6/8

Yoruichi's counterattack was immediately. Punching the air with both fists, twin blasts of white lighting shot out of her gauntlets and struck the wraith right in the face. Not even waiting to see the initial damage, Yoruichi Flash Stepped forward and began laying into the creature with a barrage of swift and powerful blows. When her eyes met those of the wraith, she scowled as she saw that it didn't have so much as a mark on it.

"How hard do I have to hit you for you to stay down?" she snarled as she caught its sword with her left gauntlet and nailed it in the jaw with her right, "Let's find out!"

The wraith did briefly appear to be dazed by the hit, but it recovered all too quickly. It made a broad sweep with its sword, forcing Yoruichi to pull back. Fresh blue flames began to dance along the blade again, and a moment later they concentrated at the tip and shot out like a bolt from a crossbow. Yoruichi was ready, with both gauntleted-hands stretched out before her and her spirit energy flowing through them. Another salvo of white lightning ripped forth, cutting right through the flames and dispersing them before hitting the wraith's lower torso. Again, the wraith seemed to recoil slightly from the hit, but only for a moment.

I can give it pause, but no more than that, she thought as she charged forward again, I need to ramp up the pressure if I'm going to take this bastard down!

Rather than attack her foe head-on, she Flash Stepped past it. Once she was behind it, she instantly turned around and took another Flash Step, this time slamming her fists into the creature's back. There was a hellish screech unlike the responses she'd gotten from her previous hits, but the wraith still countered with a wide swing from its sword almost immediately after the hit. Duking beneath the blow, Yoruichi saw unmatched hatred and malice in its gaze as it whirled around to face her; to say it was pissed would be a monumental understatement.

She refused to let its inhuman glare intimidate her. Pressing her assault, she pounded the wraith with a furious series of punches and kicks, culminating in a devastatingly powerful right hook that caught the abomination right in the neck. Yoruichi's spirit energy was surging through her gauntlets as the strike connected; a lesser foe would've had its head torn right off by such a blow. For a moment, it looked like this opponent might suffer exactly that fate as her armored fist ripped into its neck, but a sudden flare in the wraith's spirit energy indicated that this wouldn't be the fatal hit of the match. Flash Stepping back in case her enemy was about to unleash another powerful attack, her eyes widened as she saw the gash in its neck quickly seal up.

"Regeneration," she murmured, "That's a nasty little trick…"

She'd known from the start that taking this thing down would be difficult, but this presented a whole new challenge. Still, Yoruichi didn't have the luxury of backing down. Raising her gauntlets to block a powerful overhand sword strike, she unleashed another blindingly fast assault. There had to be a limit to the wraith's regenerative abilities, and she was going to find it one way or another.

….

Blades darting through the air like hummingbirds, Shisui and his four doppelgangers were waging a furious defense. Visaelya couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him fight like this; even his clash against the Hollows during the joint operation with Squad Ten when he'd saved her life and they'd first met didn't come close to measuring up to this. There was a constant stream of wights pouring forth from the portal, yet Squad Two's Tenth Seat was still proving himself more than capable of thinning out the horde. None of his doppelgangers had gone down yet, and the Soul Reaper himself didn't even look close to tired.

Appearances could be deceiving, though. Visaelya was no fool; for all the incredible power and skill that he was displaying now, Shisui surely couldn't hold out forever. A general rule with Zanpakutōs was that the more impressive their abilities were, typically the more power they required in order to be sustained over a prolonged period. It was difficult to tell just how much spirit energy Shisui needed in order to maintain his four clones and keep them fighting, but Visaelya was sure that it was a considerable amount. If she and Aika didn't step things up, the Tenth Seat could end up wearing himself out trying to protect them.

Visaelya was determined to not let that happen. There was still so much she wanted to learn from him, not to mention the fact that she very much considered herself in his debt for saving her life when she was a student. She refused to allow him to fall here, and would do everything in her power to ensure he lived to fight another day. That meant breaking out of her support role and becoming more proactive in the fight, something she was all in favor of doing even if Shisui would undoubtedly disapprove.

Cutting down a wight, she shifted her sword to her right hand while holding out her left. "Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"

A crimson blast of spirit energy shot forth, obliterating another wight that had slipped past Shisui and his doppelgangers. The move left Visaelya momentarily vulnerable, but she wasn't worried; Aika had her covered.

