Eyes of the Soul

by operation meteor

Passing beyond the veil, Itachi finds himself in an afterlife that is far from the hellfire he'd steeled himself for. With a chance encounter involving a pervy sage, a Flash Goddess and a healer whose angelic appearance hides more than a hint of steel, the bane of the Uchiha Clan finds a chance at a second life... and perhaps redemption. Slow burn. M for language and violence.

23. Chapter 23

Author's Notes: Hello there! Apologies for the wait with this one. I actually meant to have this out last month, but unfortunately my job's been getting in the way. The past few months of work have been an utter shitshow, and that's me being charitable. Short staffing, damn near constant overtime, asshole customers all day every day… yeah, not fun. Honestly, pretty sure I came close to burning out a couple of times. It's been damn exhausting, and while I normally try to keep my work from impacting my writing, I did have to cut back just to give myself a bit of breathing room. I still write every day, but I did have to reduce the daily amount for a while. I'm cautiously optimistic that things will start looking up soon and I'll be able to get back to the pace I'd wanted to set for myself before everything went to shit, but that's all dependent on my superiors in the company getting their act together. We'll see how that plays out.

In an unrelated note, I also turned 32 last month! I actually wanted to release this chapter on my birthday after I was forced to adjust my writing schedule, but I wound up going past that. So, consider this a late birthday present from me to you all. Also, kind of wound up slipping back into old habits with this one. In other words, it's long. Not quite as long as some of the truly enormous chapters in this fic, but… well, you might want to have a snack and something to drink handy. You're going to be here awhile.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Underworld's Handmaiden

One year later…

Early summer, 136 years before Rukia Kuchiki's arrival in Karakura Town

She'd come here plenty of times ever since her Zanpakutō had awakened, but Mikoto still found her inner world to be incredibly unnerving. At best, it could have a sort of dark beauty to it. When the foreboding clouds outside the temple cleared, a violet moon could be seen in the sky, accompanied by many twinkling purple stars. More often than not, though, the sky was an inky black with only faint hints of violet light peeking through. It was only partially cloudy at the moment, although Mikoto couldn't tell if that helped or hurt matters. The ambient light made the short walk into the temple at the center of her inner world a bit more bearable, but the shadows that it cast off of the trees lining the pathway looked like twisted and demented beings reaching out to drag her into the depths of Hell.

There was no need for that, though; she would descend into Hell all on her own. Well, perhaps not in the literal sense, but the metaphor was apt given what awaited her inside the temple. When she'd first begun visiting her inner world, Mikoto's encounters with the spirit of her Zanpakutō had initially been limited to the main hall of the temple, but that had changed over time.

She stepped inside and was greeted by the now-familiar flickering purple flames of the candles that lined the interior of the temple. The half-burned bronze statue at the end of the hall reflected the creepy light, and its gleaming violet eyes certainly didn't help matters. In the past, the spirt of her Zanpakutō would meet her in this chamber, but as of a few months ago that was no longer the case. Now there was an opening in the floor at the base of the statue, and a staircase descended into what Mikoto could only describe as a realm of shadows.

She took a deep breath as she strode through the main hall and began descending into the chamber beneath the temple. The sides of the staircase were lined by stone lanterns, each one with violet flames flickering within. For the first half of her descent, they were the only sources of light, but Mikoto knew that would change soon enough. A few seconds later, a faint blueish-green glow became visible; her destination wasn't far off now.

The stairs eventually came to an end, and Mikoto found herself in a vast underground chamber. It was hard to say just how big it truly was. A wide river, the source of the glow from before, snaked its way through running east to west. The stairs had deposited Mikoto on the southern bank of the river, and she spent a moment staring at it. Even though this was hardly the first time she'd been down here, she simply couldn't help herself. There was a haunting allure to it. Wisps of green and blue wafted up from its waters, but there was no odor of any sort in the air. Occasionally, those wisps would gather and swirl, consolidating into forms that Mikoto could only describe as ghosts. They had no faces, limbs or any sort of defining features, but Mikoto didn't know what else to call them.

Both banks of the river were lined with statues made of a strange dark green stone… and Mikoto knew the faces of those on her side of it. Her husband, her eldest son, other members of the Uchiha Clan…

…more specifically, all members of the clan that Mikoto knew for a fact had already passed on from the Shinobi Realm of the Living.

She suppressed a shudder as she stepped forward to meet the woman that she had come here to train with. Violet flowers spread across her black kimono, each one dripping with what Mikoto guessed was meant to be depicted as some sort of poison. Her pale skin was only more eerie to look upon with the light of the haunted river cast upon it, and her brilliant scarlet eyes met her with a piercing gaze. The black bident was currently stabbed into the ground next to her, and violet flames ran up and down the weapon, swirling in particular around the ruby that was embedded where the shaft met the base of the blades.

"Welcome back," said the woman as she effortlessly pulled the bident out of the ground, twirling it around her once before settling into a ready stance, "Shall we begin?"

Mikoto drew her blade. "Yes."

The mysterious woman wasted no time in lunging forward, and the cry of clashing blades filled the cavern. Mikoto's Zanpakutō was already shorter than the average Soul Reaper's weapon, which meant that her opponent's reach advantage was only further pronounced. In most fights, the spirit of her Zanpakutō would take the initiative, and this one was no different. A mix of broad sweeps and tightly grouped thrusts quickly drove the former Shinobi back; her opponent was an unforgiving sparring partner, to put it lightly.

Fortunately, Mikoto wasn't easily intimidated. She kept her cool and her blade held close, calmly parrying her adversary's strikes while waiting for a chance to counterattack. Even if she hadn't gotten used to fighting against this particular weapon over the span of the last couple years, it wasn't the first time she'd had to deal with opponents who utilized polearms. While she didn't like to speak of it in front of Itachi, her career as a Jōnin had involved plenty of combat, and that most certainly included fights with spear-wielders. She'd never fought against one who had wielded a bident before, but most of the same weaknesses of conventional polearms applied to this particular weapon as well.

Duking beneath a wide horizontal swing, Squad Two's Seventeenth Seat then darted forward. Her foe was forced to pull the bident back and block her counterattack on its handle, and Mikoto wasn't about to let up there. Her attack was merely the opening strike of a sequence of rapid thrusts and cuts, and while none landed an actual hit on her opponent, they did serve to drive her back across the cave.

Her foe seemed rather unbothered by Mikoto's offensive, though, at least if her indulgence in casual banter while blocking the Soul Reaper's attacks was anything to go by. "Rather feisty today, aren't you? Make sure to save some energy for Soi-Fon later!"

"She'll have my full attention when we spar," Mikoto replied as she alternated between high and low strikes, trying to catch her opponent off balance, "just as you have it right now."

The woman behind the black bident smirked as she twirled the weapon before her, picking off each of Mikoto's attacks with practiced ease, "Do I, though? You always seem preoccupied by the scenery down here."

"I find the statues discomforting," Mikoto freely confessed as she pressed her assault, "and you're well aware of that. That hasn't stopped me from beating you in our past fights, though."

The woman shook her head as she met a thrust from Mikoto halfway, disrupting her momentum before counterattacking with a sweep that the Soul Reaper was forced to leap over. "No, but it has granted me victory in others. I know which one haunts you the most."

Indeed; as she began her counteroffensive, it was that very statue that the spirit of Mikoto's Zanpakutō drove her towards. Soon the two women were clashing at the feet of the stone image of her eldest son, bident and short sword sending sparks flying each time they met.

Mikoto pointedly avoided looking at the statue as the duel continued, but her sparring partner would not let her dodge her guilt so easily. "If you will not look upon your failure willingly, then I will force you to do so."

The spear-wielding woman intensified her assault, with the bident lashing out like a viper. Mikoto ducked and weaved, redirecting strikes when she couldn't outright dodge them. She had the advantage in agility, but her opponent was relentless and kept Mikoto from moving too far from the statue of Itachi.

"The very fact that your eldest son has a statue here is a testament to your failure as a mother," the woman continued as Mikoto furiously fended off her assault, "and you're well aware of that. By rights, he should still be alive. Had you done your duty, he would be."

"I was no longer an active-duty Shinobi when I began raising my family," Mikoto argued while deflecting a withering barrage of thrusts from her adversary, "I only wanted to care for my children from that point onward."

The woman nodded as she began a new sequence of strikes aimed at Mikoto's legs. "Caring for them was your duty, and you failed. When the darkness of grievance and pride began to consume the Uchiha Clan from within, you devoted your attention to your youngest child and let your eldest face the crisis alone. Your husband kept you informed of the clan's advancing plot, and even though you weren't directly involved in it, your silence was consent… and it put you in opposition to Itachi."

Mikoto vehemently shook her head as she fought to keep the black bident at bay. "I was never against Itachi! If I'd known that he was trying to stop the clan from carrying out the coup, I would've helped him!"

"If you'd known?" the woman repeated incredulously, "How long are you going to hide behind that excuse? You were once a Shinobi, just like he had become. You had experience in more than just combat; you understood the politics of Hidden Villages and rival clans thanks to your missions. Your husband might have garnered fame as the Uchiha Clan's head and a powerful warrior, but we both know that he had nothing on you when it came to espionage missions. Those were where your service to the Leaf Village was most valuable… and we both know that they're why you don't like to talk about your Shinobi career with your son."

Her words hit home, as Mikoto had known they would; the spirit of her Zanpakutō was an aspect of her, after all, which meant that it had access to all of her memories. Unlike the vast majority of the Uchiha, Mikoto had not operated with the Military Police Force, at least not at first. As a Kunoichi, Mikoto had been a skilled combatant, but her true talents had laid in infiltration and reconnaissance. Her teachers had recognized her natural aptitude for these fields, and they'd dutifully notified the village leadership so that they'd be ready to make full use of her budding capabilities. As a result, her missions had often been of a much subtler sort than those that more famous Shinobi carved out their legends in. Instead of fighting great battles in defense of her homeland or enforcing the peace within the bounds of the Hidden Leaf Village, she had quietly slipped over the borders of rival nations to spy on them. Sneaking into the mansions of feudal lords, disguising herself an attendant or courtesan as the situation dictated, she would work her way through various governing officials. Whether they be civil bureaucrats, noble retainers or even Shinobi, none had been able to discern her true nature.

Spying, stealing documents or weapons, sabotaging border forts, assassinating high-value targets; she'd done all that and more. Through charm and wit, she had quite literally walked through the front doors of the Land of Fire's rivals, and they had welcomed her with smiles and meals rather than kunai and shuriken. She knew how to ingratiate herself with her targets, slipping honeyed words into their ears, playing to their egos and gradually convincing them to lower their guard around her before she made her move. Whether it was acquiring a vital bit of information on the political situation within a Shinobi village or silently slitting the throat of a warmongering lord, she would strike with precision and speed, accomplishing her objective before immediately vanishing into the shadows, in and out before her adversaries ever realized what had happened.

Such work had been vital, and for a long while, Mikoto had thrived on it. Every time she'd journeyed back to the Hidden Leaf Village to report in, though, she was given a sharp reminder of the unsavory path that she had found herself on. Her duties were necessary, but Mikoto hadn't been blind to the moral shortcuts and ethical compromises that came with them. Eventually, it had all become too much, and she'd requested reassignment. Her superiors had obliged, and she'd soon found herself in the traditional Uchiha post as an officer in the Military Police Force. That had been where she and Fugaku had truly bonded, though they had known each other since childhood. Eventually, they'd married, and the rest was history.

The spirit of her Zanpakutō knew all of this, which was why her arguments cut so deeply. "You knew that Itachi was a prodigy, just as you knew that there would be those who wished to exploit his gifts. Yes, your youngest child did need your attention, but in focusing on Sasuke you left Itachi vulnerable to the whirling maelstrom of the Leaf Village's politics. With both the Uchiha Clan and the village's ruling council attempting to exploit him, he had to find his own path… and his mother, a woman who understood such politics intimately despite her distaste for them, did nothing."

Mikoto wanted to fight back, but she couldn't find the words. As she continued to fend off her opponent's strikes, she could feel her composure slipping. Her jaw was clenched, her brow had furrowed, and her form became gripped by tension that had nothing to do with the fight itself. This was exactly what her adversary was going for, of course, and while Mikoto was fully aware of that she still found herself succumbing to it. It was just a matter of time before she slipped up, and that moment came a few seconds later. She thrust forward with her blade in a desperate attempt to end the fight, but the attack had been rushed and sloppy, with the tension in her form easily telegraphing the strike for her opponent. The spirit of her Zanpakutō easily swatted aside the attack, knocked the sword out of Mikoto's grip before whirling her weapon around and slamming the butt of the bident's handle into her gut. Mikoto wheezed as the wind got knocked out of her, and her opponent didn't let up there. The woman grabbed her by her robes and threw her back, with Mikoto's back hitting the base of the statue they'd been fighting beneath. It wasn't a deadly or even serious blow, but it hurt like hell, and when combined with the previous hit to the stomach it was enough to make Mikoto slump against the statue. Her foe then casually stepped forward and lowered the bident so that its twin points were mere centimeters away from the former Shinobi's face.

"When he needed you the most, he didn't know if he could trust you," the woman accused, "As his father was the leader of the clan, it was all too clear to Itachi where Fugaku's loyalties lay, but you could've helped him. If you'd paid half as much attention to Itachi as you had to Sasuke, you would've recognized the situation that he was being pushed into. You knew that a rift was growing between him and your husband, just as one was growing between him and the rest of the clan, yet you sat by in silence. Perhaps you did not openly support Fugaku's decision to go along with the coup plot, but you said and did nothing to oppose him, either. You said nothing. You did nothing… and therefore, you allowed yourself to become not only complicit in the plot, but implicitly aligned against Itachi. A mother turning against her eldest son through negligence and passivity; if that isn't failure on your part, then I don't know what is. Don't you agree?"

Her crimson eyes blazed with damning judgement, and Mikoto couldn't bear to meet their gaze. How could she argue when every point that the spirit of her Zanpakutō raised was completely valid? An ugly truth was still the truth, regardless of whether or not someone wanted to acknowledge it. She knew that Itachi had never held her responsible for the dark road that the Uchiha Clan had gone down; in fact, his heart-wrenching apology when they had finally reunited in the Soul Society was the clearest possible indicator to that her son held himself responsible for it all. It was a burden that he carried even now, regardless of how hard Mikoto tried to help him let go. It hadn't just been killing her that he was riddled with guilt over; it had been allowing the situation to come to that point in the first place. Her eldest son had placed so much blame on himself, but there was plenty of blame to spread around, and Mikoto knew that she deserved a good chunk of it.

"What do you want me to do?" Mikoto asked softly, "I can't change the past. Believe me, I wish I could. If I could somehow turn back time, I would pay any price to fix the mistakes I made in those dark days. To take Itachi aside and talk to him, to show him that his mother understood what was happening and wanted to help him… I think about that every night, and you know it. As much as I might wish otherwise, though, the power of time travel is beyond me. All I can do now is help him move forward, to try to give him the life that our clan and village robbed him of, to show him that I'm here for him and want to make up for all that went wrong back then. I know it will never be enough, but… what else can I do?"

"You can show through action that you understand him," the woman replied as she pulled the bident back and slung it over her shoulder, "You retired from the Shinobi life when you became pregnant with him. He grew up with the understanding that you were his mother first and foremost. Sure, he was smart enough to know that you were once a Shinobi yourself, and he likely figured out on his own what kind of missions you were assigned to, but he never got to hear it from you. Now, though, you have the chance to be more in his eyes than just his mother. You're a full-fledged Soul Reaper, and you're in Squad Two with him. Your unit's duties are not all the different from those that both you and him had as Shinobi all those years ago. You can demonstrate to him that the two of you have more in common than just blood and a family name."

She reached out her hand, and Mikoto allowed the woman to pull her to her feet. The woman then picked up Mikoto's sword and handed it to her. As Mikoto sheathed the weapon, the spirit of her Zanpakutō apparently decided it wasn't quite done with her just yet.

"Ever since your reunion with Itachi, you've worked on trying to make up for lost time by being the gentle and caring mother that you wanted to be for him while you both were alive," said the woman, "That's a good start, but he needs more than that. Part of you, I believe, subconsciously understood that from the start, hence your decision to become a Soul Reaper. He needs to see that you truly understand the dark and dirty truths of Shinobi life. Neither of you are Shinobi now, of course, but your current roles are close enough. As a fellow Soul Reaper in Squad Two, you can fight alongside him… and show that you know the shadows just as well as he does."

Mikoto hoped for more concrete advice, but the woman glanced up at the cavern roof for a moment before sighing. "We've spent enough time here for the moment. I wager your favorite training partner is probably coming to collect you for morning drills. You'd best be ready for her."

Mikoto knew that she was right, and so, she forced herself to leave her inner world. A few seconds later, she found herself sitting in the center of her quarters in the Squad Two barracks, her sword lying in her lap. She was only just able to stand up when she heard a knock at the door, and she knew who it was even before they spoke.

"Seventeenth Seat Uchiha, are you in there?" asked Soi-Fon, "Is everything okay?"

Mikoto took a deep breath before going to the door and opening it, forcing a smile for the woman who greeted her. "Hello, Soi-Fon! Is it time already? I'm so sorry if I've inconvenienced you!"

Soi-Fon blinked, and her normally stern expression softened somewhat. "It's fine… there's still a bit of time before we normally start. You're just usually early for our warmup sessions, so when I didn't see you, I got worried. Are you all right… Mikoto?"

It had taken quite some doing for Mikoto to convince Soi-Fon to ease up enough to use her first name rather than rank, although she'd also had some help in the form of Yoruichi pestering her bodyguard into submission. Soi-Fon was still a stickler for formality, but she was slowly learning to adapt, and Mikoto knew it was a sign of genuine affection or concern when the girl actually did use her first name.

So, Mikoto nodded and hoped that her face didn't betray any signs of the internal turmoil that the spirit of her Zanpakutō insisted on inflicting upon her. "Yes, I am. I'm afraid I just got a bit too caught up in Jinzen this morning and lost track of time. I'm grateful that you came here to check up on me, and I'm sorry for making you worry."

Soi-Fon accepted her apology, although she still seemed a little worried. "Well, like I said, it's still relatively early, so you have nothing to worry about. Did you need a little time to rest up? You've always been dependable since joining Squad Two, so I have no problem with giving you a few minutes if you require a chance to center yourself."

Mikoto shook her head. "I appreciate that, but I think I'm good. Besides, I always look forward to starting the day with you. You always know how to help me get right into shape so I can face the day's challenges with all my strength."

Soi-Fon nodded, and a small smile appeared on her face. "In that case, shall we get going? I want to test your Hakuda again, and after that we have a Hohō evaluation. You've done well so far, but I need to keep you on your toes."

Mikoto laughed. "Of course! We can't have the others thinking that you've gone soft just because you and I get along so well, can we?"

Soi-Fon rolled her eyes and turned away, although Mikoto suspected that was so she could hide a smirk. "Whatever. Come on. Time to go to work."

And so, Mikoto dutifully set off. Soon, the two of them were sparring in the courtyard, and the training session with the spirit of her Zanpakutō was already receding into the back of her mind.

But it wasn't gone entirely. That would've been far too easy. Nor did Mikoto want those concerns to vanish altogether. What the spirit of her Zanpakutō had told her was important, regardless of how difficult it was for Mikoto to hear it. She had a long way to go before she could truly make up to Itachi just how badly she'd failed him as a mother. It would be difficult…

…but it was a challenge that Mikoto refused to back down from this time.

….

One week later…

Unlike the headquarters of other units within the Seireitei, the compound that encompassed both the Squad Two barracks and the facilities of the Stealth Force actually included a fair bit of greenery beyond the traditional gardens favored by some contingents. These were deliberately cultivated to give members of the Stealth Force small woodland areas to train in. They were no substitute for the large forests that could be found in some of the middle regions of the Rukon Districts, let alone the vast expanses of foliage in The Wild, but there were far more convenient and easily accessible for both the Stealth Force and their Soul Reaper allies. It was through that woodland grove that Yoruichi now strode as she sought out her Tenth Seat, heading towards the clearing that she knew he was practicing in.

Several telltale 'thunks' of metal impacting wood rang out up ahead. Her path took her through a clump of bushes and trees, and Yoruichi immerged in a small open area just a moment later. Sure enough, Itachi was standing in the middle of it, and at the far end a series of five wooden circular targets were nailed to trees. The young man's eyes were closed, and he held five Anken; three in his right hand, two in his left. Yoruichi watched in silence as Itachi slowly breathed in, and the moment he exhaled, he let fly with the throwing knives. His aim was perfect, with each of the five blades embedding themselves dead center in a target.

Yoruichi smiled and clapped. "Nicely done! Always knew you'd take to these things like a natural."

Itachi opened his eyes and nodded in greeting before going to retrieve the blades. "Throwing weapons like kunai and shuriken were something I had considerable aptitude for back when I was alive. The Sharingan gives us Uchiha a considerable advantage with them."

"I'm sure it does," Yoruichi replied as the young man slipped the throwing knives into a pouch on his robes before coming forward to meet her, "but I didn't see you using the Sharingan there. That was all you; no fancy eyes to guide your shots there, or any eyes at all for that matter."

"Becoming overly reliant on the Sharingan was one of our clan's biggest weaknesses," said Itachi, "It's a trap that any Uchiha can fall into, and I'm no exception. That's why I take care to sharpen my skills without the Sharingan just as much as I do with it."

"I know," said Yoruichi as she reached for her hip and grabbed a flask she'd brought along, "You've always been diligent with your training, and I'm glad that you haven't allowed success and the regaining of your clan's special eyes to go to your head. Speaking of training, why don't you take a break? You've been in here for a few hours now at least."

Itachi blinked. "Really? I hadn't been keeping track of time as well as I thought, then. My apologies."

Yoruichi chuckled as she tossed him the flask. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's take a load off. I could use a little chance to kick back and relax, and I wouldn't mind the company."

Itachi took a swig, with a little stream of water trickling down the side of his face. "Nor would I. Thank you."

He sat down and leaned back against a nearby tree, and Yoruichi joined him. She leaned against his right side, taking a sip of water when Itachi passed the flask back to her. Putting the flask away, she then reached over and put her hand on his leg.

"How are you holding up?" she asked softly, "I know things haven't been easy for you lately. This business with Yashiro and the other Uchiha… you haven't said much, but I know old wounds opening back up when I see them."

Itachi was quiet for a moment before answering. "I… I don't know. Seeing him again that night… the sheer hatred in his eyes… I had hoped death would settle this whole affair, but that hope was clearly a naïve one."

Yoruichi shook her head. "You had no way of knowing what the afterlife would be like until you got here. Ever since you came to the Soul Society, I've seen you work tirelessly to come to terms with your past and move forward. I know that you're still trying, and that it's going to be a long road yet, but you're at least taking your best shot at it. Yashiro had that same opportunity; a chance to let go and move on. He clearly didn't take it. That's on him, not you."

"Perhaps," Itachi conceded, "but you can't deny that he has valid reason to hold a grudge. I did kill him, after all."

"Yes, and you did so to stop him and his followers from launching a coup that would've plunged your homeland into civil war," Yoruichi argued, "Putting aside the purging of the entire clan, Yashiro and his core supporters were a legitimate threat. Taking him out was completely justified in my opinion. He was a Shinobi; he should've known the risks that come with conspiring to overthrow a government. If he's still bitter over it, well, sucks to be him."

She won a chuckle from Itachi for that, although it was a bitter one. "He clung to grudges fiercely in life, and it was his undoing. I suppose him taking that trait into the afterlife should not be surprising."

"Do you think he'll come after you?" asked Yoruichi.

"It's certainly possible," Itachi replied, "However, I suspect he would've tried to make a move well before now. Depending on how long he's been with the Drakken Clan, he's potentially spent years in the heart of the Seireitei. Even remaining in hiding, it wouldn't have been hard for word of my presence to reach him, especially once I graduated and joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. He's yet to try his luck, though… and Yashiro was never known for restraint."

"Maybe death's taught him patience," Yoruichi suggested, "I mean, he sounds like he's thick-headed, but it's not impossible for him to have actually learned a lesson or two since coming here."

Itachi nodded. "I had considered that… but every time I remember the look in his eyes when we caught sight of each other at the party, I find the notion of him biding his time to be unlikely. That fury… that loathing… all that is fuel for our clan's Curse of Hatred, and Yashiro fed off it readily in life. The only scenario that makes sense to me is that someone much more powerful than him is holding his leash. Otherwise, I'm positive he would've attacked me by now."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "I know you can handle yourself, and if it comes down to a fight between you two, I have no doubt you'd win. That being said, if I catch wind of him coming at you, and I get to him first? I'm going to cut his balls off, shove them down his throat, and choke him to death with them."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "I thought you preferred to kill quickly and cleanly."

"I'll make an exception for that son of a bitch," Yoruichi countered, "What him and his followers did to your clan, the road they took it down… between them and Danzō, they turned your life into utter Hell. I don't know why they're in the Soul Society instead of the black pit where they belong, but if I get a shot at them, I'll make them wish they'd gone to Hell rather than here."

It wasn't an idle threat. Itachi was right in that Yoruichi typically made her kills with speed and efficiency foremost in mind, and if necessary, she would do the same with Yashiro and his ilk. However, if she got the chance to make them suffer, she would be sorely tempted to take it.

Itachi was making real progress before this, she thought bitterly as she looked at her companion, but ever since Yashiro reared his ugly head it's all gone awry. He hasn't said it openly, but I know Itachi's suffering inside.

The year since the Flame of Life Festival had been a rough one for all three of Squad Two's resident Uchiha, to put it mildly. True to his word, Itachi had informed his mother of what had transpired, and Yoruichi had been present for that. Mikoto had been badly shaken by the revelation, perhaps just as much as Itachi, and she'd redoubled her training as a result. As a precaution, Yoruichi had asked Soi-Fon to keep a close eye on her. She hadn't told her bodyguard everything, but Yoruichi knew that Soi-Fon was smart enough to realize that something was wrong with Squad Two's Seventeenth Seat. Dutifully observing her as much as she could while balancing her official duties, Soi-Fon had reported to Yoruichi that Mikoto was making great strides with her abilities, but she could sense a dark edge to the woman that hadn't been there before. Mikoto was still kind and gentle with everyone in Squad Two, and it was clear that she didn't want anyone to worry about her, yet her focus on further sharpening her combat skills was fueled by a grim resolve that definitely hadn't been there before.

Shisui had it little better than Mikoto. While he had handled himself well at the party and in the immediate aftermath, Yoruichi could tell that he'd been rattled. Just as they'd planned, she'd gotten him rotated into inner court patrol duties, and he had wasted no time in making the most of it. Although she'd ordered him to be cautious, she'd also tailed him a few times to make sure, and what she'd seen hadn't been encouraging. Their scheme did call for him to get close enough to expose himself should any of the Uchiha within the Drakken Clan mansion be in a position to spot him, but at times he'd almost been a bit too blatant about it. Yoruichi had pulled him aside after one such run to talk to him, but she didn't know if she'd really gotten through to him. Still, the Drakken Clan themselves hadn't raised any complaints yet, so he was at least taking enough precautions to keep their personal security forces off his back. Yoruichi would've asked Visaelya to keep an eye on him, but her poor Twelfth Seat had more than her own share of problems to deal with right now.

It wasn't only the Uchiha that were under pressure right now; what was supposed to be the gradual reconnection between Visaelya and her family had become an off-the-books espionage mission, and Squad Two's Twelfth Seat was at the center of it. To her great credit, Visaelya had continued to insist on playing her part despite Yoruichi offering her an out. She'd met with various members of her family several times over the past year, mostly for tea, meals and the occasional party or two. After each encounter, she dutifully reported back to Yoruichi, and Visaelya did not skimp on the details. So far, unfortunately, she hadn't uncovered much of anything; apparently, Yashiro and his compatriots had learned their lesson from being spotted at the party and were keeping their heads down. That wasn't Visaelya's fault by any means, though, and the Twelfth Seat was determined to keep up her efforts until she hit paydirt. Yoruichi couldn't begin to imagine just how she was coping with the stress of spying on her family, and she'd kept a close eye on the young woman, doing all she could to let her subordinate know that she could come to her if it all became too much. Visaelya had yet to take Yoruichi up on her offer, though she suspected she was likely confiding in private with Shisui. As long as she had someone that she could lean on, that was enough for the Captain.

As worried as she was about Visaelya, though, that paled before Yoruichi's concern for Itachi. In a way, his involvement in the investigation was actually minimal; he wasn't running the inner court patrols near the Drakken Clan's mansion like Shisui was, and he wasn't infiltrating it like Visaelya. In fact, he was keeping his distance in order to avoid spooking Yashiro and risking a confrontation. The thinking was that the hidden Uchiha would eventually feel comfortable in approaching Shisui as long as Itachi wasn't present, though they had yet to take the bait. All Itachi could really do was wait for Shisui and Visaelya to return to the Squad Two barracks and discuss their findings, and as of right now those findings didn't amount to much.

That didn't mean Itachi was free from the burdens of his friends, though. Quite the contrary, in fact; his inability to play a more active role in the investigation was definitely eating away at him. He didn't show it easily, of course, but Yoruichi had grown accustomed to reading him over the years. His distress at the current situation had manifested itself in the form of an intensified training regimen and increased patrols in the Rukon District, the latter almost certainly geared towards sniffing out any other hidden Uchiha, although Itachi hadn't admitted to as much. Between that and Yoruichi's own workload, the two of them hadn't gotten many chances to spend time privately together lately, something that she was determined to change. She'd told Itachi that he wouldn't have to go through the investigation into his own clan alone like he had back during his first life, and Yoruichi wanted to make good on that, no matter how busy their respective schedules had become.

He needs to know that I've got his back, she thought, I won't let him suffer in silence this time… although I don't know what all I can do to help him here. This is a confrontation with his past, and while he tried to prepare for it, he clearly wasn't ready. Even now, a year on, it's still something he's trying to come to grips with.

Knowing that was no small part of why she reserved such venom for Yashiro. The man had made it to the Soul Society when by rights he should've been rotting in Hell, and what had he done with that undeserved grace? He'd gone right back to his old ways, and now Itachi had once again taken it upon himself to stop him. It didn't matter that Itachi didn't know what Yashiro and his compatriots were planning; his and Shisui's experience with the man was enough for them to know that he was up to no good, and her Tenth Seat in particular saw the former coup plotters as his responsibility to deal with. Yoruichi knew that Itachi considered himself to blame for whatever potential threat that Yashiro now posed to the Soul Society, regardless of how unfair she thought that was to him.

She forced herself to take a deep breath; it wouldn't do her or Itachi any good for Yoruichi to get worked up any further over such a despicable man. "Of course, we have to do this right. My personal feelings aside, as long as the threat's neutralized, that's the only thing that really matters here. Besides, if anyone's earned the first crack at this bastard, it's you."

Itachi nodded. "I appreciate the consideration. Truth be told, if… no, when I confront him… I'm not sure what I'll do. If he truly is a danger, I won't hesitate to kill him again. Still, if given the chance, I'd like to at least ask him what he hopes to accomplish here. I don't know if it will accomplish anything, but I'd like to try."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure it's just answers about what he's after here that you're looking for? Given his role in advancing your clan's coup plot, it would be natural if you wanted to confront him over that as well. Still, you can't let your desire for closure get in the way of the mission. I know how much that means to you, but I won't let you take any foolish risks just to get an answer or two."

Itachi looked away, and she knew that her words had hit the mark. "I wouldn't… no, I should be honest. You're right; I had considered confronting him about what he'd planned for our clan and the Hidden Leaf Village. I'd be letting my personal feelings potentially jeopardize the security of the Soul Society in doing so, though, and that can't be allowed to happen. I'm sorry."

Yoruichi reached up and gently cupped his chin. "Hey, look at me."

He did so, and Yoruichi gave him a small smile. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. I was out of line there. With the way your past has haunted you, you have every right to seek out answers. I just don't want our enemy to use that as an opening to hurt you. If confronting Yashiro can help you turn the page and move forward, then I'll do everything I can to support you there. As much as I might personally despise the man for the pain his schemes caused you, I don't have the right to rob you of a chance to face him and gain some closure for all of this. Still, if he so much as looks at you the wrong way, I'm turning his head into a bloody smear on the wall. Deal?"

Itachi smirked, and the darkness haunting his eyes receded. "Deal."

They held each other's gaze for a moment before Yoruichi leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the lips. She felt her heartbeat pick up slightly as she lingered, his breath mixing with hers as their faces remained mere centimeters away from each other.

"No matter where this investigation takes us," she whispered, "I'll stand by you to the very end. I promise that we'll get through this together, Itachi. I'm with you all the way, regardless of what we might find or who we might be up against. Don't forget that, okay?"

Itachi nodded. "I won't. Thank you… for everything."

"Anytime," Yoruichi replied.

She saw Itachi's eyelids flutter, and his head slumped forward a bit before he caught himself. He tried to shake it off, but Yoruichi could tell that he was weary, and she had a feeling she knew why.

"Not sleeping well lately?" she asked.

Itachi shook his head. "No. The only nights I do seem to be the ones when I'm with you."

"Nightmares?" she guessed.

"Memories," he answered, "although I suppose they're one and the same for me."

Yoruichi sighed. "True enough."

She then smiled and patted her lap. "Here. Lie down."

His eyes widened slightly. "Yoruichi… I… is there even time?"

She reached over to caress his cheek. "Don't you remember? I'll always make time for you. I've just got the usual paperwork waiting for me back at the office, and that can be put on hold for a bit. Soi-Fon won't be happy, but that'll be my mess to deal with. It's nothing I haven't handled before. Come on. Rest here for a bit with me."

She gently guided him down, and soon he was laying with his head in her lap. He smiled and reached up to her, running a hand through her hair and down the right side of her face. Yoruichi found her face warming considerably, and though she didn't have a mirror handy, she was certain that she was blushing. She was completely fine with that.

"This is nice," he murmured as he looked up at her, "I really could fall asleep like this."

"Then do it," she said as she took his hand, "Take a little nap, Itachi. I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere."

And so, there they were. The Captain of Squad Two and her Tenth Seat, together in the middle of the Stealth Force's woodland training ground, the latter closing his eyes and resting with his head in the lap of the former. Yoruichi could only imagine what her subordinates would say if they saw the two of them now.

How ironic, she mused in contented silence, that we can find a bit of peace and tranquility in a place where assassins and spies hone their skills…

…and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

….

