Chapter 7 - Even the Best Laid Plans
Harribel fought bitterly, grunting as her broken ribs protested her every move. She was nonetheless matching Hitsugaya blow for blow as they danced amongst the trees. Her Tiburon was unwieldy in the limited space, and her injuries were affecting her balance, but the dense forest was also stopping Hitsugaya from fully utilizing his wings, thus hampering his mobility too. The young captain had tried to bring the fight into the skies, but Harribel refused to be goaded out from the protective forest canopy.
There was a brief lull in their combat as Harribel dodged behind a particularly thick tree. When she emerged to face the captain again, a barrage of ten Kunai suddenly buried themselves into the back of Hitsugaya's wings. His face contorted in surprise, and, an instant later, a series of explosions covered the squad ten captain in a cloud of fire and dust. Harribel took the opportunity to gain some distance and alighted atop a branch, leaning back against the tree to catch her breath.
Teleporting to one of the tags he had just marked the squad 10 Captain with, Tobirama threw himself against the captain, grabbing a hold of his waist and bringing them both tumbling onto the forest floor.
Harribel frowned at Tobirama's tactic. She was glad for the reprieve, but she had given up her high-speed regeneration in favor of increased combat power; her ribs weren't going to heal fast enough to make a difference in this battle. Grimacing, she popped her left shoulder back in place and rolled it tenderly. She could see that Hitsugaya had been caught off-guard by the attack, but he was barely injured at all. Is he really going to try hand-to-hand combat against a captain in their Bankai? Harribel thought, incredulous.
Then Harribel blinked as Tobirama dove from a tree onto Hitsugaya. What? She shook her head as a second, third? Four, no five Tobiramas descended onto the squad 10 Captain until he was swarmed by a tangle of flailing limbs.
"Harribel." She snapped her head back to see Tobirama perched on the branch right above her. She reflexively raised Tiburon toward him.
"Relax. I am the real one. Those are my shadow clones," he explained as he dropped down beside her. "Hold still, I'm not the best at this but Hashirama has taught me some basics in medical ninjutsu," he said as he placed his palms on the small of Harribel's back. As a green glow emanated from them, she could feel herself breathing easier, and the pain in her ribs was subsiding.
"Thank you", she gasped as she took in a few deep breaths. The pain was all but gone. She pointed toward the ongoing brawl on the forest floor. "Can you move those clones away? I have a technique that can end his life, but it's more of an area attack."
"Don't worry about my shadow clones. Just use it." Tobirama waved off her concern.
Harribel glanced at him, and he continued; "They will dissipate when struck with any substantial force. Don't worry, they are not real humans. They know they are clones and they know that their purpose is served by providing us a distraction."
Even as he spoke, Hitsugaya bifurcated one clone in a devastating swipe with a wing, and Hyorinmaru slashed through the neck of another. The two clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. Roaring in exertion, he almost got back to his feet before the remaining shadow clones dived on top of the captain, taking him down again.
"Very well," Harribel said, raising her zanpakuto and pointing the tip into the sky. "Cascada."
Tobirama had formed his own mental image of Harribel's water technique from the description Madara had given then regarding their battle. He had envisioned a large body of water, being summoned to flood an area, and had naturally attributed the body of water with a sense of peace and tranquility.
He was not prepared for the deafening crash of water against the leaves and trees as a tsunami materialized from above them, crashing down onto the forest floor. He instinctively cried out and covered his ears, shielding them from the noise. The forest groaned as the relentless tsunami washed through it, uprooting the smaller trees and even forcing the largest ones to sway under its pressure.
Out of immediate danger, Harribel suddenly realized the implication of Tobirama's presence. "Wait, why are you here with me? How are the others doing?" Harribel asked, alarm evident in her voice. Could they have defeated Lord Aizen? she thought.
Tobirama uncovered his ears, mistaking the reason for her concern to be Hashirama and Konoha.
"You have proven yourself a formidable ally by putting your life on the line for our village, Harribel," Tobirama replied. "As Hashirama has said, we extend our village's welcome toward you and its protection, too. I will not see anyone so readily sacrifice themselves for us if I can help it…" He trailed off, frowning as he recognized the direction the tsunami was heading in. Konoha.
"The village…Harribel! Can you stop that technique of yours!? It's going to flood the village!" Tobirama shouted, suddenly in a panic.
"...No, 'Cascada' can summon the water but I cannot turn it back into reiatsu."
"Damn it! When you said area attack I didn't think…Damn it!" Tobirama bit out in frustration, before ordering: "Stay here. Make sure that guy is down for the count. I'll be back."
Harribel nodded. She extended her pesquisa and noted with relief that Aizen's reiatsu was undisturbed. In fact, he didn't even seem to be engaged in battle at the moment. She could afford to keep watch here and make sure Hitsugaya didn't rejoin the fray.
