Rukia Kuckiki vs. Sakura Haruno
(Bleach vs. Naruto)
(Cue Death Battle Intro)
H20Flame: For every hero in Shonen manga, there's always a heroine along with him. Though they usually don't get nearly as powerful as the hero, they can hold their own quite well.
TyForestWrites: And these two are, with little doubt, the most iconic! Rukia Kuchiki, the shinigami who brought Ichigo Kurosaki into the world of Bleach.
H20Flame: And Sakura Haruno, the female teammate of Naruto Uzumaki. He's TyForestWrites and I'm H20Flame.
TyForestWrites: And it's our job to research their powers, abilities, and weaponry to find out who would win a Death Battle!
Rukia
Background
-Name: Rukia Kuchiki
-Age: Physically 15~; Spiritually 150~
-Height: 4' 8"
-Occupation: Shinigami; Captain of the 13th Division of Soul Society
-Ichigo can't handle the speed of the world without her in it
TyForestWrites: Ichigo Kurosaki was your typical high school teenager with a typical high school life, aside from a dead mother. Just one other thing, though... he could see ghosts. But, unlike what most other people would do, he didn't really treat it as such a big deal. Until one day, he encountered what was known as a Hollow, a monster that eats innocent spirits, and met the one person who changed his life forever: Rukia Kuchiki.
Rukia: (leaps down and cleaves a Hollow in two, right down the middle)
H20Flame: Buuut they didn't exactly start off the best of friends, if you know what I mean.
Rukia: (to herself) It's getting closer... I feel it...
Ichigo: (kicks Rukia in the back of the head) WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!
Ichigo: (while Rukia lays on the ground, extremely confused) If you think you're a burglar, you're not a very good one!
H20Flame: Due to this... less than ideal encounter, I doubt either of them could've predicted the unbreakable bond they would share throughout the rest of their lives... in a completely platonic way, of course.
TyForestWrites: (staring at the thousands of scenes of Ichigo and Rukia giving each other bedroom eyes) Yeah... COMPLETELY PLATONIC. Anyway, Rukia is what is known as a Soul Reaper, or Shinigami, who are invisible to normal humans, just like ghosts, and have two jobs; guiding souls into the afterlife, aka the Soul Society, and kill/purify Hollows, who in turn see Soul Reapers as the most delicious snack of them all.
H20Flame: Soul Reapers are powered by Reishi, or spiritual energy, which power their attacks and, well, keep them from fading away into oblivion. And some people contain a large amount of this energy, and are practically destined to become Soul Reapers when they die and find their way to the Soul Society. And due to this, they can eventually summon a sword formed by their inner soul, known as a Zanpakuto, or Soul Slayer. And each one has an individual spirit that manifests in the Soul Reaper's conscious, and the more the reaper and spirit bond, the more powerful they become.
Zanpakuto
-Base: Just a regular katana
-Shikai: Sode no Shirayuki
—"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki"
—Translates to "Sleeves of White Snow"
—First Dance: White Moon
—Second Dance: White Ripple
—Third Dance: White Sword
—Juhaku
—Ice-Rope Connection
-Bankai: Hakka no Togame
—Translates to "White Haze Punishment"
TyForestWrites: Not to mention, every Zanpakuto is unique, and Rukia's is certainly no different. Her's is called Sode no Shirayuki, an ice type Zanpakuto that is supposedly the most beautiful in all of Soul Society. While every Zanpakuto in their base mode look like a plain old katana, once it has been given their activation command, in Rukia's case "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki", the blade transforms into what is known as Shikai, a pretty basic transformation that is pretty much essential if a Soul Reaper wants to make a name for themselves. Though weirdly, the blade doesn't spread out coldness as one might think. Instead, its actual ability is to bring the body temperature of its wielder to a temperature below freezing. As a result, anything its wielder touches freezes, the sword itself merely increasing their reach. A bit weird, but hey, I didn't write this.
H20Flame: Shikai allows a slew of different techniques too. Rukia has what are known as "dances", and all are designed as ice based attacks. The first dance, "White Moon", creates a small circle of ice on the ground that doesn't look too impressive, but anything within the range of that circle is immediately frozen in a pillar of ice. The second dance, "White Ripple", fires a blast of ice from the tip of her sword to also freeze her targets. And the third dance, "White Sword", simply extends the blade of her Zanpakuto, but it can also reform the blade if it's ever broken. She can also use what is called "Juhaku", when she stabs the ground and makes a trail of ice that can freeze a victim from the base up. And finally, she can use "Ice-Rope Connection", which pretty much gives her an ice extension to connect her hand to the sword hilt, allowing her to use Sode no Shirayuki's abilities at a distance.