One week later…

Since she'd entered Squad Two as an officer, Mikoto had attended her share of meetings. They'd mostly been small affairs; planning out patrols, assigning teams to various Realms of the Living for scouting and Hollow hunting, and other such matters. This one was different, though. The atmosphere was tense, and every officer was present. More importantly, it wasn't just Squad Two officers in attendance. Standing at the front of the room with Yoruichi and Soi-Fon was none other than Captain Ginrei Kuchiki of Squad Six. No official announcement had been made, but Mikoto suspected that she and a few of the other attendees already knew what the venerable Soul Reaper's presence meant.

Sure enough, she got confirmation from Yoruichi a moment later. "Thank you all for coming here today. As some of you have undoubtedly guessed thanks to the presence of our guest, this is no ordinary pre-mission briefing. The Kuchiki Clan's efforts to aid in our long-running operation have finally born fruit; they've located the fourth wraith."

A ripple of low murmurs and whispers went through the meeting room, although Mikoto wasn't surprised in the least by her son's reaction, or rather a lack of one. Itachi's expression remained cool and collected as he patiently waited for the others to process the news. Shisui had leaned forward slightly, his brow furrowing in thought, while Visaelya grimaced but held her tongue.

I suppose this was inevitable, Mikoto thought, Kuchiki Clan forces were the only ones with any credible leads last I heard. Sounds like their persistence paid off. Can't exactly say that I'm thrilled about it, though…

A sharp look from Soi-Fon was enough to silence the mutterings, and Yoruichi gave her a small nod before continuing. "We're going to strike while the iron's hot. So far, just like the others, this wraith's apparently sticking to a single location, although there's no guarantee that it'll stay put. It's deep within the Kuchiki Clan Principality, so we'll be tacking this one in cooperation with both Squad Six and the House's private forces."

Captain Kuchiki nodded. "The Kuchiki Clan's forces have managed to cordon off the area where the wraith was discovered. However, they are not equipped to contend with such a foe in open battle. The wights are contained for the time being, but if we do not move swiftly then the situation could rapidly deteriorate."

"How was it discovered?" asked Lieutenant Ōmaeda, "The wraith, I mean?"

"Through the logbooks and diaries of past border guards and militia, the Kuchiki Clan's archivists were able to plot out the route that the sealed wraith was transported along once it entered our Principality," Captain Kuchiki replied, "It was ultimately interred in an ancient fortress nestled deep within the forests that cover much of our Principality's northwestern lands. Our records name it Kokusō, though we did not build it. It is believed to have been constructed originally as an outpost by the old kingdom. The ancient records refer to it as the 'Black Spike', a name that is rather fitting."

"Sounds like a charming place," Shisui muttered.

"You said that the region's been cordoned off," newly-promoted Thirteenth Seat Rija chimed in, "and that wights are contained. What was the source of these wights? Were they originally sealed in with the wraith and broke loose, or have settlements been attacked?"

Captain Kuchiki nodded, and the look in his eyes was grim. "The latter, unfortunately. The northwestern forests have long been home to clans who hold themselves apart from the Kuchiki Clan and the wider Soul Society. Although they're formally our vassals, we've largely granted the autonomy on the conditions that they trade with us and keep watch for potential threats. They maintain many villages within those woods, and while their militias are composed of skilled fighters and trackers who know those lands well, they are not equipped to deal with a threat like this. All the wraith would've had to do is strike at a single village, and then it could spread its foul corruption with ease."

"Clearly, such a first strike has been made," said Itachi, "When did you receive word of the attack?"

"A letter arrived at my family's Seireitei estate last night," Captain Kuchiki answered before nodding at Yoruichi, "I notified Captain Shihōin this morning. Even our swiftest of messengers would've taken at least weeks to get word from the west to the Seireitei, and it will take longer for a suitable force to make the journey back out there. That is why we've convened this meeting. I do not like acting in haste, but there is no choice here."

"Which is why we don't have a moment to lose," said Yoruichi, "I called this meeting early so that we could spend the rest of today making preparations. We'll be heading out at first light tomorrow morning. Not much prep time, I know, but our hand's been forced."

"Lord… I mean, Captain Kuchiki?" Visaelya spoke up, concern clear in her voice.

The old Soul Reaper turned to her. "Twelfth Seat Drakken, you have a question?"

Visaelya nodded. "These forest clans that have been attacked by the wraith… does the Kuchiki Clan keep accurate records of their population growth?"

The aristocratic Soul Reaper immediately grasped the real point of her question. "Yes, we do, or as well as we can. The forest clans don't like it when we poke our noses too far into their business, but they do provide us with periodic census updates. If I recall correctly, at last count their population was somewhere between twenty to thirty thousand. They're spread out amongst hundreds of settlements amidst those vast woods. I do not know how many have fallen to the wraith or its minions… but we should be prepared for the worst."

Meaning we could be dealing with an undead army here, Mikoto thought with a shudder, I hope that's not the case…

"Do we have any idea as to why the wraith's making a move now?" asked Shisui.

"Only speculation, I fear," Captain Kuchiki replied, "While I don't believe that the forest clans ever knew exactly what was hidden within the Black Spike, we do know that they considered it to be cursed and thus gave it a wide berth. However, it's something of an unofficial custom for youths to venture near that fortress as a sort of dare or test of bravery. One could've gone further than most and disturbed the wraith's slumber."

Sixth Seat Katya shook her head. "That would only be possible if the spells sealing the wraith had already deteriorated or were otherwise broken. Captain Kuchiki, with all due respect, I do not believe that some foolish youths would have the knowledge or raw power needed to break the barriers that the old kingdom's Mages were capable of casting."

Captain Kuchiki nodded. "I agree, Sixth Seat Sokolova. As I said before, for the moment we unfortunately only have speculation to go off of. It is my hope that survivors from the forest clans may be able to give us more information upon our arrival."

Sixteenth Seat Aika Hirata raised her hand. "What kind of local support can we count on?"

"I will be dispatching messages to the Principality later today so that they will be prepared for our arrival," Captain Kuchiki answered, "Once we reach the Principality, my family's forces will provide lodgings, supplies, and intelligence. Our forces are mostly preoccupied with maintaining the perimeter, though, so they will not be able to join us once we venture within the forest. They may be able to provide scouts, although survivors from the forest clans would be better suited to such a role. The Kuchiki Clan keeps highly detailed maps of the region, so at the very least we will not be going in blind."

Then Mikoto heard Itachi speak up. "How sophisticated are these forest clans? If they're being turned by the wraith, then their weapons will also be turned against us. How much of a threat do they pose?"

"They don't maintain a standing army," said Captain Kuchiki, "Each settlement has a small militia for local defense, but they're mostly light infantry and scouts. They're usually armed with short swords, daggers, bows, and hatchets. The true danger comes not from their armaments, but their knowledge of the terrain. They are masters of moving silently within those woods. I do not know if they will retain their skills in the art of stealth in their corrupted forms, but do not underestimate them. They are swift and deadly, especially the elite among them."

"I think I've heard of them," Visaelya chimed in, "The Rangers, right?"

Captain Kuchiki nodded. "You are well informed, Twelfth Seat Drakken. They are few in number, but they are masters of the forest and the hunt. If any of them have been turned, they will not be easy to deal with. On the other side of the coin, though, they are the most likely to have survived the wraith's assault, and they will make valuable allies if we can find them."

"It's not just villagers, militia or Rangers that the wraith can corrupt, though," Shisui pointed out, "We've seen in the past that these things can turn wildlife into their servants as well. What sort of undead beasts might we run into out there?"

Captain Kuchiki's brow furrowed for a moment in thought. "We have none of the more… exotic species like those that can be found in the east or the north. However, there are still plenty of dangerous creatures lurking in those woods. Wolves, bears, various breeds of predatory felines and large birds of prey will likely be the worst of it."

"Nothing we can't handle," Soi-Fon noted.

"True, but we can't afford to take them lightly," said Yoruichi, "It should go without saying, but there will be no solo scouting once we get into the forest. All of our reconnaissance will be done with at least pairs of Soul Reapers and Stealth Force members, with larger groups depending on the terrain and likely risk as we make our way through the woods. If we can find local guides, we'll attach them to our formations on an ad hoc basis. Won't be perfect, but we can make it work."

Captain Kuchiki sighed. "I know I'm asking much of your unit, Captain Shihōin. I would've liked to bring Squad Eight or Thirteen along as well given that they have prior experience with wraiths, but the Head Captain would not sign off on it. At the very least, I will personally guarantee the full support of the Kuchiki Clan in this endeavor. Our family will be in your debt."

Yoruichi smiled at her fellow Captain. "I appreciate the thought, Captain Kuchiki, but we're not looking to rack up favors here. Squad Two's been assigned to work with Squad Six on this mission, and we'll carry out our orders in the same manner that we always have. As long as the Kuchiki Clan provides us with the intelligence and supplies we need while operating within their borders, that's all I can ask."

Captain Kuchiki inclined his head. "Thank you, Captain Shihōin. Your aid in this matter speaks well of your family, and it will not be forgotten."

Yoruichi nodded before turning to the assembled Soul Reapers. "If anyone's got any other questions, now's the time."

The meeting room was silent, which Squad Two's Captain took as a negative. "Okay, then. We'll be spending the rest of today organizing supplies and getting ready to march. Lieutenant Ōmaeda, you'll be running things for Squad Two in my absence. I know we'll be leaving you short-staffed, but I have faith that you'll be able to keep Squad Two and the Stealth Force's patrol operations running smoothly."

The Lieutenant smiled and puffed out his chest. "You can count on me, Captain!"

She manages him quite well, the spirit of Mikoto's Zanpakutō noted, Playing to his ego like that blunted any protests he might've had about staying behind. In fact, I daresay he's almost enthusiastic about his assignment. Very clever. No wonder your son's so fond of her.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Mikoto couldn't help but smile. She fully shared the sentiments of her weapon. Then again, Yoruichi had won her approval well before today.

I always wondered what kind of woman Itachi would find if he was ever given the chance for romance, she mused, I know he was close with Izumi once upon a time… before everything went so horribly wrong. Where would things have gone with them had life been kinder? Another 'what if' to throw on a large pile of them, I suppose. At least his afterlife has given Itachi a second chance at love… and while he might not be willing to say as much openly to me yet, he's clearly taking it.

She turned her attention back to Yoruichi, who was addressing the gathered Soul Reapers again. "I know this has been a long mission for Squad Two. We've been directly involved in taking down two of these abominations, and the first one we had to defeat ourselves. Other units have been able to help us since that first mission, just as Squad Six is doing now. Be on your guard, and watch each other's back. When we've finally dispatched this wraith and the final one, I want us all to celebrate with the biggest victory bash the Seireitei's ever seen. I won't accept anything less. Stay on your toes, and stay live. Those are your orders! Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Captain!" the assembled Soul Reapers, Mikoto included, replied as one.

Yoruichi smiled. "Good. I'll be holding you all to that. Now, we've got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. Let's get to it!"

The group began to disperse, and Mikoto saw Itachi, Shisui and Visaelya move towards one of the corners. She went over to join them, and she was immediately concerned. They looked tense, and she suspected it had to do with more than just the prospect of going after another wraith.

As the rest of the Soul Reapers filed out of the room, Visaelya looked around furtively before whispering to the group. "What are you two going to do? We're going to need your Sharingan again when the time comes to fight the wraith, and Squad Six is going to be present this time. Captain Kuchiki's a good and honorable man, but I don't think he'll be quite as willing to turn a blind eye to your unique abilities as Captain Ukitake was."

Mikoto saw Shisui glance at the man in question, who was conversing with Yoruichi and Soi-Fon. "I don't know. He's known for being rather strict, and the Kuchiki Clan's got a reputation as sticklers for upholding the laws and traditions of the Soul Society. I'd like to think that us fighting alongside his unit against a wraith might earn us some grace, but that's a risky bet to take, especially if he sees just what the Sharingan's truly capable of."

"We might have no choice but to make that gamble," Itachi argued, "I don't like it any more than you do, but this will be the third wraith we've directly fought now. We all know how powerful they are. Our own strength has grown, but against a foe like this… we can't afford to hold back."

"Just how dire could the situation get if word of the Sharingan leaks out?" asked Mikoto, "I know the Central Forty-Six is known for being suspicious of powers that it considers outside of the conventional abilities and spells wielded by Soul Reapers, but would they really act against you two if they found out about the Sharingan? It's been essential in dealing with the wraiths. Surely that would be a mitigating factor."

Visaelya sighed. "I would like to think so, but the council can be rather… rigid in its views. The Central Forty-Six isn't known for accepting change readily, and a new power like the Sharingan being wielded by Soul Reapers, even if it's only those of a certain clan, would be a big one. At the very least, they'd almost certainly demand Shisui and Itachi be detained and brought before the council for questioning. They might even go after you, Mikoto, simply due to you being part of the clan. So much rides on Captain Kuchiki and Squad Six. We got lucky with Squad Thirteen and Squad Ten's Third Seat. Squad Six, though… they'll be invaluable allies in the fight itself, but afterwards is going to be the real test. If you two must use the Sharingan, take all possible precautions to do so without Captain Kuchiki and his subordinates finding out. Otherwise… well, I suppose we'll find out for ourselves if Captain Kuchiki shares all of the Central Forty-Six's views."

Itachi nodded as he looked over at Squad Two's Captain. "I'll talk to Yoruichi later. She knows Captain Kuchiki better than the rest of us, so perhaps she'll have a solution that we've yet to consider. If it comes down to a choice between preserving the secret of the Sharingan or letting ourselves and our comrades be killed, though… I will take the chance and use the power of our bloodline."

Shisui regarding him with what looked like curiosity. "I don't know if you would've made the same call back when we were alive. You've changed, Itachi."

"Have I, now?" Itachi replied, "Perhaps so. Then again, death has a way of altering one's perspectives and priorities."

Shisui chuckled. "Can't argue with that."

Mikoto put her hands on both young men's shoulders. "No matter what happens, I'll be right beside you. I might not have regained the Sharingan, but I'm still an Uchiha. If you're brought before the Central Forty-Six, I'll insist on accompanying you. We'll stand together and face whatever comes our way."

I won't stand by in silence this time, she vowed to herself, I won't make the same mistakes that I did when our family was divided. Itachi… I didn't support you in our first lives when you needed it most, and I don't know if I can ever make up for that…

…but I will do everything in my power to try.

….

One week later…

The crimson light of the setting sun was reflected in the clashing blades of Squad Two's Tenth Seat and Squad Six's Captain. The joint expeditionary force had finished making camp in a clearing along the side of the Great West Road, and most of the Soul Reapers and Stealth Force members taking part in the operation were now either on watch, out on patrol, or grabbing some dinner before turning in for the night. Itachi had been about to join the last group when he'd been approached by Ginrei Kuchiki. To have the commander of Squad Six and head of the Kuchiki Clan ask him for a sparring match seemingly out of the blue had definitely caught Itachi off guard, but he'd still readily accepted the request. It wasn't every day that he got to cross blades with the leaders of other units, after all, and Captain Kuchiki was renowned as a master swordsman.

That reputation was very well-earned, and old age didn't seem to be slowing Captain Kuchiki down in the least. He was currently driving Itachi across the field, and the former Shinobi had to admire his opponent's technique even as he found himself on the receiving end of it. The veteran Soul Reaper favored a two-handed grip, yet he seldom used any of the powerful strikes that such a preference worked so well to facilitate. Instead, Ginrei Kuchiki's form was a masterclass in patient persistence, keeping his foe on the backfoot with a steady series of graceful and precise strikes as he wore them down and waited for the opening that would allow him to seize victory. A long and drawn-out fight for an elderly warrior would normally be counterproductive, even dangerous, but the Captain clearly believed he had the endurance and experience needed to make it work.

In Itachi's eyes, that belief was not unfounded. The young Uchiha had been on the defensive for most of their duel so far, weaving a series of tight circles with his blade that allowed him to intercept Ginrei's sword with minimal energy and exposure. His initial plan had been to study the Captain's form and test the limits of his stamina, but that was now looking like a flawed strategy. Ginrei's brow was furrowed in focus and he was clearly treating Itachi as a serious opponent, yet he showed no outward signs of tiring. His spiritual pressure was suppressed, but Itachi could still feel the formidable undercurrent of energy running just below the surface. Captain Kuchiki's reserves weren't anywhere near depleted from what Itachi could tell, and continuing to stay on the defensive like he was now would likely result in him merely being defeated sooner rather than later. If Itachi wanted to stand a chance at winning, he would have to shake things up.

Thus far, Ginrei's fighting style had been one that kept him firmly rooted to the ground, and the duel itself was currently moving along a single axis. It was conventional and effective, but it had vulnerabilities. Attacks from unexpected angles, particularly strikes aided by acrobatics, could potentially put the wielder off balance. At the very least, it was an avenue worth exploring.

So, Itachi did just that. As the Captain brought his blade down in a diagonal strike, Itachi met the attack halfway, disrupting his opponent's momentum. For his counterattack, Itachi started by aiming at Ginrei's legs, forcing the old man to keep his blade low to intercept the blows. Then, Itachi leapt into the air, swinging at Ginrei's right shoulder as he went over the Soul Reaper's head. Squad Six's commander brought his sword up in time to deflect the attack, but Itachi had the satisfaction of seeing his foe's eyes widen ever so slightly; he'd taken the veteran warrior by surprise.

Itachi wasn't about to let up there. Even as he came down, he whirled around and swung his sword again, this time at Ginrei's back. The Captain brought his own blade behind his back without turning to face Itachi directly, stopping the strike cold. However, the old man still had to turn around for his counterattack, and Itachi was ready for it. As Ginrei swung his blade in a wide arc, Itachi ducked beneath it and lunged forward. His opponent quickly stepped to the right and brought his blade down, only just able to redirect Itachi's thrust. Itachi refused to relent and unleashed a sequence of varying high and low slashes to keep the Captain on his toes.

The venerable Soul Reaper inclined his head as Itachi drove him back across the field. "A superbly executed counter. I expected no less from you."

Itachi nodded as he pressed his assault. "You didn't make it easy for me. I appreciate that, by the way; I would've expected any other Captain apart from my own to hold back more, but you've taken this seriously from the start."

Ginrei shook his head as he fended off Itachi's strikes. "You underestimate your own abilities. You forget that you've shown off your skills in multiple Blade Dancer Festivals now. Your own commander might be the only Captain that you partake in the bouts with, but the rest of us have watched those matches with keen interest. I've observed many talented swordsmen and women over the years, Tenth Seat Uchiha, and I know when I'm watching a Soul Reaper whose Zanjutsu is more than just a cut or two above that of his peers. There's a reason why few junior officers are permitted to dance with their Captains like you have, after all."

"Is that why you wanted this fight?" asked Itachi as he shifted focus, unleashing staccato bursts of tight thrusts at his opponent's torso.

Ginrei nodded as he expertly parried the punishing blow. "Yes. Among other things, I find sparring with those outside of Squad Six to be most instructive, and I imagined that a match with you would be more so than most. Suffice to say that, so far, you haven't disappointed."

"Thank you," Itachi replied as he aimed another thrust at the old man's left shoulder, only for it to be redirected with efficient grace, "although if you're hoping to distract me with flattery, it won't work."

Ginrei actually smiled at that. "Good."

Clashing steel continued to echo at a furious pace as the two men continued their bout. Ginrei was eventually able to counter and go on the offensive again, with Itachi being forced to pull back under the withering storm of slashes that the veteran Soul Reaper unleashed. They had a much better feel for each other's fighting styles now, and Ginrei was on guard for Itachi's next surprise maneuver. Getting the drop on him would not be easy.

As he deflected strike after strike, Itachi decided now would be as good a time as any to bring up something he'd been meaning to ask Squad Six's Captain since the meeting. "The wraith that we're going after; Captain Shihōin believes it to be the one that was once a member of the Kuchiki Clan. Did the records your family reviewed indicate as much?"

Ginrei nodded as he pressed his assault. "They did. Not too surprising, given that it's the one interred within our borders. It follows the pattern established by the first three."

"I expected as much," Itachi replied as he parried a particularly quick thrust that nearly landed on his right shoulder, "With all due respect, Captain Kuchiki, are you prepared for this? He might be a wraith now, but he was once a member of your clan."

Ginrei inclined his head but did not waver in either his response or his offensive. "It is regrettable, but I will do what must be done. He was once a Kuchiki, so it is only proper that a member of his family help lay him to rest once and for all."

"I suppose that's a good way to look at it," Itachi conceded as he parried another thrust and countered with one of his own, disrupting the Captain's sequence of strikes and retaking the initiative, "If I recall the tale correctly, this one was in training to be Mage when he first joined the Lady of Midnight. Did the clan's records shed any light on his abilities?"

"To an extent," Ginrei confirmed, "He was an extremely gifted and versatile spell caster. Single target strikes, wide area blasts, sealing spells and barriers; his repertoire was impressive. He supplemented his spells with a blade, although for the most part his swordsmanship was meant to be for defense. All accounts point to him being a competent physical fighter if pressed, but that is not where the real threat lies. If we cannot close the distance quickly when we confront him, we may be overwhelmed by the barrage of spells he unleashes against us."

"And he'll have plenty of wights to use as shields," Itachi grimly noted as he darted to the right before slashing at his opponent's thigh, only for Ginrei to gracefully deflect the strike and fall back under his follow-up attacks, "We will need to act swiftly and decisively."

"Indeed," said Ginrei as he kept his blade in close, picking off Itachi's attacks with minimal effort, "I understand that your Shikai is quite effective at dealing with the hordes that we can expect to fight."

Itachi nodded. "That's certainly one of its uses. My proficiency with it has definitely improved since our last expedition against a wraith, but its power still has limits."

"All Shikais do," Ginrei replied as he deflected a series of diagonal slashes, "The trick is to recognize them and plan accordingly. Many Soul Reapers get caught up in their own power after they've awakened their Shikai. I'm pleased to see that you're not one of them. Captain Shihōin has trained you well."

Itachi allowed himself a very small smile as he rolled to the left, bringing his blade up at Ginrei's chest as he rose, with the old man only barely able to block the strike. "She has."

They went back and forth for the next few minutes, with neither party gaining a firm advantage. Several times, Itachi tried to mix things up with feints, pretending to go low before swiftly striking high or vice versa. He would dart to the left before suddenly leaping to the right and make a slash at the Captain's head, parry a thrust before taking a shot at his opponent's feet, and much more besides. No matter what he attempted, though, Ginrei managed to fend him off.

In fact, the old Soul Reaper seemed amused by his efforts, at least if the slight smirk beneath his mustache was anything to go by. "Misdirection, speed and unpredictability… you've taken to Squad Two's preferred form of Zanjutsu quite well."

"You almost seem to like it," Itachi observed as he Flash Stepped behind Ginrei and went right for his back, only for the Captain to swat his strike aside without so much as batting an eye, "I would've thought that the leader of Squad Six might find it distasteful."

"Hardly," Ginrei countered as he lunged forward, driving Itachi back with a flowing sequence of strikes, "I know my unit's reputation; we are known to favor conventional discipline, and this applies to our Zanjutsu. That being said, we're not exactly the straightforward and… unsophisticated fighters of units like Squad Eleven. We appreciate the proper application of cunning and deception in a duel, and you're certainly demonstrating it here."

Itachi briefly bowed his head even as he continued to defend himself from the Captain's elegantly brutal assault. "High praise, coming from a man like yourself."

"It's more than earned," said Ginrei, "As I mentioned before, you seem to underestimate your own talents. It is hardly a fluke that you can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Captain Shihōin or myself in a sparring match. You may only be a Tenth Seat, but if one went by your abilities alone, they could be forgiven for assuming that your rank might be much higher. In fact, if you and Squad Two's Lieutenant were to battle it out for real… I'd wager you'd win quite handily. I imagine Captain Shihōin would make that bet as well."

"Such a match would be interesting," Itachi cautiously replied as he met the tip of Ginrei's blade with his own, throwing his attack off and giving him an opening to counter, "though I have no desire for a confrontation with Lieutenant Ōmaeda. His… demeanor aside, he is a valuable executive officer for Squad Two, and I wouldn't wish to offend his honor by inflicting a loss upon him. I know noble families can be ruthless in exploiting even the slightest of perceived insults."

Ginrei nodded as he fell back under the rain of blows that Itachi unleashed upon him. "Avoiding an open challenge to allow the Lieutenant to save face and keeping you from attracting unwanted attention… very wise. You understand the nobility well."

"Given Squad Two's area of responsibility, it's a necessity," Itachi replied as he slashed repeatedly at his opponent's torso, only for Squad Six's Captain to smoothly deflect his attacks.

"Quite so," Ginrei acknowledged.

The field continued to echo with the cry of clashing blades as the duel stretched onwards, and the last of the day's sunlight was swiftly fading in the west. Both Soul Reapers went back and forth, swapping the roles of aggressor and defender repeatedly, with neither gaining the upper hand. After a particularly fierce exchange, the two men locked blades, and Itachi's eyes were drawn to the handle of Ginrei's weapon. With a rectangular guard and white hilt, it didn't really stand out when compared to other weapons at first glance, but the power Itachi could sense flowing through it was not be taken lightly.

Suddenly, Ginrei Flash Stepped backwards. Itachi was about to pursue when he saw the old man lower his blade.

"I think that's enough for this evening, don't you?" the Captain asked, "It would do us both well to eat a hearty meal before turning in for tonight. We still have a long way to go before we reach my family's Principality, after all."

Itachi nodded and sheathed his sword. "You're right. Thank you for the training bout, Captain. Your Zanjutsu is every bit as formidable as your reputation."

Ginrei inclined his head as he sheathed his blade. "And yours speaks well of your talents… talents that are clearly still growing. To think that a Tenth Seat would have Captain-level swordsmanship… I'm almost fearful of the generation that you're part of."

Itachi blinked; he hadn't been expecting that. "I beg your pardon, Captain Kuchiki?"

Ginrei shook his head. "Never mind me. Just the musings of an old tiger whose prime is well behind him."

He then turned around and headed towards the camp, though not before pausing to look over his shoulder at Itachi. "Continue to hone your skills with the same dedication that you've demonstrated thus far, Tenth Seat Uchiha. I will be watching your career with great interest."

He's not the only one, Jigoku no Joō chimed in as Itachi watched Ginrei walk away, I believe you just fought the Captain of Squad Six to a draw. Well done!

I hardly think he was going all out against me.

Perhaps, but you still held your own, and you never conceded or let his blade touch you. I can't think of many Tenth Seats who can say that… or many Soul Reapers in general, for that matter.

I suppose that's one way to look at it.

Suppose? Take the damn compliment already! I don't give these lightly, you know?

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at the outburst of his Zanpakutō. "Well, if you insist."

With that, Itachi followed Ginrei's lead and headed back to camp. As he joined Yoruichi, Soi-Fon and Mikoto for the evening meal, his mind wandered back to Ginrei's Zanpakutō. He'd only fought the man in a contest of Zanjutsu with sealed blades, and he was quite curious as to the nature of the veteran Soul Reaper's Shikai. Itachi had heard rumors, but he'd never seen it in action.

Given the nature of the foe that awaited them in the west, he imagined he'd get the chance to witness its power soon enough.

….

One week later…

There was a loud clattering as the sound of Mikoto's blade hitting the floor echoed across the cavern, and the spirit of her Zanpakutō shook her head as she lowered the black bident. "That was sloppy. You overextended, and your form is too tense. If I had been the wraith, you would be writhing in agony right now as I killed, corrupted, and turned your soul into an extension of my own. Pick it up. We're going another round."

Grabbing her sword, Mikoto immediately dropped into a ready stance. Her opponent had struck with little warning in the last round, and she was expecting the same here. Mikoto wasn't disappointed; she'd barely raised her blade when her adversary lunged forward, aiming the bident right at her throat. She was only just able to redirect the opening thrust, and the former Shinobi quickly found herself on the defensive.

If she's pulling her punches, Mikoto thought as she fell back under the withering assault, I certainly can't tell. She's as vicious in her training on the march as she is back at the Soul Society. I suppose I can't blame her for that.

While the joint force had moved swiftly since leaving the Seireitei, the journey to the Kuchiki Clan Principality was still a long one. They were only two weeks into the trip, and just because they'd stopped to make camp for the night didn't mean their work ended. Everyone was trying to get in what training they could, and Mikoto was no exception. The tension in the expeditionary force was growing with each passing day as they drew ever closer to their destination, and sparring with either the spirit of one's Zanpakutō or comrades was as good a way as any to blow off some steam.

Of course, for Mikoto, these exercises were about far more than just working through stress. She'd learned everything she could about wraiths from Itachi and the others even before the mission had officially began; if those who had faced such abominations before were concerned, then that went double for Soul Reapers like Mikoto who hadn't yet encountered the monstrosities. She was painfully aware of how lacking her power was when compared to her comrades, and Mikoto was determined to close as much of the gap as possible before arriving in the target area. She refused to be a burden to the expeditionary force, even if her duties would likely only consist of fending off wights in combat rather than challenging the demon that created them.

Luckily, she didn't lack for training partners. Soi-Fon was the most common, and despite long days of both marching and scouting the bodyguard of Squad Two's Captain spared no effort in helping Mikoto hone her skills. On the occasions when Soi-Fon had other duties occupying her, Shisui and Visaelya had happily filled in for her. Otherwise, she would focus on training with the spirit of her Zanpakutō, and in fact would even do so after sparring with any of the aforementioned three Soul Reapers.

There was one noticeable absence from her list of sparring partners, of course; her eldest son. To an outside observer, that might seem odd, but there was a very good reason for it. After all, the last time Itachi had raised a blade with his mother on the other end had been the blood-soaked night that spelled the downfall of the Uchiha Clan. Neither of them had said anything directly on the matter, and they didn't need to; the mutual understanding was all too clear. With how deeply the memories of the purge haunted Itachi, the last thing Mikoto wanted to do was reopen those wounds. Asking him to fight her, even if it was merely for training, would be a good way to do just that.

Ducking beneath a wide sweep from the polearm, Mikoto then lunged forward to counterattack. Her opponent pulled the bident in to block her ensuing strikes on its handle, and now the initiative was in the hands of the former Shinobi. Mikoto made the most of it, pushing the spirit of her Zanpakutō back towards the glowing river. She had to make sure she kept her attention fully on her adversary, for their current course put them on a trajectory to pass between the statues of both her husband and her eldest son.

Of course, her foe was well aware of that, and a cruel smile soon appeared on her face as she twirled the bident in front of her to block Mikoto's attacks. "What would Fugaku say if he could see you now? So desperately fighting an aspect of yourself in a quest to become stronger, and doing so in the shadow of his memorial… oh, how rich this is! If only he and Itachi could bear witness to it."

Tune her out, Mikoto told herself, forcing her gaze to remain purely on her opponent, She's just trying to rattle you like before. Don't give her the satisfaction of letting it work again!

Mikoto had gotten better at resisting her opponent's taunts, but it was still difficult. Sparks flew as sword met bident in the shadow of the stone monuments to Fugaku and Itachi, with Mikoto working to push her adversary right up to the edge of the river. She wanted to wipe the smile right off of her opponent's face, but her relentless assault wasn't doing the trick. If anything, her foe actually seemed amused by it.

"Such ferocity," she commented as she whirled the obsidian polearm before her, violet flames dancing up and down the weapon as it blocked Mikoto's attacks, "The look in your eyes right now… it's exquisite! Tell me, where was this fire back when you were alive?"

"It had its place when I was a Shinobi," Mikoto tersely replied as she went for her opponent's throat, only for the thrust to be casually swatted aside, "I dampened it when I became a mother. It wasn't needed anymore."

The spirit of her Zanpakutō shook her head. "Oh, you poor dear… you have no idea just how wrong you are."

Mikoto had her opponent's heels practically dipping into the glowing bluish-green water of the river, but that was apparently as far as her foe would let herself be driven back. Twirling the bident, she intercepted Mikoto's follow-up strike with the handle of the weapon before sweeping it low. Mikoto tried to jump, but she was just a split-second too late, and her right foot got caught on the polearm. She fell forward, and though she immediately rolled to the right and attempted to get herself upright, she found herself facing the twin points of the bident mere millimeters away from her eyes.

"Choked at the end," the crimson-eyed woman chided her, "Shame. You were doing so well. I almost thought you'd finally figured it out, but it seems I overestimated you."

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Figured what out?"

Her foe sighed as she pulled the bident back and slung it over her shoulder. "So close, and yet so far… it is truly aggravating, being your Zanpakutō sometimes."

Mikoto cautiously rose to her feet. She braced herself for a sudden attack, for the start of the next round, but her opponent was no longer facing her. Instead, she was looking down at the river, seemingly lost in thought.

"Perhaps you'll never get it back," she muttered, and Mikoto wondered if the woman was really talking to her or herself, "Motherhood softened you… weakened you. You are so much less now than what you once were."

Mikoto glared at her; she wasn't going to take these insults lying down. "That's a lie! Starting my family, raising Itachi and Sasuke… that was what I truly wanted, and I regret none of it. The boys didn't need a fierce Shinobi raising them. They already had that in the form of their father, and Fugaku was able to put that aside for them."

"They were born in the Shinobi World," the woman shot back as she turned to face Mikoto again, "They were born in a Hidden Village. More to the point, they were born Uchiha. Pure-blooded Uchiha, at that. You had to know that the path of the Shinobi awaited them. Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan, the village; would any of them have accepted them going down another path? Would either of your sons even consider another path, given the environment that they were being brought up in? I think we both know the answer to that."

Mikoto closed her eyes. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the woman was right. After all, children born in the Hidden Leaf Village attended the Shinobi Academy as their primary education facility. Those who weren't cut out to become Shinobi were shifted off to subsidiary schools, but even their education was geared first and foremost to supporting a village whose entire purpose was to provide powerful Shinobi for the Land of Fire. A small part of Mikoto had hoped that perhaps one or both of her sons would be drawn towards that support sector instead, but it had always been a tiny and futile dream. With the gifts they'd inherited from both her and Fugaku, their paths were practically set while they'd still been in her womb.

"Even so," Mikoto said softly, "I wanted to at least make sure they could know a gentle and warm home. Our world was so harsh, and children in villages like ours had to grow up so fast… I wasn't wrong to protect them from that for as long as I could. I softened when I became a mother, yes, but I did so because I wanted them to know that not all of the world was as brutal and cold as what they would see when they became Shinobi."