Indeed, the Twentieth Seat was more than holding her own in this fight. Perhaps it was simply because their backs were to the metaphorical wall, but her Zanjutsu was showing none of the hesitation that had been characteristic in her form before now. As a wight tried to cut down Visaelya while was shifting from her spell casting stance to guard, Aika swiftly intercepted the creature and thrust her Zanpakutō right through its chest. The two young women could only share a brief nod in acknowledgement before they were forced to confront more of the abominations, but it at least gave Visaelya greater confidence in her comrade's ability to watch her back.

"We need to seal that portal!" Aika called out as she cut down another wight.

"I know that!" Visaelya replied while thrusting her blade through one of the monsters' skulls, "Any ideas?"

Aika nodded, although the gesture wasn't as confident as Visaelya would've hoped. "I might. Can you cover me? I'm going to need a bit of time to build up my spirit energy for this."

"How much time?" asked Visaelya as she took down three wights with a broad slash.

"About thirty seconds!" Aika answered.

Visaelya nodded; the margin was tight, but doable. "All right, then. Just make it quick!"

Aika stepped back and sheathed her sword before holding out both hands before her. Visaelya took up position in front of her, bracing herself for the onslaught.

It wasn't long in coming; despite Shisui's best efforts to stem the tide, there was still a steady trickle of wights getting through him and his doppelgangers. Cutting down the first wight to get through, Visaelya then took a quick step back and held out her left hand, already gathering spirit energy.

"Hadō 33: Sōkatsui!" she shouted.

A wave of blue-white energy shot forth, incinerating four more wights that had made it past Shisui. Visaelya didn't have any time to rest on her laurels and was forced to engage yet another monstrosity with her sword mere seconds after unleashing the spell. She put the creature down with a clean strike through its neck and swiftly transitioned into a thrust aimed at the one behind it, catching the following wight in the gut.

"Any time now, Aika!" Visaelya yelled as she blocked a knife strike from another monster before cutting it down.

That was when she felt a surge of power from the Twentieth Seat, one Visaelya had not thought was possible from her. "Roppō Fūjin!"

Green spirit energy shot out from between her hands and converged on the portal. That energy swiftly formed itself into a three-dimensional cross-shaped barrier, with the portal locked in the center of it. Fresh wights coming out of the portal immediately found themselves stymied by this unexpected obstacle, and the creatures began to pile up against the barrier. With the flow of enemies halted, Shisui was able to mop of the rest of the monstrosities in just a few seconds.

Visaelya couldn't help but openly gape; the barrier spell Aika had used was a highly advanced one, and it required a considerable amount of power and skill to utilize. It was one of those spells that was mentioned at the Academy and described in textbooks and scrolls, but not actually taught to students by the instructors out of the belief that none of them would be capable of performing it without developing their abilities through field experience as Soul Reapers.

I knew Aika was gifted in Kidō, she thought as she studied the barrier in fascination, but I never realized that she was capable of something like this!

That was when she heard heavy breathing behind her, and when she turned around, she gasped at the state Aika was in. Her brow and face were absolutely drenched with sweat, and she looked like she could barely stand. Her arms were trembling as she tried to draw her sword again, and her footing was so unsteady she seemed on the verge of collapse.

"It… worked," she gasped as she desperately fought to keep herself upright, "I… don't know… for how long, though."

Visaelya saw Shisui shake his head, his crimson eyes narrowing as he studied the barrier, perhaps seeing something that she could not. "Not indefinitely, that's for sure. Aika, that took everything you had, didn't it?"

Aika gave him a shaky nod. "Yes, but… it was all I could think of."

Shisui smiled. "I know. You did well, and you bought us time. Visaelya, keep her on her feet. The barrier at the door's still up, but without the wights getting in the way we've at least got a bit of time to find the source. Leave that to me."

Visaelya nodded as she moved to give Aika a shoulder to lean on. "Understood."

"Keep an eye on the barrier," Shisui ordered the two of them as he swept the room with his gaze, "There has to be something in here that's anchoring the portal. If I can find it, I can destroy it."

