Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Naruto in the matter.
Speech Rules:
"Talking": Human speech
"Talking": Human Thought
"[Talking]": Name of Spell
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Chapter 7: A Fitting Death!
The battle between Kenpachi Zaraki and Kaname Tōsen had started when the blind captain had desired to enact his own justice on the captain of squad 11 and as such had asked Sajin Komamura, a fellow captain to step back which the masked captain was hesitant at first but agreed nonetheless.
"[Bankai]" Tōsen softly spoke as he held up his sword in his right hand, and placed his left palm against the ring of his cross guard.
The ring begins to spin as it releases spiritual energy. As it spins faster, the circle grows bigger and bigger until it's large enough to surround his body. The ring then splits into ten other glowing rings of similar size that encircle Tōsen.
With a slash of his sword, the circles go flying outwards and form a circular perimeter over a large area which Kenpachi Zaraki looked curiously with a hint of surprise over seeing the Blind Captains Bankai.
Once in position, the ten rings begin to generate a black void, which grows in size until it forms a large black dome, which is centered around Tōsen's body and anchored to the ground by the ten rings.
"[Suzumushi Tsuishiki, Enmakorogi.]" finished Tōsen as he could already sense Kenpachi confusion due to being deprived of his senses of spiritual energy, sight, sound and scent.
It was indeed a very terrifying technique but surprisingly it had one glaring weakness to it. For Kenpachi, this was a minor nuisance but it did give him the opportunity to finally put an end to this.
"This is my Bankai. This entire space is my Bankai. Well Zaraki? I doubt even you could have expected this." said Tōsen as he started to walk towards the motionless Kenpachi.
"But...you probably can't see anything." Said Tōsen as he walked past Kenpachi.
"What the hell is this? I can't see a thing. I can't hear a thing." Kenpachi thought before he became alarmed when a cut appeared on his left shoulder causing blood to come out.
"What do you think of a world without light or sound? Isn't it frightening? The Enmakorogi steals all spiritual pressure, all perceptions and senses of those within it and creates a dark, silent hell." Tōsen started monologuing as Zaraki looked behind assuming where the blind captain was located.
"Only one can escape this hell...is the one who wields this Suzumushi." Said Tōsen as Kenpachi tried to reach for him only for a cut to appear on his back as Tōsen reappeared a few feets in front of Zaraki.
"It's useless! You cannot catch me. No matter how skilled one is, when deprived of light so suddenly, it is the end." Said Tōsen as he flicked his sword to remove the blood from the blade.
"In total darkness, a twinge of fear is born. The slightest fear slows one down by half a step. But I was born into a world without light." Said Tōsen but he was interrupted suddenly when Kenpachi sword almost hit him.
The sword attack missed as instead it struck the ground next to him taking him off guard as he looked at the grinning Kenpachi.
"You are a monster, after all. You have no fear to begin with." Said Tōsen with a frown.
"Fine! Then I will not give you any chance to feel fear!" said Tōsen as he sprinted towards Kenpachi ready to kill him.
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"Is there something interesting you want to talk about with the Prisoner, Ichimaru?" Naruto asked, standing behind Gin whose closed eye opened slightly in shock.
The simple reason for his shock was the fact that Naruto managed to get behind his guard without him even sensing it. He managed to quickly regain his composure as he saw Naruto and Soifon as well.
"My...I didn't know you were here, Captain of squad 2 Naruto Namikaze and Lieutenant Soifon." Said Gin with the same grin, whether he was looking at annoying Naruto or not is a different matter all completely.
"Your senses have dulled, If I was an enemy, I'd have already slit your throat by now." said Naruto casually which seemed to scare the Kidō corps member as they unconsciously backed away while unnerving Rukia to some degree.
Rukia still did hate Gin Ichimaru from the very first moment they met, his smile and closed eyes already unnerved her to a great degree. She was glad that Naruto was here since Gin was making her uncomfortable.
Gin Ichimaru was aware of how dangerous of a man Naruto Namikaze was. In his opinion, Naruto was the soul society version of Aizen but more dangerous since he always has the unnerving feeling that he was being watched and he can't confirm it.
The fact that Naruto was able to get behind him shows that Naruto could have easily assassinated him and he won't know who did it even after he dies and that made his skin crawl as Naruto was one of the few that truly intimidated him.
"He truly is worthy of his position as the commander of the Onmitsukidō. He will bring Aizen downfall if I were to fail." Thought Gin before he decided to answer.
"Thank you for your advice, I will be careful moving forward." Said Gin as he turned to leave immediately not wanting to be around any longer then he is supposed to but Naruto had parting words.
