Chapter 18 - The Genius of Kisuke Urahara


Land of Fire - Konoha

He means to march in two days…? Madara looked around him, at his Konohagakure. The lanterns and torches lit around the village bathed it in a warm, yellow hue. Playful shadows danced across the small huts and other dwellings that littered the settlement. With the chorus of voices clamouring around him, he could almost convince himself that he was standing in a picture-perfect representation of bustling Konoha nightlife.

He closed his eyes, and for a brief moment, envisioned a wholly different reality. He saw his little brother here, a part of this dream that he and Hashirama had shared since they were children. He did not see Izuna as he was toward the end of his life. Instead, he saw him as a child, giggling and jumping around clumsily while chasing the shadows cast by the torchlight.

Almost against his will, the image of a young Hashirama and Tobirama appeared beside Izuna, and the three of them squealed happily as they clambered over each other, each trying to grab the shadows first. There were no swords or kunai; no armor or clan headbands. Just innocent children playing tag.

And then he saw himself joining them, as he had done once before, until their father had pressed a kunai into his hand. How different their lives could have been, had they continued in peace and blissful innocence.

This is the power of my Infinite Tsukuyomi… The joy of the perfect existence I shall share with the world, Madara thought, before Izuna's giggles turned into wheezing coughs, and his playful, child's body morphed into the blind, atrophied form it had deteriorated to during his final, bedridden days. By that point, his body had been wracked with infection. He had knelt vigilantly at his brother's side, tending to his wounds, but no bandages stayed fresh for long. Each new dressing became soaked in blood and pus within an hour, and the foul odor of decay was ripe in their tent long before the final breath had left Izuna's lungs.

Madara clenched his teeth. Never again. He would not stand to lose another dear to him again. Since becoming a hollow, he had rediscovered that desire within him to protect. Hashirama, Harribel… Even Orihime, his fraccion, whom he was beginning to see as almost a surrogate daughter. More than that, within the Infinite Tsukuyomi, nobody would ever have to suffer again.

This reality was hell… and any safe haven he constructed within this hell was fated to be consumed by its flames.

The flames had started small. They wanted to build a village to protect their brothers from the atrocities of war, and it had taken Izuna's death and Madara's forgiveness for it to finally become a reality. It had taken being beaten close to death by Hashirama, and seeing his friend's resolve to sacrifice himself, but Madara reconciled Izuna's death, as well as his own honor as a Uchiha, as the price of peace.

Madara had done his best to adopt Hashirama's 'will of fire'; he really had. He wholeheartedly embraced the belief that every villager was family; he treated them as if they were his own siblings, parents or children. But they had not extended the same courtesy to him. He remembered that young brunette with the pink flower headband who tripped in front of him. He had helped her up, asked if she was okay, and she had run off in fear without a word of thanks.

The flames were stoked when Tobirama had breached his own ideals. The younger Senju was the coldest toward him. With one breath he preached his 'will of fire' to the other clans; Uzumaki, Sarutobi, Hyuuga and more. With his next breath, he bemoaned the curse of hatred, and treated Madara and the Uchiha as outsiders, constantly monitoring them and thwarting any attempts to elevate Uchiha into positions of power.

He hated Tobirama for that, and eventually that hatred warped into a hatred for the village, and Konoha's governing philosophies as a whole. They all wanted peace, but Madara wanted a peace that was brought about by uniting the nations through strength and conquest. He had lost his way and fought Hashirama over control of the village.

Then he died, became a hollow, and the flames of hell had truly washed over them in the form of the shinigami; specifically Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

At the thought of the captain commander, his mind cleared fully, and he snapped out of his idealistic vision. He saw his surroundings for what they truly were. The shadows cast in the torchlight were from raised fists, celebrating the destruction of peace. The battle cries of the shinobi yet living were also lamentations for those taken from them too early. And the joyous voices calling out into the night were cheering for Hashirama's renewed resolution for war. To them, their Hokage was restored. The God of Shinobi was leading the charge, and victory was but an afterthought.

The time had been, not long ago, when Madara would have joined his voice amongst the chorus calling for blood, and eagerly taken his place beside Hashirama in support of this campaign. Now, though, he had the knowledge of the Uchiha stone tablet, and of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. That brief flash of perfection he had conjured in his mind could become his new reality. One to replace this current hellscape of constant warfare and death.

