Hueco Mundo; Above the sands
As Barragan's respira rotted away the last remnants of Madara's meteor, both Espada surveyed the battlefield in a few moments of tense silence. The susanoo had evaporated almost immediately after Madara's garganta closed. The only evidence it was ever there was in the form of gigantic footprints in the muddy sand. Huge masses of green roots snaked across the land, culminating in a tangle of twisting vines that had reached toward the sky, solidifying around where they stood in the air. The vines around Barragan had already been decayed by Barragan's respira. Without a word, he slashed open the vines binding Harribel.
"Are these twigs really so tough, Tier?" He taunted.
"You have my gratitude." Harribel replied, reverting back to her base form again. She was moderately embarrassed for being ensnared the way she was, but her powers weren't as good a match against Madara as Barragan's obviously were. The Segunda Espada followed suit in reverting, grunting affirmation as he took stock of the aftermath of their battle against Madara.
"Where would you place him among the Espada?" He asked. He already had an idea, but he was curious about Harribel's opinion, first.
"I don't know. He was strange - I don't know if I could keep up with his speed in my Resurreccion, but he is faster than my unreleased form. His hierro is either defective or he doesn't know how to use it properly, but very weak, at any rate." Then Harribel frowned, looking at the footprints below her. "I broke his zanpaktou in my first strike, so I don't know what that huge blue avatar was, but there was no indication of him having used Resurrection."
At this, Barragan grew alarmed. "He forced us both into Resurreccion in his own unreleased form?" Then a more pressing thought occurred. "Wait, zanpaktou? So he's one of Aizen's arrancar? Why have we not been informed of someone so powerful?!" He growled. He wasn't sure if even Yammy could have stood up against the power of the blue avatar in a head on confrontation.
As if reading his mind, Harribel pondered; "I don't know…do you think he could be above even Yammy's Ira?" Barragan turned toward her, flaring his reiatsu.
"Perhaps, but he was nothing against me. You saw it in his eyes - the fear reflected from within them when he made his escape."
Harribel quirked an eyebrow at Barragan's implication. She knew how prideful the former God-King of Heuco Mundo could be, but his arrogance could still get on her nerves. "You speak as if you should be the cero Espada, Barragan."
"And you speak as if you believe Yammy could actually pose a threat to me?" Barragan countered.
Harribel inclined her head; he had a point. But she did not back down. "What about Starrk, then? You would question his place as the Primera?"
Barraga's voice grew low at this; "All Aizen and his stupid rock cares about is reiatsu. My power is absolute. You of all people should know this. Especially now. Now return your focus to the matter at hand." He gestured around him.
Not wanting to continue this conversation further, Harribel relented; "So what are your orders now, then, your majesty?" She emphasized 'your majesty' to let him know she was not impressed.
"Go after Madara."
Harribel started. "What?"
"Don't make me repeat myself, Tier. Go after him. He has foolishly spent his reiatsu against my respira, so he won't be in any condition to fight for some time. More importantly, he has seen both of our Resurreccion, and if he is captured by the shinigami, he could reveal the existence of us Arrancar in Hueco Mundo."
Harribel conceded Barragan's point; "Very well. At least he hasn't covered his tracks very well," she mused as she concentrated on Madara's unique reiatsu signature, slashed open a garganta with Tiburon, and stepped inside. "And when I find him, should I kill him?"
"No. There is too much potential in that hollow to just snuff it out now." Barragan chuckled, "Besides, are you truly so anxious to be caught by his trees again, little girl? I won't be there to save you this time."
Harribel closed her eyes and sighed. He'd had countless centuries to learn restraint and tact, but no. The old bastard always had to have the last word.
Land of Fire - Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves
It had taken a week for clearance to be granted to Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku to bring gigai into the land of fire. The request was deemed medium-low priority by the Central 46, but Hitsugaya could not shake the feeling that there was more at play here than a simple, albeit powerful hollow, thus pushing for the request to be granted with haste. He and his vice captain were presently being led to a meeting with the 'Hokage', or village leader by a young boy. As they approached a set of double doors, the boy stopped and saluted the guards.
"Lord Hokage, your visitors from the…Soul Society...? are waiting outside."
"Thank you, Hiruzen. You can bring them in." Tobirama's voice echoed through the doors.
As they parted, a surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi led the captain and vice captain of squad 10 into the Hokage's office. "Sensei? Where is the Lord Hokage?"
