Chapter 12 - Shattered Illusions
Seireitei - Squad 1 Barracks; Captain Commander's Office
Head captain Yamamoto sat at the end of a long, rectangular room lined with reflective, vinyl flooring. To his back hung a long scroll, from which Madara could read what appeared to be a list of names; important historical figures, he supposed.
The Uchiha was on his knees, side by side with Harribel. He was still curious to discover exactly what the plan was, as even Yamamoto himself seemed unable to see that Harribel's bindings were just an illusion, and that she was armed.
Granted, the lone Espada could not exactly do much in her current situation, even if she somehow managed to draw her sword before being cut to pieces by the ten other shinigami that surrounded them.
Five shinigami stood at either side of the room, flanking Yamamoto. Each of them bore the signature white haori of a captain. There were a few that Madara did not recognize, and he also noticed that Kenpachi and Aizen were not present. So these are the captains of the thirteen court guard squads? He eyed each of the 11 members present, before turning back to face the head captain. There was a palpable unease and tension in the air, snapping as Yamamoto spoke.
"Madara Uchiha, Tier Harribel. Do either of you have any connection to the Ryoka that have invaded the Seireitei?" The old man's voice boomed through the room.
Madara wore a blank expression. "Ryoka?"
"Yes, intruders to the soul society, like yourselves." A Captain with long, flowing black hair braided with five ornate pearl-white clips explained. Unlike the other captains, he also wore a white scarf on top of his captain's haori. "Do you have any relationship with the boy known as Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Madara shook his head; "First you ask me whether I know of a Kisuke Urahara, and now about this Ichigo Kurosaki; I have never heard these names in my life. All I am guilty of here is trying to protect my home." Madara narrowed his eyes, "and apparently my simple existence as a hollow."
"Being a hollow is a capital offense to which the only appropriate punishment is purification by zanpakuto," the same man replied.
"That is enough, Captain Kuchiki. He has given his answer," Yamamoto said, before addressing Harribel; "What about you, Arrancar? Do the names Kisuke Urahara or Ichigo Kurasaki mean anything to you?"
The time had been when Harribel would have challenged the head captain to battle, with complete confidence in her own victory. She knew from Aizen's briefings regarding the captains that Yamamoto's zanpakuto was a fire type, which meant that her water type Tiburon should have been a perfect counter to it. After seeing his Bankai in person, however, and feeling the suffocating weight of his spiritual pressure upon even her resurreccion form, Harribel had no more delusions regarding her chances against the captain commander.
"My intelligence suggests that Kisuke Urahara should be one of the captains among us in this room," Harribel answered honestly; she saw no harm in revealing that much, at least. She vaguely remembered Aizen mentioning the name in reference to one of the captains, or a former captain, of the Gotei 13.
"He was my predecessor," Captain Kurotsuchi said; "until about a century ago, when he attempted to infuse hollows into some of our captains and vice captains. Are you saying he is not your creator?" He asked as he raised an orb-like device attached to what looked like some kind of power source, holding it out toward her.
A century ago? Harribel thought, before suddenly understanding. Aizen had once spoken of Urahara, and how if he could combine their two incomplete Hogyoku, then he would not only be able to break the boundaries between shinigami and hollow, but also transcend the upper limits of both to become a true, Godlike being.
He had arrived at that conclusion due to having experimented on a large number of Shinigami prior to usurping Barragan's throne in Hueco Mundo and creating the Arrancar. Perhaps this Urahara was one of the experimental subjects?
"I was born in the harsh desert of Hueco Mundo," Harribel said. "I was a Vasto Lorde before I tore off my mask and evolved into this current form."
A red glow emanated from the orb in Mayuri Kurotsuchi's hand. He held it up for all to see; "She is lying."
"More importantly," Captain Kurotsuchi continued, "How could an Arrancar possibly know that Kisuke was ever a captain if they are not in league with each other?"
Harribel frowned.
Yamamoto growled as his haori billowed and a rough gale blew outwards from his seat. The room took on a distorted, glowing hue as he directed a torrent of spiritual pressure toward Harribel, forcing the Espada to choke on her own breath before reigning in his reiatsu. "Do not waste our time. Your very life hangs in the balance depending on how useful we find your information."
