Episode 63: Kenpachi the Devil
Several days later, Akagi, Ikkaku, and Yumichika were sitting next to Kenpachi's hospital bed.
"He hasn't shown any improvement in the last day and a half." Said Isane. "I fear that improvement won't come-"
"Don't even talk like that!" Growled Ikkaku. "My sensei will come back, and if he won't be happy if he found out we doubted him!"
"Calm down, Ikkaku." Yumichika adjusted his hair from his eyes. "It is merely her job. She does not know Zaraki-sensei the way we do."
Ikkaku nodded. "I am sorry I yelled at you."
"It's okay." Isane checked on Kenpachi again.
Rinji and Tatsuzo were standing side by side at the bed of the Kinkage along with several members of the interrogation core were there as well.
"We'll ask you again, what did it feel like?"
Tatsuzo knew they'd question Kenpachi about his killing of Unohana when he woke up.
"It felt as though I was asleep. I was aware of what was going on, I just couldn't stop it." The Kinkage answered.
"There are two Rogue Shinobi waiting to be interrogated." Said Tatsuzo. "Stop wasting your time. And get your stupid asses in there."
Rinji glanced at him.
"We don't take orders from you, Tatsuzo."
"Oh yeah? Tell me. What rank are you?"
There was a short silence.
"Answer my question, Interrogation Core."
"We're Special Chunin, sir."* Said a different one.
"Right. And I'm a Jonin, so you guys need to do what you're told."
"Yes sir." The Interrogation Core walked out.
"Tatsuzo, thank you." The Kinkage said.
"You're my Kinkage, I must do what I can to protect you."
The Kinkage looked down at his arm, or where his arm should have been. Kenpachi sliced it off in their short battle.
"I'm sure Kenpachi is sorry." Rinji said.
"No, he did what he had to do. I would have asked for no less. Though, his lack of hesitation is a bit scary." He looked up at the two Jonin. "Can you do me a favor?"
Rinji running to their sister land, the Land of Iron to deliver a letter to Mifune, the First Kinkage's elder brother.
Tatsuzo was standing up on a building, in front of quite a bit of Steel Shinobi.
"Alright." Tatsuzo called. "We are going to war. Each of you are going to to be in a battle, and you're going to need serious training. Either you're a Sensory Type Jonin, a new Chunin, or you're just not into training... each of you will be pushed to your limit and even further. This training will make you want to die, and if it doesn't, then you're not training hard enough."
He paused a moment. "This isn't supposed to make you feel better. We're going to war, we need capable fighters. So now we begin."
Kenpachi opened his eyes.
"Sensei!" Ikkaku called.
"Where is Nozarashi?"
Yumichika handed Kenpachi his blade.
Kenpachi stood up, and walked out of the hospital without a second word.
"He must be mourning over Unohana's death..." Akagi said. "We should give him space until he's ready to talk to us."
On the way out a nurse tried to stop Kenpachi, but he glared at them, and they let him pass.
Kenpachi walked back to his house. He walked into his kitchen-with was filled with dirty dishes, then he puked in a garbage can. The room felt like it was spinning, and he felt as though he wouldn't be able to stand. He remembered slashing Unohana... and he puked again.
Kenpachi was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling.
What is going on? He thought. Everyone is dying... Asuma Sarutobi- my comrade... Yachiru- my best friend... Unohana- my mentor... Each of them died because of me. Asuma dying wasn't my fault, was it? No. If I didn't screw around in battles all the time I could have defended him. It was my fault Yachiru died because I wasn't careful. It was my fault Unohana died because I wasn't smart enough to think of a better way to get rid of the Akatsuki.
Kenpachi stood up, and looked in a mirror.
In the reflection, what he saw was a grim reaper. A devil- the only thing he was good at was taking lives.
The face of a grim reaper starred back at him. I'm going to reform. After this war is over, I am going to drop out as a Shinobi, and pass the name Kenpachi onto someone else. I don't care who- but they will not be anything like the previous Kenpachi. He thought.
Naruto Uzumaki... He thought. I am going to go back to the Leaf Village to see Naruto...
Kenpachi stood up, and walked out of his room, which was no longer spinning.
The Kinkage looked up at Kenpachi in surprise.
"You want to go to the Hidden Leaf?"
