With Zabimaru defeated and freed from Muramasa's mind control, along with the fact that the two spirits were sorry for what they had done so far, Renji traversed the Seireitei and headed back to the Fourth Division's barracks, because he wanted to inform the others that Sombra had been right in what he told them. It wasn't long before he came across other Shinigami, who were busy moving things around and getting their defenses in order, because even with four powerful Arrancar helping them, and that wasn't even counting Sombra's presence, the Captains wanted to be ready for any attacks that might come their way. He couldn't blame them for thinking that way, not when Saru and Hebi had come to the Seireitei to attack anyone that they could find, to clear the way for their former allies as one would originally think, and there was no telling how many of the remaining Zanpakuto spirits might come their way, to kill or defeat them so they could further whatever plan Muramasa was working towards. He knew that most of the Captains agreed with Sombra, that their foe was planning something, while at the same time none of them were shocked to find that he had already figured out that something else was up with this rebellion, though all Sombra had to do was learn more about their foe and he would likely figure out what his true goal was.
Renji smiled as he landed in front of his destination, to which he switched Zabimaru back to it's sealed state and walked into the barracks, nodding to the Shinigami that he happened to walk by, though when he reached the meeting room that the others were sitting in he came to a stop and knocked, before walking in when he heard the return knock.
"Ah, Renji, it's good to see that you made it back here safely." Sombra spoke up, because thanks to his ability to sense reiatsu, which was likely the strongest sense anyone in Soul Society had ever seen, he had noticed that one of his friends had returned to the Fourth Division's barracks mere moments after he landed outside the building, though at the same time, when he noticed the look on Renji's face, he smiled as the others turned towards the door, "And, unless I'm wrong in my thoughts, it appears that you managed to recover Zabimaru as well."
"Yes, I have freed Zabimaru, or Saru and Hebi as they prefer to be called, from Muramasa's control," Renji replied, to which he nodded his head a little and both of the spirits he had fought earlier appeared behind him, though this time they were much more calm than they had been when earlier, allowing the assembled Captains to be at ease, "Sombra, it seems that you were right in what you were telling us earlier, that Muramasa is amplifying the frustrations that the Zanpakuto are feeling on a daily basis so he can draw them to his side. The only way to free them is to find and fight them with everything that you have, just like I did with these guys a few minutes ago, though if you're not careful they'll use what they know about you against you, making you go through some... unusual... tactics to defeat them."
"You're telling me." Saru commented, as she was still a little sore over Renji beating her and Hebi by using both his terrible power over Kido and the power of his Shikai blade, but at the same time Hebi rested his tail against the floor and raised himself so his head was level with Renji's head, "I never thought that we'd lose to you because of a combination of Kido and our own attacks... it definitely caught us off guard."
"I'm relieved that we've confirmed Sombra's information, not that I didn't trust him to begin with." Ukitake said, as he and the others had felt that Sombra and Zangetsu had told them everything they needed to know about Muramasa's powers, in terms of 'freeing' their Zanpakuto from them, but at the same time having this confirmed by a third person was a good thing for all of them.
"But you know, it will take a while for everyone to find their partners." Shunsui added, as he had been thinking about something the entire time they had been sitting there, though even as he said that he glanced up and looked at the pair of spirits that represented Zabimaru, knowing that not all of the spirits would do what they did, "I mean, it's not like our partners aren't going to wait for us. Saru, Hebi, do either of you remember where Muramasa's base is located? If we knew where they were camping out we'd be able to free more of them from his control and end this rebellion a whole lot faster than the speed we're going at."
"Sorry, but it seems that we really don't remember much after we were 'freed'," Hebi replied, to which he rubbed the back of his head for a moment, as both he and Saru had been thinking about what questions the Shinigami would ask them and what answers they could possibly give in return, "Now, if you wanted to know which Zanpakuto have been 'freed', we'd gladly offer that to you, but I have the feeling that you already know whose been taken from their partners and are currently fighting against you."
"It's okay. It makes sense that Muramasa would place something like that on that of your minds." Sombra said, his voice causing the group to turn and look at him once more, even though he had been thinking about something that had revealed itself to them, especially since this sounded like something their foe would do, "He wants to keep the location of his base a secret, so if a Zanpakuto spirit that knows where it's located is defeated they'll lose the information of where the hideout is located, to keep it safe until he makes his move. We'd have to have one of the rebellious Zanpakuto spirits see the truth of this situation, that they really don't stand a chance against their former partners now that we're here to help out, before we find out where their hideout is located... end even then we might not need someone to betray them, as Yoruichi is carefully searching for Captain-Commander Yamamoto's reiatsu as we speak."
"Right, I forgot she was here as well." Renji said, though Sombra's statement meant that Yoruichi must have parted ways with them at some point when they were coming back to this building, before he even thought to go searching for clues as to what happened to his Captain, though that caused a thought to come to mind, "How's Rukia doing?"
"She's just fine. Isane is looking after her right now." Ichigo replied, because before this meeting had been called Sombra had let them get themselves situated and the first thing he did was go looking for where they were putting Rukia, while at the same time he was a little uncomfortable with Zangetsu following him around, even though the Arrancar in question was currently leaning against the nearby wall, "She's still worried about Byakuya, but I promised her that we'll find out what happened to him and either save him, if he's injured, or assist him in whatever he's doing, even though Sombra thinks that he's trying to defeat Muramasa in his own way, without telling us."