Harribel gave a soft laugh; she didn't want to increase her own reiatsu to counteract the effects of the captain commander's, lest they catch on that she wasn't bound with sekkiseki. "Threaten me all you want. I won't tell you anything that puts my comrades in danger."
Yamamoto opened his eyes slightly. "Captain Kyoraku," he said, jerking his head toward Madara.
The captain with the flower kimono released a long sigh, slowly walking toward Madara before drawing his sword and placing the blade against the hollow's neck. "I really dislike putting beautiful women like you into such ugly situations, but you'd better start talking, or he dies," the 8th division captain said in an almost bored tone.
Harribel laughed again, slightly louder this time; "The only comrades I care about are safe in Hueco Mundo. This hollow means nothing to me."
The red glow from Kurotsuchi's device appeared again, and Captain Shunsui chuckled as he saw it. Madara raised an eyebrow; he supposed he must have made an impression on the Espada. He sensed no real killing intent from the man behind him, but gathered his chakra regardless, readying his susanoo in case the squad 8 captain got too excited with this hostage performance.
"Do you know of Shinji Hirako? Rose Aikawa? Or Kensei Mugurama? They were shinigami captains who obtained hollow powers and then deserted soul society about one hundred years ago." He pressed the blade harder against Madara's neck, while sparing a glance at Yamamoto. The head captain's expression betrayed no hint of his thoughts.
Harribel tensed and glared at Captain Kyoraku's zanpakuto, now pressed firmly against Madara's neck. She didn't know anything about those people, but also didn't want to give away intel beyond what the captains should already know about Hueco Mundo. "No, those names mean nothing to me. If there were truly captain level Arrancar prowling about the sands over the last century, myself or some of the other Vasto Lordes would have run into them, or at least heard about them," she finally settled on saying.
Silence reigned in the room as every captain's eye fell to Mayuri's device, but when it did not glow red, Kyoraku relented, easing Katen Kyokotsu's pressure against Madara's neck.
The captain with the braided hair and scarf spoke up next; "How many Vasto Lordes are there in Hueco Mundo? I hear even one of them could overwhelm the average shinigami captain."
Hitsugaya shifted uncomfortably at that question, but the room fell silent again as they awaited Harribel's response.
She did not give one, opting to glare at them in silence, instead. Kyoraku stood back with an exasperated grunt, lowering Katen Kyokotsu but keeping it drawn.
He brought his free hand to his forehead to massage the bridge of his nose. "Look, lady, don't make us look like we're the bad guys here. You've seen all of us captains now." He gestured across the room as he spoke, "The captains of the Gotei 13, in all its glory - absent Zaraki Kenpachi, whom I hear you have already had the pleasure of acquaintance with."
Harribel did not relax her guard, but flashed a fierce smile as she scoffed; "That loud-mouthed brute only got the better of me because I was already fatigued, and had just soundly defeated the little ice child over there." Madara chuckled, and Hitsugaya dropped his head, fighting the urge to shrink away.
Then Harribel continued, her voice strong and confident; "I won't tell you our numbers, but know that there are more than enough of us to be a match for this Gotei 13 of yours."
When Mayuri's device again remained dormant, the squad 12 captain felt compelled to clarify its function. Clearing his throat, he explained; "Ah, do not be alarmed, dear colleagues. This lie detecting device picks up subtle fluctuations in reiatsu indicative of when an individual is aware they are lying. The Arrancar may believe her words wholeheartedly - that does not mean they are objectively true."
Komumura spoke, then, his rumbling voice commanding attention throughout the room; "It may not be wise to dismiss her words so offhandedly, Captain Kurotsuchi. This Arrancar cut down captain Tosen in his own Bankai, before taking a direct hit from my Kokujo Tengen Myo'o…and she was still in good enough condition to defeat Captain Hitsugaya in his Bankai."
Shunsui Kyoraku whistled in secondhand embarrassment as he cast a supportive glance toward the squad 10 captain. The young captain's head was hung in shame, long white locks obscuring his eyes.