"Sounds good," said Visaelya, gulping nervously as she saw wights continuing to pile up against the emerald energy field, "Please hurry."

Even as she followed his orders and kept watch on the barrier, Visaelya kept one eye on Shisui as well, curious as to what he would do to get them out of this mess. She was also fascinated by the new intensity given to his gaze by the Sharingan, and she could not help but wonder why he had kept it a secret all this time. What was it capable of? She could clearly sense the way it amplified his spirit energy, and it surely gave him some kind of enhanced perception, but she wanted to know the details. Unfortunately, now was hardly the time for an extensive question-and-answer session.

It didn't take long for his gaze to fall upon the pedestal that had previously held the Nalatarin, and Visaelya saw his brow furrow. "Of course… I should've spotted that earlier."

"Shisui?" said Visaelya as he and his doppelgangers approached the pedestal.

"This pedestal was dominated by the energy from the artifact earlier," Shisui replied, "and even now, residual energy from it still coats it. That made it difficult earlier to get an accurate read on this thing. Turns out the anchor for the portal and the barrier is in here. You two should step back."

Visaelya did as he instructed, moving until she and Aika were as far back as possible. A moment later, she felt Shisui concentrate his spirit energy in his Zanpakutō, a gesture mirrored by his clones. The original and the four doppelgangers thrusts their blades into the pedestal as one, and there was a sudden spike in power that caused the outer surface to crack and then shatter a second later. At the heart of the pedestal, Visaelya could now see that there was a crystal emanating the same kind of spirit energy that was found throughout the rest of the Moon Tower. The blades of Shisui and his clones now pierced the crystal, and the sheer power flowing into the stone caused it to fracture and fall apart within seconds.

It did not take long for the results of Shisui's action to become apparent; within Aika's barrier, the portal swiftly collapsed in on itself and dissolved. The wights themselves remained, but their flow of reinforcements had finally been cut off.

Shisui's clones stepped forward, while the Tenth Seat himself remained behind them. "All right, then. Time to finish these guys off. Aika, how much longer can you maintain the barrier?"

"Just a few more seconds!" she cried out.

Shisui smiled. "Let it fall, then; you've done well."

Aika sighed with relief and slumped against Visaelya's shoulder. "Okay…"

The barrier vanished, and as the wights surged forward Shisui was ready for them. "Hadō 54: Haien!"

A blast of violet spirit energy hit the core of the mob, disintegrating several wights at once. Shisui's doppelgangers fell upon the survivors immediately, cutting them down with brutal efficiency. One straggler attempted to break through to attack Visaelya and Aika, but it was intercepted by Shisui, who relieved it of its head in a single fluid motion.

Beyond where the portal and the wights had once been, Visaelya saw that the barrier over the doorway had collapsed. For a moment, she feared that more wights would pour into the room, but there did not seem to be any further activity. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she could feel multiple fights taking place below them, but for the moment the top of the citadel appeared to be secure.

We should get going, she thought before looking at the friend she was supporting, but Aika…

The Twentieth Seat was in no shape to fight. Her breathing might've steadied somewhat, but it was clear that the barrier spell had taken a lot out of her. If they engaged in combat again so quickly, Aika wouldn't last long.

Shisui seemed to recognize that, because he gave the two young women a knowing look before issuing new orders. "You two stay right there. Don't move, you got it?"

Visaelya wondered what he had in mind, but guessed that she'd find out soon enough. "Of course."

His Zanpakutō reverted to its sealed state a moment later, with the doppelgangers vanishing. Sheathing his sword, Shisui then raised both hands and aimed the open palms towards Visaelya and Aika. His eyes still blazed with the Sharingan, and Visaelya found those crimson gems to be possessed with an almost haunting aura.

"Bane Hogo," he chanted, and bright pink energy shot forth from his hands.

Visaelya had to shield her eyes due to the intensity of the light as it engulfed her and Aika. When she was able to open them a few seconds later, she saw that she and her friend were surrounded by a cubical pink barrier. While the color itself was odd in that Visaelya couldn't recall any other barriers being pink, what really struck her was the sense of cool and refreshing energy permeating the air around her and Aika.

"This is a revitalization barrier," Shisui explained, "The Sharingan… it lets me copy certain spells and techniques. I had to spend quite a bit of time spying on members of Squad Four training before one used this particular barrier in my line of sight."

