Yamamoto Genryūsai caught up with Kyōraku and Ukitake, but this time, Kyōraku was followed by three girls.
Old Man Yamamoto opened his eyes, and in that instant, the Reiatsu reached an unimaginable intensity. Just like in the original work, Nanao and Lisa Yadōmaru were about to suffocate. At this moment, Jō unleashed his Shikai, taking the pressure for his two younger sisters.
"What a useful Shikai! Take the girls and leave. This isn't a battlefield for you!" Because it wasn't as terrible as in the original work, the Old Man Yamamoto wasn't as Evil Words abusive.
He wiped away the sweat that had seeped out of his brow. "Then we'll retreat now. I really didn't expect this. I can only say you truly live up to your Captain-Commander."
"Thank goodness you're here~, Jing," Kyōraku smiled happily, "It's all my fault for bringing you to this battlefield. You've done enough, that's enough, leave now."
"But!" Nanao was truly terrified; she was extremely worried about Kyōraku.
Jing hugged the little girl, looked at Lisa Yadōmaru, Lisa Yadōmaru nodded to indicate that she could still move. Jing then used Shunpo to carry Nanao away, and Lisa Yadōmaru disappeared with her.
"To possess such strength as a woman, after all these years, besides Unohana and Hikifune, they are the strongest. Kyōraku, your taste in women is just like when you were in school."
Kyōraku scratched his head awkwardly, "Teacher~, please forgive me for doing something so embarrassing."
"Although you changed your personality after becoming captain, and then reverted back to your old self five hundred years ago, you will always be my most prized disciple. I can see your heart and your perseverance. Ukitake, you are the same; although you are physically weak, your will is firm!"
"Although your personalities are very different, in battle, your strength, your meticulousness and perseverance are both the best. You two are the most outstanding disciples I have ever had since the academy was founded, and the fastest students to become captains. You two are like my sons, and I am very proud of you."
"I've always believed that although our sentiments differ, the paths we walk are the same," Yamamoto's cane, gradually fading under the flames, revealed its true form, and the old man grasped his knife. "I'm very frustrated."
"Teacher! We," Ukitake wanted to explain further.
"Stop talking, let's fight," Kyōraku said, knowing the old man wasn't one to reason, and stopped Ukitake.
"All things in the universe turn to ashes! Ryūjin Jakka!"
"Flowers flutter in disarray, the flower goddess weeps, the heavenly winds rage, the heavenly demon sneers, and the Katen Kyōkotsu!"
"All flowing waves, become my shield; all lightning, become my blade! Sōgyo no Kotowari!"
The old man's lips curled slightly. "The only two Shikai -wielding Shikai in Soul Society appearing together—it's breathtaking no matter how many times I see it! Haha, come on! Let me see how much you've improved!"
"I'm sorry!" x2
As soon as they finished speaking, they vanished from the left and right, reappearing in a pincer attack. However, Yamamoto had already stepped forward, his Ryūjin Jakka Sōgyo no Kotowari. The flames were completely absorbed, but Ukitake was also sent flying. Then the old man took another step forward, spinning and slashing fiercely, while Kyōraku had already disappeared.
Suddenly, a pillar of fire appeared on the ground, about a meter in diameter. Kyōraku cleaved it in two with a gust of wind from his twin swords. Meanwhile, a wave of fire shot towards them from afar—a reflection of the power Ukitake had absorbed. The Captain-Commander slashed with his sword, and the two flames canceled each other out.
Neither side fought at full strength; otherwise, considering their combat prowess during the war in Hueco Mundo, the Captain-Commander's Ryūjin Jakka Shikai would already be at a level of Sealed Blade. Furthermore, Kyōraku's abilities are unsuitable for use against his own people—why gamble his life against his teacher?
Just as the old man Yamamoto said, this was merely a sparring match between master and disciple, without any intention to kill. It was simply that the Old Man Yamamoto's abilities were too strong; even with his suppression, Kyōraku and Ukitake had to use six or seven tenths of their strength to fight back.
