Crows x Souls

"We're going to Soul Society…to exact our revenge. We're returning to Soul Society, where all Bount were first created." — Jin Kariya. 

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"Can you still sense that thing?" Byakuya asked as they left the panicked village. He could tell that things just became a bit more complicated than they had thought, and that was thanks to this group of unknown enemies. 

Itachi shook his head, having tried multiple times and failing to pick up the trail of that creature. 

'Spatial techniques.' He thought morosely. Spatial techniques were always hard(borderline impossible really) to track, even with the Sharingan. 

"Do you have an idea where they might go?" The noble son asked upon seeing the thoughtful look on Itachi's face. 

"Soon." The look on Byakuya's face told Itachi that he needed more than a single word reply. "My clone is with them."

Byakuya looked confused at the mention of a clone but deemed it unimportant to ask at the moment and instead inquired of Itachi's next move. 

"They will be attacking us very soon. Maybe in the next few hours." Was Itachi's reply. So far, Itachi had yet to receive information on any of the Sacred Relics missing, but he doubted things were that convenient. Apart from the new variables, the rebels needed something to bank their confidence on. 

"We should be getting back to the Seireitei. The other Captains need to be aware of this as soon as possible."

With Byakuya's suggestion they both returned to the Seireitei with more questions than answers. 

"We have to secure the gates." Itachi told Byakuya who gave him a nod in return before they both went their separate ways, or at least intended to before they were assaulted by the bloodlusted Reiatsu coming from just beyond the gates. 

"This Reiatsu… is that Captain Kenpachi?" Byakuya muttered, feeling goosebumps on his skin as the torrent of maddened Reiatsu washed over him. 

Itachi narrowed his eyes as the figure of the man came into view and by the time he crossed the gate were they able to see tears and dirt on his clothes. 

"Mind keeping your Reiatsu in check, Captain Kenpachi? You are affecting others." Byakuya said harshly and gestured at the heaving and terrified Shinigami around the gate. 

Kenpachi scoffed, not caring about Byakuya's words and even less concerned about the weaker Shinigami. 

"What happened, Zaraki?" Itachi interjected, putting a stop to whatever words they had to say. 

"Oh this?" he pointed at the few cuts in his body, "I ran into someone interesting. It was a decent fight but they ended up dying quickly." He brushed past them in a clearly angry mood. 

Not wanting to linger around any longer, Itachi left to attend to his duties. At least now he wasn't entirely blind to the new developments and with his clone still with them, he'll know the moment they kicked their attack plan into action. 

He froze for a second as a stream of foreign memories suddenly flowed into his head, the timing impeccable. 

He did not waste a second, immediately summoning a crow and passing on an urgent message. 

"Tell Captain Shiba that the Kasumioji are currently under attack." The crow flew away before disappearing in a cloud of feathers. 

He called one of the nearby Shinigami and passed on a few bits of information that he needed all Lieutenants and Captains to be aware of. 

"Sir, we just received word that there's been an attack on the south gate." 

"Who's near the south gate?" He asked without missing a beat. 

"Only the patrol guards, sir. Captain Komamura is already making his way there."

'Captain Komamura in the south and Kyōraku in the north. They won't risk spreading themselves too thin due to their lacking numbers. A frontal assault or a surprise attack.'

"Tell Soi Fon to join Captain Shiba. Inform Captain Kyōraku that his gate will be getting attacked soon."

That left the east and west gate lacking in security but Itachi wasn't too worried. Even if they enter the Seireitei, they'll have to defeat the Captains first in order to achieve whatever they want. 

'Hoh? Looks like things are getting a bit interesting.' Amaterasu chirped with measured glee. 

Before he could even reply her, someone ran up to him with urgency written all over their face. 

"Captain! Intruders sighted inside the Seireitei. Two squads have been wiped out."

'How did they get in? That creature's spatial technique?' "Where are they heading?"

His calm demeanor seemed to affect the panicking Shinigami who managed to reply with slightly even breath. 

"The 12th Division, sir."

"How many?"

"Just two, sir." 