But he needed the old Hashirama, not this new, grief-ridden Hashirama driven by a single-minded desire for vengeance.

He looked to Harribel, and remembered his own words to her; "The Uchiha's sacrifice was that of our very being. Our very souls and all we stood for." He had said something along those lines. He steeled his resolve. He had already forsaken his pride. What was one more transgression?

"Hashirama. I have… I have an idea I could try," Madara said, with a fair amount of uncertainty in his voice.

"You're going to have to elaborate on that, old friend," Hashirama replied, quirking an eyebrow.

"You said the shinigami you first met had something called gigai, that they could use to become visible to the human eye, right?"

"Yeah, Captain Hitsugaya and Vice Captain Matsumoto. I never got the chance to ask them where to get one, though. Why?"

"Suppose I could find myself one, and we presented ourselves to each Hidden Village as Hashirama Senju, returned from the brink, and Madara Uchiha, back from the dead. None would dare to stand against us. We could unite the villages without the need for unnecessary bloodshed."

"You would have me leave Tobirama's death unavenged?" Hashirama asked in disbelief.

"As I left Izuna's death at his hands, unavenged."

Hashirama's expression darkened; "So that's what this is, Madara? You see my little brother's death as a good thing? As if it somehow balances out yours?"

"No," he lied. "I'm just saying that Tobirama would not have wanted this," Madara said placatingly, again gesturing around him. "We can capture the tailed beasts, too, like you originally planned, but just keep them to Konoha. The Leaf will be the center of the government of all the Elemental Nations." His voice grew in forcefulness as he spoke.

Madara didn't want to unveil his Infinite Tsukuyomi plan to Hashirama yet, as he still didn't know how the Hokage would react. Once the world was united, though, he would offer the perfect dreamscape to all who wanted it. Those who didn't would have their chance to leave the Elemental Nations if they so wished.

"You did not know Tobirama!" Hashirama hissed, leaning closer and raising his voice, too.

At this distance, Madara could see in full, distressing detail just how worn down Hashirama had become. He held out his hands in a calming gesture. "Call off the night's training, Hashirama. Let us retire to your abode and I can explain to you my plan in more detail.


Konoha - Hokage's Dwelling

Hashirama's living quarters were a far cry from Harribel's, but the Espada did not complain as Mito offered her and Orihime two small wooden stools. Madara and Hashirama occupied the nicer-looking set of cushioned chairs at the table in the center of the room. Mito herself had elected to stand, leaning against the kitchen counter while preparing tea for the group.

"Hashirama," Madara began; "How much do you know of the Rinnegan's abilities concerning the outer path?"

"The outer path…? As in the same one spoken of in the legend of the Sage of Six Paths?" Hashirama asked quizzically.

"The very same. It is the seventh path," Madara confirmed approvingly. "It is not a legend, Hashirama. I was imprisoned by the shinigami for some time, and used that time to decipher the secrets contained within the Uchiha stone tablet regarding the Rinnegan."

Hashirama's eyes slowly widened, and the shattering of clay could be heard as Mito dropped her cup. "The outer path... The legends speak of its existence beyond the boundary of life and death. Are you saying…"

"Yes, Hashirama. I have not had the time to truly test the powers these Rinnegan have availed me, but I can bring Tobirama back. I am certain of this."

It was Harribel who spoke next; "You can revive the dead?" She asked incredulously.

"It is not without cost," Madara clarified. "The subject of the jutsu must be in a tangible body, for one. I cannot resurrect those taken by Yamamoto."

"Tobirama's body is well preserved, lying in the morgue as we speak. I was going to hold his funeral the night before we set off," Hashirama said, his speech picking up in pace as he leaned forward over the table.

"There is one more catch, however," Madara said, locking eyes with Hashirama. "The user of the reanimation invariably dies upon its completion, and I do not fancy trading my own life… or existence as a hollow, for Tobirama's. In fact, I don't even know if I can still use it as a hollow. I would rather not experiment blindly with a jutsu of this nature, which is why I want to know more about these gigai."

Hashirama's shoulders sagged at that, and he slouched back into his chair; "I know no more than you do, Madara. The gigai that Hitsugaya and Matsumoto used felt like living, breathing humans with chakra, but I don't know the first thing about them beyond that."