"Be careful Ichimaru, A snake who bares its fangs on a sleeping dragon, its fate is death. Then again, a blind snake had already committed such a crime and its soul will serve as compensation." said Naruto which made Gin's eyes widen in terror as he looked at Naruto.
He knew what it meant. It confirmed his suspicion, Naruto knew the whole time about Aizen schemes. Naruto was telling him his betrayal isn't without consequences not to mention the 'blind snake' was a jab to Tōsen.
Just now, he started to sense Tōsen's spiritual pressure go down each minute showing that the blind captain was on the verge of death and it confirmed his fear. Kaname Tōsen was the first target to be made an example off for his betrayal against Soul Society.
"The better question to ask is which one are you? The idiot snake or the smart snake, this is something we'll have to find out about." Said Naruto as his eyes glowed purple briefly.
For Gin, it almost felt like he was killed many times over by Naruto in a short span of a second. He breathed heavily, sweat pouring down his face as he gave a weak grin and immediately chose to leave with his tail between his legs.
Naruto doubted Gin would tell Aizen about this since the execution was going to take place any minute now not to mention he knew that Gin was going to backstab Aizen eventually so having someone put a wrench in Aizen's plan would help Gin immensely when dealing with Aizen.
How he knew about Gin's plan to backstab Aizen...Well Gin had literally given himself away, especially his behavior around Rangiku and he didn't doubt that Aizen already knew but was merely entertaining Gin.
The stunt earlier where he appeared behind him as well as the intimidation was done to remind Gin that he knows everything and can easily kill him at a moment's notice if he found him to be of no use or if the Captain Commander where to order his death.
Rukia watched in amazement, she didn't quite understand what Naruto had meant by this very odd message but she knew that Gin had understood it and was scared as hell. Only Naruto would make someone like Gin who unnerved her run away in pure fright.
"Sorry about that, you know Ichimaru has always been a theatrical type of person." Said Naruto as he looked sympathetically towards Rukia who nodded her head understanding the type of person Gin is.
"Yeah...but I guess this is it for me as long as the Captain Commander is willing to accept my request to spare the Ryoka." Said Rukia accepting her fate and resolving to go through it.
"Your crime is exaggerated and everyone knows it, including your stubborn brother who is only forced to follow the rules. Your captain is already planning on how to stop your execution so don't lose hope, Rukia." said Naruto which made Rukia look at him surprised.
"Captain Ukitake will try to save me?" Rukia bewildered at hearing this as she saw Naruto give her a reassuring nod and that made her hope to actually live to see another day.
"Not just him but there are many among the captains who saw the injustice of your punishment. Although, expect help to come at the last second, you know how those people like to make a flashy entrance." said Naruto which made Rukia giggle feeling relieved.
"Thank you, I feel oddly at peace hearing this." Said Rukia because even if she were to end up being executed, knowing that there are people out there who worked hard to stop the execution made her happy.
After that, Naruto turned around as he and Soifon left through Flash Step leaving the Kidō corps member to sigh in relief as they escorted Rukia away to her execution.
"It's really satisfying seeing that bastard Gin have that fear in his eyes. I've never really liked him." said Soifon and Naruto didn't really blame her.
Gin had always unnerved and annoyed a lot of people, he always had that air around him that made you wary of him. Even a low ranking soul reaper would not trust him but would be obligated to follow his order since he was a captain.
"I'm glad you've enjoyed it. I just had to make sure to remind him not to mess with me or mess with Soul Society." said Naruto with a smirk.
He didn't have anything against Gin since honestly, they can't take the moral high ground. Soul Society is not an organization of heroes or some bunch of good Samaritan wanting to do good. They're simply protecting the interest of Soul Society and ensuring that they remain at the top.
Given that he comes from a shinobi village, the transition from being a shinobi to a soul reaper wasn't that much of a big deal. Soul Society follows strict laws that shouldn't be broken, their ultimate mission is to maintain the balance that had been persevered for countless centuries.
It doesn't matter if you're innocent or not, if you threaten that balance then you'll be dealt with quickly. This is how Soul Society works and this is how it operated for the past thousands of years since it was founded.
Still...Naruto wasn't the type of person who blindly followed the rules like Byakuya Kuchiki. If he feels that those rules are a hindrance then he will break them and they can't punish him for the simple reason that when he did break the rules, he saved soul society from a crisis.
The Aizen situation is also one of the many cases where he broke rules and he wasn't punished for it because he exposed Aizen, Tōsen and Ichimaru betrayal to Soul Society. He only got reprimanded by the Captain Commander and that was just formality but Yamamoto honestly never cared since he knew he only ever broke the rule for the sake and safety of Soul Society.
