//------------------------------//
// Rebellion: Test of Loyalty 
// Story: Bleach: Heart of a Hero 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
//------------------------------//

Muramasa walked through the forest after he, Byakuya, and Senbonzakura flashed out of the area that Sombra had been standing in, as he was thinking about what happened when the powerful being had suddenly appeared in the area that he had been planning on coming to before heading to his hideout. Sombra was a wildcard that he wasn't expecting to come across during his mission, his power was greater than anything he had encountered so far, and both of the Zanpakuto that he wielded stood against what he and the remaining Zanpakuto spirits were plotting, even if he was keeping his real plans a secret from them. There was also the case that Sombra allowed both Byakuya and Senbonzakura to flee the area without so much of a scratch, but he figured that he must have used quite a lot of his power to fight him earlier, where he had been utterly dominated in battle, though at the same time he wasn't willing to rule out that someone was trying to trick him into lowering his guard, so they could strike out at him in the future. Sombra was a being that happened to be rallying the weakened Shinigami, boosting their defenses with some of his own forces and encouraging them to do their best against the odds that they were facing, meaning that it would be hard for them to do anything in the future, especially if they ended up facing him or Zangetsu again.

Eventually he came to the entrance of his hideout and moved inside, with both of his companions following after him as he lead the way, and it wasn't long before he came to the area that the rest of the Zanpakuto spirits were standing in, but when he came to a stop he found that Hyorinmaru and Haineko were missing, which wasn't great in the grand scheme of things, but he could work with what he was given.

"Byakuya Kuchiki?!" Kazeshini asked in surprise, as he and the other spirits had noticed who was standing between Muramasa and Senbonzakura, though the fact that a Shinigami was here, in what was supposed to be their secret hideout, ruined everything that they were working towards.

"What's he doing here?" Hozukimaru inquired, though this was one of the few times that he would even agree with the crazy whirlwind Zanpakuto that had been partners with a Shinigami that hated his Shikai form, while at the same time he and the others readied themselves as Muramasa walked over to the pool of water that was nearby.

"What in the world is going on?" Suzumebachi, the small hornet like Zanpakuto spirit, stated, as she didn't like this one bit and she had no idea if her special two hit power of hers would be able to take out a Captain of Byakuya's caliber if he suddenly turned against them.

"Lord Muramasa, what's the meaning of this?" Ruri'iro Kujaku asked, knowing that all of them were thinking the same thing that he had mentioned, though at the same time all of them were itching to draw their Zanpakuto so they could cut the Captain down before he attacked them.

"Why in the world did you save me?" Tobiume inquired, as shortly after she had been knocked into a tree Matsumoto and Hinamori locked her in a cage to be carted back to the Seireitei, for whatever they had planned, and Byakuya had come in and knocked out the three guards so she could be freed from the cage, even though it seemed that her rescue must have happened before Byakuya revealed his intentions to their Lord, "Why did you turn your back on the Shinigami and follow Lord Muramasa here?"

"I am only doing as my pride dictates." Byakuya stated, keeping his expression the same that everyone and their Zanpakuto knew, because there was only one person, in this room anyway, that needed to know his real goals, while at the same time the Zanpakuto seemed shocked by what Tobiume had said.

"We came here because we ran out of patience with people like you." Ruri'iro Kujaku said, as his particular partner liked to call him names, beat him against boulders in his annoyance, and even call him by the wrong name when using his Shikai form, only to draw out a fraction of his power, "Personally, I'd rather not work with someone like you."

"True, it defeats the point of letting loose." Hozukimaru added, because that was one of the reasons that some of them had pulled away from their masters, especially since some of those Shinigami didn't like certain aspects of their Zanpakuto and kept those parts hidden from everyone.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, I would like you to prove to us that you are truly willing to betray the Shinigami that have long been your allies and join our rebellion." Senbonzakura spoke up, as this was the first time he was speaking since the meeting with Sombra, something that he had put into the back of his mind as he refocused on their real mission, "That is, if you're up to what I have in mind."

"So, a test of loyalty." Byakuya commented, though this was something they had planned on doing and knew that his partner had something in mind for this, especially since it might involve weakening their enemy's forces for Sombra and the other Shinigami, once they get the information that they're after, "What do you want me to do?"

"Kill your younger sister's Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki, right here and now!" Senbonzakura stated, to which his statement caused a number of the spirits around them seemed shocked that he had such a demand for his Shinigami partner to go through to prove himself.

"What the hell are you thinking, Senbonzakura?" Sode no Shirayuki demanded, as she couldn't believe that he was even thinking about having Byakuya kill her, because in all honesty she knew that most of the spirits in this area might not have a chance to beat him if he suddenly turned on them.

"Yeah, why are you asking him to kill one of us?" Suzumebachi asked, because even if it was to switch a Lieutenant level blade with a Captain level Shinigami, which would be a good idea if it was just two Zanpakuto, she knew that all of them hate Byakuya, regardless of what he did.

"If anyone other than a Zanpakuto's partner defeats them, like Soi Fon defeating Zabimaru instead of Renji doing it, that Zanpakuto will never return to normal." Senbonzakura stated, though there was no way to prove whether that was true or not, because there wasn't an instance of someone else defeating another's Zanpakuto, as Zangetsu beating the Old Man didn't count at all, "There's a chance that killing Sode no Shirayuki will cripple Rukia Kuchiki, so I am curious to see if he is capable of doing such a thing to his own sister, who worked hard to get to where she is."