TyForestWrites: But then, we have what is truly the trump card of all highly experienced Soul Reapers, a sword transformation that is pretty much required to have if one wants to become a Soul Reaper Captain. Possibly my favorite type of transformation in all of anime... Bankai. The final stage of transformation a Zanpakuto can undertake, and undoubtedly the most powerful. And though it took a while, Rukia made her way to that level to get her Bankai, known as Hakka no Togame, or "White Haze Punishment". Whichever you prefer.
H20Flame: And Rukia's Bankai is probably one of the most overpowered abilities in Bleach. Once it is activated, which takes a great level of concentration, might I add, everything within a city wide range gets completely frozen in ice, and the temperature around her drops to absolute zero. You know, the coldest something can ever get. And should an opponent survive even that, Rukia is literally untouchable, as merely touching her also begins to freeze the victim solid. And that's only if they survive the activation! One would normally just be frozen immediately, and then crumble away. And it is thanks to this Bankai that Rukia was eventually able to become the Soul Reaper Captain of Squad 13.
TyForestWrites: And she wouldn't have become a Captain if that was all she could do.
Kido
-Healing Kido
-Bakudo #1: Sai
—Locks the target's arms behind their back
-Bakudo #4: Hainawa
—Creates a rope of energy and throws it at a foe, immobilizing them
-Bakudo #9: Geki
—Engulfs a foe in red energy and paralyzes them
-Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro
—Summons six thin, wide sheets of light that impale the target and immobilize them
—All Bakudo can be broken out of if the victim has enough spiritual energy
-Hado #4: Byakurai
—Shoots a beam of lightning from a finger
—Can be powered up by using both hands
-Hado #33: Sokatsui
—Shoots a blast of blue flames
-Hado #73: Soren Sokatsui
—A stronger version of Sokatsui
—Releases a large wave of fire from both hands
TyForestWrites: Kido is another form of attacks that are powered by Reishi. It basically gives a Soul Reaper a large variety of magical abilities to use at their disposal to make their jobs considerably easier. They also come in two types; Bakudo and Hado. Bakudo is mainly used for restraining opponents while Hado is used for pure offense. The two often go hand and hand to form some pretty sweet combo moves. Specific types of Kido can also be used to heal others.
H20Flame: Rukia in particular is what is known as a Kido Expert, meaning that she's nearly top tier when it comes to proficiency with it. While Kido is mostly used after saying a rather long incantation, Kido Experts and Kido Masters can perform most spells without the need for it. But even if they do, performing the full incantation actually powers up the spell to its maximum capacity, which is mainly how Bakudo and Hado go together well; Bakudo restrains an opponent, which in turn gives the wielder time to perform the full incantation for a Hado, boosting the attack. It's simple, yet very effective.
TyForestWrites: The ones we have listed are ones that she has canonically used in the series, though it is almost certain that she can do more. The most powerful of the Bakudo she has used is the sixty first, Rikujokoro, which summons six pillars of light to completely entrap a foe from six different angles. And perhaps the most powerful Hado she can pull off is the seventy third, Soren Sokatsui, which blasts a huge wave of fire out of her hands to blast away her opponent. But wait! There's more!
Other Abilities
-Kido Expert
-Expert Swordsman
-Shunpo Expert
-Proficient at hand to hand
-Enhanced strength
-Enhanced durability
H20Flame: While she's not as good at sword fighting as she is at Kido, she's even admitted as such, she's still an expert at it. And even when unarmed, she's still good at CQC, which was apparent when she lost her powers after transferring them to Ichigo to save both of their lives. She's also an expert at Shunpo, or "flash step", which pretty much allows the user to seemingly disappear out of sight and appear elsewhere, though it's less teleportation and more a small burst of speed, which is actually pretty useful for disappearing in front of a foe and then reappearing behind them for a quick attack.
TyForestWrites: She's also pretty physically strong too. Even without her powers (as well as lack of size), she's able to toss and hit around normal humans like nothing. Not to mention her durability, where she not only survived being impaled through the stomach, but also allowing her an opening to kill the Hollow that managed to pull it off. And she survived the whole ordeal!