"That reminds me," Saru spoke up, to which she turned her attention to Sombra, who looked up from what he was looking at and met her gaze, something that told her that she was definitely staring into the eyes of a being that she and Hebi couldn't beat on their own, making her regret her earlier words to the other Zanpakuto spirits, "If you're here to stop this rebellion, then why didn't you just kill Muramasa when you had the chance? You could have ended everything the moment we pulled him out of that crater, or even before that, and yet you let him and the others go. Why would you do something like that?"
"Because we don't know what his endgame is." Sombra answered, though at the same time he looked down at what he was looking at a few seconds ago, which Saru realized was a chessboard and the white pieces had a slight advantage over the black pieces, like it was a representation of the rebellion, "We know that Muramasa said that he desires the freedom of the Zanpakuto spirits and the subjugation of the Shinigami that were the partners of those very Zanpakuto, but even then something doesn't add up. His words seemed to convey the very message that he told you guys about, that he wants the status quo to flip on it's side and let the Zanpakuto take over, but at the same time it makes you wonder who his partner was, before he became the being that he currently is. It makes you wonder what sort of Shinigami wouldn't tell their superiors that their partner was acting funny, when the first signs appeared, and I already have a few ideas as to what might be going on... but without knowing what his endgame is, what he's actually striving towards, I won't waste our time speaking of hypothetical answers, not until we know more about the situation."
"Still, it seems that Soi Fon had a similar idea to what you said," Ukitake said, speaking about one of the missing Captains at the moment, as both she and Mayuri had departed the moment they got back to this area, stating that they had their own assignments to worry about, "I heard her saying that she might send Omaeda to the records to see if he can't find anything about a Zanpakuto called Muramasa, so we might be lucky and find something out... especially if she's right and we find something nice for us along the way."
Zangetsu, who had been quiet the whole time they were talking, since he was thinking about the one spirit that might actually betray the others if someone asked her to, shifted a little and shifted his gaze towards where Sombra was sitting, who nodded his head a tiny bit, before a grin appeared on his face.
"Come on Ichigo, let's find Ikkaku and get out of here." Zangetsu stated, causing Utikake to raise an eyebrow for a moment, but that was when he and the others realized that Sombra must have already felt the presence of a few enemy Zanpakuto spirits and had issued a silent command to the spirit who had been leaning on the wall, who knew which spirits were coming as well if his words were to be believed, "We've got some hunting to do."
Renji watched as Ichigo sighed and followed after Zangetsu, because he didn't envy his friend since the spirit of his Zanpakuto had abandoned him and was now his own being, and there was no telling what would happen between the two of them, but he simply shook his head as the Captains dismissed him, as both he and his partners needed to take a break before they did anything else. While Renji walked away from the room Sombra looked down at his board and thought about it for a moment, where Rey, who was controlling the black pieces through his horn, moved a piece and knocked one over, a silent gesture about his thoughts on the future, before Sombra replied in kind and knocked out another black piece in the process. Both they and Shokyo knew that some spirits would be lucky and knock out their partners in the battles to come, just as they were likewise convinced that most of the Shinigami would end up just fine, which was why they had agreed to stay their hand and not join in the battles to come, not until they knew what Muramasa was planning. That, in turn, would allow the Shinigami the chance to reclaim their partners on their own, even if one of the Arrancar stepped in to stall them, and bring the rebellion that much closer to ending, but for now they had to be patient before they made their move, otherwise Muramasa would get away, and that was the one thing that had to be prevented.
While Sombra remained in the meeting room Zangetsu lead the way towards the spirits that he had felt, because he knew that there were two of them in the same area, along with a third one that was in a completely different area, but for now he, Ichigo, and Ikkaku were focused on the task at hand. It really wasn't hard to find out where Omaeda was located, since he was walking slowly with his own group of Shinigami and was chowing down on some fish crackers, but as the three of them landed, with Zangetsu on top of a building and the other two on the ground for some reason, Zangetsu got a good look at the two spirits that were in the area, just as Omaeda's group was taken out and the Lieutenant was left standing on his own. The first spirit he noticed was a large ogre-like being, whose reiatsu seemed to be nearly identical to Ikkaku's own, while the second one was a large fat being with no shirt on, though this time Zangetsu didn't need to feel any reiatsu to know whose partner he was, on account of the bag of fish crackers that he was carrying and the large frame that his body happened to have. His thoughts were even confirmed not a few seconds later, as the fat spirit revealed that he was Gegetsuburi, the Zanpakuto spirit that had been Omaeda's partner, and before long the two of them, despite getting off to a great start, drew their weapons to determine who the better of the pair was, though that was before Ichigo and Ikkaku knocked down part of the wall they were standing behind and stepped into the area, all while knocking Omaeda out in the process.
The other spirit, who Gegetsuburi identified as Hozukimaru, seemed annoyed about the latest development, but before he could actually do anything Ichigo rushed at the fat spirit and knocked him away, leaving Ikkaku standing there with his former partner... especially since Hozukimaru rushed forward, with his Shikai, to attack Ikkaku, who defended with his scabbard for a few seconds.
"I was waiting to see you again, partner." Hozukimaru stated, though at the same time he grinned, as this was perfect for him, but even as he said that he noticed that Ikkaku was motioning for his allies to leave them alone, confirming that they would fight the way they both believed in.
"At first I thought Zangetsu was crazy, but after seeing that weapon of yours I think he's telling the truth." Ikkaku said, though as he said that the two of them were knocked away from each other by their own power, showing that they were both strong in their own rights, "You're Hozukimaru, aren't you?"
"Indeed I am," Hozukimaru replied, as he was happy to see that just his weapon alone was enough to show his former partner who he was, but at the same time he felt that maybe more was necessary to confirm this in Ikkaku's mind, "but, if my words and weapon aren't enough for you, your free to try something else to confirm my identity."
