CH 137: THE START
"How shameful...How unsightly...How ridiculous..."
Standing alone in what looked like a traditional Japanese room, Yamamoto was sporting an awful expression as he watched the screens and heard Gojo's bold world.
Thick veins could be seen pulsating on his forehead as flickers of light and fire surrounded him.
He was angry.
For the first time in a thousand years, he was truly angry.
He could feel that he was imprisoned in an alternate space, most likely the result of Gojo's Bankai.
But Yamamoto didn't care. His sword could burn through everything–even space.
"Reduce everything to ashes. Ryujin–"
"Why don't you stop, old friend?"
Just as Yamamoto was about to activate his Shikai, he was stopped by a gentle feminine voice that he easily recognized.
"Unohana...What is the meaning of this?"
Yamamoto trailed cold murderous eyes on Unohana as he watched her enter the room.
Unohana on the other hand was simply showing her usual unhurried smile as she walked at her pace.
"My friend, you have really grown old."
"Explain yourself, Unohana. Are you a part of this?"
He ignored her ridicule and asked the most important question. His grip, tightening on his sword in the process.
Unohana would be a tricky opponent. She was both powerful and ingenious.
But his sword would never waver.
If Unohana was also a traitor then the only outcome for her would be death.
It didn't matter how long they had known each other and fought back to back.
Traitors had to die.
“Stubborn old fool...I can see that whatever I say, you won’t listen.”
“I will listen once all of you troublemakers are imprisoned or executed.”
Unohana's smile slowly began to stretch and the motherly vibe she usually showed vanished, replaced by an eerie vibe filled with bloodlust.
Her hair that was tied down in front of her untied and began to fly began her. She took out her haori.
Yamamoto was expressionless. It had been so long since he had seen this appearance.
The one in front of him was not Retsu Unonhana, captain of the 4th division.
She was currently none other than Yachiru Unohana—the worst criminal in the Soul Society.
“How long has it been since we last fought?”
Slowly, he began to unsheathe his sword. Flames were already covering his body and his Reiatsu was showing his burning aura.
Unohana tilted her head, “It was when you captured me and forced me to join the 13th blade.”
“Indeed. I could subdue you then and I can still do so now.”
"Heh...Then, let’s see if your old bones are still as strong."
<<Bankai: Zanka no Tachi.>>
<<Bankai: Minazuki>>
None of them began with a probing move. They already knew how powerful the other one was and they knew that pulling any punches would mean swift death.
One was shining with the fiery light of justice and the other was covered in the darkness of sin.
What followed was a clash between a black sword that could burn all creation and a red sword that could melt all creation.
----
"Ugh...Those two old monsters are a pain."
Sitting on her throne, Kogo couldn't help but groan as blood dribbled from her sparkling red eyes.
The current form of the Bankai was a closed infinity type.
Since Gojo still didn't have control over time, the Bankai was in fact still incomplete.
Rather than trying to make it stronger, Gojo had decided to make it weaker.
In this form, the control they had over the world was incredibly lowered. But in exchange, the amount of time Gojo could keep the Bankai activated greatly increased.
"Hahaha. Let's be happy that Unohana agreed to interfere with him. If that old bastard was allowed to run havoc, then the castle wouldn't last long."
Kogo could only nod at Gojo's words. But there was something he was missing
[Are you sure we won't use the Reishi absorbing function?]
While Yamamoto could burn their castle, as long as they could absorb Reishi fast and repair it faster than he could destroy it, nothing would matter.
But...
"If we do that, we will destroy the Seireitei, and might even kill many innocents."
Gojo could watch innocent people die under his eyes while fighting against Curses.
But he would never kill innocent people himself.
It was without a doubt an incredibly hypocritical way of thinking. But he didn't care. After all, he had always been a hypocrite bastard.
After his grand introduction, Gojo began to set up the situation to his advantage. The main reason he had decided to show those pictures was because he wanted to capture the attention of most captains and stop them from rampaging.
‘Now then, shall we deal with the first two?’
Gojo leaned on his throne as he looked at the ever-smiling Gin and Kaname Tosen. On the third screen, Aizen was keeping a completely calm and straight face, as if nothing was wrong in the world.
‘Man, his face pisses me off.’
{Nemu. Don't show the fight between Unohana and Yamamato.}
{Understood.}
The one who was controlling the screen was none other than Nemu and Mayuri. Mayuri had no interest in officially joining his side, but at least he could pull in favor like this since he had brought many samples for him to study.
‘Well, it’s showtime.’
“It’s time for me to move.”
“What about that wolf head?”
“Toshiro will take care of him.”
“That kid? Are you sending him to die?”
Gojo chuckled, he had studied Komamura’s personality and knew that rather than sending someone strong, sending a child like Toshiro was better. At least it would be a very valuable experience.
“Anyway, I will be counting on you to bail him out should anything happen.”
“Leave everything to me.”
Standing up, Gojo vanished while leaving the control of the castle to Kogo.
—
In one room, Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake were standing together. Watching the screen, Jushiro showed a wry smile while Shunsui chuckled a bit.
“Your nephew-in-law is really bringing chaos to the Seireitei.”
“Don’t call him that. Little bastard is still making Nanao turn around without any clear promise.”
The two of them, while surprised at the current situation, were able to stay completely calm. One reason was that they believed in Gojo, and another one was that they always had suspicions about Aizen and Gin.
The only hic was the presence of Kaname, but they had already speculated the presence of one or few more traitors.
“What should we do now?”
“Nothing. We will just watch. Though I am surprised Yama-ji isn’t already burning everything down.”
“I think Unohana is taking care of him.”
They couldn’t feel the clash of power since the room clearly seemed like an isolated space, but it didn’t matter. Since the screen of Unohana and Yamamoto went dark, it was easy to guess.
Behind them, the door of the room opened to another room where Nanao and Kaen Shiba were standing.
“Well. I guess we can only watch the show.”
—-
“Heh—So you are the one who is going to face me?”
Gin smiled as he looked at the petite woman with two long braids behind her.
“Let’s see if I am faster or if your sword is faster.”
Soi Fon showed no expression as she faced Gin.
—-
“I always knew that a beast like you was untrustworthy.”
“Hahaha! How funny for a traitor to say such a thing.”
Kaname Tosen frowned and gripped his sword tightly while feeling the vast presence of Zaraki Kenpachi.
“Ken-chan, do your best!”
Standing far away, Yachiru[1] was cheering with all her might. She could feel how happy Zaraki was. She hoped that he would have fun.
This was the deal Gojo had proposed to them. The occasion to fight another captain in a fight to the death.
How could Zaraki refuse such a proposal?
—----
What was brewing was a fight of unprecedented height in the Soul Society.
[1]: For those who forgot. There are two Yachiru in Bleach. Yachiru Unohana is the first. Then Zaraki, who is kinda her fan because they fought when he was kid, decided to give the name Yachiru to the ‘little girl’ he adopted.