Much to Mikoto's surprise, the woman didn't argue, at least not directly. "There was nothing wrong in wanting your boys to know the unconditional love and protection of their mother, to keep them shielded from the cruel realities of the world that they'd been born into. However, you knew that they would have to face that reality at some point. Their father introduced Itachi to it far too early, and I know you were against it, but that didn't stop him. When he came home after that day… you had to know that his innocence was shattered beyond repair."

Mikoto nodded as the image of four-year-old Itachi, his eyes haunted with a shadow that should not have been allowed to touch him so soon, flashed through her mind. "I did. He didn't say anything that day… but I knew. I just… I didn't know what to do. I thought that if I continued to be the kind mother with a smile on her face that he'd always known… it would be enough. It wasn't. I always knew it wasn't, no matter how much I pretended otherwise."

"You tried to become a foil for Fugaku, both in Itachi's life and Sasuke's," the woman replied, "Where Fugaku was the aloof father who expected his boys to excel at the Shinobi arts, you could be the mother who gave them unconditional acceptance and praise regardless of how they performed in your husband's eyes. Where your husband was occupied with the burdens of clan leadership, you always kept your arms open and ready for your children. You weren't wrong in that. Where you erred was going too far into that role. You let the inner steel that you'd once held as a Shinobi dull. When the situation began to turn sour, you could no longer stand in defiance as your younger self might have once done. Instead, you were passive. You went along meekly. What you needed back then was the ferocity that you showed me just before our fight ended. You needed to find your steel again, Mikoto. You still do."

Mikoto's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sitting idly by like I did back then, if that's what you're getting at. I've completed my Academy training; I'm a Soul Reaper now. I've gone out into the field to fight Hollows and send lost souls onward to the Soul Society. I have my steel."

The woman shook her head. "No. Even out in the field, you're not fighting as you once did. This isn't to say that you haven't been contributing or holding your own, but there's a distinct difference between your combat now and how you once handled yourself back when your Shinobi missions called for bloodshed. Back then, you fully bore your fangs and embraced your killer instinct. You have yet to do that in your new life. You're holding yourself back, refraining from letting the Kunoichi you once were return to the forefront."

Mikoto shuddered as several bloody images from old missions she'd worked hard to forget flashed through her mind. "Who I was back then… that's not who I want my son to think of me as. I… I don't want him to see that side of me."

"You never have," the woman replied, "and that was a mistake. It came from good intentions, but it was misguided. There's a difference between your son knowing in his mind that you were once a Shinobi like him and seeing it for himself. If you want to help him move on from the horrors of the Uchiha downfall, then you need to show him that you truly understand what it meant to be a Shinobi like he once was. You worked hard to keep the blood and shadows away from Itachi, but they found him anyway. He needs to see that he's not alone in understanding what it means to live in that darkness. Understanding, truly understanding, that you know it as well will go a long way."

Mikoto looked down. "I… don't know if I can do that. I need some time to think."

"You have some," said the woman, "but you'll find it slipping through your fingers all too quickly. Your expeditionary force won't be on the road forever, after all."

She was right, of course. She always was.

Mikoto sighed. "Is that the only way for me to learn your name?"

The woman shrugged. "There's only one way for you to find out."

Mikoto rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "I need to get out of here. I've had enough of this for one day."

"Clearly," the woman quipped, "Return to your companions and encampment if you must. I will still be here, as will the darkness that you need to embrace. You'd best find the nerve to do it soon. The wraith and its thralls won't care about how you want to fight when the time comes. They will come at your son and the others with all the unnatural ferocity and malice that only the undead can muster. Don't forget that."

Mikoto hardly needed the reminder. Itachi and Shisui's lessons about wraiths and wights had been firmly etched into her mind, as had the looks on their faces when they'd instructed her. Both had been calm on the surface, but she had still picked up on their uneasiness. These abominations weren't foes that either of the two young men were eager to face again. Neither would admit it, but it was clear that they feared these things far more than they did any Hollow, and Mikoto could hardly blame them for it.

They're scared, but they're marching forward to face this threat regardless, Mikoto thought, the cavern whirling around her as she began to transition from her inner world back to reality, I owe them no less. Even so… if I have to become who I once was…

…will Itachi ever be able to look at me as his mother again once the deed is done?

….

One week later…

Yoruichi smiled and patted Soi-Fon on the shoulder as she finished her report. "Excellent work. Observant and thorough as ever. That's why I like to give you vanguard scouting duties for expeditions like this. You always give me exactly the intel I need. Thanks, Soi-Fon."

Soi-Fon bowed deeply, heat rushing to her face as the Captain's praise echoed in her ears. "I-it was nothing, Lady Yoruichi! I only did what you asked of me."

Yoruichi shook her head. "Come on, stop selling yourself short like that. I swear, you and Itachi both have that problem sometimes. I know we're taught to be wary of pride going to our heads, but it's okay to bask in the satisfaction of a job well done."

Soi-Fon raised her head and nodded, allowing herself a small smile. "I'll remember that, Lady Yoruichi. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"No, I think you've done enough for today," Yoruichi replied, "The command tent should be set up by now, and I have a meeting to get to with Captain Kuchiki. Consider yourself at liberty for the rest of the evening. Grab some dinner and rest up, Soi-Fon. You've earned it."

The two of them parted ways, and Soi-Fon could feel her empty stomach rumbling. A good meal was certainly in order, and enough time had passed that the cooks should've been able to get dinner going. Strolling through the encampment, it didn't take Soi-Fon long to find the cooks' open-air tent. The smell of hot stew was wafting through the air, and Soi-Fon had to consciously keep herself from drooling.

A long day of recon does wonders for the appetite, she mused as she got in line, I suppose one could have worse workout routines…

She dished up a few minutes later and then wandered off to find somewhere to sit and take her meal in peace. As she walked, she passed by various friendly faces. Aika, Rija and Mindiwo were gathered around a campfire sharing dinner together, while Katya whirled her the silver spear of her Shikai around her in a clearing behind them. Itachi, Shisui and Visaelya were also taking their meal together, and Soi-Fon was relieved to see that the three of them looked relatively relaxed for a change. Ever since Yoruichi had revealed to her the unofficial investigation they were undertaking into the presence of known Uchiha within the Drakken Clan's residence, a cloud of stress had followed the three young Soul Reapers wherever they went. It was good to see that they could at least shake it off out in the field, if only for a little while.

That was when Soi-Fon realized that she wasn't the only one with eyes on Itachi, Shisui and Visaelya. Hovering behind a tent and watching the trio was none other than Mikoto. Soi-Fon's eyes narrowed as she looked upon the Seventeenth Seat. A shadow seemed to be hanging over the normally bright and gentle woman as of late, and Soi-Fon was worried.

She didn't make it her usual policy to get close to new recruits, but Itachi's mother had somehow become an exception. Granted, Soi-Fon had been curious about her simply by virtue of her being one of Itachi's parents and also coming from the Shinobi Realm of the Living. Yoruichi had voiced high expectations for the woman, and thus far, she'd certainly lived up to them. Her marks in the Academy had been high, and she'd taken to her new duties with Squad Two like a pro. If her son was anything to go by, then Mikoto's future with Squad Two would be a bright one. That would make Yoruichi look good, something that Soi-Fon was always eager to encourage.

There was more to the attention she paid to Mikoto than simply wanting her skills to reflect positively on her Captain, though. Most new recruits were typically intimidated by Soi-Fon, and for good reason. As Yoruichi's unofficial enforcer within both Squad Two and the Stealth Force, Soi-Fon took it upon herself to be stern and unforgiving when called for. That was enough to keep most in line, and the combination of fear and respect that new recruits had for her was an added bonus. Mikoto had been different, though. Just like Itachi, she hadn't really been phased by Soi-Fon's cool demeanor. Her son had quickly proven himself through his skills, and that was enough to earn Soi-Fon's respect, but Mikoto had gone a different route. She was talented, yes, but what had somehow gotten through Soi-Fon's guard wasn't Mikoto's abilities; it was her compassionate and understanding nature.

Mikoto had greeted Soi-Fon's aloof reception not with a determination to prove herself, but with a desire to get to know her. At first, Soi-Fon had been completely taken aback. She'd tried to brush off the woman's attempts to be friendly and socialize beyond their training sessions, and other Soul Reapers who had tried a similar approach in the past had been successfully dissuaded by Soi-Fon's cold shoulder, but Mikoto had persisted. Soi-Fon had been suspicious, but years in the Stealth Force had taught her to sniff out ill-intent in people, and she sensed none within Mikoto. For reasons that Soi-Fon did not yet understand, Mikoto genuinely wanted to befriend her.

Eventually, even Soi-Fon's iron walls of discipline and strictness had to give way. Slowly but surely, the head of Yoruichi's guard had found herself warming up to Itachi's mother. She'd come to look forward to their training sessions, whether it be a Hakuda or Zanjutsu match, shadowing her on a patrol to make sure she was performing the job effectively, or even basic tests of endurance and speed. Whenever the duties of either Mikoto or her son prevented them from taking meals together, Soi-Fon often found herself taking Itachi's place, and she'd come to enjoy it.

Which was why Soi-Fon found it odd that, although Mikoto certainly could be enjoying dinner with Itachi and his friends right now, she wasn't. She seemed torn about simply going near them, which wasn't like her at all. Something was clearly bothering her, and while Soi-Fon didn't fancy herself a therapist, she did consider Mikoto both a comrade and a friend. If there was a problem that Mikoto wasn't comfortable speaking about with her son, perhaps Soi-Fon could help in his stead.

So, she quietly approached her, making sure not to draw the attention of Itachi and his companions. "If you're looking for a dinner companion, I wouldn't mind it if you joined me."

Mikoto nearly spilled her bowl of soup; with her gaze on her eldest son, she'd completely missed Soi-Fon's approach. "Oh, Soi-Fon! Goodness, please don't sneak up on me like that, at least not outside of training."

"You're supposed to keep your senses sharp at all times," Soi-Fon reminded her, "That goes double now that we're out in the field."

Mikoto sighed. "I know, I know. Sorry, I just… I've been distracted lately. It's no excuse, I know. I'll try to work past it."

"Do you want to talk?" asked Soi-Fon, "My duties are complete for the day, so I have time."

Mikoto looked down. "I appreciate that, but I wouldn't want to take up your precious free time, especially after how hard you've been working as a scout these past few weeks. You need your rest, after all."

"I'll get my share of sleep tonight," Soi-Fon gently argued, "I don't know if I can say the same for you, though. Seventeenth Seat Uchiha… no, Mikoto… what's troubling you?"

Mikoto gazed at Itachi for a moment before turning back to Soi-Fon. "Can we go somewhere private? I don't want my son to know… not yet, at least. He has enough to worry about on his own at the moment."

Soi-Fon nodded. "I scoped out a nice little grove earlier. I'd been meaning to use it for a bit of training before turning in tonight. We could take our meal there, talk and spar for a bit if you'd like."

Mikoto smiled. "I think I would. Please, lead on."

Soi-Fon did just that, guiding her beyond the tree-line at the edge of camp and down a thin dirt path that she'd discovered while scouting out prospective campsites for the expeditionary force. After only a minute or so of walking, the trees quickly thinned out again, revealing a small clearing. A few smooth boulders were on the left side of it, and the two women went over to sit atop them and begin enjoying their meals.

"New spice in the soup tonight," Mikoto noted after an experimental sip, "I really should watch the cooks sometime. I'd like to learn how to make this."

"Cooking is not your responsibility," Soi-Fon chided her, "As a Soul Reaper, you need to focus on your own duties and training."

"I'll have you know that I was quite the cook back in my first life," Mikoto countered, "Just ask Itachi if you don't believe me. Shisui too, for that matter; he was a frequent visitor, so he's no stranger to my culinary skills. I know it's important to concentrate on our duties, but we're allowed to have interests and hobbies beyond them, you know? We're more than just Soul Reapers; we're still people, Soi-Fon."

Soi-Fon couldn't help but smile. "You remind me of Lady Yoruichi sometimes. She's always encouraged me to indulge myself and look past my job. I know she means well and just wants me to enjoy life while I can, but I've often found it difficult to take her advice."

"Why's that?" asked Mikoto after a spoonful of soup.

It took Soi-Fon a moment to put her thoughts into words. "I… I suppose it has to do with my upbringing. My mother… I know she loved me and my brothers in her fashion, but she was quite strict with us. My family is a vassal house of the Shihōin Clan, and we're devoted to serving them as assassins, bodyguards, and spies. As such, we're trained in the arts of combat and subterfuge from a very young age, and that training is severe. Growing up like that, we weren't given a whole lot of encouragement to explore who we were as individuals. The task before us, whether it be training or an actual mission, was always supposed to come first."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," said Mikoto softly, "In the Hidden Leaf Village, the education of our children is centered around turning them into Shinobi, but they're at least still allowed to play and enjoy some of their childhood. It sounds like you lacked even that much."

Soi-Fon shook her head. "It was hard, but I didn't mind. There was something reassuring in having a concrete purpose to work towards. It was only when I met Lady Yoruichi and began serving under her that I realized I'd been missing something."

Mikoto smiled. "You sound more than a little like Itachi in that regard."

Soi-Fon blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Back in our first lives," Mikoto elaborated, "Itachi was focused on his training and duties as a Shinobi. I wouldn't say it completely consumed him; he tried his best to make time for his little brother, although I don't know if Sasuke ever really understood why Itachi couldn't play with him more often. Still, he was never really given much of a chance to find out who he could be beyond just a Shinobi. Coming to the Soul Society and meeting Yoruichi was a blessing for him in that sense. She's helped open up his world, just like she wants to do with yours."

Soi-Fon nodded. "I guess you're right… I hadn't thought of it like that. Even knowing what she wants for me, though, I can't be as free-spirited as her. Old habits die hard, after all."

"Well, that's what you've got me here for now," Mikoto argued, "I don't mind stepping in for Yoruichi and helping you see the brighter side of life… or should that be 'afterlife'? Wait, it's afterlife for me, but you were born here to begin with… goodness, I never thought being dead would be so confusing!"

Soi-Fon actually let out a small chuckle at that. "I imagine the Soul Society wasn't what you'd been expecting when you passed on. I've read about the various forms of afterlife that people from some Realms of the Living believe in, and they've always seemed so strange to me since I grew up in the real afterlife to begin with. For me, though… well, this is life. Same for Yoruichi and any other soul born here. I try not to think too much about it. Otherwise, it just gives you a headache after a while."

"I guess I should take your advice there," Mikoto conceded.

The two of them ate their soup in silence for a few minutes before Soi-Fon spoke again. "Mikoto… whatever's bothering you… does it have to do with your son?"

Mikoto sighed. "Partially. It's… difficult to explain."

"Like I said before, I've got time," Soi-Fon reminded her.

Mikoto nodded. "That, you did. I… I'm in a strange place, Soi-Fon. You know that I've been training daily with the spirit of my Zanpakutō, right?"

"Yes," said Soi-Fon, "You've been diligent about that ever since first gaining access to your inner world. I know you've found it disturbing, but from what you've told me recently, it sounds like you're making real progress towards unlocking your Shikai."

Mikoto took a deep breath. "I am, or… I was, but… I don't like where it's taking me."

Soi-Fon raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Have you hit a roadblock? If you tell me what it is, I can try to help you work past it."

Mikoto closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't think 'roadblock' is the right term for it. It's more like… like I can see the next step, but I'm afraid to take it. If I do… I'm not sure what it would mean for my relationship with my son going forward."

Soi-Fon shook her head. "I don't understand. If the next step you have to take is one that will unlock your Shikai, then I'm sure Itachi would approve of it. He'd want you to be as strong as possible so you can protect yourself, after all."

Mikoto sighed. "That's not what I'm trying to get at, Soi-Fon. I'm sure that Itachi does want me to awaken my Shikai. In doing so, though… I'm afraid that I might have to show him a side of myself that I never wanted him to see."

Soi-Fon's eyes narrowed. "What side would that be?"

"I was an active Shinobi before I married Fugaku and started my family," Mikoto explained with a haunted look in her eyes, "The missions that I undertook… well, they wouldn't be out of place in either Squad Two or the Stealth Force. Back then… I was still me, but at the same time… well, I wasn't the woman who Itachi would recognize as his mother. When it came to completing my missions, I could be cold, ruthless, scheming… all the qualities one would look for in a talented assassin or spy. Outwardly, I could smile and pass for the woman that you see before you now, but inside I was someone very different. I thought I had put that version of Mikoto behind me. For the sake of my family, I wanted to. Now, though… if I'm to unlock my Shikai, she might have to come back."

"It's not like you'd be becoming a completely different person," Soi-Fon argued, "Maybe you'd be reviving an aspect of yourself that you're not fond of, but you'd still be you, Mikoto. I think Itachi's smart enough to understand that."

Mikoto gave her a sad smile. "Believe me, I know full well just how intelligent he is. I've always been proud of him for it. Even so… there's a difference between knowing something in your head and seeing it for yourself. Itachi knows that I was once a Shinobi, but he never actually saw me as a Shinobi. Looking back, it might have been a mistake to completely shield him from that side of me, but I don't regret burying the darkness that I gained as a Shinobi to become the loving mother that my children needed. I wanted Itachi to know warmth and joy at home. Since his father wasn't the most openly affectionate of individuals, I worked to provide enough of that for both of us. I wanted to be the sun, the daylight in his life, and keep the night that was the Shinobi world at bay."

Soi-Fon nodded. "That's noble of you, but it sounds like Itachi found that 'night' regardless. Since he's now part of Squad Two, it's still with him. I won't pretend to understand what it means to be a mother… but I will say this. You were right to be his sun, and I think it's good that you're still trying to do that now… but you can show him that you're more than that. You can be the moon, too. After all, isn't the moonlight a reflection of the sun? When you think about it, the light that it uses to illuminate the light is just another aspect of the sun. Whoever you were as a Shinobi can be something similar."

Mikoto's smile became a bit more genuine. "I hadn't thought about it that way. Soi-Fon… thank you. That might help… I'll need to consider it."

"We've still got time before we get to our target destination," Soi-Fon reminded her, "If you need someone to talk about it with, you know where to find me."

Mikoto bowed. "I do, indeed. Looking at it in that light… I suppose it would make sense to Itachi. Even so… showing that side of myself to him… I don't know if I'm ready."

"I'm not saying it'll be easy," Soi-Fon countered, "but you might not have a choice in the matter. We're going up against a wraith here, Mikoto. I know you've already proven yourself against Hollows, but they're nothing compared to this abomination and the poor souls in thrall to it. More to the point, it's not going to care about what side of yourself you want your son to see. If it has things its way, it will slay and corrupt you both just the same."

Mikoto's gaze hardened, and Soi-Fon nearly flinched; she'd never seen Itachi's mother look at anyone like this before. "If that thing and its slaves try to take my son, I will drag them screaming into the underworld if it's the last thing I do."

Soi-Fon completely believed her.

….

One week later…

"We're making good time," Shisui noted as he led Visaelya to the crest of a small hill, "Even with all our supplies and Squad Six in tow, we've covered a lot of ground. Should just be a few more days or so at most before we hit the Kuchiki Clan Principality's borders."

"You seem to know the area rather well," Visaelya observed as the two of them came to a stop and started surveying the immediate area surrounding the hill, "Have you been out here before?"

Shisui nodded. "I have, actually. Led a team out this way to hunt for a group of Hollows that was attacking merchants along the Great West Road. Didn't make it all the way out to the Principality itself, but we were probably only a couple days or so away from the border at most."

Visaelya raised an eyebrow. "How come I never heard about this?"

Shisui shrugged. "It was before we met. A couple years before you and Itachi even started at the Academy, if I recall correctly. Never seemed important, so I didn't bring it up. Didn't even think about it until we were well on the road, actually. Sorry."

Visaelya smiled and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "No need to apologize. I know you've been preoccupied ever since the little… discovery you and Itachi made last year at my family's estate. It's only natural for old missions to slip your mind like that."

Shisui chuckled ruefully as he looked at her. "Yeah, you're right. Then again, I haven't been the only one preoccupied ever since that party."

That much was certainly true. When Visaelya had first joined Squad Two, she'd figured that she'd get challenging assignments as she rose through the ranks, but spying on her own family wasn't one that she'd ever anticipated. It was still hard to believe, even a year on since that fateful Flame of Life Festival where Itachi and Shisui had discovered literal ghosts from their past on the grounds of her family's mansion, that she was now part of an off-the-books investigation into her clan.

I wasn't ordered to do this, she reminded herself, Captain Shihōin gave me the chance to back out. This was a voluntary assignment… and I accepted.

Just because it had been voluntary didn't make it any easier to have to engage in espionage against her own family, though. What Visaelya had once naively hoped would be happy visits with her parents, siblings, uncle, grandfather and more now all came with an undercurrent of suspicion that she had to fight with all her strength to keep from coming to the surface. Itachi and Shisui had taken considerable time and effort to teach her what they knew of such investigations, and it had only been thanks to their advice and guidance that Visaelya had managed to keep her composure so far. Thankfully, she'd only been able to visit her family a handful of times over the past year, minimizing the chances for her to screw up due to stress.

Not that having only a few visits to worry about made her feel any better about how this unofficial mission was going. The more Itachi and Shisui told her about the kind of men that Yashiro and Inabi Uchiha were, the more she understood the urgency of getting to the bottom of why her family seemed to be involved with them. However, she'd so far uncovered absolutely nothing of value. Her visits with her family had all been casual affairs; sharing meals or tea with them, strolling through the courtyard and trading idle gossip, visiting whichever dragons happened to be present on that particular day and helping with their feeding, and other such activities. There had been no real opportunities for Visaelya to do any meaningful digging, and that only caused her to worry further. She felt like she was failing Squad Two, her friends and her family, a fear that only grew with each subsequent encounter.

She let out a heavy sigh. "No, you certainly haven't been. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually glad that we're out hunting a wraith now. Given the choice between clashing with an undead horror of a bygone age and trying to sniff out my family's secrets, I'll take the wraith and wights anytime."

Shisui gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know what you mean. Back when Itachi and I realized what direction the Uchiha Clan was going in, what they wanted to do… Shinobi might be trained for infiltration, but doing so with our clan was something else entirely. It's not easy, and I don't think something like that should be easy."

"How did you two deal with it?" she asked as they began to descend the hill, "The anxiety, the stress, knowing that your own family could be a threat… I don't understand how you weren't driven completely mad. There are days where I feel like I could crack at any second just thinking about what I have to do…"

"I remember that feeling," Shisui replied, "Honestly, I'm not sure if I ever really 'dealt with it' completely. Remember, Itachi and I were still Shinobi while the Uchiha Clan was falling to darkness. We had missions that were entirely unrelated to the affair between the clan and the village, much like what you and I have here. They were tough, but they also served as a nice distraction from what we were facing back home. There's also the fact that I died before the matter was actually resolved."

Visaelya winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drag up a memory like that."

Shisui smiled again. "Hey, it's okay. You need guidance, and I'm happy to offer what I can. When we weren't on missions, I spent a lot of time training together with Itachi, and we used those sessions to try and figure out how we'd resolve the big issue. Putting our heads together and bouncing ideas around, trying to find some solution that tread the perfect middle ground… it was one hell of a puzzle. Challenges like that can be a great way to focus the mind, but the fact that our particular challenge had a ticking clock behind it didn't exactly help. Pressure can be a good motivator, but it can also increase your likelihood of error."

"Is that… why you and Itachi settled on annihilating the clan?" Visaelya asked nervously, "Was it the pressure of a rapidly deteriorating situation forcing your hand?"

Shisui sighed, and while his gaze was focused out on the land ahead, she had a feeling that his mind had gone back in time. "Slaughtering the clan… that was a last, desperate option that was forced on Itachi… in no small part thanks to my carelessness. We originally had a different plan, one that could avoid bloodshed altogether. It had its own ethical and moral quandaries, but if it meant preserving the peace, then we were both willing to enact it."

Dread began creeping into Visaelya's curiosity. "What was your original solution?"

He answered her question with one of his own, and one that she had not expected. "Visaelya… what do you think might qualify as the definition of the perfect illusion?"

She blinked a few times in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"You know that part of the Sharingan's power comes from its formidable genjutsu," Shisui continued, "Itachi and I have both used that on you in training. You've gotten a taste of the elaborate tapestries and tricks that we can weave for our opponents thanks to the power of our eyes. Given your experience with Sharingan genjutsu, what would you call the ultimate refinement of our visual prowess? What's the ultimate illusion?"

Visaelya pondered the matter for a few moments. "I… I'm not sure. If I had to guess… I'd say the perfect illusion would be one that's so confusing and disorienting that it's completely impossible for the victim to find a way out."

"That's a common answer," Shisui replied, "and an understandable one. With the exposure you've had to genjutsu, it's a natural conclusion for you to come to. However, it's incorrect. The perfect illusion is one that isn't recognized as an illusion at all. It's when the illusion and reality blend so seamlessly together that the victim doesn't recognize the difference. They never realize that an illusion's been cast in the first place."

Visaelya was thoroughly bewildered. "Okay, you've lost me. Why would you cast an illusion that isn't recognizable as such? Isn't the whole point of genjutsu to deceive and disorient your foes, leaving them vulnerable to attack?"

Shisui smiled. "What you're thinking of is what I like to call a battle illusion. It's the kind of genjutsu that Itachi and I have been using on you in our training sessions, and they serve the very purpose that you've just described. Itachi in particular was masterful with those in his first life, elevating them to practically an art form. As his power grows here, I have no doubt that he'll regain that mastery and even surpass it. However, those aren't the only kind of genjutsu. Others are much more subtle and insidious, and that included one that only I could use. Not to brag, but it was probably the most dangerous and sinister of them all. Just ask Itachi if you want a second opinion."

"What was it?" asked Visaelya.

"Remember when I first told you about how Itachi had annihilated the clan to stop their impending coup?" said Shisui.

Visaelya nodded. "I do. Back then, you mentioned that there was a special ability you could use with the Sharingan... no, it was with your evolved version of it… the Mangekyou Sharingan, right? It was some sort of illusion that could only be used with your eyes, and one of them had been stolen by a member of the village's hardline anti-Uchiha faction."

Shisui nodded. "Good memory. I never told you the true nature of the illusion that I was going to use, though. To be honest, I was afraid of what you'd think of me if you knew the truth. With what you're going through now, though… I owe you an honest accounting of it, I think. The ability that I wanted to call upon was called Kotoamatsukami. Essentially… it would've amounted to mind control."

A shudder went through Visaelya. "Mind control… through an illusion? How?"

Shisui took a deep breath. "It's… a bit difficult to explain. I'll start with the casting requirement. Unlike other genjutsu that involve the Sharingan, this one doesn't require eye contact. The target simply has to be within my field of vision. That alone makes it much more dangerous than other genjutsu."

"Your victim would never be able to avoid being ensnared as long as you were able to avoid being seen," said Visaelya, "Whenever I spar with you and Itachi, I know to avoid eye contact, although that's definitely easier said than done. Against Kotoamatsukami, though, even that precaution is futile."

"Well put," Shisui replied, "That's not the worst of it, though. The illusion that Kotoamatsukami casts is one of false experiences. Essentially, using it allowed me to enter someone's mind and manipulate them through implanting ideas or suggestions. My victim would believe that these notions coming to mind were in fact their own, and their subsequent actions would in service to these ideas. Can you see where this is going?"

A chill went down Visaelya's spine as she processed the implications. "Yes… you'd be subverting their free will. They'd think that they were acting on their own accord, but in fact your victims would be following the script of your choice. They'd be puppets without ever realizing it, let alone finding out who was pulling their strings. Shisui… I trust you, but knowing you once had this power… I'm not going to lie, it's very disturbing."

"Can't exactly blame you for feeling that way," Shisui conceded, "It's a power that could easily have been abused. It had limits, though, most notably in how often it could be used to its full potential; only once a decade. More importantly, it could only be used by my Mangekyou Sharingan. Since the Sharingan appears to revert to dormancy when an Uchiha dies and enters the afterlife, I no longer have the Mangekyou. My Sharingan is just the regular one, albeit already fully matured. Theoretically, it's still possible for me to unlock the Mangekyou again, and that might include Kotoamatsukami, although I can't say for sure. Honestly, I'm kind of relieved that I don't have it now. That kind of power… the temptation that comes with it is no joke. I'd like to think that could resist abusing it, but all of us are vulnerable to power's seductive call in one way or another."

Visaelya smiled as she took his hand. "I don't think you're the kind of person who would abuse it. As long as I've known you, you've always done what you think is right. The fact that you can recognize that temptation for what it is shows remarkable maturity and self-awareness on your part. Kotoamatsukami's power may be disturbing, but I'm glad that you're the only one with the potential to use it."

"Actually, I wasn't the one who wound up using it at all," Shisui confessed, "Before I died, I gave my remaining eye to Itachi. That eye still had the power of Kotoamatsukami within it, and from what Itachi told me after our reunion, he actually used it on himself."

Visaelya did a double take. "What? Why would he feel the need to subvert his own mind?"

"Not subvert it, but restore it, after a fashion," Shisui answered, "Remember what happened when you two were first starting out at the Academy? That little disruption Itachi had that would've derailed the path of other students?"

It took Visaelya a moment to recall what he was referring to. "The soul fracture incident, right? Rumors were flying around like crazy back then. I mean, we'd all heard stories about such a phenomenon, but none of us ever thought that we'd see one of our fellow students suffer from it. Still, what does that have to do with Kotoamatsukami?"

"When Itachi was resurrected, it was against his will," Shisui explained, "The party who had brought him back intended to use him along with a bunch of other resurrected Shinobi against the village that we were from. The jutsu that reanimated Itachi forced him to fight against his will, and normally it would've been impossible for him to break free from it. To make a rather long and convoluted story short, Itachi had entrusted my other eye to another Shinobi before he died. That Shinobi wound up fighting against Itachi when he was resurrected, and so the Kotoamatsukami in that second eye activated. That worked to free Itachi from the control of the Shinobi that resurrected him, enabling him to act on his own from that point forward. Eventually, he found the Shinobi that brought him back, undid the reanimation jutsu, and the rest is history."

"Quite a potent jutsu if it worked even after its original master was long dead," Visaelya noted, "I'm starting to understand why people like the anti-Uchiha hardliner that attacked you worked so hard to steal your eye, and why you were willing to rip out your remaining one and entrust it to Itachi. If someone had found your corpse with that second eye still in its socket, who knows what mischief they could've gotten up to with it?"

"Well put," said Shisui, "Disposing of Shinobi bodies properly is actually a pretty big deal in no small part because of special bloodline traits like the Sharingan. It's imperative to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. That goes double when the Sharingan in question has a power like mine."

Visaelya sighed. "I know you said that you're relieved to no longer have it, but… would it be selfish if I said that I wish you did? A power like that would come in handy for our current situation regarding our respective clans."

"I know what you mean," Shisui replied as he gazed out at the gently rolling grassy hills ahead of them, "After a year of fruitless investigation, it's hard to deny a longing for some ability or power to make a breakthrough. I don't know if Kotoamatsukami would be best for our particular situation right now, but it might come in handy down the line. I doubt I'll be regaining the Mangekyou Sharingan anytime soon, though. Not unless things take a nasty turn. Given that awakening the Mangekyou means witnessing the death of someone close to me, I'd be fine if I never regained mine. The price for that power is too high. I'm sure Itachi felt the same way when we manipulated my death to awaken his."

"Is that really the only way the Mangekyou can be unlocked?" asked Visaelya.

"The only one that we know of," Shisui answered, "and I wanted to guarantee that Itachi got his back then. I knew he would need its power for what lay ahead. If our current situation deteriorates to the point that we need the Mangekyou, then things will have become very dire indeed."

Visaelya shook her head. "I pray that it doesn't come to that."

Shisui squeezed her hand. "Likewise."

The two of them walked onward in silence for a few minutes before Visaelya spoke again. "Shisui… what could the Uchiha Clan possibly want with my family? Why them, of all the Great Noble Houses that they could've aligned themselves with?"

"We don't know just how much of the Uchiha Clan that we're really dealing with here," Shisui reminded her, "It could just be Inabi and Yashiro. They might have been part of the driving force behind the coup plot, but they really represent the dark extreme of the clan. Not everyone was like them, even when relations between the Uchiha and Hidden Leaf Village were at their most bitter."

Visaelya nodded. "I know that it's sloppy to make such a broad generalization. I hope it really is just those two that have wormed their way into my family's good graces. Even if it is just Inabi and Yashiro, though, that still leaves us with the original question; why?"

Shisui scratched his chin. "Itachi and I have been talking things over in our spare time… and we've got a theory. Well, more of a wild guess than anything else. We've got no proof to back it up; it's based solely on one of the Sharingan's powers."

Visaelya shrugged. "Seeing as how I haven't been able to learn anything from my family and your efforts to draw out the Uchiha into making contact with you have been fruitless so far, I'm willing to entertain wild guessing. Given your knowledge of the Uchiha Clan, any shot in the dark you make will likely still be better informed than speculation from me."

Shisui took a deep breath. "The Eye of Hypnotism, the aspect of the Sharingan that's at the heart of our formidable array of genjutsu… it works on more than just humans, Visaelya."

Visaelya's mind instantly leapt to a conclusion that utterly terrified her. "You can't mean… that it would work on my family's dragons… would it?"

"Oh, it absolutely would," Shisui grimly confirmed, "Our eyes are able to control creatures of enormous power called Tailed Beasts. If we can tame them, then dragons would be child's play. Their great strength and raw destructive power… there are plenty of ways that an Uchiha could use your family's prized mounts for ill. Like I said, Itachi and I have no proof that Inabi and Yashiro took up residence with your family because it offered a chance to hypnotize and control such powerful creatures… but I wouldn't be surprised if that was a factor in their decision."

"So…are they just using my family, then?" asked Visaelya, unable to keep a hint of desperate hope from creeping into her voice, "Playing nice and ingratiating themselves with my clan simply to use our dragons… my family might have no idea what their guests can do. We might be wrong about the Drakken Clan; my family could be completely innocent here!"

"It's possible," Shisui admitted warily, "but we can't jump to conclusions without sufficient supporting evidence. Visaelya, I know that you've made progress in reconciling with your family, and I understand just how important that is to you. Believe me, the last thing I want is for them to be willingly conspiring with people like Inabi and Yashiro. If your family truly is innocent in whatever this affair really is, then I'll be right there with you in defending them. Right now, though… we just don't know, Visaelya."

Visaelya's shoulders sagged in reluctant acknowledgement. "I know. As much as I want to believe that nothing foul is afoot with them… we need confirmation, one way or the other. I can't afford to let my personal feelings cloud my judgement here."