"Oh, there's only one thing that Hozukimaru and I could perform in perfect unison," Ikkaku stated, to which he smiled for a moment as his foe seemed to understand what he was referring to, especially since only one other being could know the dance as perfectly as he did, "What do you say? Shall we perform it together?"
"Certainly." Hozukimaru answered, though that was when a large smile appeared on his face as he walked over to where Ikkaku was standing, causing both Ichigo and Gegetsuburi to stop what they were doing and turn towards them as Zangetsu raised an eyebrow at them.
In the next few moments the two of them performed what Ikkaku called his 'Lucky Dance', the very same one that he showed off to Ichigo when Rukia was going to be executed, and what was impressive was the fact that Hozukimaru was able to stay in sync with his former partner, to the point where each of their steps happened at the same time and they ended the dance at the same time. Gegetsuburi and Ichigo didn't seem all that interested in their dance, as Ichigo knocked the larger spirit into the courtyard of the nearby building, though at the same time Zangetsu clapped his hands a little, to show that he remembered the dance and that it was performed perfectly by the two of them, who gave him a little bow before they faced each other again.
"Just as I thought, you're dance was perfect, Hozukimaru." Ikkaku stated, though even as he said that he had a grin on his face, something that was mirrored in his Zanpakuto spirit's face, and Zangetsu had the feeling that the two of them would engage each other soon, "I heard that your powers will return to me after I beat you. Is that true?"
"Do you think you have what it takes to defeat me?" Hozukimaru asked in return, though at the same time he stood at the ready, because if Ikkaku said that then he was serious about fighting, which he had been hoping for since that was the reason he had followed Zabimaru out into the Seireitei.
"Damn straight I do!" Ikkaku said, to which he drew his blade from it's scabbard and attacked, as he needed to overcome his partner's power and show him just how strong he really was, all while Hozukimaru blocked the attack with a grin on his face.
Zangetsu had to admit that there were some strange Shinigami out there, especially from the Eleventh Division, but as the battle between Ikkaku and Hozukimaru started he stood on the edge of the building he had chosen and watched the duo as they engaged each other. The two of them were like a storm of blows, as it was either Ikkaku who was attacking and Hozukimaru who was defending, or it was Hozukimaru that was attacking and Ikkaku who was defending, as it seemed to alternate between them and whoever was defending usually got a few minor cuts for their troubles. Zangetsu could tell that their fighting style was the same, something that he considered strange since he and Ichigo had two entirely different styles and most Zanpakuto spirits seemed to be the same way, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the battle as the two of them clashed in the area around them. It got even more interesting when Hozukimaru separated the three sections of his weapon and turned it into a three section staff, showing that he was getting serious and even surprised Ikkaku for a moment, since he was on the receiving end of the weapon's hidden trick, but that wore off in the heat of the battle and Ikkaku displayed that, even without his Zanpakuto's power, he was a force to be reckoned with, even impressing his former partner in the process.
That all changed when Hozukimaru slammed the back end of his weapon into the ground and activated his Bankai, the technique that Ikkaku kept hidden from most people, before two rather large blades, like spades of some kind, fell out of the sky and landed on his left and right, along with a large crescent blade that floated just above his shoulders. Since he had never seen something like this, as he never had the opportunity to observe Ikkaku's fights after his first battle with Ichigo, Zangetsu waited on the nearby building as the battle resumed, but this time Hozukimaru started to overpower his former partner and it clearly showed with Ikkaku's movements, since he wasn't used to fighting something like this and might not have had an idea of how to counter it. This Bankai, from what he could tell, was called Ryumon Hozukimaru and it appeared to be a melee type, and unfortunately the fun was mostly over as Ikkaku went on the defensive and was bashed into the gate that was behind them, blowing him into the courtyard that Ichigo was fighting in, though it wasn't like they were interrupting anything since Ichigo had sliced Gegetsuburi's weapon in half and let part of it collide with his face, knocking the fat spirit out in the process.
As Ikkaku picked himself up, and Ichigo asked if he was okay, the area was surrounded by a number of Covert Ops Shinigami, along with Captains Soi Fon, Ukitake, and Shunsui standing on the roof of the building that Ichigo had been fighting in front of... and, since the battle had been ruined, Hozukimaru put his blades in the ground for the moment as he looked at the enemies that were ruining the moment.
"That's far enough, Zanpakuto." Soi Fon stated, causing the spirit that Ikkaku was fighting to turn towards her for a few seconds, no doubt because he was annoyed that she had ruined their fight, before a light smile graced her face, "We have the area secure. You won't be escaping anytime soon."
"At least we can save two more spirits from Muramasa's hold." Zangetsu commented, to which he flashed over to where Ichigo was standing, causing the Captain of the Second Division to look at him for a second, even though his focus was on the foe in front of him, "Maybe you or Gegetsuburi can tell us where Muramasa is hiding..."
"That's interesting and all, but we're done for today." Hozukimaru stated, though as he said that he gripped the part of his Bankai that rested above his back and the eyes of the dragon crest glowed for a few seconds, before he slammed it into the ground in front of him and released a burst of reiatsu that knocked the Covert Ops away, giving him the chance to seal his Bankai and escape in the confusion.
Zangetsu grinned as he grabbed onto Ichigo's shoulder and the two of them chased after the spirit, as he had to know something that they needed to learn, leaving Soi Fon and the other Captains to deal with the defeated Gegetsuburi, as the two of them were focused on the spirit that was running towards the edge of the Seireitei... but as that happened a storm of pink blade fragments slowed them down, even though Zangetsu scattered them with a swing of his blade, and off in the distance they both noticed a figure that disappeared a few seconds later.