Madara ground his teeth; "Damn… Harribel?"

The blonde Arrancar shook her head. "I know that they are essentially artificial bodies that allow spiritual beings to interact with the living, but I have never had a use for them. Neither has Lord Aizen or any of the other Espada, to my knowledge."

"I know where to get them." Orihime's small voice piped up, and the entire room turned toward her. "Kisuke Urahara, the man in the green and white hat you fought in Karakura town. He was the one who designed all of them."

Harribel spoke next; "You know Kisuke Urahara? Yamamoto was after him not long ago. He was in Karakura town?"

Orihime rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah, he helped train me, actually, and once this whole thing with Aizen happened, Urahara was exonerated of all his crimes and reestablished communications with the Seireitei."

Madara's eyebrows shot up at that. "You are on good terms with this Kisuke, then?"

Orihime was about to answer in the affirmative, but then hesitated. She thought back to when the former squad 12 captain had ordered her to step away when she thought Madara was sealed in Tessai's Bakudo. She had always known Urahara was powerful, but she had never been afraid of him until then. Still, he did not move to strike her down when he undoubtedly could have. "Yeah, we're good friends. I think if I asked him nicely for a gigai, he would probably give me one."

Hashirama's eyes lit up again, and he sat up straighter. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Madara chuckled softly; "Such impatience is unlike you, old friend," he teased, but upon seeing Hashirama's expression, instantly backpedaled. "Sorry. I should not make light of Tobirama's death like that."

"It's alright. You can say whatever you want about him, if you can actually bring him back." Hashirama waved off the apology.

"Alright," Madara said, standing. "Orihime; we have not known each other long, but you have proven yourself an honorable woman. Would you do this for us? Procure us a gigai, and I will allow you to return to Karakura town permanently."

Harribel stiffened at Madara's words. "Lord Aizen requires Orihime to remain on our side."

"In exchange for Orihime, 'Lord' Aizen," Madara countered, "Will receive Hashirama, Tobirama, myself and the combined forces of the Elemental Nations once we have united them."

Harribel frowned thoughtfully, but relented. "Very well… But you will have to be the one to explain this to him."

Madara opened a garganta to Karakura town; "I did promise Ichigo to return you by nightfall. I suppose I truly am a man of my word." Madara smirked. "Will you do this for us, Orihime? A gigai in exchange for your freedom."

The wide-eyed teen did not even hesitate, pumping a fist in the air. "Of course! I don't even feel trapped, to be honest, and you guys have been so nice to me. I'm excited to see Tobirama come back to life; it'll be so awesome!" She trilled in a sing-song voice, before stepping into the garganta. "I will be back in no time at all!"

"Just make sure you remember where we are. Hitsugaya has been here before, so he can help show you our location if need be," Madara reminded her, as the garganta began to close.


Karakura Town - Urahara's Shop

Ichigo tossed and turned on a makeshift bed in the back room of Urahara's shop. Kon was taking care of his human body back at home, so he was still in his shinigami form. He joined the group for the after-battle debrief, but turned in early when he just couldn't concentrate anymore. Despite his exhaustion from all the fighting earlier, Ichigo was now wide awake at 10pm - probably as a result of his eight hour daytime nap. He still held Zangetsu in his hand, endlessly replaying his humiliating performances, first against Grimmjow and then against Madara.

Orihime had been frightened of his hollow mask. She tried to hide it but the truth had been written plainly on her face. Ichigo shifted in his bed again. He couldn't save Orihime, and had no idea where she was right now, but when he found out, he would undoubtedly need the mask's power to stand any chance against Madara.

He gripped Zangetsu's hilt tighter; Madara Uchiha was rapidly cementing himself as a threat almost on the level of Aizen. Nobody knew what his plans were, but they had all witnessed the horrific demonstration of his sheer destructive might in the form of his parting technique. It was as if the earth itself decided to belch its guts toward the stratosphere. He knew that the mountain sized ball of debris that had coalesced in the skies could have been made even bigger. The immense gravitational force it was generating had only stopped when Madara abandoned his perch atop his wooden spire to go after Orihime, taking her into his garganta.

