Chapter 167: Chapter 164 - Byakuya's Talk
"I had always believed that battle was an art to be perfected through meticulous training and preparation. But today, for the first time, I was able to comprehend the thrill of indulging one's more primal instincts. You have my thanks. This battle was an enjoyable one." — Byakuya Kuchiki.
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A cadence of lights sparked from the confrontation between Itachi and Byakuya, in a battle that few could see and very few could follow.
A hint of hardness could be seen on Byakuya's face as he disentangled from Itachi, the latter bearing the look of complete calm.
'His entire persona is a deception.' Byakuya figured, looking at Itachi with a new sense of understanding. In a way, he was foolish for taking Itachi for just what he seemed. For someone who was widely known, mostly among the Captains, for his numerous fights with Zaraki Kenpachi, it made sense that his real strength belied what he looked like.
He was a physical monster – Byakuya realized.
'What does a Captain mean? Maybe if you see him fight, or even fight him, then you'd understand.' Those were his grandfather's words years ago before he even became a Captain.
That was a certain sense of quality around Itachi that became even more apparent the more they clashed. In a sense, he was balanced. So far they've only dabbled through Zanjutsu and Hohō but the sense of 'perfection' he sensed all through Itachi's movements hackled his thoughts.
It wasn't like he couldn't keep up, he could, but the level of synchronicity that permeated all of Itachi's movements was something that he, instinctively, knew he didn't have.
He was a prodigy in all forms of Zankensoki, especially the Hohō and Zanjutsu branch, but facing Itachi like this felt like he was facing a phantom. For every hit he tried to make, he was forced to defend against three. Every stroke he made was an opening Itachi took advantage of.
It wasn't his fault though. Fighting against a Sharingan user, no an Uchiha, was like fighting against a mirror.
At the end of it all, it all boiled down to experience. And be it as a fighter or as a Shinigami, Itachi held a long edge over him.
Once more he disengaged from Itachi and as if his opponent knew what he was about to do he held his Zanpakutō in a defensive stance, silently prodding Byakuya to continue.
Giving his a faint nod, he held his Zanpakutō parallel to himself and intoned:
"Scatter, Senbonzakura." His Zanpakutō flaked away into tiny pink petals and surged as a tide all around him.
The petals slowly floated away from him and covered the small area around them like a horde of dazzling insects.
The black in Itachi's eyes faded away to red as he looked at the tiny pieces of Byakuya's blade that flew around him threateningly.
Byakuya, seeing the change in his eyes, knew within himself that his fellow Captain had understood the dangers of Senbonzakura, most courtesy to his special eyes.
He no longer rushed towards Itachi, instead he brought his hands down and a torrent of blade-petals honed in on Itachi from three different directions.
He didn't say it but he was a little bit pissed that Itachi saw him release his Shikai and kept from releasing his.
Whether Itachi knew his thoughts or not, that didn't matter as he focused on the flurry of blades trying to shred him to death. It only took a second for him to conclude that he was the worst opponent for someone like the Kuchiki scion.
His Amaterasu would make small work of the petals and Tsukuyomi could be as dangerous, if not more, than Amaterasu.
Seeing the petals a hair's breadth away from turning him into a sieve, he quickly got a way from the encirclement with Shunpo but the petals proved to be relentless as they quickly moved onto his next position without so much as a second's delay.
Avoiding the petals was the easy part but how to attack Byakuya at the same time was his question and the answer quickly came to him.
'The eye of the storm.'
He quickly noticed how the immediate area around Byakuya was free of any of Senbonzakura's petals. A dead zone.
The next lunge of the petals met a wave of Reiatsu from his Zanpakutō that pushed them away. It was an immediate response but not an efficient one.
'But it will suffice.' Itachi thought.
He locked eyes with Byakuya for an instant and he had to praise the Captain's instinct as he immediately drew a dome of petals around him defensively.
One of the weaknesses of Senbonzakura was that it reduced Byakuya's strength with Shunpo. It was not as fast as Byakuya using Shunpo. Granted, it acted as a strong enough deterrent that it almost didn't make any difference. But tiny flaws were just as eye-catching as a bullseye to Itachi.