Visaelya was stunned at what he was saying. "Your eyes… they allow you to copy abilities?"

"With certain limitations," Shisui countered, "I'll elaborate after the mission. This barrier should help both of you regain some strength, although I can't maintain it very long; I need more training for that. I'll keep it up for five minutes and stand guard over the two of you, so sit down and soak up that energy, okay?"

Aika smiled. "Thank you."

Visaelya did the same as she gently lowered her friend to the ground. "Yeah… we owe you one."

Shisui smirked. "Don't mention it. Once your little break's up, we're heading for the ground floor. We're going to keep our fighting to a minimum; you two are getting out of this city. Once I know you're clear, I'll head back in to rejoin the others. No arguing here, you got that? You two have done more than your share of work today."

As much as she wanted to protest, Visaelya knew that Shisui was right. Giving him a simple nod of acknowledgement, she sat down next to Aika and allowed herself to soak up the rejuvenating energy within the barrier.

Lady Yoruichi… Itachi… everyone…

Please, survive.

….

"Quite the welcoming party," quipped Rija as she let fly with another arc of lighting.

Kisuke chuckled as he thrust Benihime through the skull of a stunned wight. "No kidding. They're not exactly a festive bunch, though."

"Good," said Mindiwo as he cut down the last of the monsters in this current wave, "They'd be even creepier if that were the case."

Kisuke had a hard time arguing with that sentiment. Given the choice between wights and Hollows, he'd fight the latter any day of the week. The wights weren't exactly hard to take down, but they had an unnerving quality to them that was wholly absent in the traditional enemies of the Soul Reapers. Perhaps it was simply the knowledge in how such monstrosities came to be that made them so unsettling, or knowing what kind of abomination their wills were now bound to. Kisuke had learned long ago that there were far worse fates than death, and becoming a wight was definitely one of those nightmarish ends that was far more horrific than the simple cycle of passing and reincarnation.

They were just one level above the ground floor now, and Kisuke was keen to complete the descent as quickly as possible. He could sense multiple surges in spiritual pressure below; the clashes taking place in the Moon Tower were rapidly intensifying. While his greatest concern was naturally with the wraith at the heart of this calamity, Kisuke wasn't blind to the broader situation. Whatever was happening down in the entrance hall, from what he could feel he guessed that the team Yoruichi had assigned to hold it could use some backup.

The last flight of stairs was ahead of them, and as he led the way he briefly looked over his shoulder at his subordinates. "As soon as we get down there, be ready to fight."

Rija nodded. "Don't have to tell me twice."

"Indeed," said Mindiwo.

At least they're ready, he thought, and they're in good shape to fight. All three of us are veterans; endurance in the field isn't an issue for us. I just hope that we won't be called upon to push that endurance to its limits.

Rushing down the last flight of stairs, Kisuke burst into the entrance hall with all the subtlety of a charging bull; he didn't have time for stealth. Fortunately for him, the combatants in the entrance hall were so focused on their frantic clash that Kisuke's group actually had the element of surprise on its side, and he intended to make full use of it.

There was a chill in the air of the entrance hall that hadn't been there before, and Kisuke already knew the source; Sixth Seat Katya had unleashed her Shikai. It only took a glance for him to spot her, and sure enough the sword she'd been carrying earlier was gone. In its place was a silver spear, its handle imbedded with diamonds and sapphires. Glowing dark blue runes ran up and down the weapon, with snowflakes trailing in its wake as its wielder put it to use. It had been quite some time since Kisuke had seen Shimo no Hebi in all its glory, and it was easy to see why Katya had felt the need to cut loose with it.

A portal had opened up at the back end of the entrance hall, and wights were spilling out of it. While her comrades guarded her flanks, Katya had taken up position directly in front of the portal. Whirling her spear around her, the Sixth Seat had turned herself into a one-woman bulwark against the horde. Wights struck directly by her weapon were reduced to naught but particles of spirit energy, while those who failed to dodge with a wide enough margin found their corrupted forms covered in frost. This was the power of Shimo no Hebi; any foe that was not slain outright by it and failed to give it the respectable distance it deserved would be coated in a frost that chilled them to the bone and sapped them of their strength.