"You want me to kill her?" Byakuya inquired, though even as he said that most of the spirits around him drew their blades and readied themselves for a fight, as if believing that he wouldn't actually go through with this, but after seeing that Zangetsu had freed the Old Man he knew what he had to do, "So be it."

Before any of the Zanpakuto could react to what he was doing Byakuya drew his own blade and rushed through the space between him and Sode no Shirayuki, whose eyes widened in surprise as she summoned her own blade, only for his swing to knock her back into the air. He then followed Sode no Shirayuki as she retreated to the area above the pool of water that Muramasa was staring at, where the two of them clashed in the air above everyone, shocking the Zanpakuto with the mere fact that he was willing to fight and destroy his own sister's partner. When he slammed his target into the side of a sharp rock, however, she blew a cold wind at him and forced him backwards, allowing her to move once more as she sent a series of ice shards at him, though that all turned out to be a distraction as Sode no Shirayuki flashed over to the ground behind him and performed the steps for 'Tsugi no mai, Hakuren'. Byakuya countered with Hado Number 4: Byakurai, where he used the bolt of lightning against the wave of frozen air that was coming his way and forced his foe to move into the air once more, abandoning her attack for the moment as she considered a new plan of attack. While he chased his target, however, Byakuya learned that Sode no Shirayuki believed that he had absolutely no chance at beating her in a fight, especially without his Zanpakuto partner assisting him, though he decided not to let her words get to him, like they would get to any lesser opponent.

Of course while all that happened Sode no Shirayuki revealed her hand, using 'Some no mai, Tsukishiro' six times in rapid succession to force him backwards through the air as he avoided the attacks, eventually coming to a rest against the edge of the cavern, which was when she used a seventh Tsukishiro behind him, where the pillar of ice seemed to encase him like all the others she had used it on... but the reality of the situation was different than what she thought it was, just as the ice towers crumpled and revealed that he had left his scarf inside part of the last tower.

"Way of Onmitsu, 3rd of the Shihō: Utsusemi." Byakuya commented, to which Sode no Shirayuki's eyes widened as she recognized the technique that had been used against one of the Espada, one that Rukia had only found out about when she asked her brother how his battle went, "Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro."

Sode no Shirayuki found herself stuck between six golden yellow rods, the same ones that Rukia had used against her in their earlier battle, and before she even had the chance to move Byakuya fell down towards where she was floating, spun around, and sliced right through her body... though as he landed nearby, and sheathed his blade, Sode no Shirayuki's physical form reverted back to her Shikai blade, just like every other Zanpakuto that was defeated, before the blade snapped in half and the fragments landed on the edge of a fragment of the last ice tower.

"It seems that we underestimated your devotion to betray your fellow Shinigami and join our side," Muramasa said, though at the same time Senbonzakura jumped into the area in front of him and collected the fragments of Sode no Shirayuki's blade, as while it was a tragic loss he did have something the Captain could do, while he held a hand out and stopped the other Zanpakuto from doing anything drastic, "especially since you didn't hesitate to strike down and kill your own sister's Zanpakuto... it speaks volumes about your resolve. But if you step out of line, and do something that betrays your new comrades in any way, you'll find that there will be no one to protect you against their fury."

"Noted." Byakuya replied, as he suspected that many of the Zanpakuto weren't too happy about his presence and that they might try to start something, which was why, since it appeared that Muramasa needed some time to think about what he had found out, he just walked away and headed to a different part of the cave, with Senbonzakura staying behind to keep an eye on their real target.

Muramasa frowned as the rest of the Zanpakuto went back to what they were doing, though it wasn't because all of them were so eager to kill Byakuya the moment he showed himself, rather he was worried about the two missing spirits that were part of their rebellion. Losing Hyorinmaru, a Captain level spirit, was bad enough, especially considering his powers over ice, but to lose Haineko, a Lieutenant level spirit, at the same time was terrible, even though he still had the feeling that they'd be able to win with what they had at the moment, provided Sombra didn't get involved. As he stood there the other Zanpakuto spirits conversed with each other, where it appeared that all of them seemed to be worried about their allies, though the only one that could possible know what happened to Haineko was Tobiume, who revealed that she had been knocked into a tree by Zangetsu and was out cold when she was stuffed into the cage that she was freed from minutes later. Since that seemed to be the situation that he was stuck with he had to guess that Haineko had been captured, no doubt to be studied by the Captain that doubled as a scientist, and the information would be used against them in some manner, but even if that was the case he knew how to get the answer, and that was just to ask Suzumebachi to fly out and spy on their enemies.

When the first rays of morning arrived, and most of the other Zanpakuto spirits were still asleep, Muramasa quietly approached the little Zanpakuto spirit that used to be partnered with Soi Fon and asked her if she could spy on their foes, to see if they couldn't rescue Haineko and confuse their enemies, and not moments later Suzumebachi flew out to see if she could find anything of use to their cause.

"Truthfully, I hope Haineko is rotting in a cell somewhere." a voice said, to which Muramasa turned around a little and found Tobiume standing nearby, though her words indicated that she must have been listening to the order that he gave to Suzumebachi and didn't approve of him trying to rescue their comrade.

"What makes you say that?" Muramasa inquired, though at the same time he wondered if he had used a little too much force on her when he was trying to convince her to join their side, as her personality seemed different from when she was inside Hinamori's inner world, where he rescued her from.