The moment Senbonzakura hovered around Byakuya protectively, in a single moment where it obstructed his view for a fraction of a second, Itachi flashed towards his side.
Byakuya's senses were on point as he immediately sensed something wrong as at that point Itachi was already inside his dead zone.
"Hrm." Byakuya grunted hesitantly and stopped the petals that had already formed to skewer Itachi from moving any further.
Itachi took his blade back and nodded. Granted, if this was a real battle it wouldn't end as easily as this as Byakuya had a few options to escape. He could use Shunpo, Bakudō, or even his petals to stop Itachi from stabbing him from behind but the nuances didn't matter much as this was but a spar.
"You fight well." Itachi complimented, or at least tried to, but Byakuya snorted.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't patronize me." Byakuya said harshly as he sealed back his Zanpakutō. Unlike what he thought, Itachi was just as bad as he was with interpersonal relationships. No actually Itachi was the better of the both of them but his impassive face and bland voice failed completely in showing it.
Itachi didn't reply to Byakuya's scathing reply and just silently followed the scowling youth – A pair of cold-faced young men.
"So now that that is over, might I know why you called me here?" Itachi asked after silently trailing behind Byakuya for a while.
He saw Byakuya's shoulders tense for a bit before the man turned to face him with a severe look on his face.
"The rebels you dealt with. I have reasons to believe something more afoot is underway."
Itachi was silent for a few seconds before nodding his head and replying with a simple, "I see."
"So you say but you don't seem surprised." Byakuya said, eyeing him critically.
"Make no mistake, Captain Kuchiki. While I do my duty as much as I can, to the best of my abilities, at the end of the day, those are your regents. Just as you've proven, on a few occasions, there are limits to my reach when it comes to the Noble Families."
If Byakuya believed whatever it was the Itachi was spouting he didn't say nor did he let it show on his face. It was more apt to say he completely ignored Itachi's words.
They arrived back at the Kuchiki Estate and the first person to meet them on their arrival was the Old Patriarch of the Kuchiki Family, Ginrei Kuchiki.
"Seems like you both had a fruitful outing." He said while taking a glance at them and nodding at Itachi who returned the gesture.
He left as he was only passing by when they arrived, but not before giving Byakuya a subtle glance which the young heir acknowledged.
Under Byakuya's lead, Itachi was directed to a gazebo that was in the middle of Byakuya's private compound.
"All you've done is ask questions and make assumptions, all after asking for a fight. Captain Kuchiki, tell me, why did you call me here?" Itachi asked, leaning backwards with his legs crossed and his fingers intertwined.
"I want you to investigate the other Noble Families."
Itachi sighed. "I have no time for jokes, especially ones as tasteless as this."
Byakuya held up his hand to stop Itachi from getting up and leaving. "I know what you're cautious of and while I know you've done your investigation on the Noble Families, I'm afraid whatever you've found out is nothing compared to what is really behind the closest of the Noble Families' history."
Itachi gave Byakuya a lopsided stare. "And you're offering me that information?"
"Of course not. I'm afraid I'm not brain dead yet, Captain Uchiha." Byakuya snorted. "What I'm saying, Captain Uchiha, is that I'm afraid whatever this is is not just related to my Kuchiki Family. I fear they are only taking the fall for a greater purpose. Otherwise they wouldn't act so rash."
"Be that as it may," Itachi stood up, thanked the servant that brought them tea, and made to leave, "the waters of the Noble Families are too murky for me to dig my legs in on a whim. I'll keep my eye on things, Captain Kuchiki. That much I can assure you."
As if answering his words, a murder of crows appeared in the yard, crying ominously. Byakuya took his eyes off Itachi for a second to look at the crows and when he looked back at Itachi, the Captain was gone.
Now all he had to do was discreetly filter some information to Itachi to give him a headstart on his investigation on the other Families. Because despite whatever Itachi said, he knew the man was just as duty bound as himself.
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