"Hey, Ichigo, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Zangetsu asked, because there were only two beings in Soul Society that could create a storm of pink blade fragments that resembled flower petals, one being a Captain level Shinigami and the other being the Zanpakuto spirit that was the partner for that Shinigami, and what little he had seen didn't resemble what Senbonzakura was supposed to look like.
"Yeah, Byakuya isn't as missing as everyone thinks he is." Ichigo replied, showing that he understood what his former Zanpakuto spirit was talking about, though at the same time he noticed that Hozukimaru was gone as well, which was fine since they had a direction they could head in now, "So, shall we go see if we can't find him and figure out what in the world he's doing during this crisis?"
"Not without backup." a voice said, to which Harribel dropped down into the area near them, causing the two of them to smile, since she was a powerful ally to have on their side, since they might be walking into a trap that Muramasa might be trying to set for them, before she moved in the direction that the two of them had been thinking of moving in.
Together the three of them flashed out of the Seireitei, following the aura that had been left behind, and headed into the wilderness that was in front of them, but at the same time they kept their guards up, because there was no telling what sort of dangers awaited them in the forest that they were heading towards.
Haineko mentally sighed as she walked along the path that she had chosen the moment she left the cave that the rest of the Zanpakuto spirits were hiding out in, though the reason behind her sigh was because Tobiume was walking beside her and wouldn't leave her alone. All she wanted was a nice walk in the moonlight, so she could have some time to think about what was going on with her life at the moment, and she would have returned to the hideout when she was good and ready to do so, but with Tobiume following her, however, her mood had been ruined instantly. At the same time her mind turned towards the being that she had spoken to earlier, Zangetsu, and knew that she had been right in her statement, as he was hotter than most of the spirits and Shinigami that she had seen so far, but the one thing that still confused her was the fact that he was the former Zanpakuto spirit that had been tied to Ichigo Kurosaki's blade. Something must have happened for the two of them to split into two separate beings, without being tied to each other anymore, and it seemed like she was the only one that might have caught onto that fact, since the others didn't seem to care about Zangetsu, as they considered him an enemy... but, at the same time, maybe he was their true savior, who could actually free them from being tied to their Shinigami partners.
Despite it being the wish of all the Zanpakuto that Muramasa had gathered, to be freed from their former masters or partners, depending on who was asked, all she really wanted in life was respect from her peers and possibly even love if she found someone that took her heart, and right now there was no one, among both the Shinigami and the Zanpakuto, that respected her at all, which was the cause for another sigh as she walked.
"You know, I think Hyorinmaru left at the same time we did," Tobiume commented, as it had taken her a few moments to catch up with Haineko when she left the hideout earlier, even though she had caught up in no time, before the younger looking spirit glanced over at the spirit that she was walking with, "Hello? Are you even listening to me?"
"Yes, I am." Haineko replied, because despite how she was treated, like an idiot that didn't listen to instructions since her partner was the absolute worst partner she could have been paired with, she believed in trying to treat others with respect and not call them names, not unless they did something to deserve it, "I've been thinking about other things while we've been walking..."
"I see you're still drooling over him. How pathetic." Tobiume said, returning to her position that Haineko liked all of the men that she came across, but in reality all she had been looking at were the Zanpakuto spirits and had found that not one of their allies were remotely interested in her, hence why she thought about Zangetsu and the potential that only she seemed to see, "You really need to stop thinking about getting in his pants and focus on whatever mission Muramasa has for us when we get back to the hideout, because this walk is taking a lot longer than I thought and I'm getting tired of wandering around the forest with you."
Normally Haineko would have just made a retort to what her companion had said and keep exchanging blows with her, but at the same time she decided that she'd rather focus on something else and that something wasn't what Tobiume had told her to focus on... but, despite her thoughts, she realized that the younger spirit had stopped and turned around, only to see Tobiume looking off towards the sound of a waterfall.
"What's wrong now?" Haineko asked, because she wanted to get back to the hideout and finish this walk, as Tobiume had been right about one thing and that was that she was growing tired of this walk as well, mostly because of the spirit that was her company.
"I think I spotted Hyorinmaru." Tobiume replied, though before Haineko could say anything her companion headed off towards the sound of the waterfall, causing Haineko to sigh as she followed after her, because hopefully this would be exciting and give them a reason for why they had been gone so long.
It didn't take the two of them long to find the river and the waterfall that was connected to it, though as Haineko came to a stop she opened her senses and didn't feel any reiatsu that matched the spirits that they were allied with, all while Tobiume stood near the edge of the rock they were on and looked around the area.
"It's official, we might need to get you some glasses," Haineko said, because this entire evening, besides making sure that the two of them stayed out of trouble, was turning out to be extremely boring, especially since she had been hoping to bump into one of their allies, "there's no one else here."
"Maybe I ought to get you a new brain, to cure your stupidity." Tobiume fired back, though as Haineko turned to glare at her they both found a newcomer standing nearby, as Senbonzakura had appeared near the waterfall and was staring at them, before heading off in the direction of their hideout, "Huh... I had no idea he was there."
"Neither did I." Haineko said, as it was hard to pinpoint the location of a Captain class Zanpakuto spirit, especially one that appears and disappears as quickly as Senbonzakura does, before she glanced at the other side of the river, where another path rested, and spotted Ichigo Kurosaki running along the path, "I wonder what he's doing all the way out here, in the middle of the night."