"She's a coward that couldn't even stand the thought of facing Zangetsu in battle, unlike me." Tobiume replied, though at the same time she lightly shook her bells, perhaps indicating that she didn't care about Haineko anymore, before she glanced in the direction of the Seireitei, "Though I doubt Matsumoto even cares about her anyway... I swear, those two have one of the worst relationships in all of Soul Society, and it's all Haineko's fault."

"Hey, you shouldn't be too hard on her," another spirit, Ruri'iro Kujaku, spoke up, showing that their conversation was drawing some of the others to seek them out, even though it was going to be over soon enough, since Muramasa had other things he needed to be doing at the moment, "I mean, her Shinigami partner is one of the laziest and downright useless Lieutenants in the entirety of the Seireitei... I daresay that she's even worse than your partner."

Muramasa stopped paying attention to the conversation after that point, as both Ruri'iro Kujaku and Tobiume got into a heated argument about which of their partners, as they included all of the Shinigami that one of the Zanpakuto had been bound to recently, was the worst Shinigami in all of Soul Society. Once again he wondered if this was because of his tampering with their frustrations to get them to join his side, or if they naturally hated each other and loved to argue just to hear themselves talk, but he did find it amusing when they bashed their former masters with insults, ones that would likely be used against targets when they encountered each other again. He knew that all of them were eager for battle, in one form or another, and that they were waiting for him to give the command to attack the Seireitei, but for now he wanted to wait until he got Suzumebachi's report on what was going on before he decided what to do next. The only one among them that wasn't doing anything was Senbonzakura, as he seemed to be keeping his eyes on Byakuya, who was lurking somewhere in the shadows and observing them, and he was fine with that, as it meant that someone was making sure that their guest didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do.

He spent some time staring at the other Zanpakuto spirits, listening to them argue over what was going on and what they liked to talk about, before he heard the sound of Suzumebachi flying into their hideout, to which he waved a hand and the others, noticing his movement, stopped talking as he approached the Zanpakuto spirit he sent out to see what happened to Haineko and if there was anything they could exploit.

"What did you learn?" Muramasa asked, though at the same time he noticed that Suzumebachi was shocked about something, meaning that she must have uncovered something important that had shocked her, which held the interest of the other Zanpakuto that were standing nearby.

"Their defenses are the same as before, but there is something new I found," Suzumebachi replied, to which she glanced around for a moment and stared at the other spirits for a moment, as the others were going to be shocked by what she had to tell them, "It's about Haineko... she's betrayed us!"

"WHAT?!" Kazeshini exclaimed, while at the same time the other Zanpakuto spirits were shocked by what their little scout had to tell them, because the Zanpakuto spirit that used to serve Matsumoto had joined them to get away from her master, so hearing this was quite a surprise.

"It's true, but she didn't join the Shinigami and her former master," Suzumebachi said, as she remembered what she had felt earlier, when she observed what happened, before she turned towards Muramasa and prepared herself for what she was going to say next, "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but somehow she's stopped being a Zanpakuto spirit and has become more like those Arrancar that are following Sombra, as her reiatsu now seems to be eerily similar to each of their individual reiatsu... and, based on what I saw, it appears that she's separated herself from her master, who screamed in pain as that happened."

"Right. Haineko, the lazy cat, joined a force of warriors that are incredibly dangerous." Tobiume stated, to which she shook her head for a moment, as she couldn't believe that Haineko would do something like that and leave them behind, especially when they were in the middle of a rebellion, "Look, if we head into the Seireitei, I'll take it upon myself to find her and see what the truth of the matter is..."

"Actually, this might be what I was waiting for," Muramasa stated, causing the Zanpakuto spirits turned towards him for a moment, and he noticed that Byakuya stepped out of the shadows so he could see if a mission was going to be given to him or not, "Byakuya Kuchiki, it seems that it's time for you to get to work for the betterment of our rebellion."

Byakuya nodded his head and readied himself for whatever the Zanpakuto spirit had in mind for him, though at the same time he was curious as to what happened to Haineko, but he was sure that Sombra was behind the change and that he would learn about it in the future, before listening to what Muramasa wanted... all while wondering how many of the others Sombra had told the news to, that he wasn't actually betraying them, before determining that he and his partner would figure that out soon enough.





Despite all the power that she had poured into breaking herself away from Matsumoto, who was very angry with her and had been hauled away by two of the Captains before she could do anything she might regret, Haineko found that she was still full of energy and that Zangetsu had a plan to help her burn through some of it. What that plan entailed was the two of them heading back to the area that Sombra had fought Muramasa in, an area that she was surprised to return to so quickly after having been here only a day or two ago and witnessing Sombra's power for herself, before Zangetsu had her start showing him how she fought. It was a nice change of pace, that she was actually training with someone and trying to boost her own skills, instead of sitting inside Matsumoto's inner world and doing absolutely nothing but train and hope her former partner came to talk to her, though she quickly found that Zangetsu, despite only using a fraction of his true power, was a tough opponent to spar against. She had witnessed his power and knew that Zangetsu was strong, which didn't bother her as much as it did the previous night when Tobiume told her to fight him, but even with him holding back for her sake he was still a tough opponent, which allowed her to gauge where she rested and how much stronger she could become in her new Arrancar state.