Neither side used their ultimate moves or killing techniques; it was merely a contest of footwork and swordsmanship. It's understandable that the original work didn't show this part; honestly, there's not much to say about it.
On the Sōkyoku Hill, the Kaien and His Wife blocked the four Vice-Captains: Chōjirō Sasakibe, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, Makoto Kibune, and Soga Dōsan.
"I think everyone should calm down," Kaien's flower was a Trident, held horizontally, blocking the way for several people. "Don't you find it strange that several captains betrayed us together? And what about Kyōraku and Ukitake, two veteran captains?"
Chōjirō Sasakibe, the Old Man, had already Shikai. Amidst flashes of lightning, he frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
What I'm trying to say is that we both have our own difficulties, so why don't we wait a bit?
Before Sasakibe could say anything, a fierce battle erupted behind them. Ichigo's Zangetsu and Byakuya's Asauchi clashed, the immense force of the impact stunning the six of them. They instinctively shifted their positions, moving away from the now-serious battlefield.
Byakuya was forced to retreat continuously by Ichigo's power. He was currently only Asauchi, and the weight of Zangetsu combined with Ichigo's brute force was indeed difficult to handle.
"Hadō #4, Byakurai"
Byakuya's Byakurai forced Ichigo back. Ichigo patted the spot that had been grazed, still emitting blue smoke, and exclaimed, "Ah~ that's Kidō, right? Troublesome ability."
"Don't worry, I won't use Kidō on you again. Scatter, Senbonzakura!" Byakuya realized that Ichigo was no longer the weakling he once World of the Living; the current Ichigo possessed the strength to fight him.
"Oh! So this is the Shikai that defeated me back then! But! I am no longer the same person I was then, Getsuga Tenshō!"
The powerful Getsuga Tenshō was once again blocked by the petal shield. Byakuya's control over the petals was far superior to that of the original work. In this timeline, Byakuya has parents, an aunt, and uncle, unlike the orphan in the original work who was left with only one family member. He has plenty of people to teach him his skills, making him no less capable than Ichigo with his protagonist's Ichigo armor.
Ichigo Shunpo to appear behind Byakuya, but before his sword could strike, he immediately Shunpo to move away. It turned out that a very thin blade, consisting of only a single petal, had grazed past Ichigo, nearly slicing him in half.
Byakuya manipulated a petal shield with one hand, while the other hand, with its fingers spread wide, had five streams of petals of varying thickness flowing around him. With a slight flick of his middle finger, the longest stream of petals shot Ichigo Byakuya.
Ichigo raised his sword and slashed fiercely, splitting the petal stream in two. Just as Ichigo a sigh of relief, he saw Byakuya change his hand gesture. His ring finger and little finger touched, and the two smallest petal streams merged. Then, his ring finger and middle finger touched, and the two petal streams that had been cut apart separated and shot back.
Meanwhile, the petal shield on the other side had already neutralized the Getsuga Tenshō. Byakuya loosened his clenched fist, and the petal shield exploded into five identical petal streams. Then, with a powerful flick of his five fingers, he unleashed all five petal streams simultaneously towards Ichigo.
Ichigo suddenly disappeared, but the remaining petals formed a shield around Byakuya, blocking Ichigo's slash, before Explosion and flying away. Meanwhile, the petals that had been thrown out earlier immediately returned to Byakuya's side.
"So this is such a troublesome sword?" Ichigo was a bit troubled; his opponent had more swords than him. But a reckless man has his ways. "Getsuga Tenshō!"
The petal shield, which had solidified again, blocked Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō. Ichigo then Shunpo positions and launch another attack, which was also blocked by the petal shield. Ichigo switched positions again and assumed a fighting stance, then suddenly lunged forward, but it was too late. His back was slashed with numerous wounds. It turned out that Byakuya had also used Shunpo to get behind Ichigo.