"Well, he's not out for a walk, that's for sure." Tobiume replied, to which she smiled for a moment, because it seemed like now was the best time for her and Haineko to relieve their boredom and capture an enemy, allowing them to weaken Soul Society for Muramasa's plans, before she jumped over the river and headed over to intercept her target.
Haineko was sure that this was a terrible idea, as there were two other reiatsu signatures in the area that she knew, one being the Arrancar that Matsumoto's Captain, Hitsuguya, had fought, while the other seemed to be identical to Ichigo's, meaning that it had to be Zangetsu, but since all she saw was the Substitute Shinigami she followed after Tobiume and hoped that this went by quickly. Before she could even do anything Tobiume wrapped part of the cloth that her bells were tied to around Ichigo's neck and shoved him to the ground, before pulling back as she landed on the ground in front of him, as if saying that she was going to block his path. Instead of appearing directly behind Tobiume, like she usually would, Haineko flashed a few steps behind her companion, mostly so she could watch and observe the fight, because she had a bad feeling about this situation, especially since she was trying to track the other reiatsu signatures she had felt before they came over here.
"Are you serious, Ichigo? Can't we go anywhere without new foes grabbing you?" a voice asked, to which Haineko stalled as Zangetsu, accompanied by another woman, flashed into the area behind Ichigo, though both of them seemed annoyed with what happened to Ichigo, before Zangetsu seemed to realize who was standing near him, "Actually, on second thought, I'm more okay with you getting tripped up this time around. That cutie from earlier is here."
"Cutie? You mean Haineko?" Tobiume asked, noticing that there were three enemies instead of one, like she had originally thought, but at the same time she felt that they could overcome the odds and best all three of them, even if she had zero faith in her companion's abilities, "Please, who in their right might would even consider a stupid old hag like her to be cute? I'm sure that you'd like someone that's younger and more slender than her."
"Seriously? No offense, but you look like a little girl." Zangetsu stated, though even as he said that he was annoyed at the Zanpakuto spirit that was in front of him, because the spirit that he had been interested in meeting again looked hurt when the little girl said that she was a 'stupid old hag', and he could tell that Harribel was annoyed as well, "I don't have much of a preference, since most of the time I was busy trying to get Ichigo to listen to my voice and take back my position as a Zanpakuto spirit, but I have no interest in being romantically involved with someone that looks like a little girl. Now the cutie, on the other hand, I'd consider going on a date or an adventure with her... sure, she seems to be a few years older than me, but honestly she's got a smoking hot body, and I bet she's a lot smarter than you give her credit for, so I'll throw the whole age element out the window for her."
"Great, you're just as stupid as she is. It's a match made in heaven." Tobiume said, to which she sighed for a moment, as she couldn't believe that she found someone that actually thought that Haineko was cute, hot, and smart, before she stared at her current foe, "Look, she's just a dumb cat that no one likes and she's incredibly lazy, to the point that she never seemed to listen to what her master told her to do, though it's a miracle that Muramasa has been able to get her to do anything that she's told."
"Not to beat a dead horse, but she's got a point Hinamori." a new voice said, to which Zangetsu looked to the side and found both Matsumoto, who was Haineko's previous partner, and a little girl, who had to be Hinamori, standing nearby, but her words also ticked off Zangetsu, "I know it's mean coming from another Zanpakuto spirit, since they're supposed to be allies in this rebellion of theirs, but she's absolutely right, Haineko is just a dumb cat that almost never responds to me when I try to talk with her, even when I really try to connect with her... makes me wonder why I ever considered her to be my equal in the first place."
"Harribel, why don't you and Ichigo continue on without me?" Zangetsu commented, causing the female Arrancar to glance at him for a moment, though when she noticed how annoyed he looked, at how an enemy was being treated, she nodded her head and tapped Ichigo's shoulder, before the two of them flashed out of the area.
"Finally, someone who understands what Haineko is." Tobiume said, as if she was praising something for the fact that Matsumoto agreed with her statement, while at the same time Haineko noticed that Hinamori seemed horrified by what she was hearing, and she even ran her bells a little as she did that.
"I never thought that I'd agree with another Zanpakuto spirit over how my former partner acted over the many years that I've known her." Matsumoto stated, to which she shook her head for a moment, as if she felt that there was nothing wrong about what she was saying, especially since she had been saying it for a long time, while also ignoring the look on Haineko's face, "Honestly, I feel like a complete moron for acting like she was my equal. Sometime after I gained control over her Shikai she started getting lazier and lazier, sometimes taking a long time before coming to talk with me and other times coming immediately when I wanted to discuss a topic with her, but in the end she turned into a dumb lazy cat that started acting like a bitch whenever I managed to speak with her."
"Matsumoto, aren't you being a little rude to her?" Hinamori asked, because while she and other Shinigami knew that communication was key to understanding one's partner and unlocking their powers, including training with them in both this world and their inner world, Matsumoto seemed to have forgotten that fact.
"Not in the slightest, because it's the truth." Matsumoto replied, where she shrugged her shoulders for a moment as she spoke, because despite what Hinamori thought about her, and how she worked as a Shinigami, she wasn't the one at fault in this situation, as it was all Haineko's fault.
"No, it's not! You're the one who started to verbally abuse me shortly after gaining said Shikai!" Haineko snapped, as she felt that she might as well try to correct the issue, because she wasn't the horrible Zanpakuto that her former partner thought she was, and she could tell that Zangetsu was willing to listen to both sides before doing anything, "The bond between Shinigami and Zanpakuto is built on communication, so the reason you determined that I was 'stupid, lazy, and a bitch' is because you damaged the bond that existed between the two of us, making it a little harder for me to hear your voice as the years went by. To make matters worse you adopted a habit of slamming me into whatever was nearby when I wasn't prompt about responding to your summons, be it boulders, wooden floors, whatever metal objects you can find, and even the furniture at times, and, to top it all off, you even chipped me a number of times over the years, making me useless until you mended the blade, something you blamed me for as well!"