Shisui smiled. "They're your family, Visaelya. Your personal feelings will have a role to play; it's impossible to keep them out. There's nothing wrong with that, though. You just have to be mindful of those feelings so that you can make clear-eyed decisions. I have no doubt whatsoever that you're capable of that. You've grown into a mature and wise woman since graduation, Visaelya. I know that this kind of investigation isn't what you signed up for when you joined Squad Two, and I understand all too well the pain of having to suspect your own family… but I also know that there's no one I'd rather work with in an operation like this than you."

Despite the gravity of the matter, Visaelya couldn't help but smile as well. "Likewise. This resurfacing of the extremist elements of the Uchiha Clan… I can't begin to imagine just how hard this has been on you. You died trying to stop them, after all. Yet still… you're willing to do what you must to investigate them and thwart any threat they might pose to the Soul Society. You and Itachi… as long as I'm working with the two of you, I can see this through to whatever fate lies at the end."

Shisui nodded. "And we'll face that end together when the time comes. In the meantime, though, we've got more immediate problems on our plate than conspiring family members. If we don't focus on the current mission, then the next one's really a moot point. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to let a wraith and its wights be the end of me."

Visaelya leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "That makes two of us. Focus and survive, Shisui, and I'll do the same. I won't accept anything less."

….

Three days later…

"Hard to believe the border's just up ahead," said Itachi as a gentle breeze wafted through his hair and the leaves of the trees on both sides of the road, "We've made impeccable time."

To his right, Yoruichi smiled. "It helps that the Kuchiki Clan Principality's the largest of the five. Their borders stretch pretty far east and come much closer to the Rukon District than the other Principalities, and they work hard to maintain the Great West Road for ease of commerce and travel."

Itachi scratched his chin as he recalled one of the Academy lectures. "The Kuchiki Clan Principality's primary source of income is agriculture, right? Most of the space must go to farmland. Explains why theirs is the largest of the domains outside of the Soul Society's heart."

"Partially," said a male voice from behind them, "Much of both the northwest and southwest are dominated by large forests, so we have a thriving lumber export industry as well. Of course, we're careful with our logging practices so as to avoid completely depleting such a valuable resource."

Looking over their shoulders, Itachi and Yoruichi saw Squad Six's Lieutenant moving at a brisk pace to catch up to them. Itachi hadn't spoken much to Sōjun Kuchiki since the journey had begun; the Lieutenant had primarily stuck with his own unit, occasionally working with Yoruichi or Soi-Fon as the situation dictated. He didn't know much about Ginrei's son, although in Itachi's eyes the Lieutenant seemed like a friendly guy. If nothing else, he definitely appeared much more approachable than his father.

Yoruichi nodded in greeting. "Lieutenant Kuchiki, nice to see a bit more color in your face. How are you feeling?"

Sōjun smiled as he moved to the left of Itachi. "Much better, thank you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience that my earlier episode caused."

Yoruichi shook her head. "Don't worry about it. We didn't lose any real time. I'm just glad that you're breathing steady again."

"As am I," said Itachi, "Although, with all due respect, are you sure you're up for what lies ahead? I don't mean to doubt your abilities or strength, Lieutenant, but the kind of clash we're heading towards offers no room for error or ill-health. If you have a coughing fit in the middle of our fight with the wraith and its thralls, it could be the end of you."

Sōjun took Itachi's fears in stride. "I appreciate your concern, Tenth Seat Uchiha, but I know the ins and outs of my condition quite well. I had expected and prepared for a possible episode on the road, as had my father. We're well stocked on medicines prescribed by Captain Unohana, and I'll take extra precautions prior to entering the region where the wraith and wights are roaming."

Itachi nodded; the Lieutenant seemed confident enough, and Ginrei didn't strike him as the kind of officer who would let one of his subordinates endanger the mission or themselves by neglecting a health concern. "Very well, then. I pray that you remain in good health."

"Where'd your father get off to?" asked Yoruichi as she looked around, "The border checkpoint should be just beyond the tree-line here. I would've thought that Captain Kuchiki would want to be present to make sure things go smoothly with the guards."

"He went back to check on the supplies so he'll know what we need to top off before heading towards the Black Spike," Sōjun explained, "I've been asked to handle the formalities for our border crossing in his stead. It's nothing I haven't done before, so there should be no issues."

Itachi caught sight of a black blur up ahead and felt a familiar spiritual pressure. Sure enough, Soi-Fon was coming back from her patrol. Stopping before the three of them, she bowed in greeting.

"Lady Yoruichi," she said, "I'm pleased to inform you that the last stretch between us and the border checkpoint is clear."

Yoruichi nodded. "I didn't think the Kuchiki Clan's forces would allow for any threats to settle in so close to their territory, but it never hurts to be sure. Thanks for scoping things out, Soi-Fon."

"Think nothing of it, Lady Yoruichi," her bodyguard replied, "Do you have any further tasks for me?"

Yoruichi shook her head. "Not for the time being. Why don't you join us? Might as well be up front when we hit the checkpoint."

Soi-Fon did just that, settling in to Yoruichi's right and seamlessly matching the group's pace. "Lieutenant Kuchiki, I hope you don't mind, but I took some time to observe your clan's troops at the border. They're disciplined, but perhaps too tense, and there were some rather glaring blind spots in their outer perimeter."

Sōjun sighed. "On edge due to the wraith, no doubt. I suppose I can't blame them for that. If you could relay to them their weaknesses and where they could strengthen the watch to fill in the gaps you noticed, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Soi-Fon nodded. "Of course. Your family's troops are usually much calmer and more observant than what I saw. It doesn't bode well for what lies ahead."

Yoruichi's brow furrowed in concern. "If the ones furthest from the action are spooked, then I can only imagine how those charged with cordoning off the forest are holding up."

"Should we dispatch a scout and relay a message to them?" Itachi suggested, "If they know that two Captains and their units will soon be joining them, it might bolster their morale."

"Captain Kuchiki's already been sending regular dispatches updating the clan's forces on our progress," Yoruichi pointed out, "I don't think Squad Two sending a messenger of our own at this point will make much of a difference. They already know we're coming, and if I know Captain Kuchiki, he'll be damn sure to get another dispatch out after we clear the checkpoint."

Sōjun's shoulders sagged. "In truth, I don't know what, if anything, we can do to improve the morale of my family's forces at this point. They might not be tasked with fighting the wraith directly, but the messages my father has received indicate they've already engaged in multiple skirmishes with the wights. They're used to dealing with bandits and coastal pirates or the occasional Hollow; these abominations are a nightmare that none of them have been trained to combat. I think the only way to meaningfully help them now is for us to do our duty and purge this infestation at its source."

"Then the faster we get there, the better," said Soi-Fon.

Yoruichi nodded. "Agreed. We'll be setting up camp outside the border fort tonight while Captain Kuchiki arranges our resupply, but we'll be hitting the road bright in the morning. Shouldn't take us more than a few days to get to the southeastern edge of the forest where the wraith's at, right?"

"Correct," Sōjun confirmed, "However, navigating the forest itself could prove to be a more time-consuming endeavor. There are established paths and roads, but depending on how far the wraith's influence has spread we could be in for a nasty slog towards the Black Spike."

"And there are the forest tribes to consider," Itachi added, "Have the reports Captain Kuchiki's received provided any new intelligence regarding how many of them have fallen to the wraith and wights?"

"We're getting some information on that front, but it's incomplete," Sōjun admitted, "Wights have been spotted that wear the tattered remnants of what was once clearly attire commonly used by the forest clans, but it's been difficult for Kuchiki Clan forces to get an accurate read on their true numbers. Refugees have been steadily trickling into nearby towns, and the clan's trying to perform an ad hoc census to get a rough idea as to how many have made it out. It's been rough going, though. The Kuchiki Clan prides itself on providing discipline and order, but this situation has mucked things up. I hate to admit it, but we don't do very well with unconventional threats like this. We're not exactly the most adaptable of people."

"Everyone's got their flaws," said Yoruichi, "Knowing your clan, they'll learn from this affair and make the appropriate changes to their forces and internal security protocols so as to be better prepared for future threats."

Sōjun smiled. "We certainly will if my father has anything to say about it."

The sunlight filtering through the canopy began to increase as the trees started thinning out. As the patch of woodland gave way to an open field, Itachi saw the silhouette of a two-story building in the distance. He knew that it was the border checkpoint, and even from this distance he could see several guards standing along the road leading to its archway. A shout rang out, and one of the figures ran back towards the checkpoint. More guards soon began pouring forth; they were rolling out the welcoming committee.

"Any words of advice?" Itachi asked as the expeditionary force steadily drew closer to the checkpoint.

"Just leave everything to me," Sōjun replied, "Our border guards might not be Soul Reapers, but they're still professional soldiers. Treat them with courtesy and respect, and they'll return the favor."

Before they knew it, they were in front of the checkpoint. The complex itself was modest enough, consisting of a few storehouses and offices surrounding the main structure. Watchtowers flanked it on both sides, while some distance behind it was the faint silhouette of a larger fort. Clouds of dust were visible on the path leading towards said fort as additional soldiers streamed forth, while much closer to home a group of guards from the checkpoint itself came forward to greet the expeditionary force. They were all armed with naginatas, while short swords were tied to their hips as backup weapons. The guards seemed rather fidgety, which lined up with Soi-Fon's earlier report perfectly.

Not the image that the Kuchiki Clan would likely want their affiliated troops to present to outsiders, Itachi mused, I suppose the dread inspired by the wraith has wormed its way deeper into the psyches of the troops than we'd initially feared. That doesn't bode well for us.

One of the guards, a rather wiry man with light brown eyes and very short black hair, stepped forward. "Lieutenant Kuchiki? Captain Shihōin? I'm Guard Captain Masato Ozawa. It's good to have you here. Welcome to the Kuchiki Clan Principality."

Sōjun nodded in greeting. "It's good to see you, Captain Ozawa."

"Doing okay, Captain?" asked Yoruichi as she studied Masato and his companions, "Your troops seem a bit jumpy."

Masato gave a weary sigh. "Sorry, Captain Shihōin, but… well, no one's been sleeping well these past few weeks. We might be far from where the action's taking place, but rumors are flying, and none of them are good."

"The cordon's still holding, yes?" Sōjun inquired.

"For the time being," Masato replied, "but the refugees and soldiers alike are talking, and what they're saying is the stuff of nightmares. Wights striking from the shadows beneath the trees, entire villages consumed, their people twisted into servants of the damn monster commanding this foul army… it's a disaster."

"Then the sooner we get cleared through your checkpoint, the better," Soi-Fon interjected, "We have no time to waste."

Masato nodded. "Agreed. Come with me. We'll start processing you all through immediately."

The four of them followed the guards, with the rest of the expeditionary force working their way up the road behind them. Masato took Sōjun off to one of the side offices to go over some paperwork, leaving Itachi with Yoruichi and Soi-Fon standing beneath the archway. Many of the troops standing watch or going about errands looked like they were barely holding themselves together. Many had shadows beneath their eyes, while others almost nodded off before jumping back to alertness. There was a palpable sense of dread in the air, despite the fact that this was merely a border post and nowhere near the region where the actual crisis was taking place.

Yoruichi clearly noticed it as well, and she didn't keep her concerns private. "It's worse than I thought. I don't come out here often, but whenever I've visited in the past, the Kuchiki Clan's forces have always struck me as disciplined and unflappable. A lot like Squad Six, which isn't so surprising given the fact that the same family pretty much runs both. These guards, though… they're not even on the front lines, yet they look like they've been through the wringer."

"Tenser than coiled springs," Soi-Fon muttered.

"And their effectiveness is suffering for it," Itachi added as he surveyed the surrounding troops, "Tired, yet high-strung and with fraying nerves, practically startled by their own shadows… all that, just from rumors of the wraith's deeds and power. The troops manning the cordon itself must be in dire shape. I hope the Kuchiki Clan's got a good rotation system set up, or at least a healthy reserve force waiting in the wings."

"Whatever they have set up, it'll have to hold for a good while longer," said Yoruichi, "The northern forest of this Principality is probably the largest woodland area in all of the Soul Society. Working our way through to the Black Spike while watching out for ambushes from the wraith and wights won't be easy."

"Too bad we don't have Squad Ten's Third Seat with us," Soi-Fon lamented, "We could just use his Shikai to blast our way through like we did during our hunt for the third wraith."

"I could use mine to burn away corrupted patches," Itachi suggested, "However, it could also start a wildfire and blaze completely out of control. We don't know how much of the forest has been infected, and I'd rather avoid destroying intact villages and killing surviving members of the clans who inhabit them."

Yoruichi nodded. "If things get desperate, we might have to take that approach. We'll know more once we get on site and can assess the situation for ourselves."

As the minutes dragged by, Itachi soon felt the familiar sensation of being watched. It wasn't from the various border troops around him and his companions, either; this was much more focused than the brief glances the guards were giving them. Looking at Yoruichi and Soi-Fon, Itachi saw their eyes narrow slightly and knew that they'd picked up on it as well. Surveying the checkpoint again, all three of their gazes soon landed on a shadowy figure peeking out from the gap between a storehouse and one of the administrative offices.

"Seems we've drawn some attention," Yoruichi muttered.

"Shall I drag them out into the light, Lady Yoruichi?" asked Soi-Fon.

"Perhaps we should try diplomacy first," Itachi suggested, "They may not be an enemy."

Yoruichi smiled. "I think you're right."

She then raised her voice. "Hey, care to come out and say hello? I promise we don't bite!"

Soi-Fon rolled her eyes. "Lady Yoruichi…"

There was a moment of silence before the figure stepped into the light. "You found me quite quickly… I should've expected as much from Squad Two."

Their would-be shadowy observer was a woman, and one with rather interesting attire. The bulk of her upper body was covered by a black cloak, one that upon closer inspection Itachi realized was made up of ravens' feathers woven together. Through a few gaps, he could see what appeared to be a dark green tunic, while her lower body was clad in leather boots and leggings. A short sword was strapped to her hip, and a bow and quiver with black-feathered arrows was slung over her shoulders. A conical straw hat with dangling black streamers covered most of her head, but her face was visible. Fierce brown eyes evaluated the three Soul Reapers, and the pale face they belonged to was framed by long locks of black hair.

Itachi had never seen someone like this before, but he had a guess as to who this stranger might be. "Would you be one of the Rangers that serve the forest clans?"

The woman paused for a moment and stared at him intently before nodding. "Good guess, Soul Reaper. Impressive. Most of your kind can't seem to be bothered to learn about us."

"You'll find that the three of us aren't like most Soul Reapers," Yoruichi chimed in, "Care to introduce yourself? Seems only fair since you were trying to spy on us earlier."

The woman removed her hat, and a long ponytail of black hair fell out of its confines and down to her right shoulder. "I'm Huiling Yu, apprentice Ranger of the Raven's Flock. I was asked by my order's commander to come to the border and appraise our reinforcements. Seems you're it."

"We are," Yoruichi confirmed, "I'm Captain Yoruichi Shihōin of Squad Two. This is Soi-Fon, head of my personal guard, and Tenth Seat Itachi Uchiha."

"A pleasure to meet you," Itachi greeted as he politely inclined his head.

Soi-Fon's eyes narrowed; she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. "We don't take kindly to being spied on, even by potential allies. Try that again, and we'll show you why we're the Soul Society's preferred knife in the dark."

Yoruichi held out her hand. "Easy, Soi-Fon. We don't need to be picking fights with our allies out here."

Huiling shook her head. "I promise you that it won't happen again. Most people usually never pick up on a Ranger observing them, but you sniffed me out almost as soon as I started. Then again, I suppose that's why I'm still an apprentice."

"If you're a student, then where's your master?" asked Itachi.

Huiling looked down, and Itachi immediately regretted his question. "He's… gone. When the initial attack came… he and the other senior Rangers joined the militia in buying time for the villagers and apprentices to escape. I've heard nothing of him since, but I know better than to hope for his survival. We've already seen former Rangers attack us as newly-turned wights and have had to put them down. Perhaps he's already been put to rest for good… that's all I can really hope for now."

Itachi solemnly nodded. "I'm sorry."

Yoruichi's brow furrowed. "You said you're with the Raven's Flock, right?"

Huiling nodded. "Yes. We're one of the oldest Ranger orders that watch over the northeastern forest of this Principality… or at least, we were. Like I said before, the senior ranks of our order were decimated in the first wave, and losses have continued to mount in the weeks since. There aren't many of us left now. When this dreadful affair is finally over, the order will be a shadow of its former self… or perhaps even extinguished altogether."

"How many other orders survived?" asked Soi-Fon.

"I'm not sure," Huiling replied, "Many have been scattered since the attacks began, with survivors joining the Kuchiki Clan's forces and supporting the cordon. I've heard that others are still operating within the forest itself, harassing wights with hit-and-run strikes before fading back into the shadows beneath the trees. I don't know how long they can keep up such efforts, though. Wights we can slay, but the wraith itself has been quite active in these engagements… and none who try to fight it have lived to tell the tale."

Itachi turned to Yoruichi. "The past three wraiths have all stuck to the structures that they were originally interred in. If this one's not limiting itself to the Black Spike, then we've got a problem."

Yoruichi grimly concurred. "I was afraid one of them would break the mold like this. A target that limited itself to a fortified location would at least be easier to confront with concentrated force. One that's on the move, though… this is going to be much more difficult than our previous missions."

Soi-Fon sighed. "Tracking the wraith through the forests, then bringing sufficient forces to bear once we've located it… assuming we can even pin it one place long enough for that… damn it. This is a real mess, Lady Yoruichi."

"We're going to be spread thin," said Itachi, "Simply locating the wraith if it's not sticking to its fortress is going to take all of our manpower."

Yoruichi nodded before turning to Huiling. "We're going to need help. I know your Ranger orders have been hit hard since this crisis began, but you know these woods and have just the tracking skills that we need for a mission like this. Any survivors that are willing to aid us here would be greatly appreciated."

"You won't lack for volunteers," Huiling replied, "I can assure you that my comrades and I are eager to pay this abomination back for what it's done to our families and homes. All I need to do is track down my fellow survivors and spread the word."

"Then do so," Yoruichi ordered, "We'll be encamping outside the fort tonight, but we'll be hitting the road at first light. Our force will take the most direct path to the forest. Since you know these lands so well, I'm sure it'll be no problem at all for you to find us again."

"We move swiftly," Soi-Fon noted, "You'll have to be quick if you want to rendezvous with us before we enter the forest."

"Rest assured that I will be," Huiling vowed before donning her hat and vanishing in a black blur.

The three Soul Reapers watched the direction in which she'd gone for a moment before turning to each other again, with Itachi being the first to break the silence. "Can we really count on her? She's clearly well-motivated, but she also admitted to still being a student of her order. Any volunteers she's able to gather might be of similar status."

Yoruichi shrugged. "As much as I'd prefer to get some veteran Rangers on our side, we'll have to take what we can get. Beggars can't be choosers, after all."

"Captain Kuchiki needs to be informed of this development," Soi-Fon said, "and we need to plan our next move carefully."

"I'll speak to him soon enough," Yoruichi promised before turning to Itachi, "In the meantime, I need you to go find Shisui. If this is going to be an actual hunt, then we're going to need every advantage we can get in tracking the wraith down. The eyes of the Uchiha will be vital here."

Itachi nodded. "Understood. Anything else?"

"I want both of you to rest up while we're here," Yoruichi instructed with a somber look in her eyes, "because you and Shisui are going to be more than earning your keep once we hit the forest."

….

Four days later…

It had been a long time since Yoruichi had last visited the Kuchiki Clan Principality, and she'd only seen their great northern forest from a distance. She recalled standing on the crest of a small hill, much like she was doing now, and being in awe at the vast expanse of woodland that had laid before her. A veritable ocean of great fir trees, many taller than the grandest of aristocratic mansions or even the great white tower of the Senzaikyū, had stretched out for as far as she could see. Even the vast forests of The Wild couldn't compare with the magnificent sight, and at the time she'd wished that her family could divert their trip just so she could explore the mysterious realm that those wonderous trees shaded.

I really should've been careful of what I wished for back then, she thought grimly as she took in the view, because I'm going to get it in the worst way possible.

The wonderful sight of her youth now had a shadow hanging over it, both figuratively and literally. Familiar inky black clouds filled most of the sky above the forest, with only the edges still seeing sunlight. She didn't even have to focus to sense the foul spirit energy that now permeated the woods; it hung in the air like the stench of a rotting corpse and was twice as revolting. The once-beautiful sea of green firs was now a disgusting mix of black, brown and ashen grey, with wisps of icy blue energy wafting up from the tops of the trees and towards the oily clouds above.

She felt Soi-Fon's arrival before her bodyguard announced herself. "Lady Yoruichi, Captain Kuchiki requests your presence. The surviving Rangers have been gathered, and they have news regarding our target."

Turning around, Yoruichi gave Soi-Fon a nod. "Of course. Let's not keep them waiting. The sooner we get this started, the better."

She looked out at the corrupted forest one more time, and Soi-Fon followed her gaze. "It's worse than before, isn't it? The jungle back in the Shiba Clan's Principality, I mean?"

Yoruichi sighed as the two of them headed towards the camp that had been set up on the hill. "Yeah, it is. The corruption is far more widespread. No native Mages or Sunlight Wards here, I'm afraid. Many of the Rangers have higher-than average spirit energy, but they focus their powers on tracking and hunting rather than wide-area protective spells."

"Perhaps we should've requested that the Kidō Corps join this mission," said Soi-Fon, "Their talents would've been most useful."

Yoruichi agreed. "They would've, but Tessai and his subordinates are stretched rather thin at the moment. Unfortunately, they just didn't have the manpower to spare for this mission. Like it or not, we'll have to make do without them."

Soi-Fon led Yoruichi into the heart of the camp, where most of Squads Two, Six and the Stealth Force had already gathered. She caught sight of Kisuke, Shisui, Itachi, Visaelya, and Mikoto amidst the crowd, along with the bulk of the other officers that she'd brought on this trip. A broad circle had formed, with Captain Kuchiki standing in the center of it. He caught sight of Yoruichi and beckoned for her to join him. As she did so, Yoruichi saw Huiling standing behind him, along with about three-dozen or so men and women garbed in a manner similar to her. Most were armed with short swords and bows, although she also caught glimpses of throwing knives or small axes clipped to the belts of a few of them.

Ginrei nodded in greeting. "Captain Shihōin, thank you for coming. We've received a rather interesting report from our allies here, one with a rare bit of good news in this bleak situation."

"I'll take what I can get," said Yoruichi, "What's going on?"

Ginrei looked over his shoulder and gestured for one of the Rangers to come forward. A tall man with black hair and a rather messy beard stepped forward. The facial hair wasn't the only thing disheveled in his appearance; his feathered cloak had definitely seen better days, sporting multiple rips and tears, and his hat had good chunk of the forward rim missing from what Yoruichi assumed to be a close call with an enemy's blade. The dark brown eyes of the man, though, were clear and sharp.

"This is Bao Zhao," said Ginrei by way of introduction, "In light of the heavy casualties sustained by the Ranger orders since this crisis began, he's taken up the role of commander. Zhao, this is Captain Yoruichi Shihōin, head of Squad Two and the Stealth Force."

The man nodded. "Glad you're here, Captain. I don't know much about Soul Reapers, but I hear your units are adept at moving quickly and quietly. That will serve us well here."

Bao didn't seem like a man for pleasantries, so Yoruichi decided to cut straight to the point. "Have your people sighted our target?"

"Yes," Bao confirmed, "Over the past few weeks, the wraith and its thralls have been roaming the woods and striking any village in their path. We've been trying to track them as best we can, but our losses have made things difficult. Just three days ago, though, two of our surviving apprentices caught a lucky break. They managed to tail the monster all the way back to the Black Spike. As far as we know, it hasn't left since."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "It's holing up? Why?"

Bao shook his head. "We're not sure, I'm afraid. Perhaps it's had its fill of slaughter and wants to rest."

"Unlikely," Soi-Fon countered, "These damn things don't need rest."

Bao shrugged. "We don't know much about these creatures, so if you have a better idea as to what it's up to, I'm all ears."

Sōjun's brow furrowed. "Three days ago… barely a day after we departed from the border checkpoint. Is it preparing for our arrival?"

"How could it even know we're coming?" Shisui pointed out, "We've been thorough in our forward screening and spotted no signs of enemy scouts throughout our entire journey here."

"Perhaps scouts aren't needed by this particular foe," Visaelya suggested, "The one we're after was once a powerful Mage, remember? Maybe it sensed us coming. Our force has two Captains and many powerful officers, after all. Even with our spiritual pressure suppressed, that amount of concentrated spirit energy could still be a beacon for a sufficiently perceptive and skilled Mage, even an undead one."

Itachi concurred. "Given how little we still know about these things, it's a real possibility. In that light, it may have come to the decision that fighting us in a fortified position that it controls is better than engaging us out in the woods."

Yoruichi folded her arms. "That, or it could be baiting a trap here. Whenever we've fought these things in the past, they always put up barriers once battle's been joined in order to prevent our withdrawal. Sure, we won those engagements and rendered the barriers a moot point, but I still don't like having my line of retreat cut off."

"There are definitely points of concern here," Ginrei conceded, "but we at least now know that our target is in a single place instead of still on the move. If nothing else, this simplifies our mission."

"Bear in mind that while we've tracked the wraith back to the Black Spike, there are plenty of wights still roaming the forest," Bao pointed out, "We may know where our foe is, but we will still have to fight our way towards it."

"Which might be the point," said Mikoto, "The wraith's plan could be to have us exhaust ourselves fighting our way through the wights in order to get to it."

Soi-Fon nodded. "A distinct possibility. What's our move?"

"Zhao has offered what Rangers and apprentices can be spared from the cordon to guide us to the target," Ginrei replied, "There are many paths through the forest that small teams can move along with relative ease provided that they know where to find them. The bulk of our force will still need to move along the main road to the Black Spike, but these lesser paths will serve us well for reconnaissance and getting the drop on the wights."

Yoruichi nodded as she turned to Bao. "Squad Two and the Stealth Force can put those to good use. We'll need Rangers or apprentices assigned to our scout teams to make it work, though. I know your people have a tradition of operating independently, but if we're going to drive this enemy from your home then we'll require your cooperation. That means I'll need you and your subordinates to work within our chain of command. Each member that you assign to work with our teams will need to follow the orders of their particular team's leader. Can your people abide by that?"

Bao's eyes narrowed for a moment, but he gave his assent just the same. "If it helps us reclaim our home from this demon, then we can."

"My family has sent over copies of the most up-to-date charts of the forest provided by the clans," said Ginrei, "My Lieutenant will distribute them to your officers this evening, Captain Shihōin."

"I appreciate that," Yoruichi replied, "Are we still on track for deployment tomorrow morning?"

"We are," Ginrei confirmed, "If all goes well, it should take us about a week to reach the Black Spike itself. Of course, that's entirely dependent upon the kind of opposition we find within the forest. Also, there aren't many areas within the forest that lend themselves to large-scale encampments. We'll have to clear out spots each evening, and that will unfortunately have to be a brute force affair. I was hoping you'd be able to lend your Shikai to such efforts."

Yoruichi shrugged. "Not the use I intended to put it to on this mission, but if it's what you need, then sure. I've got a few subordinates who have Shikais capable of lending a hand in that job as well."

Bao bristled slightly. "I would normally not assent to our woods being treated in such a manner… but seeing as the regions we'll be making camp in are already corrupted, my people and I will not get in the way. It may be better this way, actually. If nothing else, you can purge at least a few sections of the taint through such efforts."

"For what it's worth, we'll try to contain any damage we cause to just the area that's absolutely necessary for our encampment," Yoruichi reassured him, "In the past, when we've defeated wraiths, the regions they've corrupted have quickly returned to normal. I hope this will apply to your forest as well."

Bao inclined his head. "As do I."

Yoruichi turned back to Squad Six's Captain. "Any other pressing matters we need to deal with tonight?"

Ginrei shook his head. "No. Squad Six will handle watch tonight. Since we'll be relying heavily on Squad Two and the Stealth Force for reconnaissance within the woods, I want you and your subordinates to get as much rest as possible. We'll be setting out at first light, so be ready to rise bright and early."

Yoruichi looked at her subordinates and saw the hardened resolve in their eyes. None of them were looking forward to what tomorrow would bring, but they were ready for it. They had to be. They might have been working with Squad Six and the locals, but the wraith hunt was still by and large the task of Squad Two and the Stealth Force. They'd already taken down two of the wraiths themselves, while Squad Eight had dispatched one on their behalf. Now, Yoruichi and her subordinates were closing in on their prey once again…

…and they would make it pay for what it had done to these lands.

….

Five days later…

The palm of her left hand glowed red as Mikoto gathered energy for the spell. "Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"

A sphere of crimson flew forth and impacted a wight right in the back. The creature disintegrated in a flurry of icy blue particles, but there were plenty more where that one had come from. Mikoto already had her blade at the ready in her right hand and wasted no time in cutting the head off of one that had made the mistake of charging her from the front.

From a branch overhead, she heard her son's voice as he let fly with a spell of his own. "Hadō 33: Sōkatsui."

Mikoto leapt back as a wave of blue-white fire crashed down from above. It washed over a cluster of whites, with the monstrosities only able to briefly shriek before they were reduced to nothing more than little azure specs floating in the air. Itachi then leapt down to the forest floor and landed behind his mother. His sword was raised, and the two stood back-to-back against the encroaching pack.

Their blades flashed like bolts of silver lightning as they mercilessly cut down the wraith's thralls. As his sword was longer than Mikoto's, Itachi made a series of wide slashes to clear out some room around the two of them. For her part, Mikoto focused on picking off the wights that managed to skirt by Itachi's broad swings, jamming her blade into their necks with vicious efficiency. One wight after another fell between them, but more seemed to flow out from between the gaps in the trees with each passing moment.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to use your Shikai?" Mikoto suggested as she stabbed a wight through the left eye.

"It's not needed," Itachi replied while casually cutting down two more with a diagonal slash, "Not when our companion already has his at the ready. Kisuke, now!"

The voice of Squad Two's Third Seat echoed over the din of battle. "Scream, Benihime!"

A blast of crimson energy flew out from the shadows, cutting through the swarm of wights that were assailing Itachi and Mikoto. A chorus of anguished screams rang out as dozens of the fell creatures were obliterated by the attack, leaving the scattered survivors easy pickings for the two Uchiha. It only took a few seconds for mother and son to finish them off, their blades cutting down the stragglers without mercy.

Turning around, Mikoto saw Itachi survey their surroundings with his Sharingan before sheathing his blade. "We're clear for now. Kisuke, nicely done. You too, Mother."

Mikoto smiled as she sheathed her sword as well. "All I really did was watch your back and help you play bait for a bit. This was your plan, and it worked perfectly."

"I'll say," Kisuke chimed in as he returned his Zanpakutō to its sealed state, "When you release your energy like that, they're drawn to you like moths to the flame. Having me hang back to lie in ambush was a good call."

"Thanks for playing along," said Itachi, "I know you're my superior officer, so I won't expect you to let me call the shots for every engagement. I just felt this was the most efficient way to deal with the threat here."

Kisuke shrugged while sheathing his sword. "Don't let my rank fool you; I don't mind following someone else's lead if they've got a decent plan. If you spot the opportunity to pull of another scheme like that, just let me know and I'll happily play along."

Itachi nodded. "Good to know. We should get moving. That skirmish didn't take too long, but every moment lost is one we can't afford."

"I hope the others are doing okay," said Mikoto as she and Kisuke fell in beside Itachi, "Not all of them have the advantage of the Sharingan."

"Their guides should be able to make up for that," Kisuke reassured her, "Even apprentice Rangers can still read the forest better than any outsider, and they can smell an ambush from a kilometer away."

Mikoto hadn't seen either the Rangers or their apprentices in action, so she could only take Kisuke's word for it. While most of Squad Two's officers were leading teams of Soul Reapers and Stealth Force members with a Ranger or apprentice acting as a guide for each group, there were two notable exceptions. Since Itachi and Shisui were the ones with the Sharingan and they were still trying to keep the knowledge of the Uchiha Clan's special eyes from spreading further than it already had, Yoruichi had assigned the two of them their own very small scouting teams. Shisui was working with Visaelya and Soi-Fon, while Itachi had Mikoto and Kisuke with him. They had no native guides; each team was fully reliant on their Sharingan wielder's prowess to ensure that they didn't stumble headfirst into a trap.

If only I had mine awakened, Mikoto silently fumed, I trust Itachi, of course, but I still feel like I'm groping around in the dark here. Having my Shikai would be nice, too.

You won't get either by complaining, the spirit of her Zanpakutō interjected, I wonder what your son would think if he could hear your thoughts right now.

Mikoto had to fight to keep from scowling. She'd mostly grown accustomed to the mental conversations with her Zanpakutō, as a Soul Reaper should, but at times it could be difficult to keep her reactions to the words of her sword in her mind. At least a few times one of her companions had recognized what was happening, and while they'd always offered helpful advice or encouragement it was still embarrassing for Mikoto.

"How much further do we have to go?" asked Mikoto in both genuine inquiry and an attempt to distract herself from the words of her Zanpakutō.

"We've been scouting further ahead than any of the other teams, at least to my knowledge," Kisuke replied as he pulled out a rolled-up map from his robes and opened it up to check their position, "I'm sure we're close. I can't be the only one who's felt that foul spiritual pressure increasing over the past day."

"No, you're not," Itachi confirmed, his Sharingan blazing as his gaze fixated on the west, "In fact, we're likely much closer than you think, Kisuke."

The Third Seat raised an eyebrow. "Really? I could've sworn we had at least another day or so ahead of us."

Itachi shook his head. "It's easy to lose track of distance and time in these woods, even with the aid of the Rangers' charts, but we're close. The wraith's energy fills the air here like a sick miasma. Consider yourself lucky that you don't have the Sharingan; if you could see what I can, you'd make yourself sick."

Kisuke chuckled ruefully as he rolled the map up and put it away. "That'd be an accomplishment, considering what I've seen in my time."

"We have been encountering wights with much greater frequency today than we have in our previous reconnaissance sorties," Mikoto noted, "Hell, this was our fourth clash in the past hour alone."

Itachi nodded. "Exactly. We're at the outer perimeter. We have to be. Let's keep moving. Both of you, stay behind me. Kisuke, mind the flanks. Mother, watch the rear."

Once again, the Third Seat took the orders from the Tenth Seat in stride. "Sure thing."