Kisuke had seen its effects against Hollows, but upon closer inspection he realized it wasn't having quite the same impact on the wights. Yes, those that became coated in frost did slow down, but not nearly to the same degree as a Hollow or a human would. If Kisuke had to guess, he supposed that the undead nature of the wights meant that Shimo no Hebi's power was less effective against them. Katya needed help, and fortunately for her Kisuke's group was ready to provide it.

"Sing, Benihime!" he commanded.

A fresh wave of crimson energy shot forth, sweeping over the wights and reducing them to dust. It was enough to buy Katya's team a moment of respite, but fresh wights were already coming out of the portal.

"Take a breather, Katya," said Kisuke as his group stepped forward, "We'll give you a little room to regroup."

The Sixth Seat nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you."

Rija turned and smiled at the Ninth Seat. "I think you've got enough room to cut loose now, Mindiwo."

Mindiwo nodded, and Kisuke could already feel his spirit energy surging. "You're right. Devastate, Gyakusatsu no Akuma!"

His sword was shrouded in orange light before it transformed, elongating into a staff. The handle was obsidian, and at the top of the staff there was a black skull with flames blazing where eyes should've been. Its jaw hung open, as if whoever the skull had belonged to had died screaming in agony.

Mindiwo leveled his staff at the next wave of wights. "Decimate."

The skull at the head of the staff rotated so that it was facing the oncoming wights, and a sphere of orange energy flew from its open jaws. When it hit the front ranks of the approaching horde, it burst in a fierce explosion that rocked the entire entrance hall. Kisuke knew that the large blast was why the Ninth Seat hadn't used his Shikai while they were on the upper floors; in the tight hallways, such an explosion could've damaged the walls to the point of collapse. By contrast, down on the ground floor Mindiwo had the space he needed to cut loose with his Zanpakutō. No wights were left standing, but it was only a temporary reprieve; more were already coming out of the portal.

"Hold them off while I recharge," he requested.

Rija and Kisuke both stepped forward, their spirit energy surging. The Fifteenth Seat unleashed a wave of lightning, which Kisuke immediately followed-up with a burst of crimson energy. Their combined power stopped the next charge dead in its tracks, but Kisuke knew that this was just a momentary respite.

This nightmare won't end until it's been dealt with at its source, he thought, Yoruichi…

You'd better win down there.

….

"There's too many of them!" Soi-Fon yelled as she stabbed a wight in the face.

Itachi was forced to agree with the sentiment as he cut down another monstrosity. For every creature that the two of them eliminated, it seemed that another took its place almost instantly. They'd made absolutely zero headway, and Itachi was beginning to worry.

That damn portal's pumping out new hostiles as fast as we take down the current ones, he thought as he sliced the head clean off a wight, and they're all fresh. I don't know how long we've been fighting down here, but we can't keep this up forever.

Neither of them had gotten a single opening to go after any of the four crystals anchoring the portal and the barrier sealing the chamber. Every time Itachi or Soi-Fon had tried to break off and aim a spell at one of the stones the wights had immediately moved to either strike at them directly or take the hits in place of the crystals. They might not have been the smartest creatures, but they did at least seem to possess a rudimentary tactical intelligence. Granted, it consisted of little more than constantly throwing fresh waves at the two Soul Reapers to keep them occupied, but that was really all they needed. It would only take one slip up on Itachi or Soi-Fon's part to compromise their defenses and leave them open to being completely overwhelmed. The enemy could afford mistakes; the Soul Reapers couldn't.

As tense as his and Soi-Fon's situation was, though, Itachi knew that it paled in comparison to the ferocious brawl at the back of the chamber. At the center of a storm of white lighting and azure flames, Yoruichi and the wraith were duking it out with blinding speed and brutal power. Flash Stepping so often and so quickly that she was almost impossible to perceive, Squad Two's Captain struck at the source of Menar Issilaya's corruption from every possible angle. Right and left, low and high, and everything in between; she was seizing every possible opportunity to keep her foe on the backfoot. Itachi knew that he owed his life to her unrelenting assault against the wraith, for the gap in power between himself and the monstrosity was great. If it got a chance to attack him, he doubted that he'd be able to last for much longer than a brief exchange or two.

