On the Offensive
This chapter contains spoilers for those who only watch the anime and do not read the manga. You have been warned.
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"Bankai."
One year after Yoruichi Shihoin's departure from Soul Society, Soifon discovered her bankai. She had spent several years communicating with Suzumebachi, but she had no idea the hornet concealed so much until her bankai was revealed. And then, she had been overwhelmed by a sense of bitter irony.
She felt the familiar metal sheathing her right arm. Compared to her shikai, however, the sheath did not stop at her upper arm, but continued to grow and expand into a gigantic metallic arm of its own, its full length even taller than her. A face shield with an eye slit jutted out on the left side, sufficient for her to peek through.
Mounted on the metallic arm was a missile. When she had first fired it in the woods of the Rukongai, the missile had decimated everything within half a spirit mile. Several high-ranking Shinigami had flash-stepped into the area to investigate, unable to reconcile the massive burst of reiatsu which they knew to be hers with the destruction that had just occurred. In fact, it had taken them some time to track her down, because she had been propelled by the recoil to a distance away.
She was unconscious when they found her, the bankai having exhausted her. Her body was scratched and her clothes were torn, and she was hurried to the Fourth Squad. When she came round two days later, she was staring into the beatific smile of Retsu Unohana. Captain Yamamoto must have been informed somehow, because she was summoned to a meeting with him after she had recovered.
"Y… You want to nominate me for Captain of the Second Squad?" she had asked in disbelief when he expressed his intent.
She did not believe it either when he said that she would have the discretion to submit herself to the Captaincy test at a time of her choosing. She put it off for another four years, unable to shake off the shadow of Yoruichi.
At her test, Yamamoto, Unohana and Ukitake had requested a demonstration of her bankai. She was more prepared this time round, having procured a ginjohan. She proceeded to tie one end around herself, and one end around a solid oak tree. Ukitake observed aloud that the metallic sash weighed her down, leaving her unable to use her shunpo effectively. Soifon's cheeks had burnt at this – she felt ashamed that her stealth and her status in the keigun were compromised by her bankai. She heard Ukitake gasp when she uttered the words "Bankai," and that dreaded, monstrous missile appeared on her right arm. She launched the missile and it did its destructive work and flung her back. The ginjohan held, but the tree did not, and Soifon and the tree, ripped out of the ground with its roots, went flying with the recoil.
Stealth. Precision. Control. I lose all these with bankai. I can barely move or fight with this…
She passed the test. Yet from that day, Soifon determined that she would only use her bankai in the very last resort.
I have one shot. I have to make it count.
She turned to face the skeletal god of death. Baraggan. "Jakuho Raikoben," she uttered, plainly, with a small measure of disdain.
This time round, it was Baraggan who did not understand the offensive.