"It's the only way to get your attention, since you act like a giant baby at times." Matsumoto stated, to which she moved her hands for a moment, as if she was saying that what Haineko had said was completely wrong or that she had no idea what she was talking about right now, like she was implying that she was an idiot, "Though let's be honest, Haineko, you're a brat that acts like everyone is inferior to you and you have terrible tastes in both clothing and perfume... how in the world your my Zanpakuto spirit I have no idea, because you're nothing like me."
"Truth be told, the only reason Muramasa bothered to free her is because she's a Zanpakuto spirit," Tobiume added, though at the same time that gave her the attention of those that were near her, both her enemies and the spirit that was supposed to be her ally, to which she seemed to chuckle for a moment as she continued talking to them, "She's the former Zanpakuto spirit for a Lieutenant, but she's worthless in a fight, she get's distracted easily, and, if you're strong enough, she might run away without even fighting. Let's face it, she was only freed because of what she was, though personally I think Muramasa wasted his time in freeing her as well..."
"That's enough, Tobiume." Haineko said, as she was getting annoyed with this conversation and the fact that they weren't getting anywhere with it, especially since she wasn't the only one that was annoyed about what was happening at the moment, before she took a step back, "Look, why don't we let Zangetsu and his friends pass? I don't want to tangle with someone like..."
Before she could finish her statement Tobiume spun around and slammed one of her bells into Haineko's face, a blow that sent her onto her back and caused her to rub the side of her face for a moment, as she couldn't believe that Tobiume was so stubborn to believe that they stood a chance against Zangetsu.
"I guess I was wrong. You aren't a coward, you're a pussy!" Tobiume snapped, as she couldn't believe that Haineko couldn't muster the courage to face their foes in battle, before she sighed and turned towards the trio of enemies that were currently standing in front of her, "Fine. I'll destroy all three of them and tell the others that you couldn't muster the courage to fight anyone, that you were too busy thinking about getting into Zangetsu's pants or something and didn't care about fighting any of Mur..."
Haineko's eyes widened as Zangetsu stepped into the area beside Tobiume and swung his blade at her, the sheer force of his attack knocking the wind out of her as she collided with one of the trees and coughed up some blood as the crushed tree fell on top of her.
"She's lucky I went easy on her, otherwise you'd be picking up the pieces of her blade." Zangetsu commented, though his words were directed to Hinamori, who was stunned by what he had said and nodded her head to indicate that she heard what had been said, before he sheathed his blade on his back and walked forward, where he gently lifted Haineko up and held her like he was rescuing her, "Lieutenant Matsumoto, as of right now I am taking Haineko back to where Lord Sombra is waiting and make sure she is treated for any injuries left over from that attack, and, once she's ready, I'm sure that my Lord will want to have some words with her. Lieutenant Hinamori, you need to have a heart to heart with your partner, because she needs to work on that foul mouth of hers and she needs to stop treating those around her like they're nothing but toys for her to play with or people to throw insults at whenever she wants."
"Am... I in trouble?" Haineko asked, though at the same time she noticed that Hinamori looked ashamed by what her Zanpakuto spirit had done and Matsumoto, her own partner, didn't seem all that concerned for what was going to happen to her in the very near future.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Zangetsu replied, to which he flashed into the air and headed back towards the Seireitei, as he intended to leave both of the Lieutenants behind so they could deal with Tobiume, and at the same time he made sure to keep Haineko close to him as they moved through the air.
Haineko remained silent as they headed back towards the Seireitei, as she was happy to see that there was someone in this world that seemed to care about her in some manner, though she decided to put her faith in Zangetsu and hoped that Sombra didn't strike her down the moment she met him for real... but she did have to wonder what Ichigo and the other woman were up to, since they were still heading through the forest near Muramasa's hideout.
Normally Ichigo would have thought that he was lost, since he had been following a path that had been going on forever and didn't seem to be going anywhere, but at the same time that statement would have been wrong, since it was Harribel that was leading the way at the moment. The area they came to, a few minutes after leaving Zangetsu behind in an area where two Zanpakuto spirits were blocking the way, had a number of rocks and stone structures everywhere, like it was a training ground of some kind, and when they arrived Harribel held up her hand to stop him from going any further. Ichigo would have asked what was wrong, since he wasn't really feeling anything at the moment, but before he could even say anything the Arrancar drew her blade from the sheath on her back and jumped into the air in front of where they had come out of the forest, where she spun around and sliced apart the four incoming serpent ice dragons that happened to be coming their way. Ichigo knew that she was powerful, since she was the Tres Espada when Aizen was in control of the Arrancar, and just the look she shot his way told him to stay out of the fight, to which he nodded and headed off in another direction, since she could handle this on her own.
Harribel was pleased to see that Ichigo wasn't entirely stupid, since she could handle this foe, who was currently separated from his Shinigami partner, and she landed on a long stone nearby, where she looked down at the ground and found a tall man with an icy-blue x shaped cross over his face, though his power told her exactly who he was.
"I was expecting to find Ichigo Kurosaki here," the man stated, to which he stared up at Harribel for a moment, as if he was thinking about something important, but he quickly determined that he must have missed his mark and Muramasa's foe had run off once more, "Who are you?"