For her part, Mikoto simply nodded. "Okay. Lead on, Itachi."

He did just that, setting a brisk pace as the three of them resumed their trek through the maze of trees. Looking around her, Mikoto felt nauseous as she saw what looked like black ichor or puss oozing out from the cracks in the bark of the great firs. The stench in the air was absolutely putrid, and Mikoto was frankly amazed that she hadn't vomited yet.

I'd almost rather be surrounded by rotting corpses on a battlefield than this corruption, she mused darkly, Death and decay are one thing, but this… there's nothing natural about any of this. A wraith's corruption… Itachi and the others warned me, but even so…

The journey through the tainted woods had been the stuff of nightmares, to put it mildly. The frequent and frantic clashes with wights were bad enough, but it wasn't just villagers, militia or Rangers that the wraith had claimed as its thralls. Multiple times, they'd been assailed by undead bears, wolves, predatory cats, and much more. Sickly crows, their tattered feathers glowing with icy blue energy, had flocked overhead and struck on more than one occasion, only kept at bay by Kidō spells or the well-timed use of Itachi and Kisuke's Shikais. It was a ghastly gauntlet the likes of which Mikoto had never seen before and would be quite happy to never experience again.

Evening rest had bought little respite from the omnipresent terror of the corrupted forest. While brilliant blasts of white lightning from Yoruichi's Shikai or waves of red energy from Kisuke's Zanpakutō had served to quickly clear out ground for an encampment, the dreadful miasma of the wraith's spirit energy and the distant shrieks of wights made sleep hard to come by. Squad Six kept a sharp vigil and had been able to fend off the inevitable night attacks from their enemies, but the clashes beneath the inky black clouds and the thick branches of the tainted trees had been terrifying to say the least. The Soul Reapers had quickly taken to digging trenches and filling them with dead brush that they would then set alight, creating walls of flame that would keep the wights at bay for at least a little while, but the orange and red light of the defensive fires had cast some truly ghoulish shadows amongst the encampment. The expeditionary force was constantly on alert, and the Rangers and their apprentices were likewise ill-at-ease in the land that they'd once called home.

As much as she was dreading the inevitable clash with the wraith and whatever dark army it had amassed, Mikoto wanted it to come sooner rather than later. The anxiety brought on by the frequent skirmishes in the dark woods was weighing on her greatly, and Mikoto knew she wasn't the only one suffering from it. The longer this mission dragged on, the more jittery and worn out the expeditionary force would become, and that would inevitably result in errors that the wraith and wights could exploit with fatal results.

"Are we sure the wraith's still at the Black Spike?" she asked, "Nothing's stopping it from moving out again, and it's had plenty of time to assemble an army of wights to go on the offensive with."

Up ahead, Itachi nodded. "That's true, but tracking these things down before has given me a good sense for their spirit energy. The closer we get to the Black Spike, the more potent that energy becomes. It's there. I'm certain of it."

"The only question now," Kisuke grimly added, "is what's all waiting there with it."

"What else could there be apart from its hordes of wights?" Mikoto asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Kisuke shrugged. "It's more about what kind of wights we'll have to deal with. The regular ones are easy enough to deal with, but the one we fought in the Shiba Clan Principality had corrupted a bunch of shamans as well. That was not a fun battle. With this one, I'm guessing the most troublesome foes apart from the wraith itself are going to be any of the Rangers or apprentices that it managed to turn. We haven't really seen any of them so far, and if I had to guess, I'd say they're almost certainly hiding with the wraith."

"A waste of their capabilities," Itachi argued, "They'd be much more useful harassing us as skirmishers than being held back as some kind of elite guard."

"I never said our foe was a tactical genius," Kisuke argued, "If it was, it probably wouldn't be holing up in the Black Spike like this. We were afraid that it'd be a moving target; it'd certainly be much more difficult to deal with. If it was smart, that's the approach it would be going with. It might've been a talented Mage when it was alive, but being undead may have done a number on its strategic intelligence."

"I suppose that's something we should be grateful for," Mikoto muttered under her breath.

Kisuke nodded. "Yeah, but don't go underestimating it. Even if it might not be taking the best strategic approach here, it's still an undead spellcaster with a ton of spirit energy at its disposal. It won't go down without a fight."

The next hour or so passed in relative silence as the trio continued their scouting. Surprisingly, there were no further engagements with wights during that time, which only made Mikoto even more nervous than she already was. If they were really as close to the wraith's lair as Itachi seemed to believe, wouldn't the frequency of encounters with the enemy only continue to increase?

Perhaps we've hit a gap in their patrols, she thought, or they could be lulling us into a false sense of security…

Looking up ahead at her son, Mikoto could only trust that Itachi wouldn't lead them into an ambush.

….

It grows thicker with practically each step we take now, Itachi thought as he brushed a rotting branch out of his face, I can almost taste the wraith's energy on the air… we have to be close now.

We must be, Jigoku no Joō concurred, I want to wretch simply from being here, and I'm just your sword; I shouldn't even be capable of feeling nausea from an external phenomenon. I don't know how you're putting up with this tainted energy so well.

It certainly wasn't easy. Just walking through these woods made Itachi's skin crawl, and the wraith's spirit energy surrounded them like a noxious fog. Perceiving it with the Sharingan, Itachi saw it as almost a mist of icy blue, and not just the wisps of it that the others could see wafting up from the tainted trees. It was so thick that Itachi almost found it overwhelming his Sharingan, and it made detecting wights lying in ambush difficult. Not for the first time since entering these woods, Itachi sorely wished that Squad Two had a member of the Hyūga Clan in its ranks; the Byakugan would've been invaluable here.

Even if it wasn't the ideal Kekkei Genkai for this mission, though, the Sharingan was still serving Itachi well. While the sheer omnipresence of the wraith's energy made finding foes in the distance tricky, Itachi could still detect the subtle shifts in how that energy floated in the air that signified when the enemy was close and moving in for a strike. If nothing else, it certainly made seeing in the darkness of the woods a hell of a lot easier. The combination of the thick, tall trees and the inky black clouds filling the sky meant that very little light filtered down to the forest floor, and the Sharingan was at least able to make do with that paltry illumination where regular eyes would struggle considerably.

All that being said, Itachi honestly didn't even need the Sharingan to know that they were close to the wraith's lair now. There was a harsh chill in the air that had nothing to do with the weather, and with two wraiths under his belt now Itachi knew full well what the source was. The stench of death and decay, already filling the woods, was even stronger now, if that was even possible.

"Not much further now," Itachi muttered under his breath.

Behind him, Kisuke agreed. "Yeah… think it's picked us up?"

"We're suppressing our energy as much as possible," Mikoto pointed out, "and we're pretty far away from either of the Captains right now. I don't see how it could."

"You're thinking in terms of our senses," Itachi argued, "and not those of our foe. There's still so much about wraiths that we do not know. Even without that, don't forget that our enemy was once a powerful Mage; for all we know, it could be using some spell to track everything that goes on in this forest."

"Don't know if the old Mages had any detection spells that potent," Kisuke replied, "Then again, so much knowledge of the old spells has been either lost or censored by the Central Forty-Six. Their damn history purge isn't doing us any favors right now."

Itachi nodded. "You're right. Speaking of history, do you know anything about the Black Spike? Captain Kuchiki said his clan believes it was built by the old kingdom, but he didn't seem to know much else about it. Have you ever come across any references to it in your studies?"

"Not really," Kisuke confessed, "It's awfully strange to have a fortress built in a place like this. These woods are a valuable resource, but building a citadel right in the middle of them doesn't make much sense. You'd have to build roads to haul materials and supplies, clear out a bunch of land just to lay the foundations… and for what? So many of the trees here are ludicrously tall; no matter how many you cleared out, it'd be impossible to build a citadel that could give you a commanding view, and the old kingdom was all about those big fancy towers. You saw it with Menar Issilaya."

"I did," said Itachi, "and that citadel was at least constructed at a position that made both economic and strategic sense. I can see building facilities or settlements out here to support logging efforts, perhaps, but not a military installation. Not a major one, at least. Something about this doesn't add up."

"Does the reason behind its construction and location really matter for the purpose of our mission?" asked Mikoto.

Itachi shrugged. "I don't know. The wraiths were all created during the era of the old kingdom, though, so it's at least worth pondering. When they were sealed, great thought was clearly given to the locations of their interment. All were imprisoned within great structures that served as anchors for the sealing spells, yet the buildings themselves existed long before the wraiths did."

"Maybe it was imprisoned out here simply because this place was conveniently out of the public eye," Kisuke suggested, "I mean, people did want to put these things out of sight and out of mind. It wasn't exactly a fond memory for the kingdom, after all."

"True enough," Itachi concurred.

He then stopped in his tracks, and his eyes narrowed as the tree-line up ahead began to thin out. "Get off the path. Stay low and move between cover."

Leading by example, Itachi crouched behind a tree before carefully working his way through a series of bushes. There was light in the distance, but it wasn't sunlight. It was a brilliant icy blue glow…

…just like the one that Itachi had seen emanating from the Moon Tower when the first wraith had sensed their presence.

Moment of truth?

I believe so.

What's your plan?

Scope things out from a distance, then withdraw. No engagement whatsoever.

On that, we agree.

Coming up to a thick tree, Itachi pressed his back against it before carefully peeking out around the side. His mother was crouching behind a bush to his left, while Kisuke had picked another tree over to the right. The sight that lay before them was ominous and unnerving to say the least.

A broad and roughly circular clearing, at least a few kilometers in diameter, had been carved out amidst the forest. There was open ground running from the tree-line to a few hundred meters into the clearing before it met a dark stone wall that jutted sharply upwards. Itachi estimated that they were about six or seven meters in height, and they were wide enough that probably three or four people could march along the top of them side by side and still have a bit of breathing room between them. The wall formed a nearly continuous circle, with the only gaps being two archways that had clearly once housed gates long ago; one at the north end and the other at the south. Bits of scrap metal were all that remained of the gates, and Itachi couldn't help but note how they were bent outward rather than inward.

Just like back at Menar Issilaya, he thought, and I believe it's pretty safe to assume the wraith is what destroyed them.

The outer wall and ruined gates only merited a cursory examination, though. What really caught Itachi's attention was the obsidian tower jutting up from the center of the clearing. The nine-sided citadel certainly lived up to its name, a jet-black spire thrusting up towards the sky and gradually narrowing until it ended in a single pointed tip at its apex. Itachi guessed it was around three hundred meters or so in height, shorter than the Moon Tower but no less intimidating for it.

Closer inspection, though, quickly revealed to Itachi that this citadel served a much darker purpose than the brilliant spire that was Menar Issilaya's crown jewel. Rows of windows ran up and down the tower, and each one was behind a set of black bars lined with spikes. Open-air cages hung by obsidian chains, the remains of whoever had once occupied them long gone. Lowering his gaze to take another look at the wall again, Itachi noted several watchtowers both built into and dotting the grounds between the barrier and the main citadel itself. There were a few upraised platforms scattered about the courtyard, each one with a stone chopping block upon it… and more than one rusted axe embedded in the ground.

"This was a prison long before the wraith was interred here," said Itachi softly.

The chill in the air became downright arctic as a wave of pale blue light pulsed out from the citadel. There wasn't a single wight in sight, but Itachi wasn't about to let that fool him. The Black Spike was definitely occupied. He could feel the wraith's dark presence somewhere within, and it most certainly wasn't alone.

"Well, that's a rather dreary sight," Kisuke deadpanned.

"This wasn't a good place," Mikoto murmured, "even before the wraith was entombed here…"

Itachi nodded. "No, I don't think it was. I think I understand a bit better now why this place was chosen."

"No kidding," said Kisuke, "I'd say we've got our target located. We should head back and inform the others. The sooner we purge this place, the better."

Itachi wholeheartedly agreed.

….

Later that evening…

Sparks flew as short sword met black bident. Smoothly redirecting her opponent's thrust, Mikoto surged forward. Her blade darted out in a counterthrust aimed at the spirit of her Zanpakutō's throat, and her sparring partner had no choice but to step back in order to avoid the blow. Mikoto refused to let up and mercilessly hounded her foe, driving her back towards the glowing bluish-green river. This time, her gaze didn't even flicker towards the statues of her family that lined the southern bank. Nothing would distract her this time, and she vowed to have just that razor focus tomorrow.

When Mikoto, Itachi and Kisuke had reported back to Yoruichi, Squad Two's Captain had wasted no time in conferring with Ginrei Kuchiki. As it was already late in the day, they'd hastily pitched camp and done what they could to fortify their position. The plan was simple; come dawn, they'd strike with full force. The orders for Squad Two, Squad Six, and the Stealth Force were to get as much rest as they could before morning came, but Mikoto wasn't willing to let herself go to sleep just yet. Oh, she was in her tent, yes, but if anyone came upon her, they would see her sitting atop her humble bedroll, eyes closed and her sword laying across her lap. She didn't know if she could force the name from the lips of the spirit of her Zanpakutō tonight, but if she couldn't then it certainly wouldn't be for lack of trying.

The spirit in question had no clever remarks or taunts for her tonight. Mikoto was coming at her with everything she had, and the black-robed woman could only focus on her own defense. The former Shinobi couldn't recall the last time she'd gone this hard in a fight before, training or otherwise. The urgency of the situation demanded nothing less than her best, and Mikoto stove to give just that.

The bident became a veritable whirlwind as Mikoto's foe spun it in front of her, with violet flames dancing along the two prongs. The whole display could be disorienting or even downright entrancing, but Mikoto had learned by now to see past it. She kept her gaze focused past the weapon and on its wielder, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike.

That moment came as her foe started to shift over from defense to attack. As the spirit of her Zanpakutō transitioned from a final spin into a thrust, Mikoto ducked beneath the oncoming obsidian polearm. Lunging forward before her foe could pull the weapon back, Mikoto tackled the woman to the ground and set her blade against her throat. An approving smile appeared on the woman's face, with her violet eyes gleaming in the eerie light of the river just beyond.

"Perfection," she praised, "The focus, the efficiency… and the ruthlessness! You had it all right there."

"Thanks," said Mikoto as she stood up and cautiously backed away, wary of a potential surprise attack; it wouldn't be the first time her opponent tried a stunt like that after she'd thought that the match was over.

Clearly knowing what was going through Mikoto's mind, the woman laughed and shook her head as she stood up and slung the bident over her shoulder. "So mistrustful! As well you should be, of course. The journey through these foul woods has served you well. Your steel is reforged, polished and sharpened, and that's why you won tonight. Will it be so tomorrow, though?"

"I didn't waver here," Mikoto firmly argued, "and I shall not tomorrow."

"Don't be so sure," the woman countered, "In here, there is no audience. Out there is another story. Of course, you don't care what most of them think; you have no qualms about doing what you must. Squad Two's mentality very much supports that outlook. It is an audience of one that worries you."

Mikoto's eyes narrowed as she sheathed her sword. "I've been fighting alongside Itachi from the moment we've entered this forest. I haven't been afraid to show him just what I can do against these wights."

"No, you have not," the woman agreed, "but you and I both know that these skirmishes are just that; they are nothing compared to the test that still lies ahead. These were low stakes fights, with you mostly just following the lead of Itachi and Kisuke, watching their backs or helping play bait as needed. You fought, and did so quite well, but you did not have to unleash the same level of ferocity and relentlessness that you did against me. Itachi still hasn't seen that side of you yet… and you have yet to prove whether or not you're willing to let him."

Mikoto took a deep breath as she stared down the spirit of her Zanpakutō. "If I don't have to, then I won't. If I must, though, then I will."

"We shall see," said the woman as the world began to spin around the two of them, "You've spent enough time in here tonight, Mikoto. Rest while you can. You will face your crucible tomorrow. When the moment of truth arrives, what will you do? Who will you be in the eyes of your eldest son… and who will you become to keep him safe, to make up for the failures of you past life? I look forward to finding out."

….

The next day…

It's way too damn quiet, thought Yoruichi as she studied the outer wall of the Black Spike, I don't like this…

As a precaution, Yoruichi had rotated teams from the Stealth Force throughout the night, making sure that the expeditionary force always had eyes on the ominous citadel once Kisuke, Itachi and Mikoto had returned from their scouting run. When she'd awoken this morning and consulted with the team that had just returned, she'd learned that there had been no sighting of the wraith or any wights coming or going from the fortress. Their foe had not left its seat of power, and Yoruichi couldn't figure out the reasoning behind it. Now it could be besieged; the clearing housing the citadel and wall was large, but not so big that the expeditionary force couldn't maintain an effective encirclement if needed.

"It would've been so much more of a threat if it was on the move," she muttered, "I don't get it. Why hunker down and wait for us to close in?"

"It's a trap," Soi-Fon argued, "It has to be."

"I'm with Soi-Fon on this one," Kisuke chimed in, "Even so, we can't sit out here forever. A wraith and its thralls don't require food or water, but we do. Maintaining our supply lines in these woods would be challenging even without the corruption. Settling in for a siege actually gives the advantage to the enemy. They won't tire, but we eventually will."

"Agreed," said Ginrei as he and his Lieutenant approached them from behind, "Which is why we will not delay any further. Captain Shihōin, your scouts reported no movement throughout the night, and you and I can both sense that foul thing's presence without even trying. It is here, and our mission remains the same."

Yoruichi nodded. "It is, but even so, I don't want to run in without due precautions. I've got Itachi and Shisui each leading a team on one last perimeter sweep. As soon as they get back here and make their report, we'll move in."

"I hope they're being careful," said Sōjun, "It would be a shame if something happened to them now. They're efforts as scouts have been invaluable to our advance."

Yoruichi had to fight the urge to smile. While the Rangers and their apprentices had certainly helped the expeditionary force considerably, even the natives of these woods couldn't compete with the power of the Sharingan. While Itachi and Shisui had both stressed its limitations in such an environment to Yoruichi, the fact remained that both young men were by far the most effective scouts available to the expeditionary force, and it was in no small part thanks to the Sharingan. They'd proven remarkably proficient at sniffing out ambushes by the wights and turning the tables on their undead foes. Every time they'd reported back in, they'd provided not only precious details regarding the terrain ahead but also precise accounts of their engagements and how the wights they'd fought had acted in those encounters. Her Tenth and Seventh Seats had done both their Captain and Squad Two proud, and this was all still well before the climactic showdown with the wraith itself.

Itachi, Shisui, you two have already more than pulled your weight in this mission, she thought as she gazed out at the obsidian citadel, I feel guilty asking more of you, but I'm afraid I might not have a choice…

A question had been constantly lingering in the back of her mind ever since they'd embarked upon this mission; how would Captain Kuchiki and Squad Six react if Itachi and Shisui had to use the Sharingan during their fight with the wraith? She'd discussed possible scenarios with the two Uchiha multiple times over the course of their journey, but none of them had come up with a viable solution. If they got lucky and the wraith had minimal ornamentation, then it would likely be a simple matter to narrow down the anchors for the reanimation spell, but what if this one was more elaborate than the others? The Sharingan would be crucial to quickly pinpointing the wraith's weak points in that scenario, but that would also mean exposing the secrets of her Tenth and Seventh Seat to more people who were outside of Squad Two. It wouldn't just be Squad Six as a potential risk, either; while several of Squad Two's members knew the secret and had kept it, most of the Stealth Force had no idea just what Itachi and Shisui were hiding from them. There would also be the Rangers and apprentices that accompanied them to confront the wraith as well. Could all of them be trusted to keep from spreading word should Itachi and Shisui be forced to use their Kekkei Genkai? It would be an enormous gamble, but Yoruichi feared they might have no choice but to throw the dice.

She sensed four familiar sources of spiritual pressure rapidly approaching, and her scouts Flash Stepped in front of her a moment later. From the left came Itachi and Mikoto, while from the right came Shisui and Visaelya.

Yoruichi nodded in greeting. "Glad to see you all are okay. See anything out there?"

Itachi shook his head. "Nothing on our sweep. There wasn't so much as a single wight either on the ramparts or in the courtyard."

"Same here," said Shisui.

Mikoto sighed. "It's too quiet over there. Captain… I don't like this."

"You're not alone there," Visaelya chimed in, looking more than a little uneasy, "There was no activity outside, but… it still felt like we were being watched. The wraith is definitely still inside that tower, Captain. I'm absolutely certain of it."

"And I believe you," Yoruichi affirmed before turning to her fellow Captain, "Well, you heard them. Still want to proceed as planned?"

Ginrei nodded. "Half of our unseated Soul Reapers will maintain the perimeter along with your Stealth Force scouts. Squads Six and Two will take our most powerful warriors inside, along with the remaining unseated Soul Reapers to provide support. Any Rangers and apprentices who wish to accompany us do so at their own peril."

"Peril we accepted well before you arrived," said Bao as he and his comrades stepped forward, his gaze one of grim determination, "We didn't start this fight, but we will finish it."

Huiling stood just to the right and behind him. While the apprentice Ranger didn't say anything, Yoruichi could see the fierce resolve blazing in her eyes as her gaze remained locked on the Black Spike. The same went for the other Rangers and apprentices. For better or worse, they were eager for action.

"We certainly will," Ginrei concurred before giving the order, "Our target awaits. Squad Six, move in."

Yoruichi turned to her subordinates. "Stealth Force, you've already got your assignments, so hop to it. Squad Two, let's go. Stay on your toes and watch each other's backs."

And hope that this wraith hasn't learned from the mistakes of the first three…

….

As they passed through the tattered remains of the southern gate, Shisui had to fight the urge to activate his Sharingan. Sure, he and Itachi had already scoped the place out and knew that the real threat was inside the citadel, but it was still mighty tempting to use his Kekkei Genkai again now that they were crossing the outer threshold. His hands never strayed far from his Zanpakutō, and his eyes darted about left and right as they entered the courtyard.

This place was creepy enough when seen from a distance, he thought, and I don't like it any better up close.

For the most part, the stretch of ground between the outer wall and the Black Spike itself was barren, but that only served to make things all the more ominous. A cobblestone path went straight from the gatehouse to the main entrance of the tower, and there wasn't a sign of any opposition between the expeditionary force and their destination. Save for the execution stands that he and Itachi had spotted from afar, along with what looked like the ruins of a fighting pit that had been carved out in the southeastern corner of the courtyard, the space between the wall and citadel was flat and empty. With the exception of the creaking sound of ancient chains moving as the cages hanging from the tower lazily swayed in the wind, the only sounds were the footsteps of the Soul Reapers and their allies.

"Not much of a reception," Shisui muttered.

"It's almost worse this way, really," Visaelya added as she looked around, "No outer defenses of any kind, just like back in Menar Issilaya and the temple complex back in the Shiba Clan's Principality. This thing's had weeks to ravage the forest clans and stockpile wights; you'd think that it'd start using them here to soften us up before the main fight. I don't like this."

"We have been thinning out the numbers ever since entering the forest," Itachi pointed out, "I lost track of all the skirmishing we had to do on the way here. Perhaps the wraith decided to conserve the rest of its forces for the confrontation inside."

"Pretty safe bet from where I'm sitting," Kisuke chimed in.

Mikoto shuddered as they passed one of the executioner's stands. "This place is foul, and I'm not just referring to the wraith's corruption. Even before that thing was imprisoned here, this wasn't a pleasant location by any means."

"No, it wasn't," Soi-Fon concurred, "I wonder who was kept here. Maintaining a prison of this scale out here would not have been easy."

"Only the worst of the worst would've been taken here, I wager," said Rija, scowling as she took it all in, "The old kingdom's version of the Nest of Maggots, perhaps?"

"There'll be time to explore this place and unravel some of its mysteries once we've dealt with the monsters inside," Yoruichi admonished her subordinates, "Stay focused, people."

The chatter died down as they drew closer to the obsidian tower. Raising his gaze, Shisui's eyes narrowed as he studied the closest of the barred windows. They might have been cells once, but now they were ideal spots for archers to take up position, and Shisui was certain that the others were thinking the same thing. Yet there was no fire coming down upon them, not even a silhouette of a wight visible in any of the windows. There were only the steady rhythmic pulsing waves of icy blue energy emanating from the citadel, and the arctic chill that was the wraith's spiritual pressure at its heart.

The expeditionary force came to a halt before the front entrance a few moments later. A great archway that was at least three times as tall as the average human and wide enough for five or six of them to walk through side by side with room to spare, two doors of black stone were set within it. Each one had a nine-pointed star carved into the top, while beneath that was a much more disturbing image; a skeleton with its arms and legs shackled and a spiked collar around its neck.

This place doesn't hide what it's all about, Shisui mused grimly, I guess I can appreciate the brutal honesty of it. That old bastard Danzō probably would've been right at home here.

Shisui watched as Yoruichi and Ginrei stepped forward. The two Captains studied the door for a moment before Squad Two's leader looked over her shoulder.

"Kisuke, get up here!" she called out, "Need a read on this. I'm not sensing any barrier, but I still want your take."

For his part, Squad Two's Third Seat casually strode forward. He leaned in and peered closely at the door before nonchalantly reaching out and placing his right hand upon it. Shisui braced for some sort of reaction from a devious trap or hidden spell, but there was nothing. He saw Kisuke press on the door a few times in different spots, yet there was no reaction from the structure whatsoever.

Kisuke shrugged before stepping back and turning to Yoruichi. "It's not sealed with anything beyond whatever locking mechanisms were built into it. If you want us to go inside, then do what you do best."

"I think I will," said Yoruichi as she stepped forward, stretching her arms and legs, "Captain Kuchiki, ready?"

Squad Six's commander had his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "I am."

Yoruichi nodded. "Good. Here goes nothing."

She raised her right leg, and the ensuing kick sent both onyx slabs flying right off their hinges. Although it was a display of power that Shisui had seen before from the Captain, it never failed to impress. Yoruichi's most famous talent might have been her skill and sheer speed in the art of Shunpo, but her physical strength was not to be taken lightly.

Shisui braced himself for an onrushing horde of wights, but nothing came forth from the gaping doorway except for the same icy blue glow that engulfed the tower as a whole. Inside there was only silence, which simply served to unnerve Shisui even more than he already was.

Yoruichi drew her Zanpakutō and pointed it at the opening. "Let's go. Weapons out, eyes open, and step lightly. Watch out for traps; we have no idea what this monster's done with the place."

"Or what was built into this place before the wraith was entombed here," Soi-Fon added.

The assembled Soul Reapers drew their swords. As for the Rangers and apprentices, most of them likewise unsheathed blades, although a few instead opted to grab their bows and ready arrows. The expeditionary force proceeded into the tower, and after passing through a wide but brief entrance hall found themselves in a broad, circular central chamber. In Shisui's eyes, it looked more like a lobby of sorts than anything else. There were benches scattered about, and a few alcoves had been carved into one of the far walls, with black bars protecting whoever would've been sitting behind the desk past them. Shisui guessed that this was where new prisoners had been checked in before being taken off to their cells. Unlike the Moon Tower of Menar Issilaya, there wasn't much by way of ornamentation here. The chamber's floor was simply black tile, the ceiling was vaulted but bare, and the other walls were lined with doors that Shisui assumed led to staircases ascending the tower. There wasn't a wight in sight, an no illumination beyond the creepy pale blue light that was wafting off of every surface.

"No welcoming party," Kisuke noted.

Yoruichi nodded. "Just like the Moon Tower. Then again, the wights didn't come out of the woodwork there until after we found the wraith. Might be the same case here. Even so, watch your back."

"You divided your forces during the investigation of the Moon Tower, right?" Ginrei asked as he looked around the room.

"Only because we had no idea what we were dealing with back then," Yoruichi replied, "I wanted to inspect the Moon Tower and figure out what had happened; we didn't know about the wraith until my team found it in the catacombs. This time, there's no need to divide our forces. We know what we're after… and we know where to find it."

She looked down at the floor, and Shisui followed her gaze. Focusing his senses, it didn't take him long at all to find a locus of dark energy. It had to be the wraith; the foul power was by far at its most potent beneath their feet.

Yoruichi then turned to her subordinates. "Spread out and check the doors. At least one of them should lead to a staircase that heads down. Find which ones do and regroup in the middle of the room."

The assembled Soul Reapers split into small teams, with Shisui, Visaelya and Aika forming one such unit as they went to inspect a door in the southwestern corner of the chamber. The two women took up positions on either side of the doorway and nodded at Shisui. Holding his sword in his right hand, he grabbed the door handle with his left and flung it open, immediately leaping back and bringing his blade into a guard position. The caution proved unnecessary, though; there was nothing behind the door but a staircase.

One that only went downward.

Shisui and his companions immediately went back to the center of the room. Reporting to the two Captains along with the other teams, it soon became clear that the staircase Shisui and his group had inspected was the only one that descended.

"Just a single avenue to advance, then," Ginrei murmured, his brow furrowing as his gaze focused on the entrance to the staircase, "I do not like this one bit."

Yoruichi shook her head. "Neither do I. I could always use my Shikai and blast a giant hole in the floor, but I might end up bringing the tower down on our heads."

"I'd rather avoid that," Sōjun deadpanned.

"As would the rest of us," said Ginrei, "Captain Shihōin, allow me to take point. Squad Two, the Stealth Force and the Rangers have been at the forefront of our force since we entered these woods. I daresay it's time Squad Six took on some more of the heavy lifting, if you will."

Yoruichi shrugged. "If you want to lead, don't let me stop you. Either way, we go together. I'm sure we're walking into a trap, and I want to face it with our full might."

Ginrei nodded. "Agreed."

As the group proceeded down the stairs, Visaelya whispered into Shisui's ear. "Is this wise? I know Captain Kuchiki is strong, but putting him on point seems like an unnecessary risk. We're going to need him when we confront the wraith!"

Shisui simply shrugged. "He seems to think he can handle it. It's not our place to argue on this one."

Visaelya sighed as she looked around, the azure flames dancing in stone bowls mounted along the walls flickering in her violet eyes. "I suppose not. Still, I don't like it. I don't like any of this."

"That makes two of us," Shisui muttered under his breath.

The stairs soon came to an end, and the expeditionary force found themselves in a broad corridor. Cells lined both sides of the hallway, and a cursory glance through the bars revealed all manner of horrific implements. There were the standard racks where prisoners could be bound for interrogation, but then things took a turn for the dark and sadistic. Shisui caught sight of iron coffins with spikes on the inside, a desk with assorted blades and hooks scattered across it, and one cell even had a giant rusted cauldron suspended over a huge firepit.

"Charming," Kisuke quipped as they passed between the torture cells.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "Brutish and crude. You and I could come up with more efficient interrogation methods in our sleep.

"I'm starting to get a better idea as to why they felt the need to build this place in the middle of such a vast forest," said Soi-Fon, "They didn't want a large audience for what was going on here."

Itachi nodded as his gaze lingered on a steel wheel with rusted shackles, and Shisui could only imagine what was going through his mind. "I doubt anyone who was sentenced here ever saw the light of day again. The very worst of criminals must have been sentenced here… either that, or the unluckiest."

"Or both," Shisui chimed in.

Mikoto shook her head. "Even if they were the worst of the worst… I don't think anyone deserves what horrors must have been inflicted down here."

The rest of their journey through the corridor passed in silence. It didn't take long at all for Shisui to spot what had to be their destination, and he didn't even need the Sharingan for it. A wide doorway was up ahead, with two slabs of black stone set into it. The image of what looked to be a male figure clad in a robe dominated the center where the two doors met. There was a crown upon his head, two amulets around his neck, and each finger had a ring. That wasn't a good sign; if this wraith worked like the previous ones, the it meant that there were several more possible anchors for the reanimation spell than the others. Finding the right target would almost certainly require the Sharingan, and Shisui still hadn't figured out how to do that without attracting the attention of Squad Six.

As concerning as that was, though, Shisui was also worried by what the figure wielded. In his left hand he held a standard-length straight double-edged sword, but that wasn't what really got Shisui's attention. Instead, it was the strange implement in the figure's right hand. Short and slender, barely even a third the length of the sword, Shisui couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a weapon or a bizarre sort of tool. It vaguely reminded him of the pointing sticks some instructors at the Academy would use, but this one was both shorter and more stylized. There appeared to be a crystal embedded in the handle, with a stylized crescent guard curving around the left side of it. Coming out of the handle was a thin and slightly curved shaft that ended in a pronounced point.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" the former Shinobi murmured.

Visaelya's eyes widened slightly as her gaze followed Shisui's. "Could it be… I've only seen them in paintings before…"

Before Shisui could get a straight answer from Visaelya, Kisuke beat her to the punch. "Yup, no doubt about it. It's a wand. That's troubling."

Shisui blinked in confusion. "A wand? You've lost me."

"It's a device meant specifically to amplify and focus spells," Yoruichi explained, "They're incredibly difficult to make; only the most talented Mages of the old kingdom were supposed to be capable of constructing one. Normally, Mages would either use more conventional weapons like swords or spears as vectors for their spells, cast them with only their hands, or create special staves to serve as focal points for their craft. To craft a wand was a demonstration of true mastery over spirit energy and the spellcasting arts. None of the records indicated that our target had gained the required knowledge and skill for creating such a tool. I knew he was a powerful Mage, but I didn't realize his abilities had advanced to this level. This… is not good."

Soi-Fon sighed. "The Central Forty-Six's historical scrubbing bites us in the rear again. If we'd had more complete information, we could've taken this into account."

Yoruichi nodded, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the engraved image. "Yeah. I almost certainly would've gotten approval from the Head Captain to go find Tessai, pull him off his current assignment and get him into this one if we'd had the full picture. Well, it can't be helped now. We're the ones on site, so we'll have to make do."

Itachi stepped forward. "Captain… should Shisui and I…?"

He didn't have to finish; Yoruichi clearly knew what he was getting at, and Shisui suspected he did, too. "I think you'll have to. As soon as we've got eyes on the target, use yours to pinpoint the weak spots. We won't have the luxury of being clever and subtle here."

Sōjun raised an eyebrow as he looked back and forth between Itachi and Shisui. "Use yours? With all due respect to your two subordinates, Captain Shihōin, what makes their eyes so uniquely suited to discerning the weak points of our foe?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Yoruichi replied before turning to Ginrei, "Captain Kuchiki… before we go any further, I must ask a favor of you."

Ginrei looked at her, his expression inscrutable. "And that favor is?"

Yoruichi glanced at Itachi and Shisui before meeting her fellow Captain's gaze again. "Once you see what my subordinates can do, please hold your questions until after the battle… and keep an open mind. Should we survive the fight that lies ahead, the fates of my Tenth and Seventh Seats will be in your hands. I wish for you and your son to hear them out before casting judgment."