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"How? Right now, he can't use his eyes, ears or nose. He can't even sense spiritual pressure!" Thought Tōsen panting for air as despite the advantage that he had over Zaraki but for some reason he can never land a hit.
"So how...is he able to counter me?!" Said Tōsen as he rushed once more swinging his sword towards the side of Zaraki hoping to land a fatal blow.
The moment Tōsen blade touched Zaraki's captain coat, he immediately dodged at the very last second which frustrated Tōsen to no end.
"Again! He dodges a fatal blow at the last second!" Thought Tōsen but had to bend back quickly when Zaraki's sword was thrusted towards his face as he backflipped away creating distance between the two of them.
"Every time he parries, his counterattacks get more accurate too! Is he really a monster, after all?" Thought Tōsen as he looked at Zaraki who remained unmoving from his position.
"I got a hit in this time. Just a graze but still...A Bankai that deprives the senses is a nuisance. But at least I still have my sense of touch. And as long as I have that...I can feel the moment his blade makes contact, then dodge and counterattack. At least that way, I won't die. My blade is starting to make little hits...but this is getting boring. It's more fun when you can cut and slash." Thought Zaraki, as he raised his blade.
"Now then...I can't see and I can't hear. As for the spiritual pressure, I never felt much of it to begin with. Damn it! Why do I have to waste time thinking like this?! So Stupid!" Thought Zaraki with an annoyed look.
"You should use your instincts and swing!" Said Yachiru who was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.
"That's what I'm doing!" Thought Zaraki as if replying to ghost Yachiru before another ghost took its place which was his second seat Ikkaku.
"Maybe you should try using that thing...you know, your mind's eye to see?" Said a ghost of Ikkaku who is also a figment of his imagination.
"If I could do that, I wouldn't be having this problem!" Thought Zaraki, replying to ghost Ikkaku who disappeared and took his place, was his current 4th seat, Yumuchika.
"What would I do? Let's see...I'd give up, in a beautiful way." Said Yumuchika, the narcissist of squad 11.
"Just die." Thought Zaraki as the ghost of Yumuchika disappeared but then a realization dawned on him and gave a grin.
"Hold it...that's it! An easy way to see his position." Thought Zaraki with a confident grin which annoyed Tōsen who was rushing at him for another attack.
"He's smiling again. After all this, he still enjoys the fight? You're dangerous, Kenpachi Zaraki! You're too dangerous to be allowed to live!" Thought Tōsen as he stabbed Zaraki in the chest which surprised him.
"He didn't doge...Or...was it that he couldn't dodge?" Wondered Tōsen to himself but he forgot that part of Zaraki's reputation was centered around the fact that nobody can kill him.
Immediately, Zaraki grabbed onto Tōsen's hand which is used to run his sword through his chest and greeted him with a bloodthirsty grin.
"Hey! Long time no see!" Said Zaraki now being able to see and hear Tōsen as he looked at the shocked expression on Tōsen's face.
"Impossible!" Shouted Tōsen only to be slashed from his left shoulder to his right waist causing blood to burst out but Zaraki was intending to not let the traitor have an easy and painless death.
"I can see now. I can hear, too. Is it because I'm holding you? Or... is it because I'm touching your sword?" Asked Zaraki as he gripped onto Tōsen's hand as he forcefully pulled the sword out of his chest while still holding onto Tōsen's arm.
"Either way it doesn't matter. Bring on the next attack. I've got the hang of it now. Next time, I'll grab your arm before your blade sinks into me." Said Zaraki as he let go of Tōsen trying to make this fun for him.
"Damn it! I won't lose...I won't lose to you!" thought Tōsen, a part of his own uniform being ripped revealing a part of his chest which was bleeding as he thought about the reason for his view of justice.
"If justice is what's lacking...I will become justice incarnate. And all of the evil in this world shall be blown away like the clouds, with all the justice in my being!" Shouted Tōsen as he rushed towards Zaraki with his sword raised up ready to kill Zaraki.
Sadly for him, he had underestimated the adaptability of Captain of squad 11 who easily grabbed his hand before the attack could connect to his shoulder. Zaraki was bored, losing interest as he looked at Tōsen seeing why Naruto had ordered for the man's death.
"I have never liked you from the very beginning, people like you are the ones who talk about justice but you people are the ones who commit crimes." Said Zaraki while Tōsen glared at him.
"Like you're one to talk you brute! You're everything that is wrong in this society and I will defeat you for I'm justice Incarnate!" Shouted Tōsen as he tried to wrestle his hand out of Zaraki's grip but his fate was already sealed the moment he used Bankai.
"Funny, I wonder why Naruto had ordered me to eliminate you if you're a justice incarnate." Zaraki said mockingly, taking Tōsen off guard.