Feats
-One of the most skilled Soul Reapers in Soul Society
-Regularly kills Hollows on her own
-Defeated Di Roy Rinker, an Arrancar, with no effort
-Managed to catch Grimmjow, the 6th Espada, off guard
—Grimmjow was currently beating the crap out of Ichigo
-Fought and killed Aaroniero Arruruerie, the 9th Espada
—Aaroniero was constantly psychologically messing with her by disguising as Kaien Shiba
—Managed to shrug off getting impaled by him long enough to kill him
-Defeated Rudbornn Chelute, the leader of the Exequias Arrancar
—Rudobon had an endless army at his disposal
-Fought and killed Äs Nödt after activating Bankai
—Äs Nödt could steal Bankais and make people so scared, they lose rational thought
H20Flame: That aforementioned Hollow was none other than the ninth Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, aka the ninth most powerful Hollow JOSH GROBAN ever made... Wait a minute, what did I just say-
TyForestWrites: Not to mention she caught Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the sixth Espada, off guard, and that guy was currently beating the utter crap out of Ichigo.
H20Flame: Hey, wait! Are we seriously not gonna discuss what I just-
TyForestWrites: She also played a major role in defeating Rudbornn Chelute, the leader of the Exequias Arrancar, aka the executioners of Aizen's main base in Las Noches. And he had an entire army at his disposal!
H20Flame: Wait, how come you can say JOSH GROBAN's name, but I can't-
TyForestWrites: And perhaps most impressive of all is her victory over Äs Nödt, the Quincy Sternritter who could steal Bankais just by looking at someone! And how did she beat him? By activating her Bankai. But that proved to be a near fatal move, so Flame, if you could discuss her weaknesses?
Weaknesses
-Is more proficient at Kido than her actual sword skills
-Ice attacks in both Shikai and Bankai can risk harming her body
-Bankai must be performed perfectly, or else there are dangerous consequences
-Bankai has a time limit
-Couldn't survive the bullsh*t that was the manga ending
H20Flame: You... but... I... ugh... whatever. Aside from being less proficient in her sword skills, her Zanpakuto is pretty dangerous to use. Since her sword's ability lowers her body temperature, she's technically slowly killing her body, and has to maintain the temperature in order to keep from dying, and the same can be said for Bankai, only MORE dangerous, as the temperature is at absolute zero. And not only does Bankai have a time limit, it must be activated perfectly, and we can't stress "perfectly" enough, or there is a good chance Rukia would die. Not to mention the manga endi-
TyForestWrites: NO. NONE OF THAT. SHAME ON YOU.
H20Flame: Yeah, good point. We're better off just forgetting it.
TyForestWrites: But either way, Rukia Kuchiki is known as one of the most talented Soul Reapers in Soul Society for a reason. The last thing you want to do is mess with her or her friends.
Rukia: (to Ichigo) Is your inability to protect your friends that terrifying to you?! If you are afraid to lose... then get stronger. If you want to protect those you love, then do what you have to do to protect them. If the Hollow inside of you is that terrible, then get strong enough to crush it. Even if no one else in the world believes in you, stick out your chest and scream your defiance! The Ichigo I know is that kind of man!
Sakura
Background
-Name: Sakura Haruno-Uchiha
-Age: 30~
-Height: 5' 6"
-Weight: 100~ lbs
-Has quite the large forehead
H20Flame: If you're looking for some kind of tragic backstory, you've come to the wrong place. Sakura Haruno was born in the Hidden Leaf Village, with dreams to become a powerful ninja... Okay, that's a bit of a lie, she really just wanted to join the local ninja academy because of a guy. Because what else better motivates adolescent girls? And honestly, it's questionable whether it was even worth it, considering that guy's name is Sasuke Uchiha, the biggest Edgelord in anime, and the second biggest of all time, right behind Sephiroth at number one.
TyForestWrites: Come on, it worked out in the end for her, right?
H20Flame: Yeah, after multiple betrayals and attempted murders. She is way too forgiving.
TyForestWrites: (groans) Well, anyway, she at least took her ninja training somewhat seriously. Over time, she became known as one of the best to come out of the academy, so let's see what she can do.
Weapons and Items
-Kunai knife
—can be coated with poison
—a paper bomb can be attached to it
-Shurikens
-Smoke bombs
-Sleep bombs
-Food pills
H20Flame: Essentials for ninjas like Sakura include a few kunai knives, which can be coated with poison, or even have a piece of paper attached to one... which explodes! She also carries a large amount of shurikens, as well as smoke and sleep bombs, which do exactly what you think they would. But she also has a few food pills, which don't look like much, but they restore a bit of Chakra and provide a small energy boost. They're actually arguably her most valuable tool.