Tobirama sighed, "You know how he is these days. He's at the Valley, overlooking those statues he's so adamant about erecting… but anyway, I forget my manners." He beckoned Hitsugaya and Matsumoto forward. "Please, sit, I am Tobirama Senju, the younger brother of the Hokage. Though he is the leader of our village, a great tragedy has recently befallen our village, and he is otherwise preoccupied. I assure you that I speak on his behalf, and with equal authority."
Hiruzen nodded his support. "Yes, Tobirama is my sensei, and he always takes care of a lot of the paperwork when the Hokage is busy." Then he leaned toward Rangiku, whispering "It might be better that you're talking to Tobirama, anyway. He's always been more serious than his brother!"
At that, Tobirama smiled; "Ah, don't let Hashirama hear you say that. He mightn't go easy on you in his next training session if he finds out."
At that Hiruzen paled, and nodded quickly. "Y-yes, sensei!"
Rangiku laughed at the little exchange, but Hitsugaya cleared his throat, and drew the conversation back to the topic of their visit. "Yes, about this 'tragedy' that you speak of, is it related to the large valley that had opened up a week ago?"
Tobirama's smile faltered, but he saw no reason to hide the truth. Maps were being redrawn as they spoke, and the finishing touches on the mountain-sized statues of Hashirama and Madara would be completed soon. "Yes. May I know your names and village? There are maps being redrawn by our scouts at this very moment. We were planning to distribute them and bring the shinobi world up to speed as to current events at the next Kage summit."
Rangiku elbowed her captain in the shoulder. "Ah, please forgive us, Tobirama. My name is Rangiku Matsumoto, and this is my captain, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. He's always too serious and likes to get straight to business."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Rangiku." Hitsugaya scolded. "Now what can you tell me about this tragedy? What happened? Have there been people going missing and reports of attacks by invisible creatures?"
Tobirama raised his eyebrows. So the young boy is the superior officer here?, he thought. "Before I answer any of that, from which nation do you hail? And what business do you have with the Hidden Leaf?"
Toshiro fidgeted. He wasn't good at this. "We come from the Seireitei, in Soul Society, as we've already told Hiruzen over there. We have come to investigate the potential presence of a powerful, spiritual entity that feeds on human souls, and have reason to believe that this entity is responsible for the destruction near your village." Tobirama's face remained expressionless throughout this. "We have come to remove that entity from this world, and help protect your village from its hunting spree."
"Ah, I'm afraid you are mistaken, Captain Hitsugaya. The destruction was wrought by a rogue shinobi that attacked our village last week. He has been dealt with, and the calamity he brought with him has been safely sealed. There have been no unexplained disappearances or any supernatural occurrences reported. In fact, aside from the recent battle, our village has been the vision of peace for years now." Tobirama replied evenly.
"By 'dealt with', do you mean someone was killed?" Rangiku asked.
"I'm afraid so. He was a threat to our hard-won peace, and could not be allowed to continue in his path of hatred and destruction."
"Then I'm afraid it is you who is mistaken, Tobirama." Hitsugaya hung his head, his voice soft but leaving no room for argument. "We are soul reapers. Shinigami. When certain people die with enough emptiness in their hearts or unfinished business in life, they do not immediately pass onto the next life. Instead, they remain in the world of the living as hollows - monsters that are forever cursed to prey on living souls to satisfy their insatiable hunger."
Hitsugaya's eyes were still downcast, but Rangiku, who was looking at Tobirama the entire time, saw his eyes widen and suck in a quick breath, his fingers curling into fists and knuckles turning white with strain.
Hitsugaya continued; "We found one such being in the aftermath of the site of the battlefield outside your village. It wounded one of our men who'd been stationed here to help souls cross over, then it escaped. We fear it will return with a vengeance."
"...I see." Tobirama's demeanor had changed completely. He looked outside the window at the setting sun. "Although I have many questions regarding what you've just told me, I believe this is a matter that requires the Hokage's presence. If you would please come with me, I can lead you to him immediately."
Valley of The End
Madara collapsed out of his garganta. Chakra exhaustion! Madara cursed to himself, laying on the ground gasping for breath. The sky was aglow with stars; not a single cloud in sight. Expanding his senses outward, he confirmed that he was alone in the immediate vicinity. He closed his eyes, deep in thought. Barragan's ability was some kind of decay or corrosion. He hadn't seen the old hollow move in the entire fight except to rise from his throne and retrieve his axe. He had no idea how strong or fast he was, except that he was strong enough to block a full-powered strike from the perfect susanoo. But something wasn't right. The susanoo's strike had slowed before it met the axe, and by the time the two weapons clashed, Madara had felt a considerable drain on his chakra. It was as if his chakra points were emptying out into a bottomless void. Some kind of absorbing ability, then?