Yoruichi was certainly aware of that. While Itachi's attention had been focused on the wights, he hadn't failed to notice how her assault on the wraith would suddenly intensify whenever there was even a remote chance that the creature might try to break off from her and attack her subordinates instead. Itachi was grateful for the concern, but he wanted Yoruichi to focus solely on her fight and not worry about him. Just the few glances he'd been able to steal of the clash were more than enough to tell him that she was facing a very challenging foe, especially given that it was capable of regenerating from what should've been fatal damage. Yoruichi hadn't let that discourage her, but Itachi had to wonder just how long she could fight against such a foe.

Her Shikai was extraordinarily powerful, yet for all its might it wasn't giving her the strength needed to land the killing blow. Itachi had briefly wondered why she hadn't unleashed her Bankai in response to her foe's regenerative abilities, but it had only taken a moment for him to realize the answer to that question. Given the sheer amount of power her Shikai was giving off in the form of bolts of white lightning that she didn't appear to have complete control over, Itachi had to imagine that her Bankai likely amplified that raw might several times over. If she wasn't at least worried about possibly causing a structural collapse and endangering her subordinates with her Shikai, then Itachi was sure that she had to have such concerns with regards to her Bankai.

Even if they weren't fighting in an enclosed environment, though, Itachi had to wonder if her Bankai would do the trick. There didn't seem to be a major discrepancy in power between the Captain and the wraith; the problem was the latter's damned regeneration. Rapidly healing foes weren't something Itachi was entirely unfamiliar with; he'd mixed it up with all sorts of enemies back in his Shinobi days, after all. There was always some sort of weak point or a trick to the healing that, once perceived, could be targeted.

Perception and power, he thought in growing frustration as he and Soi-Fon furiously fended off the next wave of wights, We need a boost in both in order to change the tide here. We can't keep this up forever!

The trio of Soul Reapers were starting to grow desperate. The fight was at a stalemate, but that ultimately favored the wraith and its unending horde of reinforcements. If a game-changer wasn't found damn quickly, then the situation would deteriorate.

Itachi's sword flashed through the air in a series of rapid strikes as he tore into another wave of wights, his speed fueled by a steadily increasing mixture of fear and anger. Fear of what would happen if they couldn't turn things around, and anger at his lack of the real power that was needed to aid Yoruichi and Soi-Fon. What good was he if all he could do was swing a sword and strike down minions while the woman who had given him a new sense of purpose and belonging fought alone against an abomination?

Perception and power…

Those words kept echoing in his mind as he struggled to fend off a fresh horde of wights. He needed more of both, and he needed them now. Not for himself, but for the woman who had given him a chance at a second life.

For the woman who accepted him as he was despite knowing all that he had done.

Now more than ever, he envied the power he'd possessed in his past life. If he could have just a fraction of that now, it might be enough. For a long time, he'd wondered if the power of the Uchiha line was either a blessing or a curse, and had never settled on a concrete answer. That power had brought the clan to both glory and ruin, and while he'd hated the arrogance and bitterness it had inspired in his kinsmen Itachi also understood its potential to change the world for the better. It could destroy or defend; it was all in the user.

And right now, he wanted that power for the purpose of, above all else, fighting alongside and defending a woman who had become dearer to him in little more than six years of the afterlife than any other had during his first life.

About damn time.

Time slowed to a crawl, and the smiling spirit of his Zanpakutō appeared before him. He hadn't gone to his inner world; he was still in the chamber beneath the Moon Tower, still in the middle of the raging battle. All motion seemed to have halted though, and his vision was dominated by the woman clad in the black flames of Hell. Her crimson eyes bore right through him, and Itachi suspected that she had altered his perception of time with an illusion of sorts.

What do you mean?

Perception and power are what you desire, and they are within your reach. They have always been within your reach; they are the birthright of your bloodline. For too long, though, you have doubted those traits. You saw what they drove your clan to do, and even while you used them yourself you appreciated the danger that they represented for you. When you passed from your old life to this one, part of you was glad when you awoke and realized you no longer possessed the Sharingan. Do not deny it.

That might've been the case then, but I didn't understand that I would still have need of its power in death. Things have changed since then.