"Thank you, Komomura. As exciting as talk of the recent battle must be, I'm sure any who are interested can find further details in the reports that have been filed." Kyoraku said, before squatting down before Harribel, bringing his face level with hers; "Back to the main issue at hand…we haven't had a lead on this case about our missing captains for almost a hundred years, and would really appreciate anything you can tell us to help."
Madara spoke up, then. "Earlier, you said you didn't want to look like the 'bad guys'. That child captain attacked us out of the blue, and we spared him." He shot a look at Hitsugaya, who looked ready to excuse himself from the meeting, before continuing; "Yet instead of going back home and minding your own business, you return with six more captains, destroy my lands and massacre my village…and when I bend my knee in surrender, you attack Hashirama when his guard is down!" Madara's voice rose as he raised his bound hands to jab two accusing fingers at the head captain.
The room was silent for a moment, but when no red glow could be seen, Captain Kyoraku turned to Yamamoto; "He is telling the truth…? Just what the hell happened in the world of the living, old man?"
Unohana stepped forward, coming to the head captain's defense; "The truth can be quite subjective, depending on the perspective. These two were accompanied by a mortal of immense power. Captain commander Yamamoto was forced to release his Bankai to protect the rest of the captains, and the result of his release was the soul erosion of several thousand humans in a nearby village, and the razing of the forest we were in."
A white-haired captain bearing the Haori marked "13" stepped up; "Captain commander, you used your Bankai in the world of the living…against mortals?! The after battle reports mentioned nothing of this!"
"Silence, Captain Ukitake!" Yamamoto's voice echoed through the room. "My actions were necessary to preserve the lives of five captains of the Gotei 13." He purposefully did not include himself. "You were not there so you did not see the extent of the powers we were forced to contend with. This 'Hashirama' that the hollow claims I attacked was skilled enough to cross swords with and almost get the better of Captain Unohana."
Every captain in the room stiffened at that revelation, and Yamamoto continued: "Moreover, I did not attack him out of the blue when his guard was down. I struck back in retaliation when he tried to catch us off-guard while we were distracted by this hollow's offer of surrender."
Mayuri's device remained dim, and Madara chuckled humorlessly. "So that's the strategy, then? You justify your thoughtless murder of thousands with your fancy words, and rig your lie detector so others buy into whatever rubbish comes out of your mouth? Harribel was incapacitated, and Hashirama was standing beside her, tending to her wounds. He was disarmed, and you destroyed his chakra gates in cold blood! You knew exactly where you were aiming!"
"Yes, I maimed him by scorching his nexuses of energy production with the spiritual fire of Ryujin Jakka, but I did not take his life, as I very well could have. I spared him…" Yamamoto trailed off, before striking his cane against the ground and turning to an empty section of wall beside him; "There is no point in arguing such objective facts when there are others who saw what happened. Captain Aizen. Explain the events as you saw it."
The room full of captains all turned to the same empty space, and, a few seconds later, the captain commander spoke again; "Now, Captains Kyorakui and Ukitake; would you truly take the word of a hollow against three captains of the Gotei 13?"
Madara shook his head; "Who are you talking to? Aizen is not here."
"Madara-" Harribel started, alarm evident on her face.
Seeing the worry wrought on the Espada's face, Madara's blood suddenly ran cold. His mind flashed back to the moments before Yamamoto had attacked Hashirama; he had remarked out loud that Aizen was the lord of Hueco Mundo, and…"the Aizen that put you under the Genjutsu?" Tobirama's final question to Hashirama echoed in his mind.
Madara's head spun as all the pieces clicked in place; the seemingly unprovoked, surprise attack from Yamamoto, the subtle illusion he found himself under after his conversation with Aizen in the Muken, the fact that the other shinigami could not see Harribel unbound and armed, and now, the fact that they thought they were talking to Sosuke Aizen. He was the proprietor behind all of it.
When did the bastard put everyone under his genjutsu? Gathering his chakra, he flared it as high as possible. Reacting instantly, every captain except Gin Ichimaru of Squad 3 drew their zanpakuto.