For his part, Squads Six's commander simply looked at Itachi and Shisui with what seemed like mild curiosity before turning back to Yoruichi and nodding. "You have my word, Captain Shihōin. If our potential survival and victory end up being in no small part thanks to the two of them, then I believe we can come to an understanding… regardless of whatever unorthodox abilities these young men possess. I'm well aware of my reputation, but I am not unreasonable."

Yoruichi took a deep breath and inclined her head. "Thank you, Captain Kuchiki."

Squad Two's leader then turned to Itachi and Shisui. "Sorry to put you two on the spot like that… and for the risk you'll be taking here."

Itachi shook his head. "No apology is necessary. We knew that this scenario was likely. We'll do what we must."

Shisui gave what he hoped was an easy-going smile that didn't betray just how nervous he really was. "Whatever happens, happens. We're ready to do our part, Captain, and we'll deal with whatever backlash comes our way once the dust has settled. No matter what, we know you've got our backs."

"And I always will," Yoruichi vowed, "You have my word on that."

She then turned to Kisuke. "Anything on these doors that we should worry about?"

Kisuke shook his head. "No barriers or seals that I can detect. Same approach as the ones upstairs should work just fine."

"Good," said Yoruichi, "then let's get this show on the road? Captain Kuchiki, I know you wanted to be point on this, but mind if I get the doors?"

Ginrei nodded and stepped aside, his sword at the ready. "If you insist."

"I do," Yoruichi replied before sending both doors flying off of their hinges with a powerful kick.

There was a loud but surprisingly distant crash as doors sailed across a chamber that was much more spacious than Shisui had been expecting. As the expeditionary force went through the open doorway, they found themselves in a broad circular chamber, one that Shisui guessed to be nearly the same size as the plaza back in the Seireitei where the Blade Dancer Festival was traditionally held. Much of the space was empty, with the room illuminated by a combination of torches on the walls blazing with azure fire and three circles of blue crystals imbedded in the floor and expanding out from the center of the chamber. The innermost circle was composed of six such crystals, the middle one of twelve, and the outer of twenty-four. Each individual stone was about the same size as the average human, and foul spirit energy radiated from all of them. They were cracked and chipped, and the icy blue energy wafting from them was tinged with wispy black tendrils. At the center of the innermost circle was a sarcophagus that had long since been thrown open, with broken chains and the shattered remnants of the lid scattered about. Shisui noticed that the crystals closest to the sarcophagus appeared to have suffered the most damage out of all of them, and he suspected it wasn't just from whatever debris had been flung about when the wraith broke out of its coffin.

They must've originally served as anchors for the seal, he thought, I bet that the wraith targeted the closest ones as soon as it was able to, hitting them the hardest to disrupt whatever barrier kept it in here from the inside out.

Speaking of the wraith, their target wasn't even bothering to hide. It stood at the back of the chamber, gazing at the expeditionary force with a glare as spiteful as it was tortured. Sure enough, just as the image carved into the doors before had depicted, its plain robes were offset by a gaudy array of jewelry. A silver crown inlaid with emeralds and sapphires was placed upon its brow, while two amulets hung around its neck, one with a ruby set in the center and the other with a diamond. The fingers of each hand were festooned in rings, with only the thumbs going unadorned. Just like the image, the wraith itself held a sword in its left hand, only it was a much more elaborate weapon than the carving had indicated, with its handle gleaming silver and possessing two diamonds set in the middle. As for the right hand, it indeed held a wand, and the gem in its handle glowed with the same icy blue energy as the rest of the wraith.

Shisui glanced at Itachi, and his fellow Uchiha nodded at him. They both could sense the monstrous power emanating from the wraith, and it hadn't even attacked yet. There was no time to waste, so both Uchiha brought forth both their Sharingan and their Shikai.

"Playtime," Shisui whispered, "Kage no Kodomo!"

"Purge through perdition's flame," Itachi commanded, "Jigoku no Joō!"

As Itachi's Zanpakutō transformed into a black sword and crimson flaming crows immediately began to fly forth from the Shikai's thin gap, so did Shisui's weapon shift. Tendrils of dark blue spirit energy flowed forth from the four slits that were carved into the silver circle in the sword's handle, and four clones of Shisui appeared a moment later, their eyes all blazing with the crimson light of the Sharingan, just like those of Itachi and Shisui himself.

Yoruichi, Soi-Fon, Kisuke and other members of Squad Two activated their Shikais as well, but Shisui and Itachi didn't have time to observe. Instead, both of their gazes were fixed squarely on the wraith, seeking out the telltale vortexes of energy that would indicate which bits of ornamentation served as anchors for the spell keeping it tethered to this world. At first, Shisui was confounded by what he saw; the energy swirling about the wraith looked like a tangled mess, difficult to make sense of even with the aid of the Sharingan. For a moment, Shisui feared that every single bit of ornamentation on the wraith was indeed an anchor, and that they would have a fiendishly complex battle before them.

Then he heard Itachi's voice, and the puzzle pieces fell into place. "False anchors… clever. The Lady of Midnight put in extra care with this one."

Everything clicked for Shisui in that moment. Examining the wraith again, he could now perceive a key difference between the true anchors and what Itachi had designated decoys. Many of the 'vortexes' of power were really just energy venting wildly, being momentarily bent and distorted before dissipating in the air around the wraith itself. This twisting and writhing energy served to help mask the anchors, at least partially. As their gazes quickly swept over the wraith, though, both Itachi and Shisui found what they were looking for.

"The crown," Itachi announced, "and the amulet with the diamond."

"Two of the rings," Shisui added, "One on each hand. Little finger for both."

Yoruichi stepped forward, giving both Uchiha a proud smile as arcs of white lightning danced along the silver gauntlets of her Shikai. "Knew I could count on you two. Captain Kuchiki, we have our targets!"

"So we do," said Squad Six's commander as he joined her up front, giving Itachi and Shisui a brief and inscrutable glance before focusing on the wraith, "Difficult, but not insurmountable."

The wraith's gaze momentarily fixated on Itachi and Shisui, and the latter wondered if the abomination could sense just what was different about the two of them and the unique threat the posed. It then raised both sword and wand, and the former Uchiha felt a considerable spike in spiritual pressure.

Kisuke raced forward and pointed his Shikai forward. "Chikasumi no Tate!"

A familiar hexagonal crimson shield appeared in front of the Soul Reapers, and not a moment too soon. A jet of azure fire flew out of the wraith's sword and splashed against it, not even cracking the barrier. However, Shisui was sure that the wraith had more than that to throw at them. Indeed, he could sense the monstrosity's power still building, and pulses of energy were coming from it. There were flashes of bright blue light coming from around the shield's edges, and both Itachi and Shisui peered out to see what was happening.

The wraith's right arm was in motion as it waved its wand almost like a conductor before an orchestra. Slender beams of bright sapphire energy flew forth, and Shisui recognized them; they reminded him all too much of those that had been used by the third wraith and its corrupted shamans. Sure enough, those beams began splashing against the ceiling and walls of the chamber, and whirling pools of energy quickly resolved themselves into portals. The wraith had opened no less than a score of them with just a few quick gestures, and Shisui knew that there would be no time for Itachi to build up his firebirds and block any more than a handful of them. Sure enough, wights were already spilling forth, gathering around the wraith and spreading out from there.

"He's not wasting any time," Kisuke noted as he dissolved the barrier created by his Zanpakutō.

"Then neither will we," Yoruichi declared, "Kisuke, Soi-Fon, you're with me on the wraith. Everyone else from Squad Two, keep the wights off our backs. Captain Kuchiki, care to join us?"

"I shall," the wizened Soul Reaper confirmed before turning to his son, "Lieutenant, you and the rest of our force will help Squad Two in managing the wights. Buy us as much space and time as you can."

Sōjun nodded without hesitation. "Understood, Captain."

Bao barked out orders to his followers. "Rangers and apprentices, watch the flanks! We must keep from being encircled at all costs!"

Shisui glanced over at Visaelya, who held the double-ended silver glaive of Nikkō Kanshi-in before her. "You ready for this?"

The Twelfth Seat gave him a determined smile. "I am."

"Itachi," said Mikoto, putting her hand on her eldest son's left shoulder, "I'll watch your back."

Itachi nodded as waves of red firebirds billowed forth from the gap in his black blade, with not so much as a hint of doubt in his onyx eyes. "I know you will, Mother."

Yoruichi brought her knuckles together, with sparks flying between her gauntlets. "Send these demons back to the pits of Hell where they belong!"

And with that, the battle began.

….

As speed was her forte, Yoruichi was naturally a firm believer in a swift opening strike, and she wasted no time in demonstrating that here. Flash Stepping as fast as she could and trailing white lightning behind her, she crossed the chamber in the blink of an eye. Her right fist was already rushing towards the wraith's head, aiming for the crown in an attempt to take out one of the reanimation anchors with a decisive first strike. Unfortunately for her, the wraith had anticipated such an attack, and its blade was able to intercept Yoruichi's gauntlet, albeit barely. Not letting that stop her, she swung her left fist at the wraith's chest, going for the amulet with the diamond. The wraith juked to the left and pulled back, with the amulet swinging just far enough out of the way that her fist hit the wraith's chest instead. Yoruichi blasted the abomination with white lightning, and energy arced over the wraith's entire body, but it wasn't a threat to the anchors; only direct hits were enough to destroy those.

Then the wraith pointed its wand at Yoruichi, and the crystal in its handle glowed brightly. Darting to the left, Yoruichi was narrowly able to avoid the blast of azure energy that flew from the slender implement's tip. The shot crashed into one of the crystals in the outer ring, utterly shattering the gemstone like a hammer crushing fine porcelain.

That was close, she thought as she lunged back in, fists and lightning flying, I need to watch where he points that damn thing!

That was when she heard Soi-Fon call out behind her. "I have the right!"

Immediately understanding her bodyguard's intentions, Yoruichi shifted her footing so that her punches and kicks were all aimed at the wraith's left. Its sword flashed through the air as it responded, with azure flames dancing along its edge. Upon closer inspection, Yoruichi realized that while she could indeed feel the wraith's power in that unnatural fire, it was simply providing fuel for it. The true source of the sapphire flames was the sword itself; the blade was a Spirit Weapon, and a potent one at that. A broad swing from the blade let loose an arc of flames, and Yoruichi had to duck to avoid getting burned. The wraith brought its sword down in a follow-up swing, but this time there were no flames. As Yoruichi crossed her gauntlets to block the strike, she guessed that the blade had a charge-up period for its powers, not unlike some Shikais that she'd seen over the years. It was just a hypothesis for the moment, but she knew that the battle would give her plenty of chances to test it.

Meanwhile, Soi-Fon had set up for a perfect flanking shot, and she took it. The golden stinger of Suzumebachi flashed forward, and while its poison would be no good against the wraith itself the small size of the weapon made it well suited to agile and precise strikes. In this instance, her strike was aimed at the wraith's wand, clearly aimed at knocking the weapon from the undead monstrosity's hands. Yoruichi wholeheartedly approved of Soi-Fon's plan, but she doubted the wraith would let itself be deprived of such a valuable tool so easily. Indeed, the wraith deftly angled the wand almost like a small sword or dagger, parrying Soi-Fon's strike before another blast of azure energy flew froth from the tip. Soi-Fon jerked her head to the side, but the energy still singed the hair that fell over her left ear.

Then Yoruichi felt a familiar surge of spirit energy behind her; Kisuke had joined the fray. "Scream, Benihime!"

Yoruichi leapt to the left as Soi-Fon did the same to the right. A wave of crimson energy swept forward and crashed into the wraith's chest. For a moment, Yoruichi dared to hope that Kisuke's attack had destroyed the amulet that served as one of the anchors, but as the light from the strike faded, she saw that it was still in one piece. A nasty gash had been torn in the wraith's chest, but the abomination's formidable regenerative abilities were already kicking in. Yoruichi's eyes narrowed as she saw the air around the diamond amulet shimmer, with several small pale blue lines of light rapidly dissipating. Glancing at the wraith's right hand, she saw that its wand was pointed at the amulet, and she guessed what had happened.

It created a small barrier around the anchor just before Kisuke's attack hit, she surmised, protecting just the amulet but nothing else, counting on its regeneration to shrug off the worst of the strike. Minimal yet efficient point defense… clever bastard.

"Glad you could join us, Urahara," Soi-Fon growled as she tried to strike at the anchor ring on the little finger of the wraith's right hand, only for the creature to fend her off with another blast from the wand that she narrowly dodged.

"Hey, you and Yoruichi are quick!" Kisuke protested as he rushed forward to cross blades with the wraith, "Not exactly easy to keep up with!"

Yoruichi smirked as she sent blasts of lightning into the wraith, not hitting any of the anchors but at least keeping her foe on the defensive. She knew that wasn't entirely true; Kisuke might not have been quite as fast as her and Soi-Fon, but he could still keep up with them if he wanted to. Rather, he'd hung back for just a bit, letting Yoruichi and Soi-Fon create an opening for his strike. It was classic Kisuke, and Yoruichi wouldn't have it any other way. It was just a shame that the wraith had been able to prevent the attack from destroying its target.

Behind her, she heard several wights cry out. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Captain Kuchiki advancing, carving into wights that had attempted to encircle Yoruichi, Soi-Fon and Kisuke. She had been aware of them, of course, just as she'd known that Squad Six's Captain would be able to deal with them. Even so, seeing Ginrei's blade slice them up with lethal grace and speed was still impressive, and it made her grateful that his unit was the one working with Squad Two and the Stealth Force in this operation. Still, more wights were already pouring in to replace the ones he'd just slain, and while the other members of Squads Two and Six were moving in to blunt the bulk of the onslaught, they weren't quite in position just yet.

Ginrei, of course, could see that quite keenly, and Yoruichi could feel his spirit energy rising. He held his sword up with just his right hand, and purple and white sparks danced along the edge of the blade. Yoruichi knew what was coming, and as she rolled to the right to dodge a burst of azure flames from the wraith's sword, she heard Ginrei's voice ring out a moment later.

"Illuminate the heavens," Squad Six's Captain ordered, "Inazuma no Hana!"

There was a flash of bright violet light, and as Ginrei's sword transformed a dozen orbs of amethyst lightning flew out from it. These spheres swiftly transformed into floating, whirling blades. At first glance, they were reminiscent of shuriken, but Yoruichi had seen Ginrei's Shikai before and knew that they were far more than that. For one, these six-pointed blades weren't made out of metal, but of lightning itself, and their stylized designs made them look like violet flowers hovering in the air, with purple and white sparks arcing off of their petals. Ginrei still held the hilt of his sword, but the blade itself had become an exotic twelve-branched weapon, with six gently curved protrusions on each side. Bolts of violet and white lighting shot out in rhythmic streams from the point of each branch and the tip of the sword itself towards the floating electric blossom blades.

It had been quite some time since Yoruichi had seen Inazuma no Hana in action, but she knew that it was an ideal Shikai for this kind of fight. In a manner similar to Itachi directing Jigoku no Joō's flocks of scarlet blazing crows, Ginrei waved both the sword itself and his free left hand, and the whirling flowers of lightning swung into action. Like tiny buzzsaws made of nothing but electricity, they zipped through the air and ripped into the surrounding wights. It wasn't just the blades themselves that were carving the wraith's thralls up, either; bolts of amethyst lightning shot forth from the deadly blossoms, some impacting the wights directly while others formed links between two or more of the flowers, relaying energy between them so that the bolts could then strike from unexpected directions. Within moments, Ginrei had cleared out a sizeable gap in the horde of wights, giving him, Yoruichi and her subordinates more than enough room in which to engage the wraith itself.

The elderly Captain looked back at his son. "Lieutenant, I leave our rearguard to you!"

Sōjun nodded as he held his Zanpakutō with the blade facing the floor, his spiritual pressure climbing just like his father's had earlier. "Blossom in the chill, Fuyugiku!"

The sword was enshrouded in azure light before becoming slightly longer, with its blade straightening out. It became a double-edged weapon, with its handle now silver and encrusted with diamonds and sapphires. The gemstones glowed brightly as the light covering the blade itself faded, revealing that main part of the weapon was now ice rather than steel. A score of triangular shards broke off of the blade and floated up in the air until they were all orbiting the Lieutenant. Flipping the now-jagged sword around so that its tip pointed towards the ceiling, Sōjun then twirled the weapon. A single rotation sent the circling shards of ice flying outwards, with each one slicing into approaching wights. Some cut clean through the monstrosities' necks and slew them outright, while others instead struck the limbs of the undead slaves. Whether it was an arm or a leg, each limb that was cut quickly began to freeze, hobbling the wights and leaving them as easy pickings for Sōjun's advancing subordinates.

"Let the wraith taste your fury, Captain!" the Lieutenant shouted, his eyes narrowed in determination as he unleashed his Shikai against the undead horde, "None of these foul creatures will threaten your back as long as I draw breath!"

Ginrei nodded at his son. "I will hold you to that. Stand and hold your ground, and let the thralls tremble before you."

The son protecting the father, Yoruichi thought, unable to completely suppress a smile as she slammed her right gauntlet into the wraith's back and sent a burst of white lightning surging through it, It's sweet, really. The Kuchikis might not show affection readily, but they do care in their own way.

There was little time to appreciate the bit of sentimentality, of course. The battle had only just gotten started, and Yoruichi intended to make the wraith rue the day it had crept out of its dark hole. It had befouled a natural wonder and slaughtered and enslaved thousands of innocent people, and it would pay dearly for those crimes.

….

I trust you have a plan, Jigoku no Joō chimed in as Itachi swept away a cluster of wights with a wave of crimson flaming crows, beyond simply watching the backs of the Captains, right?

I'm working on it.

Work faster. It's getting crowded in here.

Itachi certainly couldn't argue with the spirit of his Zanpakutō on that. The battle was barely more than a few minutes old, but the wraith had opened so many portals in such a quick span of time that the chamber was already rapidly filling up with wights. Itachi's power with his Shikai had grown considerably since the previous wraith encounter, and the scarlet firebirds now flowed forth from his black blade in a constant blazing river, yet he knew that it would be impossible for him to stem the tide with just his Shikai. As soon as the flaming crows took flight from the gap in the sword, Itachi would dispatch them to intercept the wights that posed the most immediate threat to his allies. He had no time to concentrate them like he would've preferred for a large engagement; he had to designate targets and send whatever flocks could be assembled in such short order immediately. Itachi was responding purely to short-term tactical needs at the moment, and coming up with a broader strategy was proving rather difficult.

While making a broad swing with his sword, sending out a wave of crimson firebirds that splashed against an onrushing pack of wights and reduced them to icy blue particles, he reached for one of the pouches on his belt with his left hand and pulled out a trio of Anken. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent the three throwing knives into another group of wights, each blade piercing one of the undead through its right eye and burrowing into its skull. His three targets fell, but there were still plenty more left to deal with.

That was when the voice of his mother rang out. "Hadō 32: Ōkasen!"

An arc of yellow energy flew forward, slicing through the wights that had been behind those slain by Itachi's three Anken. Several of the wraith's thralls were felled by the attack, and Mikoto didn't let up there. She surged forward, her Zanpakutō flashing as she cut down the survivors. When the last one was dispatched, Mikoto immediately pulled back, standing to Itachi's left and on guard for the next attack.

I never imagined myself fighting alongside her as a Shinobi, Itachi mused as he divebombed a group of wights who'd been angling for Yoruichi with a flock of firebirds, and it's still hard to get used to having her on the field with me as a fellow Soul Reaper. I wish she was somewhere safe, but it's not my place to hold her back. She's a member of Squad Two now; she knew what she was getting herself into when she decided to join this unit.

Despite his concerns, Itachi would privately admit that part of him was glad that she was here. Sure, he had friends and trusted comrades that could watch his back, but having his mother personally protecting him was a special kind of reassuring. While Itachi would remain on guard, he could at least have faith that someone truly dedicated to his well-being was watching out for him, and with Mikoto as his defense it gave him greater freedom to check up on the wider battle and try to find the key to victory.

Of course, true victory would only come with the destruction of the wraith, but there was more to the fight than just attacking the main target. How Itachi and the others managed the wights would be crucial, and right now whether or not they could handle that task was very much an open question. The Soul Reapers of Squads Two and Six along with their Ranger allies definitely had their hands full to say the least.

Not too far away, Itachi caught sight of Shisui and Visaelya. The Twelfth and Seventh Seats of Squad Two had taken up position broadly speaking to the right of the main clash with the wraith and were using their Shikais to carve a bloody swath through the torrents of wights pouring through the portals. Shisui was definitely getting a workout, with him and his four clones darting about like hummingbirds, swiftly dispatching targets with their blades before immediately moving on to the next. The famous Teleporter was putting his skill with the Body Flicker Technique on full display, and even to Itachi's keen eyes Shisui oftentimes appeared to be little more than a blur. With both the Seventh Seat himself and his four clones seemingly fading in and out of existence with each strike, Itachi had to wonder what it felt like to be on the other end of such a disorienting assault. If he was having trouble tracking his old friend even with the Sharingan, then most of the wights that Shisui and his clones had eliminated so far probably hadn't seen him coming at all.

Then again, the undead thralls had a rather flashy distraction on their hands in the form of Visaelya. While Shisui struck with deception and precision, the eldest granddaughter of the Drakken Clan's patriarch was a veritable cyclone. Whirling her double-ended glaive around her, she butchered multiple wights with every swing, her weapon's length well-suited to the task of clearing out large groups of foes. The edges of her silver blades gleamed with Visaelya's finely focused spirit energy, and it seemed as though only the slightest cut was enough to dissolve any wight she struck. Recalling the sessions that he and Shisui had spent studying Visaelya's Shikai with their Sharingan, Itachi theorized that the same disrupting effect the energy channeled through her blades had on barriers might also be destabilizing whatever foul spell was keeping the wights reanimated. They did seem to be falling quite easily to her weapon; perhaps it was uniquely suited to dealing with monsters like these.

Shisui and Visaelya weren't the only Squad Two officers who had unleashed their Shikais. Itachi saw waves of yellow-green sparks fly forth from Rija's crescent blade, stunning clusters of wights and leaving them easy pickings for blasts of orange energy from Mindiwo's obsidian skull-topped staff. He also caught sight of Katya making a series of vicious thrusts with the silver spear of Shimo no Hebi, either striking down wights outright or crippling them with her weapon's frost and leaving them vulnerable to a finishing blow. The officers who hadn't yet unlocked their Shikais were still more than putting in work, with Soul Reapers like Aika Hirata watching the backs of their more powerful colleagues and cutting down any wight that dared try to attack from their blind spots. The unseated Soul Reapers who had accompanied them were likewise waging a determined defense, holding the line and supporting their comrades with both their swordsmanship and concentrated volleys of low-level Kidō spells.

It wasn't just Squad Two's members who were pulling their weight. Squad Six was clearly determined to not be shown up, and with Sōjun leading them they had become an implacable wall between the wights and the senior officers engaging the wraith itself. It was Itachi's first time seeing the Shikai of Squad Six's Lieutenant in action, and he had to admit that it was an impressive sight to behold. Sōjun stood as the calm eye amidst a whirling storm of icy shards, directing the detached fragments of his Shikai with grace and precision. The tiny frozen blades were reaping a fearsome toll on the wights, either freezing their limbs and leaving them easy prey for follow-up attacks from the Lieutenant's subordinates or striking them down outright by cleanly slicing through their necks or impaling their victims through their eyes. As an added bonus, it brought a chill to the air that cancelled out the heat generated by Itachi's Shikai, something that was very much needed given that the entire battle was taking place indoors.

I'll have to talk to Yoruichi about us working more closely with Squad Six for future operations, Itachi thought as he wiped out a cluster of wights with a torrent of blazing scarlet crows before taking down one that had gotten a bit too close for comfort with a precisely thrown Anken, Lieutenant Kuchiki's Shikai complements my own quite nicely.

While Sōjun was definitely the star of Squad Six's officers, not including Captain Kuchiki of course, his subordinates were more than holding their own. The unit might not have been as single-mindedly devoted to physical combat as the likes of Squad Eleven, perhaps, but the swordsmanship of its fighters was still top notch. Unlike Squad Eleven, which saw combat as what made life worth living and were thus zealous individual fighters, Squad Six took a much more clinical and efficient approach to melee combat. Its best fighters worked together to cover each other's weak points and effectively corner clusters of wights, making them easier for other members of the unit to finish off with Kidō spells. The emphasis was clearly on working together as a cohesive unit rather than fighting for personal glory. They didn't fight simply for the sake of battle itself, but instead always kept the mission foremost in mind. In Itachi's eyes, Squad Eleven could definitely learn a thing or two from them.

While the Soul Reapers of both Squads Two and Six handled the bulk of the fighting, the Rangers and apprentices under Bao Zhao did not stand idly by. Those who were skilled in direct fighting had drawn swords, axes or daggers to carve up their foes with the fierce determination of warriors fighting to reclaim their homeland. They had divided into two small groups, with one on the right side of the chamber aiding Squad Two and the other on the left helping Squad Six. The melee fighters would dart in as the wights tried to press their assault against the Soul Reapers, striking while the undead thralls had their backs turned before quickly disengaging and regrouping. Meanwhile, other Rangers and apprentices were hanging back, using their bows to pick off targets of opportunity or heard clusters of wraiths together so that they could be finished off by nearby Soul Reapers. They were impressively accurate and efficient archers, putting down their foes without so much as a single arrow being wasted or posing a potential threat to their allies.

Having specialists in long range combat providing support would be really nice for our own operations, thought Itachi while divebombing a group of whites with a flock of crimson firebirds, I know the primary weapon of the Soul Reaper is supposed to be the Zanpakutō, but having more options in battle would serve us well. Only certain Kidō spells are good for accurate ranged support; having groups of dedicated archers or wielders of other long-range weapons would go a long way towards enhancing our effectiveness in battle. Yet the Thirteen Court Guard Squads insists on sticking with our traditional weapons. How stifling…

Perhaps you might save the commentary on the flaws of how your superiors run your organization until after the battle is over?

Fair point.

The expeditionary force was holding for now, but the battle was still young. A prolonged engagement favored their undead foes, so it was vital to end the fight as quickly as possible. Itachi knew that Yoruichi, Soi-Fon, Kisuke and Ginrei were trying to do just that, but it was definitely a case of easier said than done. Thanks to Itachi and Shisui's use of the Sharingan, they knew what weak points to aim for, but the wraith was a canny and skilled combatant. Perhaps it was an undead Mage, but it was no slouch when it came to fighting up close and personal. With the Spirit Weapon in its left hand, it was skillfully able to parry attacks that it couldn't dodge, and the azure flames that periodically shot out from the blade meant that both Captains and Yoruichi's subordinates had to stay on their toes lest they get burned. The wraith was constantly on the move despite the Soul Reapers' best efforts to pin it down, and while it wasn't as fast as the likes of the Flash Goddess herself, it was still proving to be fiendishly quick. It ducked, bobbed and weaved through the blades and gauntlets of its foe with unnatural agility and elegance, almost as if the fight was an elaborate dance rather than a battle to the death.

By far the most dangerous and treacherous implement at its disposal, though, was its wand. The strange tool might have looked small and unassuming at first glance, but it was proving to be a much greater obstacle than its sword. Whenever Itachi got the chance to look at the weapon with his Sharingan, he was amazed with how efficiently the device was channeling the wraith's spirit energy. It could fire off either narrow beams or wide blasts with equal proficiency, and it could do so quickly; the gaps between spells were barely more than a few seconds or so at the most. The device was good for more than just attack, too, as was evidenced by the tiny barriers it would erect whenever its anchors were threatened. The fact that it was so small made it even more dangerous because it meant that the wraith could quickly redirect it to wherever it was needed, whether to attack or defend, and the Soul Reapers always had to keep an eye out for it lest it blast them without warning.

Nevertheless, Yoruichi and the others fighting the wraith weren't about to back down. Squad Two's Captain and Third Seat took their foe head-on, with Yoruichi letting loose with a fearsome barrage of punches and kicks as she tried to take out the crown and the correct amulet while Kisuke complemented her attacks with both thrusts from his Zanpakutō and the occasional wave of crimson energy from his Shikai. Whenever the wraith struck back with its sword, Yoruichi would block it on her gauntlets if it was just a regular attack, but if their foe unleashed the azure fire of the Spirit Weapon then Kisuke would disrupt it with his Shikai's energy attack. Meanwhile, Soi-Fon darted about on the flanks, rushing in to take a shot at either the left or right hands of the wraith before pulling back just as quickly. As for Captain Kuchiki, the strange floating electric flower blades of his Shikai orbited the wraith, with lightning bolts from the main body of the weapon flashing out and hitting the small blossoms of light before arcing towards the wraith itself. This allowed Squad Six's commander to attack from any angle, and it was only thanks to the nimble manner in which the wraith wielded its wand to project barriers that the fell creature had been able to keep those attacks from striking any of the anchors just yet.

Both sides are still feeling each other out, Itachi mused as he unleashed another wave of scarlet blazing crows upon a pack of wights that had been trying to attack Soi-Fon from behind, observing their foe's capabilities before ratcheting up the pressure.

That pressure would start building quickly, though, especially for the Soul Reapers. While Yoruichi, Soi-Fon, Kisuke and Ginrei had the wraith thoroughly occupied, the efforts of the rest of the expeditionary force to keep the wights at bay were already looking somewhat tenuous. Constant streams of the undead thralls were pouring through the myriad of portals that the wraith had opened, and the tide didn't look like it would let up anytime soon. With all the villages that had fallen to the abomination and its minions, Itachi knew that their enemy had a lot of bodies to throw at the Soul Reapers.

Quite a few of those undead bodies were heading his way, in fact. As he organized the latest batch of his Shikai's crimson firebirds into flocks and quickly dispatched them to attack clusters of wights across the chamber, Itachi raised his black sword in front of him to greet the oncoming attackers. While he trusted his mother to defend him, he knew that she would need help against numbers like these.

With a broad swing, he sent a crescent of blazing birds forward. They crashed into the undead thralls, destroying several outright while the others scattered. Flash Stepping forward, Itachi was among the survivors before they could react. A thrust to the back of one wight's neck felled the unfortunate creature in an instant, while a subsequent slash decapitated two more. One tried to strike him while his back was turned, but while Itachi was aware of the creature he made no move to respond to it. He didn't have to; in a black blur, Mikoto intercepted the wight and stabbed her blade into its back. As her victim dissolved into a cloud of blue particles, she immediately whirled around and took out two more wights with pinpoint strikes to their necks, her blade little more than a series of flashes in the air. The look in her eyes was one of grim determination, a firm resolve that Itachi had never seen in her back when the two of them had been alive in the Shinobi World. Becoming a Soul Reaper had awakened the warrior within Mikoto, and while she was holding her own quite well, Itachi still could not keep his concerns completely at bay.

I know I need to trust her to handle herself, he thought solemnly while sending forth a stream of firebirds to devastate a charging pack of wights, but even so… I've already lost her once, and that was by my own hands.

I won't lose her again.

….

Twirling her double-ended polearm around her with practiced grace, Visaelya ripped through the oncoming wights with focused fury. Her weapon gleamed in both the white light emanating from its blades and the pale blue energy coming from the undead fiends that surrounded her and Shisui. The spinning blades of Nikkō Kanshi-in carved broad swaths through the monstrosities, felling entire clusters of the creatures with each swing. Visaelya felt zero resistance as she cut them down; her weapon sliced through the wraith's thralls as if they were no denser than the air that surround them.

There was a blur to her right, and as she glanced that way, she saw Shisui dispatch a trio of wights in rapid succession, quickly appearing behind each one and striking before vanishing again thanks to his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique. It was a level of skill that Visaelya could only aspire to right now; while she'd been training vigorously in the technique ever since Shisui had first shown it to her, she knew that she had a long way to go before she could even begin to approach the kind of proficiency he demonstrated with it.

Around the two of them, the four clones generated by Shisui's Shikai were likewise seemingly fading in and out of existence as they cut down the onrushing wights that tried repeatedly to overwhelm them. The manner in which they mirrored their master's movements was eerie, and despite having had years to grow accustom to it Visaelya still had to suppress a shudder and force herself to focus on the foes in front of her. The fact that each one of them also had the Sharingan made it even more unnerving, although Shisui had reassured her that the clones didn't have access to the full range of the Uchiha Clan Kekkei Genkai's abilities.

"How are you holding up?" the genuine article asked as he took up position behind her, gutting one wight with a swift thrust before quickly decapitating another.

Visaelya smiled as she made a broad swing that cut three wights in half. "Just getting warmed up. You?"

Shisui actually chuckled as he sliced and diced two more of the wraith's minions. "I could do this all day!"

It was bravado, of course, and they both knew it. Neither were anywhere near getting tired, but both were keenly aware that a prolonged battle would be in their enemy's favor. Still, the friendly bit of banter in between slaying the wraith's thralls did give Visaelya a bit of a mental boost. Given the gravity of their situation, she'd take what she could get.

That was when she saw his eyes widen as he looked past her towards the right wall of the chamber. "Shit, move!"

Before Visaelya could react, one of Shisui's clones pushed her aside. It didn't knock her off her feet, although she nearly tripped, and Visaelya was about to protest when the clone that had shoved her suddenly found itself perforated with icy blue arrows. Looking in the direction where the shots had come from while cutting three charging wights in half, Visaelya saw the source of the arrows. A new type of wight had appeared.

And they had clearly once been Rangers of the forest clans.

Making a wide swing to cut down another group of wights, Visaelya then shifted her weapon and whirled it in front of her to block a follow-up volley of arrows. Shisui and his surviving three clones had regrouped, with the doppelgangers protecting their master while he aimed the index finger of his left hand at one of the undead archers.

"Hadō 4: Byakurai!" he shouted.

A narrow stream of blue-white energy shot forth, piercing Shisui's target through the chest and disintegrating it. There were more where that one had come from, though. Garbed in ragged and torn feather-cloaks, their expressions were ones of anguished fury. Many had their bows at the ready, while some were skirting around as they prepared to charge in, swords, axes and daggers at the ready.

"Keep as many of the regular wights at bay as you can!" Shisui ordered, "I'll deal with these guys!"

Visaelya nodded as she ducked beneath a volley of arrows while ripping apart a cluster of wights with a veritable cyclone of blows. "Got it. Be careful!"