"I am Tier Harribel, the third strongest Arrancar under Lord Sombra's rule, though you can call me by my last name, since I prefer it to my first name," Harribel replied, though at the same time she remained where she was standing, as she knew that her foe could strike out at her at any moment and she wanted to be ready, "Judging by your reiatsu, and that fact that it's familiar to someone else's reiatsu, I think I know whose Zanpakuto spirit you are, based on those ice based attacks that you threw at me."
"You know who my master is?" the man asked, though his words revealed something, that he seemed desperate to find the Shinigami that he had been tied to before Muramasa came and interrupted whatever connection he shared with his partner, who he referred to as master.
"Wait, did you forget who your Shinigami partner is?" Harribel asked, because that might actually pose a problem to saving him, if he couldn't remember who he was supposed to be partners with, but at the same time she didn't lower her guard, since it might be a trap that was waiting to be sprung.
"That's correct. I do not know my master's name, nor my own... I have forgotten everything, and Muramasa promised me that he'd help me recover what I had lost." the man stated, to which Harribel noticed the conviction in his eyes, which revealed that he wasn't going to back down from a fight if she wanted one.
"Hyorinmaru, I feel sorry for you." Harribel said, to which she flashed through the air between them and appeared behind the Zanpakuto spirit that was standing in her way, whose eyes widened as he realized that she was being serious about wanting to fight him, "It seems that you were so loyal to Captain Hitsugaya that you refused to join Muramasa's side, only for him to force you to forget everything that you knew so you'd join him to get it all back... it's sad to see something happen to someone like you. Isn't that right, Captain Hitsugaya?"
"Indeed it is." Hitsugaya stated, to which he dropped down into the area that Harribel and Hyorinmaru were standing in, as he had the feeling that if Ichigo and Zangetsu ran into the forest they might find some Zanpakuto spirits, and after seeing two of the rebellious spirits already defeated he was happy to see that his spirit had also been found as well, before he faced the Zanpakuto spirit that was his partner, "My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the Tenth Division, and you are Hyorinmaru, my partner. I've come to free you from Muramasa's control and bring you back to where you belong."
Instead of waiting for an answer, like anyone else would have done when confronted by their Zanpakuto spirit, he drew his own blade from it's sheath and rushed at Hyorinmaru, though at the same time Harribel, who knew some of the powers that his blade commanded, rushed in as well, like they were double teaming the spirit. Part of the reason behind their dual attack was because Hyorinmaru was the spirit of a Captain level Shinigami, meaning that he was dangerous to fight against alone and Hitsugaya was happy to have some assistance in the fight against his own Zanpakuto, especially if that someone was the Arrancar that he had been forced to fight before Sombra's arrival as the Dios Hueco. Hyorinmaru kept the pressure on them as he swung his blade and many icy serpent dragons flew at the two of them, but just like earlier Harribel proved that she was too strong for those attacks and sliced through them like they were nothing, while at the same time Hitsugaya did the same thing, showing that they were more than prepared for what their foe was throwing at them at the moment. The interesting thing that Hitsugaya learned was that any Kido spells he used, be they Hado or Bakudo, froze when Hyorinmaru touched them, rendering them useless, though strangely enough he didn't use that ability against their blades, preferring to fight the two of them in a fair fight, instead of freezing them solid.
Eventually, however, Harribel was forced to take over the fight as Hyorinmaru knocked Hitsugaya into a boulder that collapsed on top of him, burying him for a moment, but that didn't stop her from parrying her foe's attacks and dodging any ice attacks that came her way. What she was really doing was buying her ally time, as she had determined that each Shinigami needed to understand something about themselves or their partners before they were able to save their Zanpakuto from Muramasa's control, since that seemed to be the case for Renji's blade, and that was what she was trying to get Hitsugaya to learn. She knew that if the young Captain could figure out what he needed to figure out he'd regain a portion of his Zanpakuto's power, just like Renji did, and then he might be able to overcome whatever happened to his partner, freeing him from their enemy's control, which would help them put an end to this rebellion. Her feelings proved to be correct, as it took some time for Hitsugaya to find deep inside him that he could use to regain part of his power, and instead of slowly wearing his Zanpakuto down, like Renji attempted to, he poured all of his power into a single attack that froze Hyorinmaru and him together.
A few moments later Harribel watched as the large ice structure in the air collapsed and Hyorinmaru floated down towards her with a smile on his face, complete with an exhausted Hitsugaya in his arms, to which she sheathed her blade as the spirit indicated that he was free and remembered everything... to which she lead the way back to the Seireitei, as it seemed like there was no reason for her to be out here anymore, not since she felt a movement that could only be Sombra making his way through the forest, and she pitied whoever he came across.
"Did you enjoy your stroll, Muramasa?" Sombra asked, even though he was leaning on a tree near what appeared to be some ruins, but he had waited long enough before he spoke those words, which happened mere seconds after a small Garganta, about the size and shape of a Human, appeared in the ruins, allowing the leader of the rebellion to walk through and fall to one knee.
"How... did you know I was going to come out here?" Muramasa inquired in kind, because if his foe was capable of finding him when he did something like this, to stabilize his own body, he was sure that he'd soon lose that ability and he'd fade out of existence.
"You headed into the Forest of Menos and absorbed a few Gillian, not to mention an Adjuchas, to keep your body from falling apart after our encounter." Sombra replied, shocking Muramasa with his words, as no ordinary foe would have been able to tell the rebellious Zanpakuto spirit what he had been doing and be so accurate in what he said, before he stared at Muramasa's shocked expression, "I told you, I am the King of Hueco Mundo, the Dios Hueco, and the realm I rule over tells me when something's happening while I'm not there, and all I really had to do was track your reiatsu to this location and wait for your Garganta to open."
