Episode 17: Zanpakuto

Ikkaku spun around, and he slashed at the man with his sword hand.

What the hell? He switched his sword and scabbard when he spun around... He thought. He's smart...

Ikkaku slashed across the man's chest.

Ikkaku then jumped backwards, before the man could hit him. Ikkaku then charged him again, and this time slashing him across the chest. I don't want to die... don't wanna- He thought, as he hit the ground.

Kenpachi stabbed his foe in the chest, and then yanked his blade out he flicked the blood from it, and then sheathed his sword.

The group made it to the temple they were going to.

The monk bowed to them. "I think that you guys deserve something extra, from your help."

They all exchanged looks.

The monk took them inside the temple. Inside there was several monks in a sword fight.

There was several swords up on the walls.

"These swords have special properties. Each of them do something different. They each of a Shikai, and a Bankai."

"Shikai? Bankai?" Asked Yumichika.

"They're really rare to come by. It's an upgrade on the sword. But it only works on special swords, called Zanpakuto. None of you actually have a Zanpakuto, they're just regular swords. Zanpakuto are made of a special metal that allows you to activate your Shikai or Bankai. Which are Jutsus, but unlike regular Jutsus, you don't need to make a hand sign. Often you will need to make a gesture with the sword, but sometimes not. But you need to call a release command, and the sword's name."

"You're telling me that you guys name your swords?" Ikkaku asked.

"No. The sword has a spirit, and that spirit has it's own name." He looked around. He grabbed a short sword off of the wall. "Perhaps it'd be better just to show you." He unsheathed the weapon. "Hack and slash, Azami." The sword got longer, and the blade curved more.

"Cool." Ikkaku grinned.

"Then Bankai is thousands of times more powerful then a Shikai, Shikai is what I just showed you. Bankai is also really hard to achieve, so most people can't even use it."*

They all tried out different swords, aside from Kenpachi, and they eventually all got one, aside from Zaraki.

"Come on Kenny, you aren't going to get one?" Asked Yachiru.

"Jutsus are for pansies. All I need is my sword."

They took their pay, then went back to their village.

Rinji shut the book, after he read it. They all looked at him. He starred back for a full minute. Rinji then smiled, and gave a thumbs up. "It's good." He told them.

Each of them celebrated a little bit.

A month and a half after Rinji meant them, Yozo was writing in a notebook. Hiro walked in.

"Hey, Yozo. How's it going?"

Yozo jumped up into the air, and made a strange noise. He slammed his notebook shut.

"Don't scare me like that!" Yozo cried.

Hiro looked at him. "What were you writing?"

"Uh... nothing." Yozo's face turned a little red. "Let us change the topic..."

"So you're not embarrassed to talk about the actual details of your manga, yet you talk about the little things all the frigging time? That's kind of stupid."

"But-" Yozo was cut off, by Hiro taking the notebook. "NO!" Cried Yozo, jumping at him to take it back. Hiro struck him in the forehead, knocking him backwards.

"This is for your own good, Yozo. If you don't want people to read your story, you'll never get published." Hiro flipped it open, and began reading. "I see... so you need an artist?"

"Yes! I have the talent of writing, but I cannot draw!" He cried. "You're going to make fun of me now, aren't you?"

"Why would I make fun of you?"

"Because I'm a manga writer who can't draw."

"There are lots of manga writers who can't draw. That's why they hire an artist. And besides, you can't be good at everything."

"Can you draw?" He asked.

Hiro shrugged. "I mean... sort of. I wouldn't say that I'm an artist, but I do doodle during class."

"Draw this guy!" Yozo flipped to his main character's description.

Hiro did his best, and he eventually did a very good drawing of him.

"You're hired!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Ever sense, their teamwork had increased dramatically.

Now, Rinji was standing in front of them. "Alright guys. Come at me. No weapons will be used in this battle- so don't even think about it." This was right after Rinji read Yozo's manga.

Yozo charged him with a punch, but he dodged it easily, and then Hiro kicked at his face. Rinji dodged it just as easily. Kiku kicked at his head, but he jumped backwards and dodged it. They continued to train, until none of them could fight any longer.

Tatsuzo was standing in front of his squad. "This... is the final test I will give you before you guys take the Chunin Exams. The rules are simple. You guys just need to hide from me in the village until sunrise. If I catch any of you, you all lose. And yes, that includes Ryu. You can use any jutsu you want, but you can't go into the maze. I'll give you guys a ten minute head start."