TyForestWrites: But that brings us to the discussion of Chakra. Chakra is a form of life energy that all living things possess. Through various means, Chakra can be drawn out and used to perform a wide array of techniques, or jutsus. And Sakura's got a near unlimited pool of it thanks to that jewel on her forehead.
Chakra/Ninjutsu
-Substitution Jutsu
-Clone Jutsu
-Transformation Jutsu
-Chakra Scalpel
-Summoning Jutsu
—Katsuyu
-Mystical Palm Technique
-Creation Rebirth
-Heaven Kick of Pain
-Cherry Blossom Clash
H20Flame: Some basic jutsus she knows are the Substitution Jutsu, which switches out the user with another thing, usually a small log or something else inanimate. She also knows Transformation Jutsu, which makes a clone identical to the user, though it contains no Chakra and can't do any damage, but it proves to be a great distraction. She also wields a Chakra Scalpel, which makes cuts in a body without actually opening up a wound. And though it's mainly used for medical purposes, if it is used precisely enough, it can sever muscle tendons and other various organs to immobilize a target.
TyForestWrites: As for her pure offensive capabilities, she has a move called Cherry Blossom Clash. While it looks like a normal case of superhuman strength, it's actually an application of the precise chakra control that is usually used in medical ninjutsu. The user gathers a dense concentration of chakra in their fist that they release on contact with a target. The resulting damage is enough to seriously damage living targets and will likely also do some collateral damage to the surroundings. And her Heaven Kick of Pain is essentially the same except with a kick instead of a punch.
H20Flame: Then there's her special Summoning Jutsu. This one in particular summons a giant slug named Katsuyu, and for being what it is, this creature is surprisingly resilient. It can spit acid, split into smaller versions of itself that are telepathically linked, heal people via the summoner's Chakra, absorb people into its body to protect them, and even survive a corrosive Chakra attack from Naruto's eight-tailed beast form! For a giant slug, Katsuyu is actually pretty useful.
Skills and Abilities
-Taijutsu
-Shurikenjutsu
-Enhanced strength
-Enhanced speed
-Advanced Chakra control
-Genjutsu detecting/countering
-Top tier medical knowledge
-Great at cooking
TyForestWrites: But that's not all. Sakura's also good at Taijutsu, or the art of unarmed combat. She's so good at it, she can memorize the attacks of opponents just by watching their body movements. It's how she was able to absolutely demolish Sasori's one hundred ninja puppets without getting hurt; just by simply looking at how his fingers moved! That shouldn't even be possible, but she did it. Add that to her enhanced strength and speed, and she's skilled enough to rival the likes of her own much more powerful teammates in those regards!
H20Flame: She's also more than proficient with Shurikenjutsu, the art of throwing weapons, as she is able to pin unsuspecting people to things from a good distance away with a single kunai. She's also good at detecting and countering Genjutsu, the art of illusions, and her medical knowledge is certainly top notch. But what she's most praised for is her Chakra control. Most of what she does would be next to useless without a good control of Chakra, and if there's one thing Sakura excels at, it's that control.
Feats
-Held off three Sound Ninja for a time (with preparation)
-Tied in a fight against Ino
-As a kid, she could rip out a mast of a ship and use it like a baseball bat
-One-shot a building size scorpion
-Can easily punch 400 ton iron blocks into the air
-Can see spirits
-Can move fast enough to blur at the start of her career
—Dodged lightning jutsu later on, though we're not sure how fast this particular unnatural lightning is
-Took a paper bomb exploding in the face
-Got impaled by Madara and lived
-Landed the first blow on Kaguya, something Naruto and Sasuke were unable to do
-Actually got hitched to Sasuke in the end
TyForestWrites: Sakura is not someone you want to get angry. Even as a kid, she was able to rip out the mast of a ship (that would've weighed about one ton, by the way) and use it like a baseball bat! And though she had preparation, she still held off three Sound Village ninja at the same time. She was fast enough to move like a blur, and even killed a building-sized scorpion in a single shot.