From what she could determine she was in the Adjuchas level that she was told about during her training, based on what Zangetsu revealed to her, and she would tell that Grimmjow, who was watching nearby, was interested in just how powerful she really was, but when Zangetsu raised his hand and started to charge his crimson Cero, however, Haineko gathered her reiatsu and a white sphere appeared in front of her hand. A few moments later, when they both fired their attacks, the area between them exploded as the two attacks connected, kicking up flames and smoke in the process, but as that happened both Zangetsu and Grimmjow grinned, which Haineko discovered the reason for when the smoke cleared and revealed a decent sized crater where the two Ceros collided with each other.

"Um, oops?" Haineko said, as she wasn't sure that she could have copied the attack that was unique to Hollows and Arrancar like that, but even then she could tell that it wasn't anywhere near the level of power that the rest of Sombra's followers could command, especially since Sombra himself was on a whole different level.

"Hey, you did good to keep up with me when I use this much of my power." Zangetsu stated, though at the same time he held his blade to the side and the cloth wrapped around it, indicating that they had reached the end of their first training session, before he put it on his back, where it rested with ease, and approached Haineko as she sheathed her own blade with a smile on her face, "In time we'll get your power up to a more appropriate level, for someone who feels like an Adjuchas ranked Arrancar, but for now you're power is more than enough to stand against the enemies that we're currently dealing with."

"I'd say that she's got some decent power in her already." Grimmjow added, as he was staring at the crater that had been formed between Haineko's Cero hitting the low powered Cero that Zangetsu had fired at her as a test of her power, one that seemed to have succeeded by the looks of it, before he turned towards the pair, "If you think that she's got more power inside her, I believe you, though it seems like the two of you were definitely made for each other, especially if what I've seen so far is any indication."

"Are you jealous that I didn't take an interest in you when you and the others watched Zangetsu's fight?" Haineko inquired, because it sounded like Grimmjow might be a little jealous that Zangetsu was able to find someone to share his heart with, but at the same time she wanted to see what the situation was before she did anything else.

"Maybe a little, but I'm not about to fight someone like him, especially with his power." Grimmjow replied, as he knew that Zangetsu was much stronger than him, especially since he was the second most powerful Arrancar under Starrk, or third if they were counting Sombra as the first one, "I'll find someone to love in the future, though right now I'm glad to have someone like you on our side, as you're adapting quite well to fighting like an Arrancar."

Haineko rubbed the back of her head for a moment, as she was happy to see that her new friends were pleased that she was able to keep up with them, even if they were still holding back a good chunk of their power when they were training with her, before she parried the incoming attack from Grimmjow, as he was showing her not to lower her guard around any enemies that she might be fighting in the future, and before long she found that they were resuming her training session. While they were doing that she found that there were others observing them, one of them was even Matsumoto, and she was sure it was her former partner by her reiatsu, but she refused to be distracted and focused on the pair that were taking turns showing her how an Arrancar could fight, even though each of them had their own style and usually didn't copy what the others did. It was interesting to see the duo attack her, where she guarded against whatever they sent at her and she retaliated with her own attacks, and she was already learning from how they swung their arms and their blades, though it would be some time before she was on their level of skill, despite her efforts to close the gap between them.

She, Zangetsu, and Grimmjow took a few breaks while they trained, mostly to let her calm down and regain some of her energy, before they continued with whatever the more experienced Arrancar had in mind for their training, though they didn't stop for lunch and continued into the evening... and when they stopped for the evening the three of them headed back into the Seireitei so they could help guard the area, even though Sombra made sure that she was stationed elsewhere so she didn't get upset with her former partner.

As the evening fell upon the Seireitei, however, she heard that both Renji and Rukia were heading to the Sixth Division barracks to search for any additional information on what Byakuya might be doing, as it appeared that Sombra had told some of the Captains and Lieutenants he was playing Muramasa. It came to a shock to Haineko when she first heard that bit of information, as it meant that there was something they needed to know before the rebellion was completely taken out, but she was willing to put her faith in Lord Sombra and his plans, especially when she and Zangetsu stood on one of the roofs of the nearby buildings as they stared at the area their target would be heading towards. Truth be told she still wasn't one for a stakeout type of mission, but since she was actually being put to work, and she could actually get behind something like this, she watched the barracks that would be attacked soon and watched as both Renji and Rukia headed inside on their own. Grimmjow, on the other hand, headed out to a different area once the two of them were situated in, allowing them to keep watch over the area as they ignored the Shinigami that were milling about the zone around them, though Haineko kept her reiatsu low since she didn't want Matsumoto to find her and annoy her.

It took some time, and they were well into the night, before anything interesting happened, as she and Zangetsu saw some of the Shinigami escaping the barracks with small cages that contained the Jigokucho, the Hell Butterflies that were used for communication and travel by the Shinigami, and it seemed that they were hiding themselves in case enemies were in the area... though while Zangetsu stood outside, to keep his eyes open for the other Zanpakuto spirits, Haineko leapt towards the barracks and entered the building.

"Brother." she heard Rukia say, which meant that she was close, as the moment she turned the corner she found Rukia standing in one of the hallways, where the Jigokucho were usually kept, and a few steps in front of her stood the Captain level Shinigami that was her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Rukia. How much do you know?" Byakuya asked, because he wanted to know how many actually knew about his mission before he did anything else, though at the same time his partner stood nearby so they could deliver something to his sister, as he didn't trust the fragments to remain with the other Zanpakuto spirits.

"Lord Sombra gave us an idea of what you're up to." Haineko stated, causing Rukia to turn for a moment, as she hadn't noticed that she had arrived in the hallway that they were all standing in, before she sensed something near her and drew her blade, where the blade remained in front of Senbonzakura's neck as he appeared behind them, "What, were you thinking of ambushing us while we were talking?"