"What did you just say?!" Asked Tōsen loudly as everything dawned on him realizing that Naruto knew everything about their plan or rather Aizen's plan.
"I was never made privy of the details but I was told that you, Ichimaru and that bastard Aizen are planning to betray Soul Society. You've underestimated Naruto and overestimated yourself." Said Zaraki with a wicked grin that left the blind captain speechless.
"I see...I should have trusted my gut feeling when it told me that Namikaze was a threat to Aizen path of justice. He should have been disposed of all those years ago before he could hinder our desire for justice." Said Tōsen with anger.
It now dawned on him why after they had dealt with the exiled soul reapers, he had suddenly started to feel like he was being watched but even when he tried to investigate this unknown feeling of dread, he had come empty handed. Tōsen had quickly realized that like Aizen, they had underestimated Naruto.
Naruto had truly played them all for a fool, he played the role of a clueless inexperienced captain who was still somewhat shaken from Yoruichi's and the others' supposed betrayal to Soul Society after all, his own lieutenant was in denial after the reveal.
"You will die here and the thing is...I will go scot free the very next day with a good reward for my trouble. All of that bullshit about justice means nothing to me since you won't be alive to see it through." Said Zaraki as he tightened his grip even more on his sword.
"You should have thought twice before baring your fang on a sleeping dragon like Naruto because it will cost you greatly." Said Zaraki as he raised his sword and faster than Tōsen could react he was cleaved in half before following with a decapitation.
The Bankai shattered as Komamura stared in horror to see the dead body of his friend. Shūhei Hisagi, who is the lieutenant of the 9th division, fell to his knees as he witnessed his captain dead.
"A fitting end for trash!" said Kenpachi unsympathetically as he turned to look at Komamura with a grin.
"Captain Tōsen!!" Shouted Hisagi as he rushed as fast as he could, arriving only to see the way he was brutally executed.
"ZARAKI!!!" Screamed Komamura in pure uncontrollable anger as he rushed while shouting his own Banaki but Zaraki was having none of it as he slashed through Komamura sending him flying and tumbling through the ground.
"Why are you surprised? He came to me with the intention to kill from the start because of his stupid and meaningless justice so he should be prepared to die for them." said Zaraki like it was the most normal thing.
"They're not meaningless nor are they stupid. A criminal like you would never understand something of this magnitude!" Shouted an outraged Komamura who couldn't accept his friend's death.
Hisagi tried a reckless and suicidal attack on Kenpachi in hopes of taking his revenge for his captain's death only to be backhanded by Kenpachi who didn't even use his own Zanpakutō deeming the lieutenant to be an insignificant bug whose blood would repulse his Zanpakutō rather then please it.
"You're right, I don't understand them and I never cared in the first place to understand them. Justice? A world where all evil perishes? I don't want to know what rubbish like him thinks." Zaraki said dismissing the words said to him.
"We're soul reapers, our job has always been swinging our swords to kill our enemy. Our sword should be used to spill blood of those who dare to oppose us, this is what he failed to understand, not even able to land a fatal blow on me." said Zaraki with a grin on his face.
Ikkaku and Yumichika stared in shock that their Captain would take it that far as to kill another Captain. They weren't ignorant that this might get Kenpachi Zaraki even more in trouble.
"You're a sickness that plagues our society, Tōsen was right, you should be dealt with!" Shouted Komamura as he stood, his face now revealed after his mask was cut in half but Zaraki didn't care even when faced with Komamura's beastly look.
"Enough! Fighting you will only bore me to death, you can't even stand on both your feet. I will accept your challenge for a duel to the death once this is over but honestly, I don't expect much to begin with." Said Zaraki as he turned around as Komamura realized bitterly that he lost his fight.
"Remember this, Kenpachi Zaraki! Tōsen's death won't go unpunished, you hear me! Master Genryūsai will hear about your transgression and will give a fitting punishment for a criminal like you!" Shouted Komamura but it didn't faze Kenpachi in the slightest who grinned at him maliciously.
"Let's see if I'm really going to be punished but just to let you know, I will be going scot free like I've always done. Soul Society has always valued strength and weaklings like him have always been collateral damage." Said Zaraki with a grin.
It was then that he left followed by Ikkaku and Yumuchika who looked back to stare at Hisagi who was weeping over his own captain's body. They felt bad but they steeled themselves and left as well.
They truly believed in their captain, they knew the man too well and knew that he wouldn't do something without reason. Even Kenpachi's last message told them that their captain was confident and knew he would be getting out scot free.
Zaraki honestly didn't bother to tell Komamura or the others the reason why he made such a decision. He knew it was early to reveal something like that, at least he got to warm up a little even if Tōsen was trash.
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