They have, but part of your mind had not… not until your Captain began to liberate it. When you spoke to her of your past, you did far more than simply confess to murder; you bared your very heart and soul to her in a way that you've never done for anyone else. You let the light finally shine into a corner of your mind that had been shrouded in shadow for far too long. Do you remember what happened when you came to visit me after that conversation?

You mentioned evolution… that I stood on the precipice of the next step in my growth.

You did, and still do… and now is the time to take it. You can feel it now, can't you?

Itachi was taken aback when he realized that she was right. Perhaps it was the growing desperation of the fight that had triggered it, or his desire to protect Yoruichi, but either way there were two very distinct wellsprings of energy that he could sense, each growing stronger by the second. The first was coming from the sword in his hand, while the second…

…was coming from within his head.

Specifically, from his optic nerves.

Itachi knew what that meant.

Fear the power of your clan no longer. You are not defined by them. Their follies and failings are not your own. You are Itachi Uchiha. You transcended the Curse of Hatred long ago; it holds no sway over you. Embrace the might of your bloodline… the perception and power that only you are worthy of!

That was when Itachi realized there was more than just a spike in spirit energy coming from his blade. Even as the spirit of his Zanpakutō spoke to him, the sword he held was practically singing with excitement.

And he could hear it now.

What he had sought for the past six years.

How fitting… I should've known.

Indeed. So, what are you waiting for?

Say it.

Say.

My.

NAME!

Time's flow began to speed up again; whatever spell she had cast over his perception was swiftly fading. As his consciousness fully returned to the fight that surrounded him, Itachi could feel his power rapidly swelling, and he knew exactly what he had to do.

He raised his sword, his eyes narrowing as his vision became colored with flashes of crimson. "Purge through perdition's flames…"

"…Jigoku no Joō."

….

Even if she hadn't been fighting alongside him and heard the words, Soi-Fon would've recognized that spike in spiritual pressure anywhere… or at least, the initial spike. She instantly knew that it was a Shikai release, yet there was more to it than that. The Zanpakutō wasn't the only source of energy here; there was another spike in power that was coming from within Itachi himself, one that felt quite different from the rising energy that typically accompanied one's first time unleashing a Shikai.

Normally Soi-Fon would be worried about the enemy taking advantage of any distraction on her part, but the wights had paused their assault. It was as if they were taking stock of this new potential threat, showing greater intelligence than their twisted and decayed features suggested. While still keeping her guard up, Soi-Fon felt reasonably safe in taking at least a brief glimpse at her comrade to fully evaluate his newly unleashed Shikai.

However, what first caught her attention when she turned to Itachi wasn't actually his Zanpakutō. Rather, it was Itachi himself.

Or, more specifically, his eyes.

No longer where they the cool and inscrutable onyx orbs that she had become accustomed to. Instead, both eyes were blazing crimson beacons. Black pupils were at the center of bloodred irises, and orbiting the pupil of each eye were three black tomoe. Soi-Fon had never seen anything like it, but even more startling than what she could perceive with her eyes was what she felt; the power emanating from them matched that which now flowed from his blade.

Forcing herself to look away from his eyes to evaluate the new shape of his Zanpakutō, Soi-Fon was floored by what she saw. She was a veteran Soul Reaper and had come across a fantastic variety of Shikais in her time, and had even been lucky enough to witness a handful of Bankais in action. Soi-Fon would never say she'd seen it all; that was an impossible statement to make given the nature of the Zanpakutō. Still, she'd at least thought that she'd seen enough as to have an idea of what to expect when a comrade unleashed their Shikai for the first time.

Clearly, at least in Itachi's case, she was quite wrong in that regard. Soi-Fon hadn't known exactly what to expect when the young man finally reached that pivotal step in his growth as a Soul Reaper. The few times it had come up in conversation with her Captain, Yoruichi had simply smiled and said it would surely be something to look forward to. Soi-Fon hadn't quite shared the sentiment; sure, she'd been curious, but she didn't think that Itachi's Shikai would prove to be anything particularly noteworthy.