Seireitei; Squad 4 Infirmary
The captain commander was livid. Minutes ago, a stammering squad 4 officer by the name of Hanataro had requested his immediate presence in the squad 4 barracks.
Vice captain Rangiku had exited a senkaimon directly into the infirmary. She had apparently been in hysterics, carrying a gravely wounded squad 9 and squad 11 captain. Tosen was unconscious, and receiving emergency treatment from Captain Unohana at the moment, but Kenpachi had somehow stayed awake despite the stab wound through his chest.
As vice-captain Isane gradually worked on his wound, Yamamoto began his interrogation beside Kenpachi's stretcher.
"Vice-captain Matsumoto, Captain Kenpachi. I trust there is a very good explanation for this," he stated. It wasn't a question. Rangiku gulped, and almost sighed in relief when Kenpachi answered for her.
"You were right to send 5 captains, old man, but I don't think the three back there will be enough. Let me back at 'em! I know what to expect now," Kenpachi announced brashly. His bravado was rewarded with a coughing fit as he finished. A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Isane clicked her tongue; "Captain Kenpachi!" She chided. "If you must talk, then do so quietly. I've closed the wound but your lungs are damaged - the internal bleeding will still take some more time to heal."
Yammamoto grunted. "That does not explain anything about why the two of you-" he glanced at Tosen, "are in such a state."
"Ah…well I don't quite remember what happened, old man Yama." Kenpachi scratched his head. He lowered his voice, "I couldn't see or hear anything, and then the blonde hollow lady splashed some water in my eye and stabbed me through the gut."
Rangiku stepped forward; "Captain commander, sir. Captains Aizen and Tosen had formed a plan to end things quickly and capture the hollows. Captain Tosen was to use his Bankai to open the battle to take on the stronger, female Arrancar. After he subdued her, he was meant to let us know when he would exit his Bankai, and we would have used the opportunity to blitz the other one and bind him with kido."
She hung her head. "However, the hollows had two natives of the land with them - leaders of a nearby village. Both are incredibly powerful - possibly captain level. One of them could use some kind of teleportation technique. They dropped in on top of us in the middle of a forest, and though Captain Tosen managed to unleash his Bankai, the hollow defeated him, and then she attacked Kenpachi. I was then ordered by Captain Hitsugaya to take these two back for treatment while the rest of them engaged in battle," Rangiku finished, her head still hung in shame at her uselessness.
"Thank you for the report, vice-captain Matsumoto," Yamamoto muttered in a gravelly voice. He brought out a file, handing it to the bedridden Kenpachi. "Hiyori Saraguki, former vice-captain of squad 12. She is the blonde Arrancar who attacked you. Familiarize yourself with her file," he ordered Kenpachi.
The spiky-haired captain stared at the picture of the blonde girl, especially her side profile, before pointing to her chest and clearing his throat; "Unless she's grown a head and a half since her defection as well as a hell of a lot in the chest, this ain't the same girl, old man."
Rangiku sighed upon hearing the squad 11 captain, but he was right; "Now, Captain Kenpachi, a lot can change in a century," she stated indignantly, pointing to herself. Turning to Yamamoto again, though, she continued; "But he is right - this Arrancer's name is Tier Harribel. I overheard her introduce herself to the natives as 'Espada No. 3."
"Oh I know how they grow, Matsumoto, so trust me when I say this Hiyori is never gonna look like that." Kenpachi's eyes unfocussed, staring off into the distance. "And damn did she get close when she stabbed me with that strange sword of hers…" He mused.
Isane cleared her throat, and purposefully slipped a jolt of reiatsu through her healing, causing the squad 11 captain to flinch. "Captain Kenpachi, please."
"Hey, she wasn't wearing nothin'! I can't help but notice these things. Matsumoto, you saw her, didn't you? She was literally almost naked!" Kenpachi raved on.
"Zaraki Kenpachi!" Yamamoto's voice bellowed, slamming his cane against the floor. The room fell silent. "If you are feeling well enough to joke around, then gather your wits and recall something of actual relevance regarding this 'Tier Harribel'."
"Hmm…" Kenpachi's grin grew vicious. "She had a pretty unique zanpakuto. It looked blunt, but it was almost as large as she was." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually maybe it was actually blunt. That explains the amount of damage I took from it. I thought taking a hit or two would wake me up properly, but I ain't never been taken out of a fight by a single stab before..."
Yamamoto looked as if he was mentally wrestling with himself. "By as large as she was…" He trailed off.
Kenpachi threw his head back and roared in laughter. "Gahahaha! As large as her entire person, old man. It kinda looked like a shark fin. And she can fire water projectiles from it."