The petal shield shattered with a crash, and the Getsuga Tenshō collided and exploded. Byakuya raised his hand, and countless petals swirled around him. "Did you think I couldn't move just because I stood still?"
Ichigo blushed slightly. Could he really admit that he thought that way? But Ichigo immediately smiled confidently, "Your Shikai can indeed counter my current abilities, but I know your weakness!"
Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Weakness? Tell me."
"That's speed! Can you keep up with me? Release! Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo shouted suddenly, releasing his speed, even his clothes changed.
However, since Ichigo's Shikai Thunder Charge Shikai given to Isuzu five hundred years ago, there have been Shikai where his clothing changed during Ichigo, so it's not surprising. Byakuya didn't underestimate Ichigo either; he gathered flower petals in one hand and swung out the other, sending a huge petal blade hurtling towards Ichigo like Getsuga Tenshō.
However, with a single, swift Ichigo, Ichigo easily cleaved through the stream of petals. Byakuya had anticipated this, and with a clenched fist, petals instantly surrounded Ichigo from all sides. But Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu, with its rapid-fire attacks that even Captain-level Soul Reaper couldn't see, deflected all the petals one by one.
"Are you underestimating me? This is my solution! Show me yours now, or you'll lose!"
"I truly underestimated you. To gain understanding in such a short time seems to have made you think the solution is so simple. Very well, I'll show you what the solution really is. Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
As the enormous sword blades behind Byakuya transformed into a sea of countless flower petals, Ichigo remained unfazed. "It's just the evolution of Shikai, isn't it? You still can't keep up with my speed!"
Ichigo vanished, his figure reappearing in all directions, but Byakuya didn't try to catch Ichigo. He raised his left hand, and a flower petal enveloped him.
"Threefold Cherry Blossom Fall!"
A sea of cherry blossom petals suddenly erupted from beside Byakuya, forcing Ichigo, who was charging towards him, to the side. The sea of cherry blossoms then slammed to the ground, Ichigo back again.
Then the petals on the ground split into two streams. One stream spread outwards along the ground, while the other shot upwards again. The stream in the sky then slammed back down onto the ground, this time slamming down the stream that had been spread out before the explosion. Finally, the stream that had been exploded slammed back down onto the ground.
This is the Threefold Cherry Blossom Fall. After this move ends, nothing grows within a hundred meters of Byakuya; the ground is covered with flower petals.
Byakuya looked up at the sky and, as expected, Ichigo had dodged the second cherry blossom fall, hiding in the air—a perfectly normal maneuver. Byakuya raised his hand and beckoned to Ichigo, but Ichigo's expression turned serious.
These petals weren't created for nothing; with such a massive quantity (in the millions), if they're not used properly and are constantly moved around, they'll naturally be useless, just like in the original work.
But Byakuya is different now. Senbonzakura is a sword that inherits the glory of the Kuchiki. It is the heirloom of the Kuchiki family, which has been the number one Kuchiki Clan family since the beginning of the Soul Society, regardless of the era of the great noble families.
The essence of Senbonzakura is like that of the Kuchiki Clan: calm, composed, and dignified. They are unhurried, unconcerned with others, and focused solely on themselves. When the head of the Kuchiki Clan can completely control Senbonzakura, that is when the Kuchiki is invincible.
It possesses a kind of indomitable spirit, like the saying, "Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain; let him be arrogant, the bright moon still shines on the great river."
The Kuchiki have been passed down for thousands of years. What storms haven't they weathered? Speed, strength, wisdom—all those things have vanished. Only the Thousand Kuchiki remain. This is the essence of the Senbonzakura Blossoms.
Byakuya stretched out his arms in a defenseless stance, but the area within Senbonzakura, yet Byakuya remained indifferent.
"Come! Let me! Let this Kuchiki witness your power! Your speed, which you pride yourself on! Come on!"