H20Flame: And that's all before she grew up! Later she was fast enough to be able to dodge a lightning jutsu (though it is unclear whether that type of lightning is still as fast as real lightning), strong enough to punch four hundred ton iron blocks into the air, tanked a paper bomb to the face, got impaled by Madara, can see ghosts/spirits, and even landed the first blow on the final villain, Kaguya, when even Naruto and Sasuke failed to do so.
TyForestWrites: And, despite all of the hardships, she managed to actually win over Sasuke, they got hitched, and even had a daughter. Man, she's freaking powerful!
Weaknesses
-Is still considered useless by the Naruto fandom despite those feats
—And they're not exactly wrong
-Spends more time begging others to help more often than actually jumping in to help instead
-Has a very, very low victory rate
-Mostly just a close quarters fighter
-Chakra will eventually run out
-Items are limited
-Creation Rebirth shortens her lifespan every time it is used
-Is still very weak compared to other Naruto characters
H20Flame: Well... one might think that, but it's not that way at all. She's constantly labeled as useless, and for somewhat good reasons. While she's very powerful in her own right, if you put her on a scale with her teammates, you can see the power disparity, and it's clear as day. Not to mention her abysmal win to loss ratio and her constantly begging others to help out in a situation rather than doing something herself. I know Kishimoto said he wasn't great at writing female characters, but bloody hell...
TyForestWrites: And despite having a very, very large amount of Chakra at her disposal, it's still a limited supply. No more Chakra means no more special techniques. Not to mention that she does still have a limited number of weapons that she can use at once. While normally not a problem for someone like her, it's still something to take into account. And while Creation Rebirth is a freaking OP self-healing technique, it also shortens the user's life every time it's used. So Sakura's pretty screwed if she uses it too much.
H20Flame: She's also mostly a close quarters combatant, so don't expect her to pull any actual ninja skills in this fight, you know, like a real ninja should?! But, if there's something else nice to say about her... at least she's not Tenten.
Sakura: Every one of us must do what's in their power! If we're going to die anyway, then it's better to die fighting than to do nothing!
TyForestWrites: Alright, the combatants are set, let's end this debate once and for all!
H20Flame: It's time for a Death Battle!
In the middle of a forest, at the treetops, two pairs of sandaled feet landed on a series of branches. The first figure was a tall male wearing black and white attire, with tattoos on his face, which was under long red hair with black highlights. The second was a short female wearing similar attire, only with a thin white coat over it, with long black hair, and a strand of that hair falling between her eyes. These two were Soul Reapers of the Soul Society, Lieutenant of Squad 6, Renji Abarai, and the Captain of Squad 13, Rukia Kuchiki.
"This the place?" Rukia asked her friend.
Renji nodded, "Yeah, somewhere around here. Don't know how to explain it though. Ichigo's spiritual pressure spiked higher than it has before, and then just vanished."
Rukia took a breath in contemplation before Renji spoke up again, "Rukia... you don't think-"
"No," she replied, much too quickly for Renji's comfort, "He may be a fool, but he won't die. He's much too stubborn for that."
"I'm just saying," the male Soul Reaper said, "I'd hate to think that too, but other than losing his powers again, something that he'd more than likely not want to give up again, do you have a better explanation?"
Rukia gave him a glare, sending shivers down his back, "Renji. He's. Not. Dead. Understood?"
Renji was quiet for a second before sighing, "Yeah, okay, I get it. Let's just look around. Sense anything?"
The female nodded, "Yes. I can sense two signatures about a hundred feet away. Both quite high, but one seems a bit weakened. Let's check it out."
Renji nodded before they both flash-stepped towards the energy signatures. They made it to the forest floor and spotted another male and female duo in a clearing. The male was laying across the ground like a starfish, with blond spiky hair, and wearing orange and white attire. The female had short pink hair with red and white attire, as well as a small jewel on the middle of her forehead, and she was leaning over her comrade using some kind of healing technique.
"Did you really have to fight that guy, Naruto?" the girl asked.
"Hey, he started it!" Naruto responded with a slight grin, his wounds slowly disappearing, "What was I supposed to do when he came charging at me with that giant meat cleaver, Sakura?"
Rukia and Renji's eyes widened at that. That guy had fought Ichigo? But if that were the case... where was he?
Sakura just gave a sigh out of annoyance, "You're a moron. You're just lucky I arrived, and not Hinata. Who knows how she would react."