"Release!" Madara commanded, reaching out for his chakra influence to encompass the entire space. The room stilled.
Harribel had drawn Tiburon, holding it defensively before her, while she and Madara were surrounded by ten captains of the Gotei 13. The head captain was still seated, but a confused frown was evident on his face.
Hitsugaya brought his sword up in a battle stance; "Where did her sekkiseki bindings go?! Where did her zanpakuto come from?!"
Komomura was frantically searching around the room; "Where is Captain Aizen?"
Madara activated his Rinnegan. "Bansho Ten-in!" He yanked Tiburon from Harribel's grasp, before manifesting a skeletal susanoo fist to close around her body, squeezing hard. "Did you know of this?!" He demanded. "How long ago did Aizen set this up?!"
She met his gaze, guilt in her eyes, but did not speak.
"Looks like the jig is up; let's scram," Gin said.
Yamamoto had risen from his chair, now, his eyes fully opened. As he scanned the room to look for who Gin was addressing, he saw motion from the 9th squad captain; "Stop him! Do not let Kaname release his Bankai!"
But it was too late, as Tosen was already brandishing his zanpakuto; "Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi."
The world went dark, and when Kaname Tosen's Bankai dissipated, Madara was alone with the 8 remaining captains. Harribel, Gin and Tosen were nowhere to be seen. Head Captain Yamamoto stomped forward toward him, unsealing Ryujin Jakka. The captains parted to let their commander join the encirclement.
"You blind, old fool!" Madara roared at Yamamoto; "When I said that Aizen is the lord of Hueco Mundo, he panicked and put you under an illusion to trick you into attacking Hashirama and keep you distracted!"
Madara's head throbbed with rage; he knew he was betraying the man he had just struck a bargain with in the Muken, but right now, he didn't care. Aizen had tried to manipulate him with a genjutsu after telling him, to his face, that they would work together as partners. He had also just been abandoned by both Harribel and Aizen's men; he was on his own, again, like he'd always been.
Yamamoto's brow twitched, but he did not respond to Madara's outburst. "Captains Ukitaki and Kyoraku, search for the defectors and the Arrancar; capture them if possible but kill them if you must," he ordered, and the captains of the 8th and 13th divisions saluted before leaving in a shunpo.
"Captain Soi-Fon, mobilize the stealth force; locate Sosuke Aizen and apprehend him. Captain Kuchiki, your squad will be in charge of dealing with the Ryoka." He gripped the handle of Ryujin Jakka until his knuckles turned white.
"Captains Hitsugaya and Unohana, brief your lieutenants and inform the central 46. "We have traitors in our midst." And then his eyes shot wide open, burning with anger as he extended his senses toward the heart of his government..
"Soi-Fon; forget the stealth force. Aizen is at the Central 46's chambers!" He roared: "Come!" before taking off toward Aizen's reiatsu with the squad 2 captain close behind him.
Hitsugaya looked torn between Madara and the head captain, but settled on the latter, disappearing with a shunpo.
Unohana fixed him a sympathetic look, her eyes lingering on the his bindings, before shouting ""Bakudo #61- Rikujokoro!" and turning to follow after her captain commander.
"Wait!" Madara shouted, stopping her in her tracks. "I can help you. If Aizen puts you under his illusions again, it doesn't matter how many of you there are or how powerful you are - he is going to get away."
The squad 4 captain looked him in the eyes, long and hard; "How do you intend to help…and…why?" She settled on saying.
"I can detect and release the illusion, if it is cast again." Madara's right eye burned an angry red with his Mangekyou Sharingan, and a flicker of light sparked in his left. "Aizen's machinations caused irreversible harm to the only man I have ever called 'friend'. He will answer for his actions."
Land of Fire - Dead Konoha Forest
Tobirama grit his teeth in frustration, pushing through the numbness and tingling spreading through his fingers as he hopped from branch to branch, trying to lose his pursuers. He was adept at every single nature transformation, but was also the most powerful water style user in Konoha; second perhaps only to his elder brother.