"That explains the size and shape of your wound, then," Isane commented. "It's a miracle you're still alive…I can't believe anyone could stay conscious through a wound like that."
"Then I must commend your tenacity for still being fit for battle," Yamamoto replied, completely stoic again.
The squad 4 vice-captain took a moment to process his words. "Head Captain Yamamoto!" Isane gasped out in protest; "He cannot; his injuries are-" She tried to explain, but was cut off as her patient once again erupted in cackling laughter.
"I thought you would never ask." Kenpachi tore off his eyepatch and the room visibly brightened as his thick yellow reiatsu saturated it, overflowing from his entire body.
"Captain Unohana!" Isane cried, looking for support from her captain.
"It's okay, Isane." Unohana spared but a single sideways glance toward Kenpachi before returning to work on Tosen. "Captain Kenpachi is finally beginning to remember his roots. He will be fine."
"What?" Isane was confused, but Yamamoto walked past her, silencing any further objections.
"Is Captain Tosen going to live?" He asked.
"Yes," Unohana replied, standing up as she turned to face the head captain. "He has been stabilized, but l would recommend constant monitoring from the nurses for some time in case of any unforeseen complications in his recovery."
"Very well then. Isane, you have command of squad 4. Captain Unohana will join us as we enter the world of the living," Yamamoto ordered. "Unohana, can you complete Zaraki's healing during our passage through the senkaimon?"
Unohana's eyebrows widened; "I should be able to. But do you seriously believe this Arrancar threat to be worthy of your personal involvement?"
Yamamoto growled. "Two of my captains were almost killed, and the condition of the other three is as of yet unknown."
Rangiku mentally kicked herself as she remembered her captain was still out there, fighting.
"Chaos is brewing in the Seireitei, Unohana. The central 46 are acting erratic, and Captain Kuchiki has been dispatched to the world of the living to deal with this Rukia situation. With our manpower short as it is, I will not sit idly by while risking any more of my captains," Yamamoto declared with finality, opening a senkaimon. "Kenpachi. Lead the way."
"Uhh…" Kenpachi scratched his head, then looked at Rangiku; "How about she lead the way instead?"
Konoha Outskirts
"Brother!" Tobirama called as he teleported beside Hashirama, quickly dodging a roundhouse kick from the older Senju. There was nobody else in sight. "Get a hold of yourself!" He leaned backward, barely dodging another strike. "Hashirama!" He roared. He leapt back, but watched on in confusion as the elder Senju continued to deliver strikes into the air, ducking and weaving as he did.
Something was wrong. He looked as if he was locked in intense hand to hand combat, but there was no opponent. Genjutsu? Tobirama approached his brother, deftly ducked another series of punches, before slamming a palm onto Hashirama's forehead and shouting "Release!"
Hashirama's eyes focused on Tobirama. "Tobirama…Where is the shinigami with the glasses? I was fighting him just a second ago!" He looked around, brows furrowed in frustration.
"Forget him, Hashirama. I think you were caught in some kind of genjutsu, but there are more pressing matters at hand; the village is in danger!" Even as he spoke, he teleported Hashirama back to the walls of the hidden leaf, and they could see the tsunami of Harribel's Cascada rolling toward them, flooding through the forest.
Instantly analyzing the situation, the Hokage brought his palms together. "Wood Style: Great forest Emergence!" Hashirama bellowed, and a sea of enormous twisting roots erupted forth to contain the Cascada. The deafening clash of water against wood reverberated through the forest and rumbled across the skies, but the tsunami was halted.
"What on earth is that?" Hashirama asked, once the rumbling had died down enough to be heard.
"Harribel's water technique. She used it against the white haired captain you caught earlier." But before Hashirama could ask any more, Tobirama put another hand to his older brother's temple, sensing his chakra points.
"You were definitely caught in a genjutsu there, Hashirama, but your body was moving, as if you were fighting someone. What were you doing?"
"I was fighting Sosuke Aizen; the captain with the glasses. He said something about not having any business with us, but that he had to capture the hollows. Neither of us would back down so when he tried to get past me, I stopped him and we started fighting…then you suddenly appeared in his place." Hashirama sat down, crossing his legs on the village ramparts.
"So where is Sosuke Aizen?" Tobirama asked, worried.
"I don't know…" Hashirama replied. "We should go find Harribel. Madara can take care of himself - if Aizen's techniques center around genjutsu then he will be in for a very rude awakening against Madara's dojutsu." He chuckled as he looked into the distance.
Towering above even the tallest trees, the perfect susanoo was wrestling with some kind of armored samurai giant. Its head reached just below the perfect susanoo's shoulders, but despite its smaller size, it was clearly a master sword, as it parried the perfect susanoo's dual-wielding strikes with just a single blade. However, with each cleaving strike, Madara was undeniably gaining ground. The giant was staggering backward, unable to bury the inertia of the perfect susanoo's titanic blows.