"What is your definition of caught? Seeing us? Or do you have to physically touch us?" Asked Yoichi.

"Let's make it that I have to physically touch you."

Yoichi leapt across a building, Ryu on his shoulder. He jumped down on the ground. He turned, and then jetted off into the air.

Daichi was teleporting around the village.

Kiyomi was hiding in a pool of water, using a Water Style Jutsu to continue to breathe.

Yoichi turned, and saw Tatsuzo, running up behind him.

"Crap!" He cried, and he jumped off of a building.

Tatsuzo followed, and he was just a few feet behind him.

Yoichi landed on the ground, and then jetted off to the right, and Tatsuzo did the same.

"Well that didn't work..." He mumbled. He then ran up the side of a building- Tatsuzo jumped to the top and grabbed Yoichi by the front of his shirt.

"You caught me..." Yoichi smiled. "Or did you?" Suddenly Yoichi puffed into smoke, and the one who was in Tatsuzo's hand was Yozo- Rinji's student.

"Crap." He jetted off.

Yozo set Ryu on the ground. "Don't go to Yoichi yet, Ryu. Just hang around until the test is over- Tatsuzo-sensei might follow you."

Ryu nodded, like he understood. He jumped back onto Yozo's shoulder, and then made some noises.

"I can't really understand you, but you can hang around if you want."

Kenpachi was sleeping, back at his house. He woke up, and his hair was extremely stiff because he always washed it with soap. It was sticking out in every direction.**

He walked through the village, and a ninja jetted passed him.

"Hey!" Kenpachi growled.

"Sorry!" Cried the ninja, but he kept running.

"That was one of Tatsuzo's Genin, Kenny!" Cried Yachiru.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter."

The ninja that ran passed Kenpachi was Daichi, who was tired of teleporting so he was now just running.

Tatsuzo ran over a small fountain, and he darted in Daichi's direction.

Wow, that was close. Sensei ran out right in over my head... Thought Kiyomi.

Tatsuzo suddenly teleported right back in front of Kiyomi, and then reached down and grabbed her shoulder. She turned into water. A Water Clone.

Daichi continued to keep running. He stopped on a building, and he reached into his ninja tool bag. He took a rice ball, and he ate it like an apple. He then teleported out of the way before Tatsuzo could get him from behind.

Tatsuzo clenched his teeth. These guys are giving me a run for my money. I better start taking them seriously. He thought, as he made a handsign. Suddenly nine Tatsuzos appeared, and they all jetted off in a different direction.

As Tatsuzo was running, he came across a kunai that was lodged into the wall. He yanked it out, and saw that there was tag attached to it. Not an explosive tag. It was a message.

"So that's how they're communicating..." He mumbled. He smiled slightly, and put the kunai in his weapon pouch. He then disappeared.

All of the other Tatsuzos got the information that the one Tatsuzo found.

They all darted off, and they all took kunais wherever they found.

Yoichi jumped forwards. I haven't found a single kunai in a while. I guess that means Sensei found out that we were using messages to communicate... crap. He thought.

So, Tatsuzo-sensei caught on to our little gag. Thought Daichi. Oh well. I still have more aces up my sleeve.

After several more hours of Tatsuzo searching, the time limit went up. Everyone went back to Tatsuzo. Yoichi grinned, and Ryu was back on his shoulder. "That was a fun mission, Sensei! We should do something like that again!" Yoichi told them.

"You are all Chunin level. So I have faith that you'll all pass. It's been a year sense we've been a squad. And to be honest, that time flew by." He smiled. "I'm really bad a giving speeches. Even if you guys don't pass, I will still treat you guys the same. If you do pass, you guys will become a squad all on your own. And then I'd get a new squad."

"Thank you, Sensei." Yoichi knelt down before him. "For everything that you've ever done for us."

"Hey," Tatsuzo said. "Don't kneel to me. I hardly did anything. All of that was up to you guys. You can thank me if you want, but I don't deserve to be thanked. You guys are the only ones who deserve to be thanked."

Notes: *I hope I described that good enough. I apologize if I forgot to mention anything. If I did, then please drop a review telling me what I screwed up.

**The hair cut that Kenpachi has before the time-skip.