Naruto made a grimace, immediately feeling guilty, "Yeah, you've got a point. She's got enough to worry about with the kids back home-"
~Naruto,~ Kurama suddenly interrupted, ~We're being watched.~
Naruto's eyes widened before he sprung to his feet, startling Sakura, her saying, "Hey! Sit down! I've got to-"
"Sakura," he said, "I'm getting that same feeling from when I was attacked. There are more of people like him. See if you can spot them."
Rukia and Renji were taken aback. Those two were very clearly alive, but they could sense them? Rukia's eyes narrowed as her shock faded. That guy had fought Ichigo, so of course he could possibly sense them. At that first thought, Rukia's hand that was on her sword hilt tightened in anger. Renji noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Rukia, calm down. You never know-"
"SHANNARO!"
He was interrupted by Sakura's fist impacting his face. Renji flew back and through a tree before slamming into another, slumping down to the ground for a quick second, dazed.
"Renji!" Rukia cried before she realized Sakura was bearing down on her too, a fist raised.
Rukia quickly flash-stepped away and into the open area, Renji joining her when he got up. Sakura went into the opening too, standing next to Naruto. The two pairs glared at each other, the ninjas having shurikens drawn and the Soul Reapers having their swords drawn.
"Naruto," Sakura said, "You're still too weak to competently fight. You get out of here. I'll take care of them."
Naruto wasn't in any position to argue, as he recognized that tone of voice, aka the 'do as I say or you die' tone. He simply nodded and jumped out of the clearing, his Hokage robe flapping in the wind.
"Orders, Captain?" Renji asked his childhood friend.
Rukia's glare at Sakura was deathly, "I'll take care of her. We'll go after that guy later. Just... see if you can find Ichigo."
Renji's eyes softened at that before they steeled again, "You got it. Be careful."
And without another word, Renji flash-stepped away, leaving only Sakura and Rukia in the clearing. The two stared at each other, and if looks could kill, both of them would be dead.
"You're going through an awful lot of trouble for one guy," Sakura told her opponent, "You also seem to be confident that he's still alive. He's that important to you?"
Rukia's eyes narrowed, "Ichigo may be a fool, but he's much too stubborn to die. I refuse to believe he's dead. He has too much to live for."
Sakura's glare faded as she gave a single chuckle, "Reminds me of another idiot I know... But just so you know..."
Her glare returned, "I'm not gonna let you live long enough to go after Naruto."
Fight!
Sakura immediately drew and threw a kunai from her pouch. Rukia retaliated by swinging her katana, deflecting the projectile away and rushing forward. Sakura grabbed another kunai and met Rukia halfway, and the two collided in a clash of sparks as the two blades met. The two slashed at each other, but neither girl could get by the other; Rukia could keep her distance with her longer weapon, but Sakura was deadly accurate, able to swiftly deflect any fatal strikes.
Sakura suddenly jumped back and through the air, sheathing her kunai, grabbing a handful of shurikens, and hurling them at the Soul Reaper. Rukia avoided them by using Shunpo, disappearing and then reappearing to the ninja's right. She grabbed another kunai and threw it, and Rukia predictably deflected it to the ground at her feet... only for Sakura to smirk as she landed sideways on a tree. Rukia raised an eyebrow before looking at the kunai on the ground right as the paper bomb attached to it exploded.
Rukia's back hit a tree and she grunted in pain. The two girls glared each other before they both lunged at each other, Rukia racing forward with Shunpo. But despite her burst of speed, Sakura easily countered with her own speed as the two slashed at each other again.
'She can even keep up with Shunpo?' Rukia pondered to herself, 'Who exactly is this girl? Regardless, I need to finish this quickly.'
Rukia stuck out her hand quickly and spoke, "Bakudo Number 1: Sai!"
Suddenly, Sakura's arms pinned themselves behind her back and her eyes widened in shock. Rukia thrust forward and stabbed the ninja right through the chest... only for her body to disappear in a puff of smoke and replaced by a small log.
"What?!" Rukia exclaimed.
The real Sakura came at Rukia from the left, this time wielding her Chakra Scalpel. Rukia activated Shunpo to try and dodge, but still got a cut on her cheek from the weapon. She reappeared at the tree line and rubbed blood off her cheek, eyeing her opponent.
"I'll admit..." she said to her, "That last move was quite the surprise you've got up your sleeve."
"Oh trust me," Sakura grinned, "I've got plenty more!"
Rukia smiled back, "Then I suppose I better start taking this more seriously."