"At least somebody's having fun," Tobirama remarked dryly as he watched Madara's susanoo kick the opposing giant down onto the side of a grassy hill.
Konoha Outskirts - Forest Depths
Flanked by the captains of squads 4 and 11, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto exited his senkaimon to utter chaos. He had dismissed Rangiku once she had assured him that they would exit the senkaimon at exactly the same place Kenpachi and Tosen had been stricken down. This was a fight where she would only get in the way.
Instead of the dense forest he had been informed of, there was not a single standing tree in sight. The entire clearing was littered with stumps, and splintered wood and other forest debris of all sizes decorated what was recently a lush forest floor. All that lay beneath his feet was mud.
A gust of wind drew his attention as Kokujo Tengen Myo'o sailed overhead, landing with a thunderous crash.
"Well at least we know Komomura's still alive," Kenpachi commented. From the direction Komomura's Bankai came from, an even more humongous, flaming azure titan marched toward them. Each step shook the earth with its weight. In each armored hand clasped a glowing katana that must have been longer than the sokyoku.
"Captain Commander Yamamoto!" A voice choked out from a ways behind the trio as they watched the towering titan draw closer.
Yamamoto did not need to turn his head to acknowledge the newcomer, for he had recognized the reiatsu. "Captain Aizen. I am glad to see you are still able to move. What can you tell us about our enemy?" he ordered.
Kenpachi looked behind them, and saw the squad 5 captain limping toward them, clutching his left side where his haori was stained red with blood. His glasses were cracked, and his hair looked like it had been dragged through the forest detritus.
"Man, your plan was a complete wash, Aizen. All plots and schemes without the strength to back it up." Kenpachi spat some blood from his mouth, suddenly feeling disgusted. Weakness disgusted him. "Look at yourself."
"Captain Commander, sir," Aizen began, ignoring Kenpachi. "The being within that spiritual construct is an extremely powerful hollow by the name of Madara Uchiha. It has strength exceeding that of captain Komomura's Bankai."
Yamamoto waited for Aizen to continue, but when he did not, he slammed his cane into the ground again, gripping the handle hard and revealing the hilt of Ryujin Jakka. "That tells me nothing I haven't already gathered from observing this battlefield. Are all my captains now so weak that I have to take to the field myself?"
"My deepest apologies, sir," Aizen bowed his head in genteel obeisance. "All of our intel suggested the Arrancar that was with him would be the more powerful of the two, but it appears this Madara hollow has far greater powers than any of us had anticipated. I have only just healed myself enough to be able to rejoin the fight."
Unohana moved toward Aizen, but he held up a hand to stop her. "With respect, Captain Unohana, without my vision I am not going to be much use here." He gestured to his cracked glasses. "Captain Komomura is in much greater need of your healing kido;" he gestured toward where Kokujo Tengen Myo'o lay unmoving. "His reiatsu is faint, but he is definitely still alive somewhere there."
Unohana reached out to confirm Aizen's words, and sure enough, could sense Komomura's faint reiatsu signature not far from them. She glanced toward Yamamoto, who nodded. "Thank you for your selflessness, Captain Aizen," she said, inclining her head before taking off in Komomura's direction.
"Where is Captain Hitsugaya?" Yamamoto asked. He was the only one unaccounted for, then.
"Captain Hitsugaya took off after the Arrancar in that direction, with two other captain-level beings chasing after him. These natives here seemed to be in league with the Arrancar."
Yamamoto nodded, igniting Ryujin Jakka as Madara's susanoo took one last thunderous step towards them, having closed the distance. "Captain Kenpachi, assist captain Hitsugaya. I can sense that he is still alive," the head captain said. "Captain Aizen, step back. I will take this one."
"How the hell am I supposed to find them in all this forest?!" Kenpachi demanded. Even as he spoke, though, the distant sound of crashing waves echoed around them, and above the treeline, they saw a wall of gigantic roots.
"Ah…the shark lady. I guess I can just follow the water," the squad eleven captain muttered to nobody in particular. He cracked a jagged, bloodthirsty grin, flung his zanpakuto over his shoulder, and took off running toward them.
"Use two hands, Kenpachi, I will have no more captains falling today!" The head-captain's voice echoed across the clearing.
Zaraki Kenpachi looked backward, then nodded seriously. No matter how much he enjoyed battle, he had almost died earlier today. Round two was going to have to be short and sweet.
AN
The next chapter (or two) will be the conclusion of this first introductory arc. Some big twists and reveals are about to happen :O. Please drop a review if you haven't already - always appreciate readers' input.