As she tore into a charging group of wights like a buzzsaw, Shisui and two of his clones charged the undead Rangers while the third clone remained behind to watch Visaelya's back. Visaelya knew that Shisui was fast, but she'd never seen him move as swiftly before as he was now. It wasn't quite Flash Goddess-levels of speed, but it certainly wasn't for lack of trying. The Teleporter truly was living up to his moniker now, with Shisui and the two clones flashing between groups of regular wights and occasionally striking some down as they worked their way towards the undead Rangers. The slain forest clan warriors saw him coming and tried to take him down as he advanced, but they'd never seen the Body Flicker Technique before, and all the arrows they fired either hit the floor or hapless normal wights that Shisui and his two clones readily used as shields.

Then the former Shinobi and his doppelgangers were among them, and the real fight began. The archers swapped out their bows for daggers and throwing knives while those who had already armed themselves for close-quarters combat formed the first line of defense. Unlike the regular wights, these specimens were disciplined. They fanned out to come at Shisui and his clones from multiple angles, their horrifically tortured gazes searching for the slightest of openings. Against lesser Soul Reapers, they would've been a deadly threat.

Needless to say, Shisui wasn't a 'lesser' Soul Reaper. Not by a long shot.

As Visaelya kept the undead horde back with broad sweeps from her double-ended glaive, she caught a glimpse of Shisui vanishing from view before he reappeared behind one of the undead Rangers. The wight didn't have time to so much as twitch before Shisui thrust his blade through the back of its skull so hard that the tip came out of the creature's mouth. As his victim dissolved into a spray of icy blue particles, the others turned around, with some lunging for him while others threw their knives. Neither group found success, for Shisui had already faded from view. Squad Two's Seventh Seat and his two clones struck in shadowy blurs, their blazing Sharingan leaving streaks of crimson light trailing behind them. Occasionally, Shisui would have to block a sword strike or a thrown knife with his sword, but for the most part he was simply too quick for his foes to accurately track. One undead Ranger after another fell in rapid succession; the Seventh Seat would have them mopped up in short order.

That was when the clone Shisui had left behind to watch Visaelya's back shouted a warning. "Break left! Now!"

Not questioning the warning, Visaelya leapt to the side. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the clone block a dagger that had been meant for her; another undead Ranger had crept through the chaos of the wider battle to attack from behind. As she recovered from her initial surprise and weaved a wide circle around her with her Shikai to fend off a pack of lesser wights, she saw that more corrupted Rangers had come along with this one. Shisui's clone leapt into action, darting in and stabbing the undead Ranger that had tried to kill Visaelya in the chest before immediately pulling his blade out and decapitating another as it attempted to bury its short axe into his chest. More moved to surround the clone, and Visaelya was about to intervene before a series of arrows flew forth.

Real arrows, from living Rangers and apprentices.

The undead former comrades of those Rangers were taken by surprise, and several of them fell to the barrage before the others were able to regroup. Searching for the source, Visaelya saw the apprentice Huiling and a small group of her colleagues already preparing new arrows, and they let fly with another salvo a moment later. The Twelfth Seat feared for a moment that they might hit the clone; even if it was just a doppelganger, it still bore Shisui's face, and Visaelya was inclined to keep it alive for as long as she could. Much to her relief, Huiling and her comrades once again displayed that tales of the Rangers' prowess in archery had not been exaggerated. The pointed shafts punctured the wights heads and riddled their chests, and as the wraith's thralls dissolved into azure ashes the arrows then simply dropped to the floor.

"Focus on the mongrels, Soul Reaper," Huiling admonished Visaelya as she and her friends moved forward, "We will put our tainted brethren to rest."

Visaelya momentarily bristled at being ordered around by someone her family would see as nothing more than a commoner, but she held her tongue. It was far more important to concentrate on doing her job right now than bicker with an ally over something as petty as pride.

So instead, she simply nodded her thanks at the apprentice before bracing herself for the next enemy wave. Shisui's clone returned to guard her rear, and the genuine article Flash Stepped over to her a moment later along with the other two doppelgangers.

"You didn't seem to have any trouble with them," Visaelya noted as she struck down four wights with a wide swing.

Shisui shook his head while gutting one wight and stabbing another through the neck. "Only because they weren't ready for what an Uchiha can do. Don't take them lightly."

"I won't," Visaelya vowed while making a broad sweep that cut the legs out from under a group of charging wights, "Huiling said she and the other Rangers will deal with any more of their former comrades who have been enslaved by the wraith."

"Good," said Shisui as he cut down three more attackers, "I trust them, but we still need to watch the flanks just in case any more of those buggers get through. They're definitely faster and smarter than the regular wights. Keep your eyes out for them."

It was advice that Visaelya most certainly would heed.

….

It had been quite some time since Ginrei Kuchiki last faced a serious threat in battle, but the wraith and its thralls certainly qualified. For a man used to dealing with Hollows and the occasional traitorous Soul Reaper, these undead relics of a bygone age were something completely new. The reports from Squads Two, Eight and Thirteen had certainly been invaluable for prepping both himself and his subordinates, but Ginrei knew that there was no true substitute for actually facing the enemy in the field and seeing their attacks and tactics firsthand. Now he truly understood why Captain Shihōin and her subordinates had approached this mission with such grim resolve.

Most foes fall in short order once I unleash Inazuma no Hana, thought the Captain of Squad Six as he watched the wraith take a burst of violet lightning to the back and shrug it off like it was nothing, but it seems this one is rather hardy. How troublesome…

'Troublesome' would be quite the understatement. Ginrei had only seen Yoruichi unleash her Shikai a handful of times, and its raw power combined with her incredible speed were usually enough to take down any opponent quite quickly. That wasn't the case here, though. Although she was relentless in her assault, hammering the wraith with both blasts of white lighting from her gauntlets along with direct punches and kicks, her target was still standing. It didn't matter how quickly she struck, how hard she hit, or however she tried to mix up her attacks. Between its sword, wand and uncanny agility, the wraith had managed to keep her from striking any of its weak points, and that didn't look like it would change anytime soon.

Even her subordinates weren't able to find their targets despite their commander creating openings for them by being the wraith's most aggressive attacker. No matter how quick or cunning Soi-Fon was with her flanking attacks, each time she came in to strike, the wraith was able to either block, evade, or take her hits on a part of its own body that didn't hold one of the anchors. Matters weren't any better for Third Seat Urahara, either. Unlike Soi-Fon, who was attempting precise and swift strikes at what she perceived to be potential vulnerabilities, Kisuke was favoring broader attacks. Those came in the form of wide slashes with his sword and energy blasts from it as well, and while his Shikai was a formidable one, it just didn't have enough power to make the decisive difference. Either the wraith would deflect his strikes with its sword or create a small but powerful barrier with its wand over the threatened anchor before counterattacking. The result was an intricate but so far futile dance between the three members of Squad Two and their target, with neither side making any headway.

Going into the fight, Ginrei believed that he could make the decisive difference. With his son and the rest of the expeditionary force holding the wights at bay, he was free to focus the power of his Shikai against a single foe. The dozen violet and white bladed floating blossoms of Inazuma no Hana orbited around the wraith and the three members of Squad Two, surrounding them in what almost appeared to be a ring of amethyst lightning. Since his allies were fighting the target up close and personal, Ginrei had to be cautious with how he utilized the power of his Zanpakutō, but Inazuma no Hana was an ideal weapon for this task. She was quite adaptable, capable of either annihilating swarms of lesser foes with spinning electrified blades and blasts of lightning or engaging in much more delicate feats, such as targeting a single powerful foe that also just so happened to be engaging in melee combat with her wielder's allies.

Altering the sparking blossoms' formation, he sent three of them above the wraith while rearranging the remaining nine so that they still surrounded the target at equal intervals. Bolts of violet energy flew from the twelve branches of the main sword, arcing between the 'parent' blade and its flying 'children' in the blink of an eye. Several small jolts flew from the nine surrounding blades at the wraith, but these were merely diversionary strikes. The real attack came from the three blades floating above, as they each sent down a bolt aimed squarely at the crown upon the wraith's head. Unfortunately, whether by luck or unnaturally keen instincts, the wraith jerked its head to the right, and the trio of bolts instead hit its left shoulder. Sparks of violet energy from Ginrei's Shikai arced over the wraith's body in combination with white bolts from Yoruichi's gauntlets, but they seemed to do nothing more than irritate their target.

Ginrei was about to line up for another attack from a different angle when he caught a glimpse of something behind the wraith. Immediately realizing what was happened, Ginrei swiftly redeployed the child blades, with eight arraying themselves behind the wraith while the other four still circled around it looking for openings. The reason for this sudden shift came in the form of a volley of icy blue arrows which flew out of the shadows, and a barrage of violet lightning from Ginrei's Shikai was the only thing that stopped them from hitting Yoruichi and her subordinates.

I was afraid there would be more of them, Ginrei mused grimly as a series of familiar silhouettes emerged from the shadows, I suppose I'll have to put them to rest. What a sad fate for those who were once so noble and devoted to these lands…

The source of the arrows had been a group of undead Rangers who had somehow in the confusion of the battle managed to escape the notice of Squads Two, Six and their Ranger allies. They were already nocking their next arrows, so Ginrei wasted no time in dispatching them. As more bolts of amethyst lightning flew from four of the child blades that had intercepted the first batch of arrows, the other four flew forward, sparks arcing around the deadly spinning blossoms. They were amongst the undead Rangers in mere moments, carving through them with ease while their distant brethren provided ranged supporting fire. Some of their foes tried to swipe them from the air with swords, axes and knives, while others tried to shoot them down with their bows, but their efforts were to no avail. The previously disciplined cluster of thralls was forced to scatter, with its remnants picked off one by one despite their best efforts to dodge or block the child blades.

Ginrei would've preferred for that to be the end of it, but then two thin streams of pale blue light flew forth from the wraith's wand. That pair of beams struck the back wall, and two more portals emerged. New wights immediately began to come forth, but it wasn't the constant rivers of undead thralls that were flowing out of the other portals that had been created so far in the battle. Instead, these came out in ones and twos at steady intervals…

…each one a Ranger, slain and brought back to serve their killer.

The wraith was keeping them in reserve, Ginrei realized, to serve for just a situation like this.

"Captain Shihōin!" he barked as he sent four of the child blades forward to meet this new threat.

"I see them!" Yoruichi called out as she blocked a direct strike from the wraith's sword on her left gauntlet while counterattacking with her right, "Can you hold them off while still providing support for us?"

Ginrei nodded, already redeploying his sword's child blades to accomplish just that. "I can, but you won't be getting as much backup as earlier. My apologies."

"Don't worry about it," Yoruichi casually replied as she leapt over an arc of blue flames from the wraith's spirit weapon, "I'll take whatever I can get."

She was always so pragmatic and easy to work with, qualities that Ginrei definitely appreciated. "Understood."

Sword and free left hand waved like those of a maestro as Squad Six's Captain got to work. The four child blades he had sent forward earlier were already intercepting the new undead Rangers, darting in to slice and dice while bolts of violet lighting flew forth from the spinning blossoms. Ginrei deployed the next four in a supporting line, focusing solely on bombarding these new wights from afar while occasionally sending some bolts back towards the wraith. The remaining four remained floating around the wraith, letting fly with jagged forks of amethyst energy at the wraith itself while Yoruichi and her subordinates danced around it. It wasn't an ideal setup, and Ginrei knew that he would now have to get his hands properly dirty.

So, Squad Six's Captain Flash Stepped forward, sparks dancing up and down his branched blade as he joined Squad Two's best and brightest in taking the fight directly to their foe.

….

I don't fancy myself a tactical genius, Jigoku no Joō whispered in Itachi's mind, but I do believe our situation is deteriorating.

Itachi reluctantly agreed with her assessment. While the expeditionary force was still holding its own for the moment, the steady flow of wights entering the battle continued unabated. To make matters worse, more of the undead Rangers were coming out of the portals as well, and they were a far more treacherous foe than the wraith's normal thralls. They struck both in groups and as individuals, and they were proving quite adept at using the chaos of battle as cover for their approaches. Were it not for the Soul Reapers allies watching the flanks and the keen eyes of Itachi and Shisui, their sneak attacks could have proven fatal.

Even so, as Itachi swept aside a cluster of wights with a wave of blazing scarlet crows while throwing an Anken through the skull of one that had tried to strike him from the left flank, he knew that their luck couldn't hold. It was simply a matter of time before one or more of the undead Rangers managed to slip through and strike someone down, and the losses would only start piling up from there. The expeditionary force needed to end this battle quickly, and that meant taking down the wraith as swiftly as possible, but their adversary was hardly cooperating on that front.

Itachi had known going in not to underestimate their foe, but now that the battle was raging around him, he realized that he'd unconsciously done just that. Since all indicators had pointed towards this particular wraith being a Mage, Itachi had geared his expectations around that. However, since the closest thing that contemporary Soul Reapers had to Mages were Kidō experts, Itachi had begun basing his assumptions of the enemy's capabilities on what he'd seen from the spell casters within the Thirteen Court Guard Squad. That had been a mistake, and a stupid one at that; the clash with the third wraith alone had showed just what a wraith that had once been a powerful spellcaster could do, and Itachi had been present for that one. This new one was proving itself to be even more dangerous than the wraith they'd faced in the Shiba Clan Principality, thanks in no small part to demonstrating a mastery of its craft that well exceeded the prowess displayed by Squad Two's previous target.

That wand is what's making the real difference, Itachi thought as he swung his black blade, releasing a crescent of firebirds that spread out into a wide arc and consumed a pack of charging wights, Kisuke was right about the wraith wielding that being a sign of trouble. Such a small tool, but its impact is immeasurable…

The third wraith had channeled its spells through a staff, but while that foe had certainly been formidable, it couldn't hold a candle to the one that the expeditionary force faced now. Thanks to the wand, the fourth wraith could either fire off spells or generate barriers so quickly and accurately that it put its fallen comrade to shame. Itachi had hoped that Captain Kuchiki now joining Yoruichi, Soi-Fon and Kisuke in directly fighting the wraith rather than just providing support through the floating electric blossom blades of his Shikai might tip the scales, but their enemy was proving to be quite adaptable. While it had been momentarily taken aback by Ginrei suddenly charging into the fray and attacking with his branched sword, the wraith had quickly recovered and countered by essentially turning the Captain's tricks against him. With a few quick flicks of its wrist and several bright blue bursts of energy from the wand in its right hand, it had generated three floating swords made of azure light. Two of them had gone straight for Ginrei, while the third had attacked Kisuke. While both Squad Six's Captain and Squad Two's Third Seat had been able to fend off their strikes, this new threat meant that they couldn't fully concentrate their efforts against the wraith.

That left Yoruichi and Soi-Fon dedicating all of their focus to striking it down, and while the two women were fast and powerful, their foe had learned much from fighting them. Recognizing that her front assault wasn't working, Yoruichi had shifted tactics, as had her bodyguard. The two of them were Flash Stepping around their foe, trying to disorient it by attacking from variable angles at blinding speed. With occasional strikes from Kisuke and Ginrei serving as momentary distractions, the two women were able to strike hard from the flanks and behind, yet the wraith was ready for them. Wide sweeps with its sword provided cover in the form of scorching blue flames, while precise shots from its wand in rapid succession forced both Captain and subordinate to repeatedly break off their attacks and regroup. Even when Yoruichi and Soi-Fon did manage to get through its defenses and land hits, the wraith took great care to make sure that its anchors remained protected. Yoruichi's electrified gauntlets had pummeled the wraith's chest, back and even its head, but the combination of its potent regenerative capabilities and the last-ditch point defense barriers the wraith could cast over the anchors with its wand prevented her blows from being decisive. Soi-Fon wasn't having any more luck on her end, with the stinger of Suzumebachi proving to be ineffective against her target. Itachi had seen her Shikai hit the wraith on various points, creating those beautiful Hōmonka butterfly marks that a second strike upon was supposed to spell doom. Indeed, Itachi had witnessed Soi-Fon dispatch plenty of Hollows with the technique, but the wraith was another story. Whenever she managed to land that second strike on a Hōmonka, nothing had happened except for the butterfly marks disappearing, and now Soi-Fon wasn't even bothering to aim for them.

It truly is only vulnerable at the anchors, Itachi mused grimly as he divebombed multiple groups of wights with flocks of scarlet firebirds, Suzumebachi's power is useless unless Soi-Fon can land hits at those key weak points, making it no more effective than the Shikais of other Soul Reapers in that regard. As long as the wraith holds the wand, it will not let that happen. The wand is the key to this entire battle.

Of course, Itachi wasn't the only one who had come to that conclusion. From the way they were fighting, it was clear that Yoruichi and Soi-Fon had reached it as well. While Yoruichi's attacks were still primarily focused on going for the anchors of the reanimation spell, Itachi noticed that Soi-Fon would occasionally deviate. Most of her attacks did seem to be genuinely aimed at the anchors, but a few wound up being feints, with Yoruichi's bodyguard suddenly shifting the aim of her stinger blade towards the wand itself. The wraith kept a tight grip on the device, and so far Soi-Fon had not yet been able to knock it free, but she was clearly trying to, and Yoruichi was doing what she could to provide cover for her.

Itachi's instincts were telling him that he needed to get in there. With Ginrei and Kisuke having to split their focus between the wraith and the spectral blades it had summoned, not to mention the Captain of Squad Six also having to concentrate part of his Shikai on keeping the undead Rangers at bay, it fell to Yoruichi and Soi-Fon to land the decisive blows. Itachi didn't doubt their capabilities, but he also knew that they needed help. If the situation became desperate, Yoruichi could use her Bankai, but Itachi knew that she'd be reluctant to do so, and for the same reason that she hadn't wanted to use it back during the clash with the first wraith; she was afraid of collapsing the citadel itself with her power and bringing all that rubble down upon the heads of her comrades.

If he went in now, though, he'd be creating a deadly gap in the line that the expeditionary force was holding against the constant waves of wights. The flocks of flaming crows from Jigoku no Joō were instrumental in the Soul Reapers' crowd control efforts, a river of fiery ravens pouring forth from Itachi's black blade and throwing themselves into the undead horde with furious zeal. If he diverted his focus towards the wraith instead, he'd be gambling on the ability of himself, Yoruichi and the others fighting the main target to dispatch their foe quickly while the rest of the expeditionary force struggled simply to stay alive against the swarms of wights billowing forth from the portals. That would put his friends and comrades at deadly risk…

…along with his mother.

Itachi knew that Mikoto didn't want him to focus on protecting her at the expense of the larger mission, and he was trying balance his concerns with respecting her wishes, but it was hard to do that in the heat of battle. If anything, it was supposed to be the other way around; Mikoto's job was to deal with the wights that Itachi couldn't handle and leave him free to focus on managing the swarm of hostiles, and she was indeed doing that quite well. She darted about, leaping and rolling to evade strikes before counterattacking with swift slashes and thrusts from her Zanpakutō. There was an almost-constant stream of icy blue particles in her wake as she struck down the wights around her with deadly precision and speed. Occasionally, she would glance back at Itachi to make sure he was okay, but it would only be briefly before immediately returning her sharp gaze to her foes.

She's doing her job, Itachi silently admonished himself, and you need to do yours.

And he did just that. Focusing his spirit energy into his blade while chucking another Anken through the right eye of a charging wight, Itachi sent forth a surge of blazing birds from his black sword. The pace had been steady before, but he knew that he needed to get more of the crimson flaming crows out into the action quickly in order to match the rate at which new wights were entering the fray. The trick, of course, was making sure that he didn't use too much power and wear himself out in the process. Over the years, Itachi had worked hard to improve his endurance and reserves of spirit energy, and this would be a test of just how far he'd come.

While his mother leapt back and forth between the flanks, decapitating and impaling any wight that dared approach him, Itachi spun his black blade over his head as it continued to send forth fresh birds in a torrent of scarlet flames. Thousands were circling overhead within moments, and Itachi sent them out in a series of waves. Radiating out across the chamber, they would settle over high concentrations of foes before diving into them. Massed shrieking rang out as scores of wights were obliterated at once, with Itachi already queuing up the next flocks.

As she thrust her blade through the throat of a wight, Mikoto turned to Itachi, concern clear in her eyes. "Itachi, be careful! Pace yourself!"

She could clearly feel the increase in energy pouring forth from him, and her fears were definitely valid. Itachi was fine for the time being, but if this went on for too long then he'd definitely have to dial back at some point lest he risk completely draining his reserves. Still, there was no other choice right now; risks would be needed if they were to break this deadlock.

Sparing a glance at his old friend, Itachi could tell that Shisui recognized this as well. Squad Two's Seventh Seat had already been difficult to track thanks to his proficiency in the Body Flicker Technique, but Shisui was really ramping up the pace of his attacks now. In a way, it actually worked against his Shikai's ability to obscure which 'Shisui' was the real one; one version was moving significantly faster than the clones now, and Itachi didn't need the Sharingan to know that it was the genuine article. Itachi supposed that it didn't matter much as far as the wights were concerned, though. Even those who had been Rangers or apprentices before being slain and turned by the wraith couldn't hope to match the slippery speed of The Teleporter. Fading in and out of shadows and blurs like a phantom, the icy blue light of the wights and wraith gleaming off his blade as it struck down the thralls with uncanny swiftness, Shisui was clearly determined to sow as much chaos and confusion amongst the enemy ranks as he could in an effort to turn things around. His three remaining clones were enhancing the effect quite nicely, and while their use of the Body Flicker Technique couldn't compete with the mastery of the real Shisui, the doppelgangers were still more than pulling their weight. Even with the help of the clones, though, Itachi knew that there was only so long that Shisui could keep this up. Hell, Shisui would probably exhaust himself well before Itachi at this rate; using the Body Flicker Technique was far more demanding for the Seventh than simply sending forth flocks of flaming scarlet crows from a black blade was for the Tenth Seat, even if Itachi was putting more energy into it now than he had been before.

Shisui's companion was likewise redoubling her efforts, and Itachi was naturally worried about Visaelya pushing herself too hard just like his old friend. He couldn't deny that her ferocity and zeal were needed, though, and she had both in abundance. The gleaming silver double-ended glaive that was her Shikai tore through clusters of wights like a violent storm, carving its victims to ribbons and scattering their ashes to the winds. Hers was actually a Shikai that would be very useful against the wraith itself; Itachi doubted that the barriers it put up over the anchors with its wand could stand up to the finely concentrated energy emanating from the edges of Visaelya's Zanpakutō. Visaelya herself seemed to realize this, at least if her periodic glances towards the clash with the wraith itself were any indication. Just like Shisui and Itachi, though, she couldn't abandon her task. Her speed combined with the wide sweeping swings of her weapon were proving critical to containing the horde of wights and keeping their numbers at a still somewhat manageable level. She was striking down entire groups of wights with broad attacks and giving Shisui valuable breathing room to work his magic with the Body Flicker Technique. Speaking of The Teleporter's signature move, the Drakken Clan princess was likewise occasionally fading in and out of view as she utilized Shisui's favorite skill to move through the undead horde with silent speed. Itachi could only hope that Visaelya was aware of how much energy she was burning and would know when to dial things back to save her strength.

While some like Itachi, Shisui and Visaelya were gambling on pushing themselves further in an effort to swing the fortunes of battle in the expeditionary force's favor, the rest of Squad Two's junior officers and unseated Soul Reapers were simply fighting to hold their ground and stay alive. Having the Rangers and apprentices helping out on the flanks definitely made things easier, but the Soul Reapers were still finding themselves pressed hard. Itachi caught a glimpse of Katya making several quick thrusts with her spear, both impaling wights directly and covering others in frost that slowed them down and made them easy for her comrades to finish off. That would often come in the form of quick strikes from Aika, who would dart forward and inflict the coup de grace before pulling back to the defensive position she shared with Rija and Mindiwo. There she would carve out space around the Ninth Seat as he blasted clusters of wights with orange orbs of energy, while the Thirteenth Seat neutralized more of the wraith's thralls with arcs of greenish-yellow lightning from her crescent blade. They were all still standing strong, but Itachi was sure that the strain of battle was beginning to weigh on them.

It wasn't just Squad Two giving their all to hold the line. Under Sōjun's leadership, Squad Six was standing strong, although Itachi would be lying if he said he wasn't concerned about the Lieutenant. Earlier on in the fight, no wights could get close to him thanks to the whirling storm of razor-sharp icy shards created by his Shikai, but that was no longer the case. The Shikai was very much still in play, with its whirling frigid blades zipping through the air and reaping a fearsome toll upon the wights, but others were getting through to the man himself. Fortunately, Sōjun was no slouch when it came to fighting up-close and personal. The jagged blade of ice that was the heart of his Shikai practically danced in the Lieutenant's hands as he deftly struck down one wight after another. Itachi saw more than a bit of Ginrei's Zanjutsu in Sōjun's swordsmanship, which was hardly surprising; the son had clearly learned well from the father. His cuts and slashes were as economical as they were elegant, with not a single wasted motion. The Lieutenant still clearly had plenty of fight left in him, but the oncoming tide of wights did not appear to be lessening one bit. If this kept up, then eventually Itachi feared that even the son of Ginrei Kuchiki would be overwhelmed.

The same can be said for the other members of Squad Six, Itachi thought as he struck down three wights with a broad slash from his sword as fresh flocks of crimson flaming crows took flight and went after new targets, Captain Kuchiki's trained his Soul Reapers well, and they're still holding the line, but that can't last forever. The longer this engagement drags on, the worse our position becomes.

The battle was becoming a race against the clock, and Itachi knew that the expeditionary force was losing.

….

Mikoto's eldest son wasn't the most expressive young man, but she knew Itachi well enough to know when he was concerned. The slight furrow in his brow, the tension in his jaw that told her he was gritting his teeth behind sealed lips, the way his eyes darted all over the chamber but especially towards the fight between the Wraith, Yoruichi, Soi-Fon, Kisuke and Ginrei Kuchiki; all that and more told Mikoto just how Itachi viewed the situation. Things weren't looking good, but then again, she hardly needed her son's subtle cues to pick up on that.

There's too damn many of them, she thought as she stabbed her blade through a wight's neck before whirling around and cutting down another with a slash, and they just keep on coming. I don't know how much longer we can manage like this.

If anything, it felt like the flow of wights coming through the portals was only increasing the longer the battle went on. No matter how many wights Mikoto struck down, more took their place mere seconds later. She still had enough energy to keep up the fight, but the longer this dragged on, the greater the chances were that she would make a mistake. In this kind of battle, said mistake would jeopardize more than her own life; those of her son, her friends and comrades would also be endangered.

Fending off a group of wights with a series of quick strikes from her sword, Mikoto then held out her left hand and gathered her energy. "Hadō 5: Hotaru Bāsuto!"

She swept the open palm of her left hand across her body from left to right as a string of tiny green spheres shot forth in rapid succession. The small emerald orbs perforated a cluster of charging wights, dispatching them in short order. Mikoto had hoped that the rapid-fire attack spell might buy her a bit of breathing room, but another group of wights almost immediately filled in the gap, putting her right back at square one.

Still not enough, she thought bitterly as she gutted one wight before thrusting her sword through the skull of another, I figured as much. Perhaps something with a wider range next…

She leapt backwards, this time quickly sheathing her sword and holding out both hands as she once again focused her energy. "Hadō 20: Tenkū no Myaku!"

A wave of kinetic power pulsed outwards, with a ripple in the air being the only visible sign of the spell. The energy slammed into the horde of oncoming wights and knocked them over like a group of bowling pins. Mikoto immediately drew her blade and rushed forward, carving into the dazed creatures before they could recover either their wits or footing. Even that effort, though, only bought her just a bit of space and a few precious seconds of respite. A fresh chorus of shrieks soon rang out; still more enemies were coming in, not deterred in the least by the fall of their brethren.

It was only now that Mikoto understood the true horror of fighting the undead. The skirmishes in the forest during the final leg of the trip to the Black Spike had been bad enough, but those had at least been quick engagements with time to rest in between. The battle they were engaged in now, though, was composed of wave upon wave of the foul creatures, unrelenting and undaunted. If the wights could feel even a shred of fear, they gave no sign of it. All loss was acceptable loss to the wraith's thralls, and they threw themselves against the Soul Reapers without so much as a hint of hesitation. Even Hollows had a greater sense of self-preservation than these monstrosities.

Hollows could feel true fear. Hollows could become exhausted and decide to retreat. Hollows were logical; they were predators and acted accordingly. They were cruel and ravenous beasts, but Mikoto could at least understand them. The wraith and its slave army, though, were utterly alien to her. Their obedience to their master was absolute. Whatever vestiges of emotions remained were utterly suppressed; whoever they once were before the wraith had slain and corrupted their souls was long gone. It was beyond terrifying to contemplate, and even worse was the knowledge that Mikoto, Itachi and the others would become just like them if they fell here. Death would be preferable; at least the reincarnation cycle could then run its course. There would be no such release if she was struck down by one of these things.

Not even the worst Shinobi that our Realm of the Living has to offer could compete with these things, Mikoto thought as she decapitated one wight and stabbed another through the torso, Human cruelty might be limitless, but at least humans themselves still need to rest on occasion, and they eventually die. These foul creatures, though… they are so much worse.

She continued to cut down wight after wight in rapid succession, but she found herself being inexorably driven back. The enemy was ramping up their assault, and now Mikoto didn't even have time to cast an attack spell. It was all she could do to simply keep herself alive; even protecting her eldest son might become too much at this point.

That was when a swarm of crimson firebirds fell upon the wights before her from above, consuming them in a brilliant blaze. Mikoto knew they were from her son, just as she knew that him diverting them to save her meant that they hadn't gone after the targets that they were really meant for. Taking a quick look around as she backpedaled, Mikoto saw other flocks of the scarlet flaming crows attack wights across the chamber, but there wasn't as many as she'd seen before. Looking back at Itachi, she saw the reason why; while he was still dispatching flocks as fast as he could generate them to attack wights at key points all over the room, he was holding some in reserve. They were clearly meant for him to send out in Mikoto's defense should she find herself under threat. While Mikoto appreciated her son's concern, she also felt a crushing sense of guilt.

He's not supposed to be protecting me, Mikoto silently chastised herself, Itachi's Shikai is meant to be supporting all of us in the wider battle. He's having to hold some of his power back to look after me because I'm still not strong enough!

Her guilt fed into the growing sense of desperation Mikoto felt as she carved into the oncoming wights with furious speed. With each strike, her blade found its mark, but no matter how many wights she took down Mikoto didn't feel like she was making any real difference here. She was only protecting herself now, and not even doing a very good job at that if the fresh flock of crimson flaming crows swooping in to obliterate another cluster of wights approaching her was any indication. Mikoto threw herself at the next group recklessly, growing anger and frustration guiding her blade.

She then heard her eldest son shout out. "Mother, get back!"

Mikoto Flash Stepped backwards, and not a moment too soon; a volley of icy blue arrows hit the floor where she'd been standing just a moment earlier. As she decapitated a wight, she saw that the source of the attack was a group of undead rangers who had snuck through the brawl. They'd completely blindsided her, and without Itachi's warning their arrows absolutely would have struck her down. She was letting her feelings get the better of her; fury and shame were clouding her judgment.

There was a black blur to her right as Itachi Flash Stepped forward, and he wasted no time in laying into the wights that had just tried to kill her. His black blade left a trail of scarlet firebirds in the air as he cut down two archers with a broad slash before dispatching a third with a thrust right through its neck. Two more undead Rangers fell upon him with daggers drawn, but Itachi took them out with a pair of swift strikes. For her part, Mikoto did what she could to simply keep the lesser wights away from her son, but she was still being driven back.

The metaphorical walls were closing in. More and more wights, both the regular kind and those that once been Rangers and apprentices, were pouring into the fray. Back-to-back with her eldest son, Mikoto found herself facing row upon row of anguished and tortured faces as far as her eyes could see, each one eager to add her and Itachi to their ranks. She felt a searing sensation in her chest, so hot that she believed it might burn her from the inside out. It took Mikoto a moment to place it. This wasn't just the anger she'd felt before.

This was full blown wrath.

Then again, what else should it have been? She was surrounded by creatures who wanted to take her eldest son from her, after they'd been reunited for just a few precious years. If things continued as they were now, then the undead horde would do just that.

You're not going to allow that, the spirit of her Zanpakutō chimed in, are you?

Never!

Oh, really? Can you hold to that vow with the power you have now?

Mikoto's eyes widened as she recognized the truth; she couldn't. Even as her blade flashed before her in a series of silver streaks, striking down wight after wight with vicious fury and speed, she knew that it wasn't enough. Her holding action was akin to a stone standing against the tide of the ocean. It might hold out for a time, but erosion would take its course, and that was happening here quite clearly. For all her skill, all the training she'd put herself through since vowing to become a Soul Reaper, it just wasn't enough.

Mikoto knew the truth; she was weak.

And that weakness would cost her eldest son his life.

Is that it, then? Accepting the hand dealt to you by fate here? Whatever happened to seizing this second life with Itachi, to making up for the mistakes of your past? Were those promises just empty words?

The world around her suddenly slowed to less than a crawl, and the black-robed woman with the obsidian bident appeared before her. Mikoto had never experienced this before, but Itachi had described it to her; the spirit of her Zanpakutō was hijacking her senses and slowing the perception of time.

You're right about one thing; you are weak… at least, as you are now. You know why that is, too, don't you? Even now, with the situation so dire, you're still holding back.

Mikoto knew the woman was right. Even now, part of her was still afraid. Afraid to awaken the part of her that she'd long sought to suppress… and afraid of how her eldest son might react if he saw it.

And out of fear of the chance that you might drive your son away, you put his life at risk! Are you really going to let yourself fail him so utterly now? More than just him; you'll be failing yourself, your husband and your younger son as well! If you and Itachi fall to the wraith's hordes, the two of you will never have the chance to reunite with Fugaku and Sasuke ever again. Are you really going to sacrifice that chance just to preserve your eldest son's current perception of you?

When she put it like that…

"No…" Mikoto whispered.

What's that? You'll have to speak up.

Mikoto's eyes narrowed, and the blazing wrath in her chest suddenly became colder than the frigid wastes of the north. "No."

That's better. You know what you have to do, don't you?

Yes.

What would the fallout be? How would Itachi react? Mikoto couldn't say. None of it mattered right now. All that mattered was protecting her son and seizing the power needed to win this fight. Whatever came of what was about to happen, from the side of her that she was about to drag out from the shadows of the past, would be dealt with after the battle.

She could feel two spikes of energy. One was coming from her blade, while the other from inside her own head. The former was new, but the latter she'd felt before… long ago.

And then she heard it.

The words she'd been seeking ever since she had decided to become a Soul Reaper.

That was it, huh? I guess it's a good match for someone like you.