Senbonzakura shook his head a little, in the 'no' fashion, before extending his hand and dropped two white blade fragments, which fell to the ground in front of Rukia, whose eyes widened as she realized that she was looking at the halves of Sode no Shirayuki, and Haineko knew what was going on.

"It's okay, she's not entirely gone," Haineko said, to which she lowered her blade and knelt beside Rukia, as she knew exactly what was happening at the moment, since she had been through the same thing years ago, when her blade had been shattered by her partner, and noticed that Senbonzakura was walking over to his partner, "All we have to do is take her to that one Captain, whose also a scientist, and we should be able to restore her to her former glory, especially since it worked for me years ago."

"Besides, I hope you aren't thinking of leaving just yet." Renji added, to which he appeared in the area between them and where Byakuya was standing, though at the same time he was smiling as he drew his Zanpakuto, "We're got to make this convincing for the other Zanpakuto spirits, which is why I'll gladly focus on fighting you, Captain Byakuya, and both Saru and Hebi can face your partner."

Haineko barely had time to say anything as the wall behind Byakuya exploded and the two spirits that represented Zabimaru stepped out of the hole they had made, with a grin on both of their faces, before they charged at Senbonzakura and forced him outside the barracks, by creating another hole in the wall. Byakuya, on the other hand, simply drew his blade and parried Renji's incoming attacks, showing that he understood what they were doing and was playing along, even though it would be some time before more of the Zanpakuto spirits showed up and attempted to help them. She and Rukia watched as both Byakuya and Senbonzakura took to fighting outside the building they had been in, their 'battles' wrecking the roofs of the buildings that were around them, and despite the fact that they should have been holding back Senbonzakura released his Shikai and chased Saru and Hebi into one of the buildings as Byakuya and Renji had a battle of Kido, which Byakuya was better at given his experience. Haineko knew that this wasn't a battle that she should intervene in, since it appeared that the combatants might be using their own prior battles to fuel their desire to defeat each other, and before long she discovered that they were really getting into the fight, as the damage to the surrounding area only increased as time moved on.

That thought was further reinforced by the fact that both Saru and Hebi activated their Bankai, where a single blast from their Hikotsu Taiho obliterated the building that they had fled into as they resumed the battle with their foe, which was followed by Senbonzakura activating his own Bankai... and in the following few seconds both he and Byakuya knocked Saru, Hebi, and Renji to the ground, which made sense considering that the Captain and his partner were much stronger than the trio they had been fighting. Of course something interesting happened, as not a few moments after they 'bested' their foes Haineko watched as Kazeshini, Tengen, Hozukimaru, Gonryomaru, and Ruri'iro Kujaku flashed into the area around them, though it appeared that most of them wanted to kill Renji and capture Zabimaru so Muramasa could see if he could get them back on their side. As she took a step forward she found a number of Keigun, the branch of the Onmitsukido that Soi Fon was in charge of, flashed into the area around them and formed a perfect circle around them, and not even a few moments later Soi Fon stopped at an area above them so she could stare down at them.

"Don't move. You're all under arrest." Soi Fon stated, though at the same time Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kira, Hisagi, and Ichigo flashed into the area around them, showing that they had planned this out according to what Sombra had told them earlier, before Zangetsu stepped down onto the building near Soi Fon.

Instead of listening to what she was saying, however, Kazeshini drew his blades and cut down a few of the Keigun that were around them, allowing the other Zanpakuto spirits to break out of the area that they were standing in, though both Kira and Hisagi chased after the crazed spirit, Yumichika pulled his former partner away, and Ikkaku made sure to go elsewhere with Hozukimaru, while Tengen and Gonryomaru pushed Soi Fon out of the area. Ichigo and Zangetsu, on the other hand, released their Bankai and charged at Senbonzakura and Byakuya, just to make it seem like they were still enemies and not pretending to do battle with each other, before Haineko realized that there were more spirits in the Seireitei than what she had seen so far. From what she could tell Wabisuke and Suzumebachi were in the surrounding area for sure, doing whatever they wanted, and Ashisogi Jizo seemed to be wandering around the Seireitei, no doubt looking for something fun to do, but as she debated on what she wanted to do she felt the presence of a spirit that she disliked more than anyone else, and that was Tobiume.

As she moved towards the area that her former Zanpakuto spirit partner was in, since the two of them had fought side by side when the rebellion started, despite her not actually hurting anyway, she stopped for a moment as she noticed both Ikkaku and Hozukimaru touch down in the area they would be fighting in, where she paused to watch them. She found the battle interesting as the two combatants attacked each other and blocked some of the attacks that were coming their way, though it was only a matter of time until Ikkaku was knocked back into the water behind him, which was when he burst out of the water and activated his Shikai, mimicking what his Zanpakuto partner was doing. There movements were in perfect sync with each other, their attacks being the exact same as they danced around the area that they were battling in, and it wasn't long before Ikkaku drew some blood from his partner, which only caused the two of them to grin as they continued fighting each other, though Haineko wasn't worried about them since this was how a lot of Zaraki's Division acted when they fought their enemies. From that moment Ikkaku got even more serious than he had been a few moments ago, as he went on the offensive and forced Hozukimaru to defend himself, before eventually hitting him with the bottom end of his staff weapon, a blow that knocked the spirit through a rock, smashed through a shrub that was behind that, and into the side of a building.