The fact that Madara had managed to kidnap Orihime in broad daylight, while fending off the combined assaults of six captain level fighters, was a terrifying reality nobody knew how to reconcile. It was no fluke, either. This was the third time that Madara had survived an encounter with multiple captain level foes, and this time, he had actually come out on top.

Whatever thought Ichigo was about to have next vanished as he sensed a very familiar reiatsu appear right outside Urahara's shop. "Orihime!" He shouted, bolting out the door with a shunpo. Urahara was already there, and he himself arrived just in time to see a garganta whizz shut behind the girl.

"Heya, Ichigo. Told you I'd be back before nightfall," Orihime said cheerfully, leaning forward and clasping her hands behind her back.

Ichigo ran toward her, patting her down from shoulder to ankle, checking for any injuries; he did not notice the rapidly growing blush until Urahara pulled him back by the back of his collar. "Relax, Ichigo. None of my hollowfication detectors have gone off, and her reiatsu is undisturbed. Orihime is unharmed," Urahara said with a seedy smile. "You can get your hands off of her now."

Orihime blushed even redder, suddenly standing very straight. "Uh! No! I'm fine with it! Ah. I mean-… Y-yeah I'm perfectly fine," she stammered.

Ichigo was perplexed, slowly looking between Urahara and Orihime. "Are you sure, Orihime? You look red. Do you have a fever or something?" He asked, concerned. "You don't sound like yourself, either."

Urahara headbutted the substitute shinigami.

"Oww! What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo rounded on the former squad 12 captain.

"You're an idiot, Ichigo." Urahara sighed. "Have I told you that before…? Yeah, I've told you that before," he said, shaking his head slowly. "Anyway," he said, turning to Orihime. "Welcome back and all, but we're going to need an official report on the last twelve hours or so. From when Ukitake saw you off into the senkaimon."

Orihime quickly sobered, nodding resolutely.

Within minutes, the conference had been set up. Orihime had run into Yoruichi in cat form as she walked around the shop, and the duo soon made their way back into the conference room, Urahara's shop, where a large screen displaying head captain Yamamoto's grizzled portrait lay waiting. Urahara and Ichigo stood beside each other in front of the screen, but had left a large gap between them. Taking her place in between them, Orihime delivered her report.

Her audience was silent as she recalled her day; from her run in with Ulquiorra in the Dangai, through to healing Hashirama in the Elemental Nations. The only thing she left out in this report to Yamamoto was Madara wanting a gigai. She herself could barely believe that he was serious about bringing Tobirama back to life, but he did not seem like he was bluffing. That aside, she felt that the shinigami would have a problem with Madara reviving the dead.

"Orihime Inoue. While I must commend you for navigating the unfortunate circumstances you have found yourself in without injury, there are some matters of pressing concern that you have raised," Yamamoto said gruffly.

Orihime nodded.

"You said that there were six Espada present aside from Aizen himself in this throne room. Could you get a read on any of their powers or abilities?"

Orihime shook her head; "No, they were all quite casual, except for Grimmjow, but as I mentioned, he didn't display anything further than what he did earlier in Karakura town. Harribel did say that there were ten Espada in total, though."

Ichigo clenched his teeth. "And that Ulquiorra guy was only number four?"

Orihime nodded again.

"That confirms that Gin and Tosen are not among the Espada, and that there are definitely two more members stronger than the ones you fought today; stronger than even Harribel," Yamamoto mused. "This is quite the concerning development."

"And that's without counting Aizen himself," Yoruichi added grimly. "From the sounds of it, to be able to force someone like Grimmjow to their knees with reiatsu alone, he must have at least double, or maybe even triple the amount of spiritual pressure of a regular captain."

Yamamoto grunted dismissively; "I did the same to Harribel at the interrogation not long ago. Do not concern yourselves with him. No shinigami born in the last one thousand years has surpassed me in power."

Yoruichi crossed her arms; this side of Yamamoto always annoyed her.

"I will deal with Sosuke Aizen," the captain-commander finished. "It's the rest of them that you lot need to worry about."

Urahara's expression soured, too. "Awfully bossy of you, old man, especially after ignoring my warnings about Aizen for over a hundred years and letting this corruption fester beneath your nose."

Yamamoto said nothing, but the muscles around his temples tensed as he clenched his jaw.