The Soul Reaper then got into a stance and dragged her hand along the edge of her sword, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
Frost began to encircle Rukia as her Zanpakuto entered its Shikai transformation. Sakura covered her face as the light from it slightly blinded her before it faded and she looked at her opponent again. Rukia's sword was now snow white with a white handle, and a white ribbon trailing behind the hilt. And before she could react, Rukia zoomed past her.
"First Dance..."
A circle of ice formed around the ninja, but Sakura jumped up to avoid it... only for Rukia to smirk victoriously, "White Moon!"
And out of the circle rose a column of ice, entrapping Sakura when it reached her. Rukia looked at the trapped ninja only to have her smile fade with the ice started to crack. Then the column shattered as Sakura broke out, her Chakra being concentrated to one of her fists as she fell.
"Cherry Blossom Clash!"
Rukia managed to jump back and avoid the attack, but was instantly blown back by the shockwave that resulted from the impact. The Soul Reaper took a tumble, rolling across the ground, grunting in pain the whole way. By the time she got up, Sakura was upon her and implanted her fist in Rukia's gut. She coughed up blood and skidded back, barely managing to stay on her feet.
Sakura followed by creating a few hand signs before saying, "Clone Jutsu!"
Instantly, two more clones of Sakura appeared next to her, shocking Rukia. The three Sakuras charged headlong at the Soul Reaper Captain, but Rukia raised her sword perpendicular to her body and next to her head, frost appearing around her again. The three ninjas were upon her now, but just before they could touch her...
"Second Dance: White Ripple!"
A blast of ice shot out of Sode no Shirayuki, hitting all three Sakuras at point blank range. The clones vanished upon getting hit, leaving the original trapped in ice once again. Rukia took a deep breath, exhaling visible air due to the cold and jumped back again, stabbed her katana into the ground, and prepared a chant, knowing the ice wouldn't keep the ninja at bay for long.
"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!"
The ice began to loudly crack as Sakura began to break out, channeling Chakra into her foot.
"Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws..."
The ice shattered as Sakura jumped and yelled, "HEAVENLY..."
"Hado Number 73..."
"KICK OF PAIN!"
"SOREN SOKATSUI!"
The two attacks met, but the flames of Soren Sokatsui were just too large and overwhelmed Sakura, who was sent hurtling back through the air. She landed and was able to get up on one knee, parts of her clothes on fire. She rubbed off the flames and glared menacingly at Rukia.
The Soul Reaper raised a hand at Sakura, "That should be enough. Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro."
Six plates of light appeared out of nowhere, surrounding Sakura on all sides and pinning her in one place. Sakura grunted as she strained against the Kido as Rukia walked up to her and placed the tip of Sode no Shirayuki against the ninja's chest.
"Third Dance: White Sword."
More of her blade appeared behind Sakura before meeting with the rest of the katana on the other side, effectively impaling Sakura through the chest. The six light plates of Rikujokoro broke as Sakura grasped at the sword in her chest, only getting her palms frozen.
But then she smiled, "I don't... think so..."
She then flicked something out of her hand and onto Rukia's chest. The captain realized too late that it was another paper bomb right as it exploded, blowing both girls back. Rukia landed on her feet, breathing heavily as she assessed the situation. What was that girl thinking? She was dead either way, so what did she plan to accomplish?
"Creation Rebirth!"
Rukia looked on in shock as Sakura made a hand sign and the wound in her chest began to heal instantly as a mark appeared on her forehead. The ninja then downed a food pill, restoring some of her Chakra before placing both of her hands on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A large puff of smoke enveloped the area, and the next thing Rukia knew, Sakura was standing atop a large blue slug with white stripes, grinning largely.
"Let's get her, Katsuyu!" she commanded, pointing at the Soul Reaper.
"Yes, ma'am!" Katsuyu replied, reeling its head back and shot acid at Rukia.
Rukia growled and used Shunpo to get out of the way. Just how many tricks did this woman have?!
She then aimed one finger on each of her hands at the slug, "Hado Number 4: Byakurai!"
The blast of lightning that shot out from her fingers hit Katsuyu, but didn't seem to do much. In retaliation, the giant began to split off parts of its body, all of them turning into mini-Katsuyus and they all charged at the Soul Reaper.
"This battle's as good as over!" Sakura taunted.
As the slugs approached her, Rukia muttered darkly, "To think someone like this would push me this far..."
Rukia took a deep breath, steadying herself as she got into position. And the Soul Reaper Captain uttered the one word that sealed her victory.
"Bankai."