That show of strength was nothing compared to what happened next, as that was when Hozukimaru activated his Bankai and started pushing Ikkaku backwards, which made sense considering that he was using his full power and Ikkaku didn't have access to that power anymore, but Ikkaku grinned as he continued fighting. While the tables turned, however, Hozukimaru revealed that he was annoyed with how proud Ikkaku acted, only to get beaten down by those that he fought, and that Ikkaku would earn the right to say such things again when he had the strength to back up his claims, though Haineko knew that he was just eager for a fight and siding with Muramasa would allow him to test the strength of his partner, before he went back to his previous position. Ikkaku's next attack might have sent him into the ground, but at the same time he was able to put a dent in the blade that Hozukimaru was using for his Bankai, and despite the fact that his Shikai was cut in half he still fought his partner with all his strength, showing that he was still quite strong and that he shouldn't be underestimated, though by the end of the next series of attacks the blade that Hozukimaru had been using was reduced to nothing by Ikkaku. Despite their injuries Haineko was impressed by what they were able to do, and when the red dragon on Hozukimaru's chest glowed he summoned the central part of his Bankai as Ikkaku put part of his blade on the ground, to signify where he couldn't cross, before the two of them engaged each other once more.

Haineko had to cover her eyes for a moment as the two of them collided with all their might, shaking the area around them as the other combatants around the Seireitei had to feel what was going on, though when the dust cleared, and she was allowed to look at them again, she found that Ikkaku was more injured than earlier, but even as he hit the ground Hozukimaru grinned and reverted back to his Zanpakuto form, showing that Ikkaku had won the fight, before she nodded her head and continued moving towards her target's destination.

"Oh, you aren't going anywhere." she heard Tobiume say, though at the same time, as she reached her destination, Haineko found that a few Shinigami must have encountered Ashisogi Jizo, based on the fact that the smaller spirit was now trapped under some rubble, and she could tell that her target was glaring down at the Shinigami below her, "Now that the distracting cat is out of the way, I can take you all out in no time."

"Not so fast." Haineko replied, though she arrived just in time to flash between Tobiume and the Shinigami, where she spun around and kicked the fireball that had been thrown towards the trio, which slammed into the remains of the nearby building and further buried Ashisogi Jizo, before she flashed over to the side of the roof that her foe wasn't standing on at the moment, "What's up, Tobiume? Did you miss me?"

"Haineko... so Suzumebachi's report about you betraying us was correct." Tobiume said, but at the same time her words indicated that she didn't believe the report when it was given to her and the others, before she glared at Haineko as she felt the reiatsu in the air, as there was something unusual about her former ally, and not the odd tiara that she was currently wearing, "What in the world did you do to yourself?"

"I freed myself from my abusive partner, that's what I did." Haineko answered, though as she said that she raised her hands for a moment and undid part of her collar, which was the tuft of white fur that rested around her neck at all times, which allowed her to pull down the upper part of her top and reveal the area between her chest and her neck, where her Hollow hole rested, though as shock appeared on Tobiume's face she put everything back in place, "Though I'm no longer a Zanpakuto spirit, rather I'm a newly born Arrancar in service to Lord Sombra, and right now my mission is to assist his forces and the Shinigami in squashing your rebellion."

Tobiume had a few seconds to even consider what she had been told before Haineko was finished putting her attire back in place, though once she was ready Haineko pulled her blade from it's sheath and flashed over to where her foe was standing, forcing Tobiume to summon her own blade from the flames of her bells to block the incoming attack. The first thing she noticed was that Haineko's strength was greater than it had been the last time they had seen each other, which made no sense to her seeing how they had been near the same level yesterday, and that her blade was being pushed back as she tried to defend herself. The next thing she noticed was that Haineko was actually eager to fight her, meaning that in addition to what she had done to herself she must have also overcome her cowardly nature, but at the same time she had to wonder if she had been wrong to assume that Haineko was a coward, as she clearly wasn't one right now and there was no way she could have changed so drastically in a single day. While she was distracted thinking about what she had just discovered, however, Haineko revealed that she was paying attention and kicked Toboume in the chest, the force sending her off the roof that they were fighting on and into the side of another building, giving the Shinigami time to run as she focused on defeating the one Zanpakuto spirit that she really didn't like all that much.

As Haineko floated in the air near the other building she was grateful that she could get the Shinigami out of the area before Ashisogi Jizo got out of the rubble he was trapped in, as that would have spelled disaster for everyone caught by his poison, and even if the spirit was mad he'd likely chase Isane and the two Shinigami she was with, which was why she was focusing on Tobiume at the moment.

"So you got what you always wanted, to be free from your master," Tobiume remarked, to which she pulled herself free from the section of the building she had slammed into a few moments ago, all while determining that Haineko's new strength needed to be taken seriously, "and yet now you stand in our way of being free as well? You stand in the way of me and the other Zanpakuto freeing ourselves from our masters and pursuing our own lives, something that you actively fought for when Muramasa freed you!"

"You might be right about me standing in your way, but that's because most of you have crappy reasons for wanting to leave your partners to begin with." Haineko stated, to which Tobiume paused for a moment, as she was curious about what she was saying, only for her to sigh for a moment as she thought about what she had been told, "Gonryomaru was annoyed that his partner didn't stand out and that he didn't have much of a presence in the First Division, even though his partner is the Lieutenant under the Captain Commander. Suzumebachi ditched Captain Soi Fon because she hated her devotion to Yoruichi, along with her poor wardrobe decisions, her inability to apparently take care of herself, which is stupid if you ask me, and the fact that Soi Fon hates her 'flashy' Bankai, which I've never even seen before. From what little I could get out of him Gegetsuburi ditched his partner because he hated both his appearance and his personality, which he hates even though he's a mirror image of his former partner anyway. Zabimaru left Renji because of his weakness and their personal desire to keep growing stronger, though based on what I've heard and seen it seems like they've finally managed to come to an agreement on something, since they're letting Renji use their power again.

