63 Meeting the Heat

Somewhere deep, deep under the Seireitei was a prison. The prison had many layers for various criminals, but the lowest layer was the most secure. However, there was only one prisoner in this deepest layer. Seated on an immovable chair, covered in seals and ropes, a lone man without a single part of his body exposed sat silently. His face and body were covered and wrapped in sealing ropes and sealing wraps.

Although he could break the seals and escape, he didn't bother. His Reiatsu and spiritual awareness had been growing continuously under the suppression of the sealing. After being in complete silence and darkness, he was able to calm down and think rationally. He realized that, at some point, he had been manipulated. That "thing" which was called the Soul King had invaded his mind and threatened him with destruction.

As a young Soul Reaper, he was horrified. He began to improve himself with a blind fervor. At first, he did things as he was taught. However, he soon discovered it was too slow. He began to blur the lines between right and wrong and began experimenting on souls. He became addicted to power and thus, ended up beaten and imprisoned. However, as soon as he was sealed, the little voice that urged him to become stronger stopped.

Aizen sighed behind the sealing mask at his foolishness. He was played as a fool. However, he would only be imprisoned for ten-thousand years. Once he was freed, he would easily take over the Soul Society and become the leader. The hogyoku had made him near-immortal after all. His awareness improved every day, until he could reach the Seireitei above and start spying on his old comrades. That was when he noticed strange movements.

Two strong souls disappeared within weeks of each other, and then a third, much stronger soul, took on their Reiatsu signature. Then, that soul changed again and met up with another powerful soul. They left Seireitei just outside of his perception range. However, he soon saw every strong soul leave Seireitei towards them. Then the shockwaves of their battle reverberated through the ground making him realize what had happened.

Aizen extrapolated all of the data and cross referenced it with his memory of the structure of Seireitei and the power levels of the souls by rank. He was able to determine the two missing souls were Unohana and his former captain, Shinji. The souls fighting together at the moment were Unohana and Kenpachi. He had already determined Unohana's real identity long ago, but if this is an imposter, why are they battling with Kenpachi? His mind was very acute and he soon figured out what was happening and was fairly certain who the imposter was.

'I see. It seems I will be released a lot earlier than expected. You've found yourself a much better pawn, Soul King. Well done.'

…

The barrier corps had eventually established a large barrier to prevent the shockwaves from harming anyone. The battle had been going on for several hours already but seemed to be winding down. Most of the observers didn't understand the origin of Unohana and had assumed that Kenpachi forced her to fight. What amazed them was how she was beating him. Only the older captains knew that she was the first Kenpachi and an old monster that retired due to Zaraki.

The thing most Soul Reapers were excited about was seeing her bankai. Bankai was a representation of peak power and a symbol of a captain. When they saw Unohana's bankai many were very impressed and tried to analyze its properties. Feeling the transformation reaching its limit, Unohana decided to end things quickly. She already got what she wanted and placed everything in one attack.

"I'll end the fight in one attack, Zaraki. Don't slack off or you might really die here."

"Die? How could I die when I've finally fought you again!"

The two of them squeezed out all of their Reiatsu in one final clash, but everyone could instantly tell that Unohana had far more than Zaraki. The difference in Reiatsu was like a cat facing a lion. When their swords clashed, the sound of metal snapping echoed through the valley. Zaraki had barely blocked the attack and survived, but his Zanpakuto was destroyed. He fell backwards as Unohana's arm gushed out in blood. The ending was very disappointing since he simply was not her match anymore.

Unohana reached down and grabbed him by his clothes. Making eye contact with Yamamoto she bowed her head and disappeared. Those strong enough noticed she was returning to the Seireitei towards the medical relief station. The medical squad began to treat Zaraki immediately since Unohana was exhausted from battle. She sat down in the corner and observed. Little Yachiru eventually arrived at Unohana's side.

"So, you are the lady Kenny has been looking for all this time?"

"That's right little Yachiru. When I heard that he named you after me I was embarrassed. It reminded me of my pathetic defeat."

"But you are stronger than Kenny? Does that mean Kenny will no longer be Kenny?"

"Don't worry, little Yachiru. As long as I'm around, you won't disappear."

"What… do you mean?"

"You should know best. As long as I am alive, Zaraki can never learn your name."

Yachiru made a scary expression. She couldn't decide whether or not Unohana was an enemy. But since she could defeat Zaraki, that means she was strong enough to beat her. Zaraki had to get over this hurdle himself. She could only encourage and aid him. Unohana stood up after finishing talking and left to her private chamber. The transformation was ending soon and she knew Orihime would be unconscious for a while. After setting up a privacy barrier, she changed back and passed out on the futon.

When Orihime woke, she immediately transformed into Unohana again and went to her office. There was a summons from Yamamoto, which she expected. This was the whole point of fighting Zaraki. She made her way to the first division headquarters and hadn't even bothered to do her braid anymore. She kept her dark and vicious look and no longer pretended to be kind and gentle. Many of her subordinates were frightened by her aura while the division eleven subordinates waiting for Zaraki to recover had their blood boiling when she walked past them.

Arriving at the first division, she was ushered into a private meeting between her and Yamamoto. She considered for a second taking this opportunity to take him out, however, now wasn't the time. She doubted she could take him by surprise and even if she did, the killing blow would not be easy like the victims so far. She stood in front of him as he watched her without saying anything. Unohana had been giving him a vicious and predatory grin the whole time. Yamamoto was well acquainted with the old Unohana, that is why she was forced to sign a pact.

"You have gone against the pact you made with me all those years ago. You are no longer fit to be captain or part of the Court Guards. Your actions will result in your immediate expulsion and exile. You will return to your days of wandering the barrens of Soul Society. Was it worth it?"

"Of course. I grew tired of living as a fake. Once I was confident to beat him, I simply took back what was mine. I hope you don't die too soon, Old Man."

With those words left behind, she ripped off her Haori and used Shunpo and left the Seireitei. She felt her body loosen and the feeling of being free from the bureaucracy of the Court Guards coursed through her. Although she pretended to be kind and gentle, this was a façade. Once she was far enough away and shook off any tails, she transformed into Oetsu. Using the coordinates set in the World of the Living, he was able to open a portal directly to the Gate of the World which leads to the Quincy army.

However, as soon as he stepped through, a beam of fire shot toward him with the intention to kill. Fortunately, his reflexes and perception were far greater than before and he easily evaded it. Oetsu look over and saw a man with a red mohawk staring at him. Two men with mohawk's glared at each other for a while until the man clothed in white spoke up.

"Took your damn time to arrive. I've been bored as hell waiting to fight someone. Since you have a good sense of style, I'll introduce myself so you know who killed you. I am Bazz-B designated "H" of the Sternritter. Burner Finger Two."

A thick beam of concentrated flames shot out from his two fingers, causing the air to burn in its wake. However, Oetsu simply pointed his own two fingers and used a technique developed by Orihime. A beam of flames shot out similarly and collided with his. The two beams struck each other and exploded. When the dust cleared, Bazz-B smiled and put four fingers together.

"Lets dance."