So glad to have your approval. Well, then, what are you waiting for? You know what to do now.

Indeed, she did. As time's flow steadily returned to normal around her, she raised her sword and held it across her body. Violet light consumed the blade, and her vision became dyed in scarlet.

"Sing them a lullaby of death," she hissed, "and nothing more…"

"Shisha no Miko!"

….

Although he wasn't facing his mother at the moment, Itachi didn't need to see Mikoto to know what had just happened. Setting aside the fact that he'd heard her voice, albeit barely, in the din of battle, the twin spikes of energy coming from behind him were unmistakable. One was the Sharingan, something Itachi had never seen Mikoto use back when they were both alive but had always suspected she'd possessed. The other, of course, came from her sword, the intermingling of the Zanpakutō's spirit energy with that of its wielder to bring both to a greater level of power.

Raising his left hand before making a sudden downward spiraling motion with it, Itachi dropped a cyclone of crimson flaming crows on the wights before him. As the scarlet firebirds of his Shikai tore through the wraith's thralls like an infernal tempest, Itachi used the brief moment of respite they provided to look over his shoulder and see just what manner of transformation his mother's Zanpakutō had undergone. Just as he'd suspected, the short sword of the sealed Zanpakutō had become the black bident that Mikoto had described the spirit of her weapon wielding whenever she'd gone to her inner world. The ruby at the base where the twin prongs of the polearm sprung out from pulsated with scarlet light, while violet flames flickered at the tips and along the edges. The wider reach of the weapon would definitely be an advantage for Mikoto here, but Itachi could not yet tell what the true power of his mother's Shikai was.

In truth, though, his attention only lingered on Mikoto's Shikai for a moment. What Itachi found most striking was his mother's eyes. Yes, they now held the crimson beacons of the Sharingan blazing within, each with a trio of tomoe swirling around the pupil, and while this was Itachi's first time seeing his mother wielding the Uchiha Clan's famous Kekkei Genkai, that wasn't what really commanded the former Shinobi's focus. Instead, it was the look within them.

Throughout his life, Itachi's mother had always been a source of soothing warmth and comfort, but that wasn't what he saw in her gaze now. The look in her eyes now was one of focused wrath, of cold and calculated impending death. It was a look Itachi knew well, but not from his mother.

He knew it from himself.

How many times had he seen that look reflected in the eyes of soon-to-be victims? Perhaps the wrath had been absent for more sympathetic targets, but when he'd struck down members of the Uchiha clan who had been eager and willing advocates for the coup plot… oh, it most certainly had been present then. That harsh resolve to do what must be done, that ruthless will to spill a river of blood to achieve a greater purpose… Itachi was quite familiar with it.

In the years of his exile following the purging of the Uchiha Clan, Itachi had wondered more than once where that dark resolve had come from. Some days, he chalked it up to him simply knowing what his mission was and what the price of failure would be, to understanding the stakes and making the horrific choice that he'd hoped would prevent a far more terrible tragedy from unfolding. On others, though, Itachi had pondered the notion that perhaps he'd inherited that ruthless determination from his bloodline. Whenever his thoughts had gone down that particular road, he'd assumed it was something that he'd gotten from his father.

Not once had he ever associated it with his mother.

She was once a Shinobi, Jigoku no Joō reminded him, and I think you always suspected the reasons why she never liked discussing her past missions with you. The same will to kill that you had to muster in order to complete the purging of the clan is no doubt something she's familiar with… and almost certainly wanted to keep hidden from her children.

It made sense, of course. Even so, although Itachi might have been able to comprehend it mentally, seeing such dark resolve in the eyes of his mother firsthand was still a rather jarring experience. However, with the battle still raging around them, Itachi knew that he could not afford to be distracted. The mission came first, and he suspected that Mikoto would expect no less from him. Despite that, he still wondered for a moment just how she felt right now. Bringing forth a part of herself that she'd hidden from her offspring for so long… it couldn't have been easy for her. In a way, Itachi reflected, it reminded him a bit of how difficult it had been to work up the nerve to fully confess the dark details of his past to Yoruichi years ago. With that experience behind him, perhaps it would be easier for him to speak to his mother about whatever doubts she might be feeling in this moment once the battle was done.

Assuming they both survived, of course.

As Itachi struck down a trio of wights with his obsidian blade while engulfing two clusters of the undead in swarms of crimson flaming crows, his mother suddenly lunged forward. A broad sweep of her black bident struck down four wights quite easily, and that was when Itachi saw the violet flames dancing along the two prongs of the polearm, previously barely more than short lived amethyst embers, suddenly surge in intensity. Two jets of purple flame then shot forward, and the wights in their path shrieked in agony. They quickly dissolved into icy blue particles, but those pale ashes did not simply scatter and fade like Itachi had seen them do when wights had been struck down before. Instead, thanks to the keen perception provided by the Sharingan, Itachi saw the particles actually merge with the flames of Mikoto's Shikai…

…and then follow those flames back to their source.

The entire weapon began to glow in amethyst and azure light, and Itachi was astonished as he realized what was happening. As Mikoto leveled the bident at the next wave of wights, two more jets of violet fire shot forth from its tips, and they were much larger than their predecessors. The same process played out again; the wights were destroyed, but the tiny particles of light that they left behind raced long the streams of flame back to the bident itself.

It doesn't burn its targets, Itachi concluded, but drains them. The flames are just a medium, an intermediary and arm through which the Shikai's true power reaches out to draw energy from its foes. Individual wights wouldn't have much to offer, but entire groups of them…

So many questions and potential scenarios raced through Itachi's mind even as he continued to strike down wights with both his sword and the scarlet firebirds created by it. How severely would Hollows or Soul Reaper be affected by the energy drain? Would they be destroyed outright like the wights, or would drawing power from them be a more prolonged process? How much energy could the Shikai claim and store at once? These queries and plenty more besides echoed in Itachi's head, but he shoved them aside for the time being.

He saw his mother twirl the bident before her, deflecting a volley of arrows that flew out from undead rangers who had hidden themselves within the horde of lesser wights. As Itachi divebombed the enslaved archers with a flock of firebirds, Mikoto made a wide swing with her polearm. Two tendrils of violet flame, almost like twin whips, lashed out from the tips of the weapon. Just like with the larger jets of fire before, any wight that was hit almost immediately dissolved, with the tiny icy blue particles holding whatever shreds of energy remained from them flowing back along the whips and feeding into the bident. Itachi could feel his mother's spiritual pressure spiking; she definitely hadn't hit her Shikai's maximum energy capacity just yet.

That was when Mikoto barked out a command to her eldest son. "Go, Itachi!"

Itachi blinked as he thrust his sword through a wight's skull. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" his mother snapped as she swept the legs out from under a group of wights with her bident before unleashing two new streams of violet soul-sucking flames, "Your real place isn't here, despite the earlier orders. I can keep the wights at bay and support the others with my Shikai's power. You're not meant to be playing just a supporting role in this battle. I know you want to protect me, but that's not what you're needed to do. Your place is up there fighting alongside her!"

Following his mother's gaze, Itachi saw the furious clash raging between the wraith and the four Soul Reapers. Scarlet arcs of energy from Kisuke's Shikai, the swift and precise jabs from Soi-Fon's stinger blade, the arcs of violet lightning and the sparking spinning amethyst bladed blossoms of Ginrei's Zanpakutō, and the blasts of white electricity from Yoruichi's gauntlets; all these were keeping the wraith occupied, but none had managed to bring it to its knees. A game-changer was needed.

An Uchiha was needed.

If Itachi went forward to join Yoruichi and the others, he would be violating orders, but the situation had changed. His mother's Shikai was proving to be an ideal weapon against the wights. As it continued to drain more energy from the clusters of undead, the reach and power of its violet flames kept on growing. It could take the place of Itachi's Shikai while the former Shinobi brough his full might to bear on the wraith. Yoruichi would understand, and Itachi suspected she'd welcome his help.

Even so, he gave Mikoto one last look before charging off. "Mother… don't die. That's an order."

The cold determination in her gaze was momentarily softened by a familiar warm smile. "I won't, Itachi. I promise. Now, go!"

As if on cue, a river of violet flames flew forth from the black bident, literally blazing a path through the undead horde towards the clash with the wraith itself. Itachi wasted no time in Flash Stepping forward while a swarm of scarlet flaming crows followed in his wake.

….

As she caved in the right half of the wraith's face with her right gauntlet before quickly pulling it out to keep her armored fist from getting caught up in her target's swift regeneration, Yoruichi found herself smiling. It wasn't because of any damage she'd done to her foe; the nasty wound she'd inflicted upon the wraith, one that would've been fatal to a soul, living creature or Hollow, was rapidly sewing itself up. No, it was because two rather familiar spikes in spirit energy from one of her subordinates told her that the situation was about to turn in the expeditionary force's favor.

Didn't expect Mikoto to unlock her Shikai and Sharingan here, Yoruichi thought as she ducked beneath a swipe from the wraith's sword, but you won't hear me complaining!

Yoruichi didn't know what it was capable of, although the glimpses of violet flames that she'd seen out of the corners of her eyes corresponding with the spikes in Mikoto's spiritual pressure had certainly been promising signs. The ensuing chorus of wights screaming as they were struck down had been another positive indicator. Yoruichi was definitely curious, but she knew better than to divert her attention at the moment; in a fight like this, such a distraction would be fatal.

Of much more immediate interest to Yoruichi than Mikoto's Shikai and Sharingan, though, was the rapidly approaching spirit energy of another Uchiha. Flocks of crimson flaming crows were already beginning to crowd her peripheral vision, and they were rapidly becoming a flood of blazing birds. Itachi had clearly decided to intervene, and while it meant he was abandoning the task Yoruichi had originally given to him for this battle, she was hardly upset. Quite the opposite, really; she immediately grasped the factors involved in his decision and the justification for it. Whatever Mikoto's Shikai was, it clearly possessed enough power that Itachi believed she could fill in for him in keeping the wights at bay while he aided Yoruichi and the others in taking the fight directly to the wraith. Given that the only way to achieve victory in this battle was to destroy the wraith itself, Itachi was almost certainly gambling that him joining the Captains and their top subordinates in the clash would tip the scales and give them the edge needed to strike their foe down before the amount of wights coming through the portals became truly overwhelming.

Whether or not that gamble would pay off, of course, remained to be seen.

As she felt the surge in Itachi's spirit energy, Yoruichi was able to take a good guess at what he had in mind and reacted accordingly. "Everyone, get back!"

Kisuke, Soi-Fon and Ginrei immediately Flash Stepped away from the wraith as Yoruichi did the same. Barely a split second later, a horde of scarlet flaming crows swept forward and over the wraith, surrounding the abomination and even destroying the spectral blades it had generated to harass Ginrei and Kisuke. The blazing prison would only last for a precious few seconds against such a powerful foe, and Yoruichi knew that they needed to act quickly.

She smiled as Itachi suddenly appeared to her right via Flash Step. "Glad you could join us!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Soi-Fon, "What about Mikoto?"

"She can handle herself," Itachi casually replied as he turned to Yoruichi, "Apologies for disobeying your orders, but the situation's changed. In light of my mother awakening her Shikai and Sharingan, I felt my own powers could better serve you up here."

Kisuke shrugged. "Couldn't hurt at this point."

Ginrei cast a curious glance back towards Mikoto before quickly returning his focus towards Itachi. "How long can your Shikai keep our foe at bay?"

"Not much longer," Itachi replied as he poured fresh swarms of scarlet firebirds out of his black blade and into the infernal cyclone that now surrounded the wraith, "A handful of seconds more at the most."

"Then here's the plan," Yoruichi said, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the swarm of flaming birds and the foul creature engulfed by them, "We need to either destroy the wand or at least get it out of the wraith's grip. If we can deprive it of that, we'll have a much easier time hitting the anchors."

Itachi nodded. "My thoughts exactly. If the rest of you engage it as you were before, I believe that I can take it. I'll need its focus to be fully on you, though."

Yoruichi smirked. "Using your superiors as bait, Itachi? Bold of you! Okay, I'm game. Captain Kuchiki?"

The leader of Squad Six had his gaze focused on the crimson firebirds while a few of his Shikai's child blades kept wights at bay with blasts of violet lightning, but Yoruichi thought she caught just the barest hint of a smirk beneath his thick mustache. "This should be interesting. Very well, then. We'll play it your way, Tenth Seat Uchiha."

"Thank you," said Itachi, and Yoruichi saw his brow furrow, "Prepare yourselves; it's about to break free."

Barely a second after he spoke, there was a spike in spirit energy. Multiple shafts of azure light suddenly flew forth, with the Soul Reapers scattering to avoid getting hit. The swirling wall of blazing scarlet crows dispersed, revealing a badly burned but rapidly healing wraith. The creature's gaze immediately went to Itachi, and in Yoruichi's eyes it looked genuinely furious with him.

The plan called for the wraith to be preoccupied with the Soul Reapers that weren't Itachi, though, so Yoruichi wasted no time in giving it something much more pressing to worry about than her handsome subordinate. She immediately Flash Stepped forward, white lightning flying from her gauntlets as she attacked the wraith head-on.

Eyes on me, she silently commanded the wraith as her right fist caved in its chest and sent a blast of lightning into the wound, you undead son of a bitch!

….

You're walking the razor's edge here, Jigoku no Joō noted as Itachi hung back and directed his flocks of flaming crows while Yoruichi and the others engaged the wraith directly, although I suppose that's nothing new for you. Still, the balance between speed and timing that's required for this to work has practically no margin for error. You're going all in on this little gamble of yours, aren't you?

You disapprove?

Hardly. Who dares, wins.

Well spoken.

Truth be told, Itachi knew that the spirit of his Zanpakutō was right; this was a gamble. If he, the Captains, Soi-Fon and Kisuke couldn't defeat the wraith quickly, then the battle was lost. Yet this was the only way forward. Had Itachi continued with his previous task of using his Shikai's power to help keep the wights at bay, all he really would've been doing was delaying the inevitable. Neither Yoruichi nor Ginrei had used their Bankais yet, and Itachi knew it was because they were worried about the potential danger to their subordinates given the nature of where they were fighting. With his help, Itachi hoped that they wouldn't have to unleash their full might, but it meant that they in turn were counting on him to prevent that outcome.

As Yoruichi continued to hammer the wraith with her gauntlets and the occasional kick thrown in for good measure, the other Soul Reapers had carefully fanned out around their foe. Kisuke had taken the left side along with Ginrei, with the two men alternating their attacks and keeping the wraith's sword-hand busy. Captain Kuchiki had redeployed the child blades of his Shikai again, with six orbiting around the wraith at various elevations and sending out diversionary blasts of amethyst lightning while the other six were arrayed to keep the deadly undead Rangers preoccupied. Soi-Fon had taken the wraith's right side, constantly going for its hand and trying to target the wand. That just left Itachi, who had taken up position to the right and behind the wraith. Occasionally he would feign a strike at the wraith's head or back, but for the most part he kept his distance. As streams of scarlet flaming crows continued to flow forth from his Shikai, Itachi scattered them around, using some to harass the wraith while others aided Ginrei in keeping some of the wights at bay. Itachi needed the wraith to view him as a nuisance but not a true threat; it was the only way that this plan would work.

Create your opening and seize it, he told himself as he sent a flock of crimson firebirds at the wraith's crown, only for the creature to swat them aside with an arc of azure flames from its sword, You'll probably only get one shot at this.

The rest of the expeditionary force didn't know it, but now their sole mission was to buy time for that one shot. Itachi's decision to disobey orders and help Yoruichi with the wraith directly had likely ruffled some feathers, but in the heat of battle no one had called him out on it. If his plan worked, then the matter would be dropped with little fuss. If it didn't… well, they'd all be undead slaves of the wraith, which meant that complaints and charges of insubordination would be pretty much irrelevant.

Fortunately for the Soul Reapers and Rangers, Itachi's mother was able to at least partially fill in for him. Her Shikai didn't have quite the same range as Itachi's, but it made up for that with the sinister nature of its power. Against hordes of weaker enemies like the wights, the energy draining violet flames of Mikoto's weapon created a perpetual feedback loop, ensuring that every subsequent attack was that much stronger as it was fed by the shreds of essence taken from previously defeated foes. Whether in came in the form of great rivers of flame or more slender fiery purple whips, Mikoto's Shikai was burning a large swath through the constantly replenishing horde of wights and giving the expeditionary force a temporary respite as the wraith's thralls struggled to adapt to this new threat.

It was a respite that the others were using to great effect. As he sent another flock of scarlet flaming crows at the wraith's head, Itachi saw Shisui and Visaelya ripping through the wights around them with renewed ferocity. Squad Two's Seventh Seat was almost impossible to keep track of as both he and his three clones faded in and out of existence thanks to Shisui's mastery of the Body Flicker Technique. Between the original and the three doppelgangers, countless wights had fallen to sword strikes that had come seemingly from out of nowhere, and Shisui wasn't letting up. The same went for Visaelya, as broad swings from her double-ended glaive combined with the technique that she'd picked up from Shisui allowed her to utterly decimate the ranks of the undead. The two silver blades of her great polearm took out entire clusters of wights with each sweep; none of her foes could match the advantage in reach that Visaelya's weapon granted her.

The rest of the Soul Reapers were likewise redoubling their efforts, perhaps sensing that the battle was approaching a tipping point. Arcs of greenish-yellow lighting flew from Rija's crescent blade while the tall crimson-haired Amazonian woman blocked counterattacks on her shield. Great blasts of orange energy were being constantly fired off from the head of Mindiwo's black staff, each one detonating with furious force that sent wights flying across the chamber when they weren't destroyed outright. Other wights found their movements slowed to a crawl as they found themselves caught in the frost generated by Katya's spear, and they were easy pickings for finishing strikes from Aika's blade. The flying shards of ice from Sōjun's Shikai continued to reap a fearsome toll on the enemy ranks, utterly shredding any who came close to Squad Six's Lieutenant. Whether they were from Squads Two or Six, every Soul Reaper present was giving their all in the hopes of giving their superiors the space and time needed to bring this battle to a close. As if not to be outdone, the Rangers and apprentices were practically flinging themselves at the wights now, ripping into them with short swords, axes and daggers while the few that still possessed some restraint unleashed unrelenting volleys of arrows. The entire expeditionary force's fervor was reaching a fever pitch, all in the unwitting buildup to the battle's climax.

You'd better not let them down.

I don't intend to.

He glanced at Soi-Fon, who gave him a small nod before lunging towards the wraith. This was it. Itachi held his blade so that it ran parallel to the floor, and he sent forth a stream of scarlet firebirds at the wraith's back. They burned through the wraith's robes and seared its rotten flesh, but since none of them struck an anchor, the abomination simply shrugged them off. That was fine by Itachi; that attack hadn't been meant as the decisive blow. A separate flock of crimson flaming crows that had been circling overhead divebombed the wraith just a second later, and this time the wraith had no choice but to react lest they threaten its crown. It swung the sword in its left hand upwards, meeting the flaming birds with a great blast of azure fire from its Spirit Weapon. The firebirds of Itachi's Shikai couldn't match the power of the ancient sword, and they dissipated on impact.

And that was when Itachi made his move.

He wasn't first; Soi-Fon had already moved forward, and her stinger blade thrust towards the ring on the wraith's right little finger. The wraith immediately aimed its wand at her, the tip of the device already glowing with azure energy. Before it could strike, though, Itachi had Flash Stepped forward and made a thrust with his Shikai…

…catching the wand in the slender gap that ran down the center of the black sword.

Before the wraith could react, Itachi immediately twisted the blade. The sudden move jerked the precious tool right out of the wraith's hand and sent it falling to the floor. The abomination actually stared at Itachi in stunned disbelief for a second, which was all his comrades needed to pounce.

Kisuke made the first move. "Bakudō 62: Hyapporankan!"

A glowing blue-white rod appeared in his left hand, and he chucked it forward. Mid-flight, the rod multiplied into dozens of identical shafts, and they impaled the wraith. None of them struck any anchors, but that wasn't what they were meant for. Instead, the force of the impact pinned the creature to the floor. The spell wouldn't be enough to keep the creature down permanently; the monstrosity was too powerful for that, and even deprived of its wand it still had its formidable regenerative capabilities. However, it was momentarily immobile and vulnerable, giving the Soul Reapers the precious window that they'd been searching for the entire fight.

Soi-Fon's stinger blade lashed out in two lightning quick thrusts, so swift that lesser eyes would've seen them both a single strike. Her Shikai struck the ring on the wraith's right pinky finger, and the anchor exploded in a burst of icy blue light. The wraith shrieked in agony, but its torment wasn't complete just yet.

In tandem with her bodyguard, Yoruichi slammed her right fist into the crown upon the wraith's head. The impact shattered the elaborately crafted ornamentation, and the second anchor along with it. The wraith hadn't even finished its first scream, and that wail further intensified to that which would make a banshee jealous.

Then came Ginrei's strike. Casually knocking the sword out of the wraith's left hand, he then thrust his twelve-branched blade into the ring on the creature's left little finger. There was a third near-blinding burst of azure light as the anchor was obliterated, and the wraith was shrieking so loudly now that, had it still been human, it almost certainly would've destroyed its own vocal chords.

That just left the diamond amulet, and Itachi's black sword was already racing forward to deliver the coup de grace. As his blade struck the piece of jewelry, he poured his spirit energy into his Shikai and sent a jet of scarlet flaming crows into the anchor just for good measure. The quick burst of heat warped the amulet before it shattered outright. With all the anchors now destroyed, the five Soul Reapers hastily leapt away from the wraith. The wraith pulsed in torment, and its energy began writhing out of control. Yet, before it was consumed in a final burst of icy blue light, it turned its gaze to Itachi. For the briefest moment in time, the creature no longer looked anguished or malicious. Instead, in the eyes of the former Shinobi, it almost seemed at peace.

And that was when Itachi finally understood why the wraith had waited for them in the bowels of the Black Spike rather than make them hunt it down through the vast corrupted forest.

There was still a tiny sliver of its original self within…

…and it wanted its suffering to end.

Had that been why the other wraiths had never strayed far from where they had been interred even after their seals had been broken? Had each of them retained the smallest amount of their true selves, enough to restrain the monsters that they had become in the hope that someone, anyone, would eventually come to put them out of their misery? Perhaps they'd attacked the settlements near where they had been entombed not in an effort to build an undead army and inflict the suffering they felt every day upon the rest of the Soul Society in some perverse revenge, but instead in the hopes of drawing in warriors powerful enough to finally put them to rest. It was something Itachi would have to ponder later.

All across the chamber, the wights that had been assailing the expeditionary force so relentlessly were now suffering the same fate as the being that had enslaved them. They cried out as one vast chorus of the damned before they were consumed in flashes of bright sapphire light. When the glare faded, there were only scattered icy blue particles remaining, and soon even those were gone. In the span of just a few seconds, a once endless horde had completely vanished. Cheers rang out from many of the Soul Reapers as they realized that they had finally triumphed.

Sealing her Zanpakutō before sheathing, Yoruichi then patted Itachi on the shoulder and grinned. "Knew I could count on you!"

"To disobey orders?" Itachi asked as he did the same with his own sword.

"To know when the tipping point had been reached and when you needed to act on your own initiative," Yoruichi replied, "You have good eyes, and I'm not just referring to the Sharingan. You read the situation, recognized that something needed to change, and acted to make that happen. Following orders is all well and good, but I like my officers to be independent thinkers, and you more than demonstrated that today. I owe you one."

Itachi shook his head as he glanced at his mother, who had found herself surrounded by Soul Reapers from both Squads Two and Six eager to admire both her Sharingan and Shikai. "I only had the opening to act in the manner that I did thanks to my mother awakening her power. If a debt is owed, it's to her… although I don't believe she would see it that way."

Yoruichi smiled proudly as her gaze followed Itachi's. "No, I don't think she would, either."

Looking around the hall as the expeditionary force celebrated, Itachi realized that the wraith's wand had not vanished with the creature itself. The tool was still lying on the floor right where it had fallen in the final stretch of the fight. Cautiously approaching the device, he studied it with the Sharingan before leaning down to pick it up. The spellcasting implement was cold to the touch, but apart some discomfort in the hand that held it Itachi suffered no ill effects.

Approaching Kisuke, he held out the device. "Care for a little souvenir? You'll likely have better luck analyzing it than I would."

Kisuke's eyes lit up as he grabbed the wand. "Well, well… never thought I'd get the chance to study one of these things up close. Not a chance one gets every day."

"Enjoy it while you can," Yoruichi chimed in, "Once we return to the Seireitei, we'll need to turn it over to Squad Twelve for safe keeping in their artifact vault."

"Aw, do we have to?" Kisuke pouted.

"Yes, we do," Soi-Fon confirmed, "You know the regulations just as well as the rest of us, Third Seat Urahara."

Kisuke gave a theatrical sigh before smiling. "Well, guess I'd better make the most of whatever free time I have during our journey back to give this thing a good looking over. No regulations against that, right?"

"Something of a gray area, actually," Ginrei noted as he eyed the wand with seemingly mild curiosity, "Provided that it is handed over to Captain Hikifune upon our arrival, though, I see no harm in you performing a few examinations of the device during the return trip. The letter of the law, at least, will be upheld."

Itachi hadn't expected such lenience from Squad Six's commander. "You're satisfied with that? I always thought that the Kuchiki Clan expected absolute adherence to laws and regulations in both letter and spirit."

"And for the most part, you would be right," Ginrei confirmed, his eyes narrowing as he met Itachi's gaze, "but I am not unreasonable. I'm aware of Third Seat Urahara's reputation, and I believe we would benefit from him performing preliminary studies of this device before it is turned over to Squad Twelve. It's an acceptable accommodation given Squad Two's service in this affair… and not the only one I'm willing to make, provided some questions are answered."

Itachi saw the gleaming scarlet beacons of his Sharingan reflected in Ginrei's eyes, and he knew what the venerable Soul Reaper was referring to. "When we return to camp for the night, I'll be happy to cooperate."

Ginrei nodded before looking past him. "That would be most welcome. Of course, I will also need the cooperation of your fellow Uchiha… both of them, it would seem."

Following Ginrei's gaze, Itachi saw that both Mikoto and Shisui were approaching them, along with Visaelya and several other Soul Reapers. Both his mother and best friend had deactivated their Sharingan and Shikai, but the other Soul Reapers were still eying them curiously. The same went for several of the Rangers and apprentices, and Itachi felt an uneasy pit forming in his stomach. The fourth wraith had been defeated, but knowledge of the Sharingan had spread even further in doing so. Although he'd considered it an acceptable risk earlier, now that the wraith was vanquished, the question of how to handle this fresh exposure of the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai became all the more urgent.

That was when Yoruichi stepped forward, facing Ginrei alongside Itachi. "You'll have it, along with mine, Captain Kuchiki… but not unconditionally. I will need certain assurances from you and all of your subordinates that witnessed what happened here today. The same goes for the Rangers and their apprentices. I know you consider yourself a man of your word, Captain… and the freedom of three of my most valuable subordinates now rests upon that and the discretion of the Soul Reapers under your command."

Ginrei inclined his head. "You fear repercussions from the Central Forty-Six, and rightly so. I know I'm seen as a conservative in the Soul Society's political arena, but I can at least keep an open mind to the possibilities of change and powers outside of our conventional understanding. The judges and wisemen, though… well, sometimes I wonder if 'wisdom' is really something that they possess. Of course, you didn't hear that from me."

Yoruichi nodded. "Of course. Shall we depart and discuss this matter in depth back at camp?"

Looking around the chamber, likely to account for the Soul Reapers under his command, Ginrei agreed. "Yes, I believe it's time to go. Further examination of this citadel and the catacombs beneath it can wait for tomorrow."

The Captain stepped away to organize his Soul Reapers, and Yoruichi turned to Itachi. "Well, I know you're worried, but I'd say we have cause for optimism… the cautious kind, at least. We just have to play things really carefully tonight."

"What's the best approach?" asked Itachi as he watched Ginrei address his subordinates.

"Honesty," Yoruichi replied, "Be forthright with Captain Kuchiki, and he'll respect you for it. If he catches so much as a hint of deception, then the goodwill you've won from him during this mission will fly right out the window. He doesn't need to know everything about the Sharingan, so I'll leave it up to you, Shisui and Mikoto how much to expose or omit. I'll support you three the best that I can. Just don't outright lie, no matter what he asks."

Itachi nodded. "Understood."

Looking around to make sure no one was looking, Yoruichi then briefly took Itachi's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It'll be okay. Have faith. Ginrei's an honorable man. If he swears himself and those under his command to secrecy, he'll keep his word, as will his subordinates. They're intensely loyal to him in no small part because he values his word so highly. It's one of the things that makes Squad Six such a cohesive and effective unit."

Itachi gave her a small smile as she released his hand. "If you're willing to place your trust in him, then so am I. The rest will be in the hands of fate."

Yoruichi grinned. "Given that we just slew the fourth wraith, I'd say that fate's smiling upon us right now. We just have to be careful and not push our luck."

"So we do," said Itachi, "Shall we head back?"

"I'll get the others organized and start leading them out the door," Yoruichi answered before nodding past him, "You, on the other hand, might want to linger for a bit. I think someone wants to talk to you."

Following his Captain's gaze, Itachi saw Mikoto standing not too far away. Shisui and Visaelya were beckoning for her to follow them, but Itachi's mother shook her head before turning back to face Itachi. She definitely wanted to speak to him, and Itachi suspected he knew why.

"I think you're right," he said, "It won't be a problem if we catch up in a little bit, will it?"

Yoruichi shook her head. "Not at all. Just don't take too long. The wraith and wights might be gone, but this place could still have other nasty surprises hidden inside. I won't feel comfortable in here until we do a thorough sweep, and probably not even after that."

Itachi found it hard to argue with that. "True enough. We'll meet up with you later."

Yoruichi nodded, giving him one more smile before setting off. As she passed Mikoto, Yoruichi patted her on the shoulder and nudged her towards Itachi, and then she was with Soi-Fon making sure the rest of Squad Two's contingent made it out of the chamber. Shisui and Visaelya were among them, and soon it was just Itachi and his mother. With only the two of them now present, the ancient chamber somehow felt much larger than it truly was. The three rings of crystals and the sarcophagus in the middle didn't really take up all that much room; the majority was just open space between the floor and the high ceiling overhead.

Mikoto's steps were small and cautious as she approached, and she struggled to meet his gaze. Itachi could hazard a guess as to what was going through her mind right now. For all of her life, she'd been a pillar of kindness and warmth for Itachi in the middle of the brutal Shinobi World. He'd always seen her as the gentle and loving mother that she'd worked so hard to be. Today, though, he'd seen another side of her.

A side that, in hindsight, he should've realized was always there.

She'd once been a Jōnin, after all. She'd been every bit as much of a Shinobi as Itachi and his father, and one didn't reach the rank she'd earned without either experience, talent, or a helpful mix of both. She had never wanted to talk about her Shinobi missions with her children, and now Itachi had a better understanding as to why. He didn't know the details, but what he'd seen from her today was more than enough for him to know the truth.

She, like him, had blood on her hands. She'd been forced to find the will to kill when she was a Shinobi, and she had plunged into the darkness. Perhaps she hadn't been forced to spy upon her own clan and eventually wipe them out, but she had still taken life. More than that, however she had done so in the past, it had been with the cold ruthlessness that only Shinobi tasked with the most sensitive of operations forced themselves to learn.

Shinobi like Itachi.

The woman who stood before him now had been a killer. Perhaps an assassin or spy, striking down the enemy within the places where they'd felt safest. Maybe she'd been assigned to mop up after battles, to make sure that there were no enemy survivors. Who knew how many lives she had taken?

And yet, none of that really mattered for Itachi.

After all...

…she was still his mother.

She always would be.

And he would always love her.

So, as Mikoto drew near, clearly fearful of how her eldest son would react, Itachi knew what needed to be done. He didn't say anything. Instead, he simply stepped forward, closed the gap with his mother, and embraced her. He felt her tense for a moment, but it faded quickly as she realized what his gesture truly meant. Then she threw her arms around Itachi and held him close, and the two of them shared their tight and quiet hug for a long moment.

They would talk later, of course. Itachi had questions, and he suspected that now his mother would be willing to answer them. Whatever those answers might be, though, they wouldn't change who she was in his eyes. She had given him life and cared for him, raised him, encouraged him… and, in the end, had willingly allowed him to take her life so he could fulfill the darkest of missions. That they had found each other again years later in the Soul Society was nothing short of a miracle…

…one that Itachi would treasure for as long as his afterlife allowed him to.

Author's Notes: Okay, let's start with Shikai name meaning. As usual, I tend to just use Google translate, so if the meaning I was going for isn't spot on accurate, apologies. For Ginrei, the rough translation I was going for with his Zanpakutō name is 'Lightning Blossom', while for Sōjun it was 'Winter Chrysanthemum'. I wanted them both to have flower-themed names as a call forward to the nature of the Zanpakutō wielded by their much-more famous descendant Byakuya Kuchiki, along with having their powers be variants on the many scattered blades of Byakuya's Shikai. As for Mikoto, with her Zanpakutō the rough meaning I was going for is 'Priestess of the Dead'.

Speaking of Mikoto, I decided to take some liberties with regards to her past and abilities, particularly with regards to the Sharingan. Compared to Itachi's father, we don't really get much information on her in Naruto canon, and I wanted to flesh her out more. This chapter was the perfect chance to do that, and since we never really got any concrete details on her family line apart from her husband and two children I decided to make hers and Fugaku's marriage one of two Uchiha Clan members, with both having the Sharingan. Think of it this way; as the head of the Uchiha, Fugaku almost certainly would've faced at least some pressure to marry within the clan in order to have the highest possible chance of his offspring not only possessing the Sharingan but also having what his fellow Uchiha might see as a natural inclination towards becoming powerful and skilled Shinobi. So, basically selective breeding, and let's be real here; it's almost certain that prominent Shinobi clans like the Uchiha or Hyūga engaged in this practice at various points in their history in order to, in their eyes, increase the chances of having powerful offspring to ensure the continued prominence of the clan lineage. It might not be something that the main series draws all that much attention to, but in this sort of setting it would be pretty much inevitable.

Seeing as the past couple chapters have been focused on the Uchiha, the next one's going to shift back over to Jiraiya. As a little teaser, it'll also be introducing a couple more Naruto characters to the story. Feel free to guess which ones, though I won't be saying anything on this end, so you'll have to wait for the chapter to come out to get confirmation as to whether or not you're right!

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review, stay safe, and see you all next time!