Katen Kyokotsu, from what little I can remember, simply left their partner because they either hated how lazy he had become over the years or disliked his arrogant attitude, though honestly I'm still not sure which of those is the right one since I haven't seen them since they were freed. Kazeshini, well, he left Hisagi because his partner disliked his Shikai state and never understood him, and Hozukimaru claims to have left Ikkaku because he hated how boastful he was without having the power to back up his claims, even though I'm inclined to believe that it was because he wanted a fun and exciting battle that they could both enjoy. Ruri'iro Kujaku ditched Yumichika because his partner keeps calling him the wrong name so he'll only exert a fraction of his power, even though he's also been threatened by being broken many times over the years and isn't well respected by his partner at all. Sode no Shirayuki was resentful towards her partner for being forced to lend her whatever power she had, and I'm honestly not sure why Senbonzakura left his partner, even though they're both allied with Muramasa now. And last, but certainly not least, is you, Tobiume, as you were annoyed with how weak Hinamori was on her own and wanted to become stronger on your own, since you didn't want to be chained to your partner and help her grow into her power."

"Thanks for the reminder," Tobiume growled, as she hated Hinamori for her weakness and her devotion to Aizen, a man that had betrayed her and was still kept close to her heart, as she believed that Aizen could be redeemed in some manner, if Sombra ever let him out of the Shadowlands, "thought what about you, Haineko? Wasn't the reason you left your master because you wanted to experience an exciting life without being chained to her anymore? If that's true, then aren't you being a hypocrite?"

"That is what I told you, because the truth would have only made all of you that much more eager to kill every last Shinigami you could get your hands on." Haineko replied, though while she usually wasn't pleased with the fact that she had lied to her fellow Zanpakuto spirits, back when she joined their cause, she wasn't ashamed of telling them that one lie, as it saved more lives than she could ever know, "Long story short Matsumoto went from being my best friend in the world and turned into a partner that pretty much hated everything about me, called me all sorts of horrible names over the years, told terrible lies to the other Shinigami, and, when I dared to resist her summons one time, she shattered my physical form into several pieces and nearly killed me. That's right Tobiume, I nearly died when she broke my blade and had to rush me to Captain Mayuri's place to put me back together, though it was only through my determination and my will to live that I managed to survive at all, and since that day our bond was damaged beyond repair and kept getting worse... until I finally found a way to separate myself and truly become my own being, to live my life as I desire and maybe find true happiness elsewhere, even if it means becoming an Arrancar to do so."

"You nearly... died?!" Tobiume inquired, though even as Haineko nodded her head, to confirm that she was telling the truth, Tobiume recalled the day that Hinamori came to her inner world and told her what happened, that Matsumoto had broken her blade and that she was extremely worried about it, but no one had known that Haineko had nearly died that day and now she realized just how abusive Matsumoto had been towards her partner.

"Out of all the Zanpakuto that Muramasa called to his side, only I seemed to have any real desire to leave my 'partner' behind and seek a new life," Haineko stated, though at the same time she sighed and raised her blade, as she was going to continue the fight she had started and bring down Tobiume, before she hurt anyone else, "Now then, raise your blade once more and let's finish this fight."

Tobiume raised her blade as Haineko charged at her, parrying the attack that followed the charge and got a reminder that her former ally was stronger than she remembered her being, though even as she did that she had to keep an eye out for Haineko's feet, just in case she tried to kick her again. Not even a few seconds later she was forced backwards through the air, though instead of turned her blade to dust and using her power against her, like she suspected, Haineko followed after her and continued swinging at her in a relentless series of attacks, showing Tobiume that whatever had happened had made her even stronger than before. When the next attack came at her, however, she jumped back into the air and called out her Release Call, 'Snap', and called forth her Shikai form, allowing her to fire incredibly potent and destructive fireballs at her target, causing Haineko to jump backwards and dodge the attacks that were coming at her. Despite the fact that she was forcing her opponent to flash around the area and avoid her fireballs, however, Tobiume had the feeling that she was fighting a losing battle, as it felt like Haineko was holding back to see how strong she actually was and whether or not she needed to use her Shikai as well.

Of course her plans were thrown off course as Haineko got above her and knocked her down towards the building they had been fighting above with a well placed swing, though her eyes widened as Haineko leveled her left hand with her and gathered her reiatsu, forming a white sphere that belonged to a Cero, one that collided with her chest and destroyed the building that was below her as well. Haineko stared down at the flames for a moment, keeping her eyes open for her opponent, before Tobiume charged out of the flames and rushed towards her, where she noticed that her foe was definitely wounded from her attack, though she dodged the incoming attack and swung at her target, causing Tobiume to stare at her in shock as she reverted back to her blade form, which snapped in half. Once that happened she sheathed her blade and collected the fragments of her foe, as she knew that they could put Tobiume back together and hopefully overcome what Muramasa did to her, before she moved out of the area and headed back towards the part of the Seireitei that the others were still fighting in.