"So, what are you going to do now?" Muramasa asked, because despite the Hollows he had absorbed into his body, to repair the damage that had been done and keep himself from fading away, he hadn't recovered enough of his power to get into another fight, especially not against the foe that was standing in front of him.
"I'm not here to kill you, if that's what you're thinking about." Sombra said, to which he stopped leaning forward and stepped towards the part of the ruins that consisted of the stairs and the area that was in front of the trees, where his expression grew serious, "Actually, I came to find some friends of mine, and you just so happened to be in the same place that they were in. You can come out now, Byakuya, Senbonzakura."
As if on cue Byakuya and his rebellious Zanpakuto spirit flashed down into the area in front of him, like they were going to attack him at the same time, but even as Muramasa started to grin, like he thought that he had won the battle before it had even started, Sombra tapped his right leg against the ground, where the sound of his hoof tapping the earth caused a dark spherical barrier to wrap around them, as if the darkness was sealing them in another dimension.
"So, you're using Kido to attack us." Senbonzakura stated, to which he formed his blade and readied himself, as he was going to put an end to this before it even had the chance to get started, all while finding that his foe was just standing there, staring at them, "I'm going to finish th..."
"Please, there's no need for you two to act around me." Sombra said, his words stalling the Zanpakuto spirit for a moment as Byakuya shifted his stance as well, though it wasn't one that indicated that he was going to attack, "Let me guess; you broke Muramasa's hold over Senbonzakura the night the Zanpakuto rebelled against their partners, but instead of helping the others overcome the new danger you slipped into the shadows, as if you're looking for something or someone important... someone that's not the Captain-Commander. And don't worry about anyone else hearing what you have to say, as this spell prevents anyone else from learning what happens inside this sphere, so only I will know what the two of you have to tell me."
"You are correct, I freed Senbonzakura shortly after the rebellion started." Byakuya stated, though at the same time his partner stood straight and banished his blade, knowing that if his Shinigami partner was willing to trust Sombra with their secret mission then he should be able to do the same thing as well, "And you are also correct about the fact that I'm not actively searching for the Captain-Commander, even though staying near Muramasa will lead me to wherever he'd hiding him. Muramasa is the Zanpakuto spirit of the blade that Koga Kuchiki, my uncle, used to wield before he was imprisoned for some crimes that I will not discuss, no matter what you say, and his partner eventually broke him out of his cell, only for him to kill those that threw him in jail. My grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, aided Captain-Commander Yamamoto in sealing Koga away a few hundred years ago, but they could not find Muramasa, as he had slipped into the shadows and was believed to have disappeared entirely, until he arrived and revealed that he was starting the Zanpakuto rebellion that you and your allies have come to stop."
"Which means that he's holding the Captain-Commander, not to free Ryujin Jakka, but to learn the location of where Koga was sealed away." Sombra said, showing that he understood part of Muramasa's motivations for starting this little rebellion of his, though at the same time Byakuya nodded his head as Senbonzakura looked at him like he was shocked that he figured things out so quickly, before he looked at his friend, "Would it be incorrect of me to say that you, as the head of the Kuchiki Family, are charged with making sure that Koga stays locked inside his prison and, in the event that he is actually released, are also likewise charged with the responsibility of dealing with him?"
"No, you would be correct." Byakuya answered, though he had grown used to Sombra being able to piece together the main parts of a story by simply hearing bits and pieces of it, which was why he wasn't as surprised as Senbonzakura was when Sombra opened his mouth, "If Muramasa succeeds in freeing Koga from his prison, something that my grandfather worried about since the day that my uncle was sealed away, it will be up to me to deal with him, which might not happen now that you're standing in Muramasa's way."
"Meaning that you're keeping an eye on Muramasa and his activities, just in case he releases Koga." Sombra added, to which the Captain nodded his head in agreement, while at the same time Senbonzakura glanced around the area that they were standing in, "Very well then, I will inform the others that you aren't betraying us and that they have to act like you really are, because knowing some of them they'll forget which side your really on and think your one of our enemies, so you will be able to move in front of Muramasa without arousing some suspicion... even though you'll have to do something for him once you two leave the area with him."
Byakuya nodded his head in agreement, as having Sombra on his side and understanding that they might be in some trouble if Koga was released from his hidden prison was a good thing, before Sombra tapped the ground once more and the sphere came undone as all three of them drew their blades. Within a few seconds of the sphere disappearing they jumped away from each other and made it look like a small fight had been going on, for Muramasa and Ichigo, who had arrived moments ago, before both Byakuya and Senbonzakura moved over to where the rebellious Zanpakuto spirit was standing and fled the area with him. Sombra grinned for a moment as he sheathed his blades and ignored the confused expression that was on Ichigo's face, as it appeared that Muramasa had no idea that he knew what was going on and that both Byakuya and Senbonzakura were deceiving him, and even then any doubts he might have would be taken care of when he got back to his hideout. He would remain true to his word, to give some of the Shinigami that he trusted the news of what their fellow Captain was doing, but at the same time this would allow their ally to move in the shadows without their enemy knowing what was going on around him.
The rebellion would be over soon, he knew that much from what he had seen so far, though at the same time Sombra knew that it was a matter of time until Muramasa messed up, as everyone messed up from time to time, and he would be sure to make the most of that moment when it arrived... but first he needed to have a word with both Zangetsu and the spirit that he had been carrying, as that was going to be an interesting moment in this rebellion, and then he could focus on their enemy and his goals.