The long years of peace must have dulled his wits, he thought, as he was painfully reminded after a brief exchange with the Raikage that lightning release was the hard counter to water; even more so than water was to fire. He had dispatched all but three of the two dozen Cloud shinobi he had encountered, but the Raikage had taken advantage of his water style and infused it with an electric shock when the water was still in contact with Tobirama's skin, causing him to nearly be electrocuted by his own jutsu. Nonetheless, he was still mobile, and did not need to use any more large-scale water jutsu - he just needed a brief respite before dealing with the remaining three.
Sensing a presence closing in behind him, he turned; "Water Style: Water Fang Bullet!" he shouted as he formed the hand seals, but as his jutsu released, he saw that it was only a large gourd. His Water Fang Bullets deflected off of it, slicing through some surrounding branches.
Tobirama screamed as tendrils of lightning suddenly tore through his body again, and collapsed onto the forest floor. "Good distraction, Ginkaku," a rough voice called out, as two pairs of feet entered Tobirama's field of vision. He willed his body to move, bringing his hands together in a tiger seal; "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he hissed as two clones jumped out of his form, charging forward to engage Ginkaku and Kinkaku.
The clones bought him a brief moment of respite, which Tobirama used to drag himself up to his feet. He cursed as his shadow clones were dispelled and a third figure landed before him.
"Raikage," he spat. "Stop this madness! What you are doing now is an act of war!"
"Oh, don't be like that, Tobirama," the Raikage jeered. "All I want is the Nine Tails. The other Kage are already plotting similar moves against what remains of your village, but they may not be as merciful as I."
"Every survivor in our village is a hardened shinobi," Tobirama bit out. "There is not a single resident of Konoha who does not carry the 'Will of Fire' within them...if you attack Mito, the entire village will descend upon you." He suppressed a shudder as his fingers twitched from the electricity still coursing through them. "You do not have the men to successfully launch such an attack."
"I don't believe I will need to, when I present your pathetic hokage with my terms: the life of his brother, for the safekeeping of his wife. Hell, Hashirama can even come with her if he wants to - we'll spoil him until the end of his days back home in the hidden Cloud," the Raikage taunted. "Maybe we'll even nurse him back to health again," he finished, twirling a lightning spear in his palm, before glancing back at the gold and silver brothers. The three of them cackled in laughter.
"To think…that such evil still existed beyond our borders, after so many decades of civil war had finally come to an end," Tobirama lamented. He was powerless in a direct confrontation against the Raikage and his two bodyguards here. The only thing he could do was stall for time. Come on, elder brother…He had sensed that Hashirama and his students had made it back to the village, now.
"Evil?" The Raikage laughed; "Might is right in the shinobi world, Tobirama. You should know as much, being a Senju. These recent years of peace your Konohagakure enjoyed was only because you had both Hashirama and Madara as its guard dogs."
Tobirama narrowed his eyes as he recalled Madara saying something similar, upon a time; that they should be wielding their strength to rule and unite the world while they had the chance. He had been strongly opposed to the idea.
The Raikage continued; "There aren't enough resources in the Elemental Nations for all these countries to flourish separately, segregated by constant feuding. Some villages are going to have to be destroyed, or disbanded and assimilated into others, sooner or later. It just so happens that your Konoha is already most of the way there. All it needs is one more little push."
"I will not see Konoha come to any further harm!" Tobirama roared as he sent more shadow clones to engage the trio of cloud ninja, throwing wind jutsu to support the clones.
After a brief moment of chaotic melee, he saw an opportunity to strike as the Raikage skewered a shadow clone with his lightning spear. Tobirama teleported to his remaining clone, and threw a row of ten kunai - five per hand - almost point blank at the Raikage's exposed side.
A gust of wind release from Kinkaku's sage fan knocked the Raikage out of danger. Grunting thanks, the Cloud chief ignited a second lightning spear to charge at Tobirama. Just as he reached the Senju's location, however, Tobirama disappeared, teleporting to a mark he had planted earlier, and buried a kunai in the Raikage's left lung.
"Lord Raikage!" The gold and silver brothers shouted as they saw Tobirama appear behind their leader and narrowly miss his heart.