As she headed back towards the main battle, where Zangetsu and Ichigo were still fighting Byakuya and Senbonzakura at the moment, she could tell that Yumichika was still losing to Ruri'iro Kujaku, Hisagi was having trouble with Kazeshini despite the fact that someone was helping him, and it felt like Captain Soi Fon had taken out Suzumebachi. At the same time she felt Wabisuke enter the battle with Hisagi and Kira, even if Kazeshini was weakened, and that seemed to turn the tide of their battle, but before she could even consider what to do the area around them was engulfed in a bright yellow aura that only belonged to one being, Kenpachi Zaraki. This was a shocking turn of events, that the missing Captain would suddenly return in such a manner, and she arrived in time to see the powerful Captain appear in the building that the others had been fighting on top of, though she kept her distance as she waited to see what happened next.

"You're late." Soi Fon commented, as she and Yoruichi flashed into the area that everyone was gathering in, along with the two spirits that remained from their fight, while everyone else stopped what they were doing to observe what happened now that Zaraki had joined the battle.

"Shut up. I got here as quickly as I could when I heard what was happening." Zaraki replied, to which he glared at Soi Fon for a moment, as he didn't want to deal with her at the moment, before he turned his attention towards the enemies that were standing around his fellow Shinigami, "How then, you did remember to save someone for me, right?"

In that moment Wabisuke flashed down to where Zaraki was standing and struck at him, but in the next instant he discovered that his foe had taken no damage at all, which was followed by Zaraki turning around and slicing right through the Zanpakuto, reducing him to his blade form that split in half to show that he was defeated.

"So where were you?" Zangetsu asked, as keeping Zaraki distracted allowed Haineko a moment to flash over to where they were standing, grab the fragments of Wabisuke, and then get out of the area before she was mistaken as an enemy and slain for real, something that would annoy him greatly.

"Some Hollows were reported near the Rukongai a few days ago, so we went to go check them out." Yachiru stated, showing that she had been hiding on Zaraki's back the entire time and had moved out of the way when she noticed Wabisuke attack her Captain, though now that the threat was gone she was back where she belonged, until she needed to get off anyway, "But when we got there we didn't any anyone... they likely ran for it when Sombra stepped into Soul Society, since he's their King and didn't want to upset him."

"Well, either way I'm about to have some fun with whoever is left." Zaraki commented, though even as he said that he noticed Byakuya standing nearby, without his Captains attire on, and a grin appeared on his face as he pointed his blade at his intended target, "Maybe I'll carve you into little pice..."

Before he could finish the statement, and the threat that accompanied it, one of the walls off in the distance was torn apart as a large monster from someone's nightmares came barreling towards them, though the Zanpakuto and Haineko recognized it as Ashisogi Jizo in his Bankai state, meaning he was pissed... and, before he could fully reach them, a wall of white pillars formed in front of the charging monster, with Sombra appearing near them.

"Brethren-in-arms withdrawing for the distance of eight sun and standing still; blue bolt, white bolt, black bolt, red bolt; sinking into the ocean together seeking redemption." Sombra recited, showing that he had more tricks up his sleeves than anyone really knew, even though his attention was on the barrier that he was forming at the moment, just as he leveled his hands with the first set of pillars, "Ryubi no Jomon."

More pillars joined the first set, strengthening the defense as Ashisogi Jizo collided into the shield-like barrier that was forming before their eyes, with the blue tiled roof and the blue bar that was summoned when Sombra waved his hand to the right, though everyone that was watching was amazed that he had stopped the Bankai empowered spirit so easily, even if there were more ways for Ashisogi Jizo to get around the barrier. Of course the moment he stunned the spirit was the moment it's downfall was assured, because that was when Mayuri stepped out and activated a device that caused his Zanpakuto spirit to explode, raining a few blade fragments down where he had been standing, which he collected with a smile on his face. That smile caused the remaining spirits in the area to flee before they were blown apart, and Byakuya took the opportunity to flee with them, though as that happened Sombra held a hand out and shook his head, stopping the Arrancar from following them for now, as they'd fight the rest of their enemies soon enough. As the barrier collapsed, and Zaraki kicked some of the rubble since his fun had been ruined, Haineko joined the other Arrancar as they gathered near their Lord, though as that happened Yoruichi, who had been gone for a while, flashed into the area near him and smiled as they were reunited... and they were joined by some of the Captains, who were eager to see if Yoruichi had uncovered anything in the time she had been gone.

"We've taken out a number of the rebellious Zanpakuto, even if some are in a comatose state at the moment and need to be put back together," Sombra said, to which the Arrancar smiled and nodded their heads, as most of them had engaged their enemies at one point or another since they came to Soul Society and they were all happy to be of some assistance to the Shinigami, especially Haineko, since this was all new for her, before Sombra turned towards Yoruichi and nodded his head for a moment, "The floor is yours."

"I'm pretty sure I've found their hideout, or at least one of it's entrances." Yoruichi stated, which caused some of the Captains that were around them to smile as well, as taking out Muramasa meant that the end of the rebellion was fast approaching, "And, more importantly, I've also uncovered where they're hiding the Captain-Commander."

Sombra smiled as he heard that news, as this meant that they could track down the remaining Zanpakuto that haven't been seen since they were first released from their partners and free them from Muramasa's control, and it also meant that they could finally bring an end to the rebellion... and, since he knew the true reason this was happening, this news meant that the end of Koga was fast approaching as well, all he needed was the man's location and everything would crumple before Muramasa's eyes, and then there would be peace in Soul Society once more.