"What about Madara?" Yoruichi asked, changing the subject quickly. "We couldn't sense his reiatsu, as it was suppressed by the sekkiseki, but this other energy source of his is incredibly potent; it allows him access to high speed regeneration independent of reiatsu." Her expression grew worried. "He blocked a cero from Grimmjow that would have wiped out half of Karakura without a single scratch, and he wasn't fazed after taking one of my full strength punches to the back."

Ichigo nodded slowly; "Yeah, I know I got him with my Getsuga when Shinji had him under his shikai's reversal… but all I managed to do was piss him off." There was no harm in mentioning the vizards, as all of them had willingly emerged from hiding and pledged their strength in the fight against Aizen.

Urahara nodded, too. "All that, as well as a direct hit from Benihime, plus Shinji's mask empowered Cero, and he looked barely any worse for wear. He must be in a similar league of power as Aizen. If the two of them have truly joined forces…"

The head captain remained silent for a moment, before opening his eyes slightly to look at Urahara. "Then I will be counting on you to deal with him, Kisuke Urahara. Show me results and you will be reinstated as captain of the 12th division. Any research funds or resources you want shall be at your disposal."

Urahara cracked a smirk; "I don't particularly care about usurping Mayuri as Captain. In fact, I think it'd be safer for me not to... I could always use more funding from the Seireitei for my research, though."

Yamamoto remained silent a moment longer, before addressing Orihime again; "My other matter of concern is regarding your very presence here. Did Madara Uchiha truly release you after you healed Hashirama?"

Orihime fidgeted, and the atmosphere in the room grew tense as Yamamoto opened his eyes fully. "Do not lie, girl."

She gulped, but decided it was in her best interest to answer honestly; "Madara wants a gigai. He said if I could get him one, he would set me free."

Urahara sucked in a breath, looking toward her.

"It's not for anything bad, I swear!" Orihime quickly added, backing away toward Ichigo as Urahara turned to face her directly. "But I don't really want to tell you why. Just trust me when I say that all Madara wants is peace for everybody; he really isn't a bad person...hollow...? at all."

Ichigo frowned thoughtfully; "He sent you here with no guarantee you would go back."

"He trusts me." She said proudly, puffing her chest.

"Okay, but what I'm saying is, who cares what Madara wants? You're here now. I can stay here at Urahara's with you, then maybe get some more backup from the Seireitei. It will be safe-"

"Ichigo!" Orihime slapped him, causing everyone else present in the room to freeze in shock. Nobody had seen Orihime raise her hands against anyone before. "If you didn't attack him first, he would never have resorted to violence! Urahara and Yoruichi, I can accept; Shinji and Hitsugaya, I can accept. But you spoke with him. You heard him give his word that I would be back by nightfall - which I am, despite everything."

Ichigo gaped at her in stunned silence.

"He saved my life from Ulquiorra. He saved your life from Grimmjow, too, and all he wanted was for me to go and heal Hashirama like I promised!" Orihime shouted, jabbing a finger against his chest. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued, lowering her voice; "I can take care of myself, Ichigo. Just, please… Don't make a liar out of me. Madara is doing this for the good of his people in the Leaf Village, and it won't affect you guys at all. I'm sure he'd be willing to negotiate further terms in exchange for the gigai, as well." Orihime finished as she kept her gaze down, self-conscious at her outburst; she sounded very tired by the end.

"The Leaf Village?" Yoruichi asked, incredulous. "What, do they live in trees or something?"

Urahara could not help himself. "You'd fit right in, Yoruichi," he said, before shrinking back slightly at the glare he received. And suddenly the tension was gone.

Ichigo held a hand to his left cheek where Orihime had struck; it didn't hurt at all - she couldn't hurt him even if she tried, but he was in disbelief at just how much Orihime had grown since awakening her powers.

"I'm sorry. I'm feeling on edge is all. We've only just rescued Rukia, and then she and Chad got injured by the Arrancar," Ichigo said apologetically. "I'm proud of you, Orihime. You've gotten so strong lately, but I just can't bear the thought of you being put in harm's way. You know how I am," he finished with a lopsided smile, and suddenly Orihime was looking away, blushing again.

