacing the previous arm that was shattered, a new hand took its place, still pale and white as snow.
"As I said, I don't care about you, I want the girl." His attention was else where.
Quivering another arrow in reply, this projectile rushed forth, intercepted by Kagerō. Grabbing this static beam of Reiatsu, it dispersed in her palms, burning skin black with charred patches.
"Don't get in the way!" Orochimaru barked.
Swatting his loyal subordinate to the side, Kagerō's petite silhouette was battered. Colliding against a half-stacked wall of Sekkiseki, she slid to her side, leaking blood from her ear.
"Stop that! She's your Lieutenant!" Sasuke protested.
Insulted by this declaration, Orochimaru shuffled forward, harshly yanking Kagerō's hair. Poked and prodded, this injured Soul Reaper endured her Captain's advance, trained like a dog.
"You're right! She's mine! I own her! I can do anything I see fit!" Orochimaru growled.
Dropping the scalp of his Lieutenant, she fell to his feet, abruptly kicked without pause. Left in utter ruin by this sight, the mouth of Rin and Sasuke fell open, gawking with saucer-like eyes.
"Do you get it now? If I want to kill her, I will." His words were curdled.
Faced against a foreign and fanatic Soul Reaper with the experience of a thousand years. This realization didn't deter Sasuke's resolve, standing like a stoic Quincy from olden legends.
Emboldened by snickered insults about Shisui, Sasuke met a stark and traumatizing ideal. He stood in front of Shisui's murderer, the man that struck him from the living world.
"Is that what you said, about the Quincy?" Sasuke stepped forward.
Walking with hollowed feet, adjacent Sekkiseki was crumbled and pulverized like dust. Turned to shrapnel of blue, flakes of glistening light were drained from the encompassing environment.
Funneled into the vibrant bow Sasuke held, its emblazoned girth tripled in size. Growing with each second, this surge in strength earned an intrigued moan from Orochimaru.
Estranged from his clan, his family and his purpose, a final memory from the past was Shisui. Now, confronting the same Soul Reaper that robbed him of this guardian, he stood without fear.