In an instant, the entire forest around her froze completely solid. All of the slugs were suddenly and completely frozen in ice before the wave reached the ninja. Sakura barely had time to yelp. As her body began to freeze, she only managed to catch a glimpse of Rukia's new white cloaked attire, the Soul Reaper's hair glimmering the same color. Frost surrounded her, circulating as if it were a shield. But despite all of this, as deadly as it was... it was still quite beautiful.
"Bankai: Hakka no Togame."
And the ice then covered Sakura's face, and her vision went dark. Rukia looked up at the ninja's frozen expression, just before the ice began to crumble. And a mere few seconds later, Sakura, as well as every single Katsuyu, was gone, evaporated into the mist of ice. Rukia's eyes opened to observe the outcome before she sighed.
"I wish it didn't have to come to that..." she said, "But perhaps you can find peace in the Soul Society..."
"Rukia!"
The captain turned to see Renji slowly approaching, his teeth chattering as he held a body over his shoulder. Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath, releasing her transformation. Once that was done, she made her way over to her friend and saw that Renji was indeed carrying an unconscious Ichigo Kurosaki over his shoulder. She smiled at the Substitute Soul Reaper before turning to Renji.
"Mission complete, Lieutenant Abarai," she commended, "We should get back to the Soul Society and give our report. We'll let Ichigo explain his case when he wakes up."
Renji gave a happy smirk and saluted with his free hand, "You got it, Captain Kuchiki!"
And as he turned around to make a gate back to the Soul Society, Rukia saw Ichigo's face, peacefully breathing as if he wasn't sustaining multiple critical injuries. She gave a soft smile at the sight.
"Fool. Why do you always get wrapped up in such messes?"
K.O.!
(Cue *~Asterisk~ by ORANGE RANGE)
Rukia
-Bankai
-Experience
-More versatile main weapon
-Better combat spells
-Intelligence
-Durability
-Speed
Sakura
-Strength
-CQC
-More weapons
-Creation Rebirth
-Durability
-Speed
H20Flame: Well, we certainly aren't making the "Sakura isn't useless" argument looking any true right now...
TyForestWrites: Amen to that. While Sakura was very powerful in her own right, Rukia just managed to outmatch her in the categories that determined the outcome of the fight.
H20Flame: Surprisingly, at first glance, Sakura looked like she might actually have this fight, but as time went on, all of her strength, techniques, and durability only prolonged the inevitable, despite being able to see Rukia easily with her abilities.
TyForestWrites: Yeah, it was actually a closer fight than both of us predicted. Anything one threw at the other, the other could easily counter. Sakura's strength and Chakra amount could break down Rukia's Kido, as well as Sode no Skirayuki's freezing attacks, but Rukia's attacks and Hado still kept Sakura from engaging in close quarters combat. And the counters just kept going until we finally get to Bankai. Until then, we thought it would come down to the question of which would exhaust first, Rukia's Reishi or Sakura's Chakra. Without a doubt, the hardest fight we've had to determine thus far.
H20Flame: Bankai was, without a doubt, the only reason Rukia wins this fight. Once Hakka no Togame activates, everything within a city-wide range becomes frozen, with the temperature dropping to absolute zero, and the victim crumbling away into nothing. Even if Sakura survived the activation, she couldn't even touch Rukia without instantly freezing to death, assuming she could even get that far before Rukia cuts her down. And while Creation Rebirth creates new cells so someone can't die from wounds, cells are still created by cellular division, meaning the body needs cells to create more cells... and that doesn't exactly work out when every cell in one's body is completely frozen.
TyForestWrites: And while Katsuyu has survived corrosive attacks before, that was really only when it was being active. Being completely frozen, unable to do anything, and then getting corroded is a bit of an upgrade from what that slug has survived. Besides, Rukia's dealt with giant monsters before, so it's not like Katsuyu, while certainly powerful, was anything new to the Shinigami. So in the end, while it was a very close match, Rukia's trump card prevailed. Looks like Sakura didn't stand a ghost of a chance!
H20Flame: No. Just... no.
TyForestWrites: Screw you, it was funny.
H20Flame: The winner is Rukia Kuchiki.
TyForestWrites: Next time on Death Battle!
Unknown: I will never, ever, turn my back on people who need me.
Unknown: Yours in demigodishness and all that. Peace out.
Katara vs. Percy Jackson
(Avatar: The Last Airbender vs. Heroes of Olympus)