The Raikage was not down for the count, however, and roared as he swung his lightning spear backward, opening a large gash on Tobirama's stomach, before kicking him away. Tobirama collapsed in a twitching heap as the electricity surged through his body.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku came to their Raikage's aid, each taking a side to support their leader as they retreated to a tall branch. Sensing the impending arrival of a Konoha strike force, Kinkaku threw one more parting thunderbolt toward Tobirama. He waited until the smoke cleared, satisfied by the sight of the senju's smoldering, motionless form, bleeding out on the forest floor. The cloud trio retreated in earnest.
A squad of the Konoha Jonin arrived at the site of the battle, headed by their Hokage.
"Tobirama!" Hashirama cried as he scooped Tobirama up in his arms, setting him against a nearby tree trunk. The younger senju grimaced and wheezed as he fought for each breath. His body was covered in burns, and his blood spilled like a stream from the open gash on his stomach.
"Hashirama." he choked out, "I wounded the Raikage…they won't be able to attack the village now."
"You did well, little brother, save your strength. I will heal you." Hashirama said, forcibly composing himself as he closed his eyes and hovered a palm over Tobirama's stomach. A faint green glow began to take form, before Hashirama convulsed in pain, and fell to his side, retching blood.
"Lord Hokage!" One of the Jonin that had accompanied him cried, before looking at the team behind him; "Quickly, where are the medics!"
"They're on their way; they fell behind because they're not as fast as us! It shouldn't be too much longer," another shinobi exclaimed, panicking.
Hashirama crawled to his knees. Crimson blood staining his teeth from the internal damage caused by his chakra erupting inside his body again. He placed his palm over Tobirama's wound once more.
"Elder…brother," Tobirama whispered weakly as he clasped his own hand over his brother's, forcing it away. "Don't…push yourself any further. You are…our Hokage." He ground the words out between shallow breaths. "The Cloud village was after the Nine Tails; they will strike at Mito again."
Hashirama's expression darkened; "Their actions today have declared war upon the hidden leaf."
Tobirama nodded; "Yes…the Raikage said…the other villages are plotting against us, too. You must embody the will of fire…and stay strong…to protect the village."
Hashirama's vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes. His little brother's hand was growing cold. "Stop talking like that, little brother. The medics are going to be here any second, now. Save your strength."
Tobirama nodded, forcing a smile.
Nobody else said a word, and each second felt like an eternity as it ticked by. Hashirama examined Tobirama's wound; it spanned his entire midsection, and it was deep. There was no point trying to apply pressure and stem the bleeding. The flow was slowing, but as Hashirama looked down around him, the ground was already soaked with Tobirama's blood.
All he could do was hold onto his little brother's hand as he watched Tobirama slip away, feeling the grip against his own fingers gradually weaken and relax.
He vaguely registered other shinobi arriving beside them, but even as they held out their palms and channeled the green glow of their medical ninjutsu, the expressions on their faces were solemn. He had been the one to train all of them, and he knew as well as they did that Tobirama's heart had stopped. His lifeblood now watered the ashen basin of the once vibrant Konoha forest. Hashirama's own tears began to flow freely, tightly clutching the lifeless body of the brother he would have given everything to protect.
He desperately wished that he wasn't powerless. That this was not the result of the peace he and Madara had dreamed of, so many years ago. We dreamed of the village as a safe haven to protect our brothers...but Tobirama killed Izuna...the Hidden Leaf has been reduced to a shadow of what it was...I became a cripple, and now both you and my little brother have died to protect me. Was the dream just an illusion after all, Madara?
As the Raikage was escorted to safety by his bodyguards, the hairs on the back of their necks stood on end as Hashirama's visceral scream of despair echoed throughout the forest of dead trees.
AN: The scenes are set; next few chapters are going to have a bit more action.
Also, for those of you who have read up to here; would you prefer me include Black Zetsu/Kaguya in this fic for Madara's arc, or no? I have two possible storylines planned - one with Zetsu/Kaguya and one without. Please give your opinions through a reviews :) it will be during the next arc, or maybe the one after, so there will be some time before we reach the point of divergence.
Stay tuned!