Madara was more on guard now than he had been since the war with the Senjus. He could not afford to get arrogant and complacent in this new world of shinigami and hollows. He lay still for a few minutes, his breath finally returning to him. His eyelids felt like lead, but he couldn't afford to pass out here in the open. Dragging himself upright, he momentarily forgot his exhaustion when he spotted his gunbai and scythe planted into the ground, behind a life sized wooden replica of himself in full Uchiha armor. Limping toward them, he stopped to read the inscription at the replica's feet.
"Madara Uchiha. Visionary, founder, and friend. - Hashirama Senju," It was unmistakably Hashirama's messy handwriting, inscribed on a plaque of wood that he had no doubt conjured himself. In fact, the entire Madara replica looked as if it had sprouted from the ground. Hashirama…
It was then that Madara saw in the distance two enormous silhouettes of himself and Hashirama carved into the cliff face. You sentimental fool, he thought, though he felt a tickle of warmth welling up from within. Much as he loathed Tobirama's plots and schemes, as well as the ungrateful village folk, he had never truly borne ill will toward Hashirama. Despite everything Madara had said to his old friend in anger, Hashirama was a man who had bared his heart time and time again to win Madara's trust.
He hobbled forward, grabbing onto the handles of his fan and scythe. He took a moment to steady himself before drawing them from the ground and sheathing them behind his back. The familiar weight gave him a measure of comfort he had not realized was missing since Hashirama's sword broke against Harribel's.
That had been a baffling series of events for Madara. He easily found an opening and exploited it in the initial seconds of their clash. For all intents and purposes it should have ended then and there with Harribel bleeding out on the ground, skewered through the side, but instead, the sword shard against her skin had sounded - and felt - like tempered steel.
As if on cue, a garganta appeared mere meters away from him, and Harribel gracefully stepped out. She spotted him instantly, though after eyeing him up and down and taking in his condition, did not even draw her sword. "Madara," she said.
"Harribel." Madara spat, scoffing humorlessly. "What devilish timing you have; I could almost believe I had summoned you with my thoughts."
Of all the possible responses she had prepared herself for, Madara's words were the last thing she could have expected. "You…were thinking about me?" She asked, somewhat perturbed.
Madara pinched the bridge of his nose. I could have worded that better. "You mistake intent. I was merely reviewing the details of our battle." He drew his fan and scythe. "Are you here to continue it?"
"No. I'm here to apologize for attacking you. Barragan and I are impressed by your combat prowess and reiatsu, and would like to invite you to Las Noches to meet master Aizen."
"And if I refuse?" Madara had no intention of willingly walking into a den of potential enemies more powerful than Barragan.
"You will not." Harribel raised her right arm, deliberately slipping a finger into the ring at the handle of her sword. Her wrist was relaxed but Madara knew that an expert swordsman could draw and strike from that position with deadly speed.
Madara was at a disadvantage here. He was already feeling the symptoms of chakra exhaustion, and his mobility was hampered by the wound in his foot. But then something occurred to him. "You should have stayed in Hueco Mundo where you had the home field advantage, Harribel." Madara grinned. "You are not the only demon I can summon."
With that, Madara gathered his last vestiges of chakra, and activated his mangekyou sharingan. Clasping his hands together, he slammed them onto the ground, and a summoning circle swiftly took form around him.
"Come, Kyuubi!" He roared.
Konohagakure; Hokage's Quarters
Hashirama, Tobirama, Toshiro and Rangiku sat in Hasirama's living room.
The Hokage was deep in thought. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto had spun him a tale so tall that he would have personally knocked them out and locked them in the clinic for a psychological evaluation. Would have, had they not proven their words with demonstrations of 'kido', and if he hadn't watched a cup of tea pour itself, disappear into thin air, and then seen Rangiku's lifeless, breathless body suddenly pop upright again.
"So you're trying to tell me that the hollow you saw escaped with Madara's body…which is consistent with us not being able to locate it anywhere," Hashirama muttered to himself, "and that this hollow is likely Madara himself, plotting to come back and take revenge by eating our villagers…?"
"Something like that," Hitsugaya clarified. "Newborn hollows normally don't have memories of their past life - instead, they function mostly off of instinct. However they do tend to be drawn to places with high spiritual energy, and this village would fit that classification."
"So something I can't even see is most likely lurking around here, just waiting to prey on my people…?" Hashirama's brow furrowed.
Before Hitsugaya could respond, he and Rangiku suddenly jerked their heads toward the Valley of the End. "It's a faint signature…but I think he's back." Rangiku said.
Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes; it's faint, but if we can feel it all the way out here it can certainly be considered an above average hollow. I do believe the time to do our jobs has come." He declared as he rose. "We will purify Madara's hollow and another shinigami will soon be stationed here to watch over the village."
As they grabbed their badges to exit their gigai, both shinigami froze simultaneously. "C-captain...this spiritual pressure…it's.-" Rangiku could not finish her sentence before collapsing to her knees.
Toshiro's expression hardened. "Another hollow has just arrived. This one is immensely powerful. Captain level…"
"What do we do, captain?" Rangiku had found her feet again, but was panting heavily and her breathing was strained. Toshiro did not appear to be physically affected, Hashirama observed.
"We face it, as our duty demands we must. I'm calling in to have our limiters released." Hitsugaya motioned to press his shinigami badge against his chest, but Hashirama stopped him.
"Wait. I'm coming with you."
Rangiku and Hitsugaya looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "With all due respect, lord Hokage, please leave this to the professionals. You cannot even see spiritual beings, anyway."
Tobirama stood violently, about to defend his brother against such an insult, but Hashirama waved him down, a glint in his eye. "In the time vice captain Matsumoto was outside her gigai, I analyzed the discrepancies between your 'reiatsu' and our 'chakra'. I think I might have a way to see these 'spiritual beings'."
Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow "Suppose you can. It's still too dangerous. Hollows are extremely deadly creatures for regular humans and this one that's just arri-"
"That valley out there that you saw? The reason the maps of our Land of Fire are being redrawn…? It's because of big brother Hashirama's battle with Madara Uchiha." Tobirama's deep voice declared.
"The Hidden Leaf is my village. As Hokage, I will defend it from anything that threatens it." Hashirama continued.
"Our village." Before Hitsugaya's eyes, Tobirama had disappeared and reappeared, now clad in blue-grey battlearmor over his dark green overalls.
Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he met Hashirama's now iron-hard gaze. But Takomi said these were just athletic humans good at throwing knives!
Before anything else could be said, a scream from the other side of their wall shattered the night. "Mito!" Hashirama cried, slamming the door open to see his wife squirming in pain, clutching at her stomach. He lifted her shirt to see the Nine Tails' seal glowing. "Tobirama! Get us to the valley…Now!" He roared.
Tobirama knelt before Hashirama and Mito, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Hold onto my shoulders, you two." He ordered.
There was no time to argue or stall. These shinobi seemed to have some kind of plan, and for now, any plan was better than nothing. Nodding to Rangiku, Hitsugaya laid his palm on Tobirama's left shoulder, and Rangiku did the same on his right.
In an instant, the world warped around them.
Valley of The End
Hitsugaya blinked. Before them stood a black, spikey haired man clad in red armor similar to Tobirama's, an orange-brown gunbai in his left hand, connected by a chain to a vicious looking scythe in his right. Both weapons were brought to bear against a tanned, scantily clad blonde woman who stood before him in a casual stance. Despite their appearances, both of their reiatsu signatures reeked of hollow.
Before anybody had time to react, a mountain of white reiatsu erupted from Hashirama. His eyes were closed, his hands clasped together and brows furrowed in concentration. As Hitsugayta watched, black markings appeared on his face, lining his eyes and forehead.
"H-Hashirama!" Madara staggered back, using the end of his gunbai to help him balance.
The Hokage opened his eyes, and locked them with Madara's. When Hashirama spoke, his voice was steady, but laced with such ice that even Hitsugaya felt a shiver down his spine. "Madara. Release the summoning jutsu. You're hurting Mito."
AN: Read and review guys! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated!
Review responses:
Madaralimboclone: yes of course *facepalm* thanks for point that out. I will update and edit that section re; Madara's sensory abilities.
Maxtrueomnipotent1: I tried to write the battle in a way that Madara was actually capable of much more damage, if only he knew how to fight against reiatsu. I'm trying to not make it too clear-cut who is stronger than who - rather just which techniques beat which techniques. Also there's definitely not going to be any harem going on. There will be some romance elements to the story, but nothing too serious.
Dsunny1: Thanks for the review! Like I mentioned above, definitely won't be any harem. And I've already got quite a few curveballs planned for Madara's journey in this fic..stay tuned :P
CheekyFunkyMunky: Thanks for the review - the soul reapers never gave me the impression in bleach that they were great at keeping tabs on...well anything. With all the chaos happening now though, they're certainly going to be retrospectivelyreviewing some reports they've received about the elemental nations