Urahara took this opportunity to speak; "Look, the gigai is no problem. It's just a gigai, I've got stacks of those and nobody ever buys them." Yoruichi choked back a snigger, and Urahara tried to poke her with his cane, which she swiftly dodged. "Go see Rukia and them; I'll prepare the gigai. Just get Madara to send a souvenir in return. Maybe a special leafy shrub for Yoruichi to nap in," Urahara said to Orihime, a wide, lopsided grin on his face.

Yoruichi's left eye was twitching.

"You should go with her, Ichigo," Urahara encouraged. "A proper gentleman never lets his lady brave the streets alone at night," he said with a wink.

Ichigo rolled his eyes before beckoning toward Orihime. "Come on, they're all at my place anyway. Dad's looking after them in the downstairs clinic."

Orihime nodded, and followed him out the door quickly as Yoruichi stomped toward Urahara.

"Oi, Ichigo. Tell Isshin to expect me in an hour. I'll meet you at the clinic with the gigai," Urahara called out to them as they left, and the last thing Orihime and Ichigo heard were his screams as Yoruichi pounced on him.

"Calling it now… He's gonna be late," Ichigo said, scoffing with resignation.


Ichigo and Orihime could have made their way faster toward the Kurosaki Clinic using reiatsu enhanced methods, but wordlessly agreed to walk. "So your dad used to be a captain huh?" Orihime began. "I guess it makes sense, with how strong you are."

Ichigo shrugged; "Yeah, I guess. He's part of some noble house or something, like Byakuya. Apparently he was in consideration for a place amongst the royal guard before he met mom. I didn't get a chance to ask much more, given what's happened today."

"So you're a noble?! Is your mom secretly a shinigami or something, too?" Orihime asked, leaning in closer toward Ichigo.

The boy scoffed; "Nah, she was just a normal person." And then he grew serious. "If she was a shinigami, she wouldn't have been killed the way she was by Grand Fisher."

Orihime nodded somberly. They walked on in silence for a minute, before Orihime slowed to a stop. Ichigo continued a few steps further before he noticed. "Orihime?"

"Ichigo… Why did you have a hollow's mask on? And who is White?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her protectively. "He felt like a hollow, and his reiatsu was so strong - as strong as Ulquiorra, maybe. Was that… you?"

Ichigo tensed. He had been anticipating this question from her, but now that she had asked it, he did not know what to say.

"I don't know how to explain it," Ichigo answered honestly; "But White is my inner hollow. He first appeared when I awakened my own shinigami powers with Urahara. The mask I use amplifies my reiatsu. It's like borrowing his power. Shinji and a bunch of others have the same ability."

But Orihime shook her head; "I saw Shinji's mask. I saw him fighting, and it wasn't the same. You became the hollow, Ichigo. It said something about you never letting him out, and then you ripped off your mask and returned to normal. You should have Urahara or someone look into it."

Ichigo grimaced; "It's fine, Orihime. I can communicate with him whenever I want to, just like with Zangetsu. I know it's a lot to take in, but I need this power for the battles to come."

Orihime's eyes widened slightly; he could speak with the hollow just like with his zanpakuto? The hollow had introduced himself as something almost like 'Zangetsu' before it corrected itself. Is Ichigo's zanpakuto spirit a hollow? Orihime thought before she shook her head. What am I thinking? That's just silly. She was brought back to reality when Ichigo continued speaking.

"Don't worry, Orihime. He is bound to my soul; I am the one in charge, and I will never allow you or anybody else to be hurt by him."

Orihime nodded. "That makes me feel a bit better," she said. Truthfully, Ichigo's explanation had raised more questions than it answered, but if he was confident that he had it under control, then she was, too. "Come on, let's hurry before Urahara beats us to the clinic," she said, before summoning Shun Shun Rikka's orange platform and hopping on.


Karakura Town - Urahara's Shop

Kisuke Urahara stretched his back with a heavy sigh, sinking into his chair. He had finally completed his task.

"Fortune can really be the oddest thing at times, don't you think, Yoruichi?" He muttered, as he fished around his pockets.

"What do you mean?" Yoruichi asked, softly. She had just transformed into her human form, watching carefully as Kisuke assembled his creation.

"I was already working on this all day, and then Orihime just shows up wanting a gigai for Madara." He clicked his tongue; "Almost too good to be true."

"Do you think it'll work when put inside the gigai?"