He initially thought of informing Byakuya and Kenpachi but decided against it almost instantly. They needed information on what the intruders were after and their average strength. Since it was only two of them heading to the 12th Division, there was a very high chance that they belonged to that strange group and if so then Itachi needed to learn their strengths and weaknesses. 

He doubted they were Shinigami because they were never in possession of any Zanpakutō, neither when he saw them nor in his clone's memories. 

He arrived at the scene a little late as they were just finishing killing off an entire squad. His eyes hardened at the scene. 

"Finally! Someone strong. I was getting tired of the earlier bugs." One of the intruders, a young man with a manic gleam in his eyes, exclaimed excitedly. 

His companion however didn't share his enthusiasm and was labelling Itachi a cautious look. "Don't act too rash, Mabashi."

"With our new powers we don't have to fear the Shinigami, Utagawa." Mabashi licked his lips with a predatory grin. "And I really want to kill one of these Captain ones."

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[Kasumioji Compound] 

Isshin really had to give it to the Kasumioji bastards. They were too sly for his liking. 

The old coots who worked up this brilliant (not really) 'let's rebel' plan and the ignorant and rebellious youths who were all too eager to join in for a cause they had no understanding of – they were stupid. Each and every one of them. 

He never liked them. They were too secretive a bunch and unlike the rest of the Seireitei, he wasn't entirely ignorant of the shady thing that happened beyond their compound gates. 

They were so deep in murky waters that even Central 46 was reluctant to permit him entry into the compound and it was only when he arrived that he finally seemed to understand why. 

At first he couldn't really tell the difference between the traitors and the clan members, that was just how jaded they all were. 'They still have those things?'

And to make matters worse, these bastards were pulling out all the stops and were aiming for a real nasty piece of work. The little he could get about this particular Sacred Relic from the Matriarch convinced him instantly of its danger. 

Even in the middle of the chaos, the damned Matriarch stubbornly remained tightlipped about the specialties of this particular Relic, only mentioning one to ensure she had his full strength on her side. 

It affects spirit particles – Reishi, Reiryoku and Reiatsu – that all go above a certain level by forcefully dissipating it. 

It was basically an antithesis to every Shinigami Captain. 

"Captain! There's something strange about those two." His Lieutenant, Rangiku, called out to him and pointed at two young boys staring straight at them. 

Isshin frowned. "Oi brats, don't do anything foolish." 

They were clearly not part of the Kasumioji Family but were supporting the rebels. 'Probably one of those strange ones Itachi spoke about.'

Instead of listening to him, they laughed and uncorked the water bottles they were holding and summoned a body of water around them. 

"Rangiku, make sure they don't get into the Kasumioji vaults. I'll be right behind you after I'm finished with these two."

She nodded reluctantly and separated from him, cutting down anyone who got in her way. 

"Now as for you two," the air instantly became scorched as intense flames wrapped around his blade, "Sorry, but I'm currently not in a jovial mood."

Engetsu burned. 

The twins flinched at the intensity of the flames but they did not buckle, instead channeling more of their energy and increasing the volume of water around them. 

Isshin sighed with eyes full of pity. "They never learn." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. 

He moved so fast that it left them too shocked and too slow to react but it seemed the water had some sort of sentience as it shielded them in a dense water cocoon and shot out tentacles at Isshin. 

Isshin did not waver in his path or appeared cautious at the attack. He simply slashed down his blade. 

And with it came the inferno. 

The water shrieked as all of its tentacles and a large part of its body protecting the twins evaporated. 

The twins backpedaled with paling faces and summoned an even larger body of water. And it kept on increasing. 

Isshin only spared a cursory glance at his surroundings, easily noticing the strange phenomenon of the broken buildings flaking off into spirit particles and being absorbed by the twins. 

"You're clearly not Quincies and yet you can absorb Reishi." He stated matter-of-factly, appearing unfazed even as an entire building dissolved away. "But that's just about it. It might have been another thing if you were Quincies, not that it would matter."

Engetsu's flames cast a dull radiance against the body of water now in the shape of a monster. 

"They never truly learn." He said, shaking his head. 

And again, Engetsu burned.

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