The weapon he held now very much wished to argue the contrary. It was unlike anything Soi-Fon had ever seen. Raised in Itachi's right hand was a black straight sword. The length of the weapon appeared to be about average, but that was the only normal thing she could find regarding his new sword. The style was vaguely reminiscent of bladed weapons she'd seen while on missions to the continent called Europe in the Realm of the Living known as Terra, but only in that the sword had two edges instead of the traditional single curved edge found on most sealed Zanpakutō. Running down the blade itself from hilt to end was a very slender gap, so thing that it was almost impossible to perceive at first glance. Due to this gap, the sword actually ended in two points that were incredibly close together rather than a normal single tip.

The blade itself wasn't the only unusual aspect of the weapon. The guard of Itachi's Zanpakutō resembled a set of down-swept raven's wings, intricately carved to the point that Soi-Fon could actually make out detailed feather-patterns in the metalwork. Design-wise, the handle itself was quite straightforward, consisting of black metal with grips carved into it that perfectly matched Itachi's fingers. At the very center where the handle and the guard met, a circle was flanked by the two previously mentioned raven's wings. Its base was crimson, but what really caught Soi-Fon's attention was the pattern. Just like Itachi's eyes, this circle had three black tomoe orbiting a 'pupil' of sorts.

She briefly wondered if it was just a melee-type Zanpakutō, but she was quickly proven wrong when the slender slit running down the center of the sword lit up with crimson flames. Streams of them quickly began flying from the sword, and on closer inspection Soi-Fon realized that they were actually in the shape of birds. A few dozen at first… then scores… then hundreds… and the number kept on rapidly climbing. They flocked above and around Itachi and Soi-Fon, and while their proximity should've made her nervous, she actually felt reassured by their presence. It helped that she could sense Itachi's spirit energy within them.

"Soi-Fon," said Itachi, "I know it's not my place to give orders to you, but I have a plan."

The wights still appeared to be paused as they continued to asses this new threat, so now was as good a time for a strategy talk as any. "Let's hear it."

"Drop back behind me," he said, "I'll keep the wights occupied. Strike the anchoring crystals as soon as you get an opening. Once the portal collapses and the flow of wights ceases, we'll go help Yoruichi."

In other circumstances she would've chastised him for referring to her master by just her first name, but they had far more pressing concerns at the moment than simple impropriety. "Are you sure you can hold them off by yourself?"

"Yes," Itachi answered with cool confidence.

Soi-Fon knew they couldn't afford hesitation right now; she would have to trust him. "All right. Let's do this."

Itachi nodded, his eyes narrowing as he fixed the wights with a withering gaze. "Begin."

And with that, the fireworks were underway.

….

After having gone without its awesome power for over six years, Itachi was almost stricken with sensory overload when his Sharingan had fully manifested. This wasn't like the first time he had awakened it all those years ago; the flow of energy coursing through his eyes was so strong that he instantly knew it had manifested with all three tomoe right off the bat. Had it been the same for Shisui when he had regained his Sharingan? Itachi had forgotten to press him on the details. It was a moot point in any case. All that mattered was that he had awakened the power of his bloodline alongside that of his Zanpakutō, and it was time to put both through their paces.

The flocks of flaming crimson birds flowing from his sword were swirling around him, waiting for orders. Itachi understood now why his Sharingan and Shikai had to be unlocked together; the enhanced perception of the former would be required in order to bring out the full potential of the latter. He could sense his spirit energy flowing through each individual bird, but he wasn't entirely sure how to control them.

They'll respond to your intent, the spirit of his Zanpakutō advised him, Simple gestures with either the sword or your free hand will serve as general guides, although eventually you should be able to do it by thought alone.

With a fresh wave of wights rapidly approaching, Itachi knew that he would have to learn on his feet. This would be a trial by fire… quite literally so. Raising his Zanpakutō in his right hand, he made a broad sweep with the blade while making a chopping motion with his left hand. The response was immediate; the majority of the flock surged forward, sweeping across the front ranks of the wights and stopping them dead in their tracks. A smaller group of crimson firebirds briefly climbed towards the ceiling before suddenly diving right into the heart of the horde.

The effect was devastating. Since this was no ordinary fire but a blaze powered by Itachi's spirit energy, it swept over the wights and burnt them to cinders. Those that were able to stumble free from the flames were easy targets for the sword, and Itachi cut them down without mercy. Meanwhile, fresh birds of crimson flame were already spawning from the slit running down the center of the blade, taking flight and awaiting orders.