"Yes."
"Alright, Kenpachi. Take your Squad with you."
Kenpachi nodded. "Yes sir. Thank you."
Kenpachi was facing his Squad.
"Sensei..." Ikkaku said.
"We're heading to the Leaf Village." Kenpachi told him. "We leave as soon as you guys are ready."
As soon as you guys are ready? Thought Yumichika. The Captain isn't himself at all. That is expected from having to kill his predecessor... but he's nicer than he normally is. The death of Yachiru did calm him down slightly, but recently he was nearly himself.
"We're ready, Sensei." Said Ikkaku.
Akagi nodded in agreement.
Kenpachi nodded, and the four ran to the Leaf, Kenpachi slowing himself to where they can keep up with him.
"Wait, Kenpachi." Said Yumichika.
"Hmm?"
"Naruto isn't in the Hidden Leaf. He's in the Land of Metal."
"What?"
"He's looking for Sasuke Uchiha... who was at the Kage Summit."
Kenpachi nodded. "Where do you go?"
"To the right, sixty degrees."
The group turned, and then ran that way.
A large orange haired boy was tied to a chair, a bunch of needles stabbed into him to keep him under control. That was Jugo.
Across from him was a puddle, with a bunch of Pain's chakra rods stabbed into it, keeping it in one place. And that was Suigetsu.
Several members of the interrogation core were standing in front of the big guy.
"What was your mission?" Asked the one.
Jugo bit his lip.
"If you make me ask again, I'm going to stab you."
Jugo looked up at him defiantly.
The man drew a sword, and stabbed Jugo in the lower stomach- avoiding any mandatory organs. He cried out, and his curse mark spread across his face... but the needles drained the chakra instantly and his curse mark disappeared.**
"What was the Taka's purpose for being here?"
Jugo groaned. "You... will find out..."
"Do you want to loose another arm?"
Jugo looked up.
"We will get no where with him. Keep him just from bleeding out, but don't stop it completely." He made a hand sign, and put his hands in Suigetsu's puddle, and the water began to bubble.
"W-w-what are you doing?" Jugo asked as an interogation core member began healing where his arm used to be.
"I'm using Fire Chakra to boil your friend. Maybe he'll talk once he forms back into his human body."
"Stop! We came here to assassinate the Hokage! The rest of the Kage were just in the way, and we might have had to fight them later so he wanted us to take out as many as possible."
"Alright, heal him as much as possible. Anyway, don't take the needles from him, or take the chakra rods from his partner."
The core walked out of the room.
The Kinkage was lying on his bed.
I am no longer fit to be the Kinkage. I was tricked by the Akatsuki into attacking my own men... and I could have killed another Kage. Now I only have one arm so I won't be as powerful as I was before. He thought.
Tatsuzo stated that none of the current Jonin are suited for the position, and I do agree with him. Four Jonin were killed by the damned Akatsuki attack. And one of them was Unohana... And at the moment I have no un-squaded Jonin to replace them. I could call upon them to replace me... no. They're unstable- if the First Kinkage wanted them to be the Kinkage, he would have picked them over me. Damn...
A war is coming up... He thought. So a change in the Kinkage would change things, but I doubt that any of the Kage would trust me. Would they even trust any of my villagers...? I must make sure. He got out of his bed, and encountered Isane.
"You cannot leave now, Lord Kinkage." She said. "You must heal more."
"I will come right back, I promise. And Isane. I want you to take Unohana's position."
"As a Jonin?" Her eyes widened.
"Yes. I shall hold a meeting to see if you're capable of being a Jonin." He smiled and then he left.
The Kinkage walked up to Squad One, and their Jonin was recently killed by Sasuke when he went Susanoo.
"Hello, Kinkage." Said one of them.
"I need each of you to go to each of the Hidden Villages to send a letter."
"Yes sir, Kinkage."
Notes: *In the dub they were called Special Jonin, in the sub they were called Tokubetsu Jonin (some times called Tojo). What they are is people that were between Chunin and Jonin. Calling them Special Jonin made it sound like they were very good Jonin, but if you change it to Chunin it makes more sense to me.
**I was originally going to have him cut off Jugo's arm, but then I remembered that Kenpachi cut of the Kinkage's arm so I didn't want to do the same thing twice.
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