"Yeah. It'll work even better, in fact. That was a good find, Yoruichi, gruesome as it was." He looked at what was left of Madara's severed hands and feet, having been dissected on the work bench beside him. "There was plenty of reiatsu stored in the Sekkiseki that I siphoned out, and the other strange energy signature wasn't that hard to isolate. This gigai will contain Madara's soul for some time without issue. He will suspect nothing. It's Orihime I'm worried about..."

"Her trust in Ichigo and us will be shattered," Yoruichi muttered, her eyes downcast. "It feels so wrong; I feel so bad for her…"

"Yeah,' Urahara drawled, leaning back and lighting a cigarette. He took a long drag before heaving another sigh, blowing the smoke out from his nose. "Orihime doesn't belong in this world of plots and schemes, and battles… I was going to tell her to stay out of this whole thing with Aizen and the Arrancar, but she just had to somehow find herself smack bang in the middle of it all."

He took another deep breath, and blew out a few rings of smoke. He briefly watched them, rising and expanding toward the ceiling, before slashing through them with a flick of his cane. "We have no choice, Yoruichi. Sometimes we must commit some evil to defeat the greater evil. Else there's no telling how many lives could be lost."

"A hundred years, Kisuke," she mused, looking up at the warm yellow light bulb illuminating the room. "We've been here for an entire century, and it's still not long enough. I feel like my hands are still stained red with all the blood I've spilled as leader of the stealth force." She brought a hand toward her dark purple hair, tying it into her preferred ponytail again. "It's only been a few weeks since we'd revealed ourselves to the Seireitei, and I'm already regretting it." She scowled; "Plus, I might actually need to sort out my zanpakuto situation soon, too."

"Look at it this way, Yoruichi," Kisuke said, as he tossed the butt of his cigarette away and shrunk Madara's gigai into its small, inflatable form. "There are plenty of those honest folk, like old man Yama, or even little Byakuya. The type that will always confront an enemy head on. Then there are those like yourself or Captain Kyoraku, who know how to exploit any battlefield to their advantage."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "And you? What are you, then?"

"I am a scientist... a scholar who would rather not fight. I would rather create and manipulate the battlefield itself," Kisuke said with a ghost of a smile. "Why go to the effort of crossing swords when there are so many other ways to bring down even the toughest opponents? This way, my hands stay clean." He brought his hands before him and dangled his fingers before his face.

Yoruichi chuckled mirthlessly. "You can't possibly believe that."

"Hey, how old are we, Yoruichi? Don't start growing a conscience now. Maybe once this whole thing with Madara and Aizen is done, we can move somewhere new again and start over. For real, this time." He gave her a playful nudge.

Yoruichi chuckled again; the smile reaching her eyes this time. "It's that easy for you, huh? You are a scary man, Kisuke."

"Would you have me any other way?" He winked, before rising from his chair. "Come. Our hour is almost upon us."


AN: And that wraps up the 2nd arc of this story! The calm before the storm.

Responding to reviews:

MaxTrueOmnipotent1 - Soon :P i'm trying to make it so that everything that happens has a reason for happening. Cause and effect. I don't want to make anybody too ridiculously overpowered too early, as that will remove any sense of danger; and also, hopefully this chapter explains Madara's conflicted emotions re; Hashirama and going to war.

DecidedlyVorthosian - damn, you picked it up literally one chapter before I was going to introduce it. The Rinne Tensei's requirement is the death of its user, though, so the stakes are extremely high here...stay tuned to find out what happens next chapter!

Obamna: Yeah, the other nations don't have a chance; Madara and Hashirama don't know exactly how Jinchuriki dying after their tailed beast extraction works, so they're probably not going to randomly extract the nine tails and hope that Orihime can negate the effects on Mito. The tailed beasts are definitely going to show up, though; probably halfway through this next arc

Guest: Re his Rinnegan, yeah they're the real ones. No limitations except for chakra.

MoinLeute: oops! I'll go and fix that.

Witcher: Heh that's a bit too complicated for this story - the reaper death seal is going to play a role at some point near the end, but the Uzumaki have nothing to do with the shinigami in the Bleach verse. Re; the shinigami masks in Naruto...ehhh idk lol. At the moment I don't really have any plans to incorporate them, but will see.