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>>792375
OH BOY LETS SEE HOW BIG THE FALLOUT IS FOR THIS SHITFIT.

>>792393
Bigger than normal but not as big as when we first introduced the Arrancar, would be my guess

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>>792375
Halibel glances at your wife. “I'm not sure I like the sound of that.”

“We all need to eat,” Yoruichi counters, “and it's not like the knife had feelings, or any higher thought processes at all. It's a kitchen utensil.”

“I suppose you have a point.”

“So we're just going to sit here and wait to see the results?” Urahara asks incredulously. “No planning for the possible outcomes?”

“What use would that be?” Halibel asks quietly. “What plans could you make based on no information?”

“Works for the Central 46,” Yoruichi chuckles.

You shrug. “Not really.”

“Also a fair point.”

“They're not going to like it,” Urahara persists.

“Well, there's not really anything they can do now is there?” you observe. “It's not like any of them could take Halibel in a fight, and the Royal Guard don't take orders from them. Speaking of which, it seems like Shutara's going to be giving us some leeway from here on, so it's not like the Royal Guard are even united in how to deal with us even if they tried to get involved.”

“In any event, sounds like Hueco Mundo has a new 'goddess',” Yoruichi muses playfully. “Good to know it's someone we know and trust.”

Halibel's expression sours. “If it were up to the Seireitei's government I would not be allowed rulership over their sewers, let alone Hueco Mundo. Nor am I certain I would want either.”

Kisuke's eyes narrow in thought, and he puts his hand to his chin. “The sewers, you say?”

“You've got that look again Kisuke,” Yoruichi observes warily. “What is it this time?”

“Just a theory. Nothing concrete.”

>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.
>Go. Work it out and come back.
>Unless it's important we have bigger issues (write-in)
>Other

>>792442
>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.
Someday we will break Kisuke of his shadiness

>>792442
>*incredulous* You've been in the sewers?

>>792442
>>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.
>>Or get a laugh out of it

>>792442
>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.

>>792431
This might be bigger than that since there's a chance of a Royal Guard intervention (I say that, but really, it's the Monk) is more likely in this case now. And it's the kind of intervention that goes for Riku's peripheries instead of her directly.

The Arrancar introduction only had the C46 to contend with.

>>792466
>it's the kind of intervention that goes for Riku's peripheries
Which as we know by precedent only serves to piss her off.

>>792442
>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.

>>792466
I wonder, is the fact that neither Halibel nor ourselves predicted this outcome better or worse than it being part of a plan?

>>792466
if anything the Royal Guard is trying to keep Riku contained and not taking the rebellious route when the time comes for her to go full goddess mode. Pissing Riku off would only accelerate that route.

>>792442
>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.

>>792442
>>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.

>giving it five more minutes then writing

>>792478
I'm leaning on better since unexpected events that throws a monkey wrench on keikaku is always a plus.

>>792470
>>792486
Well, getting a rise outta Riku is something I'd expect C46 or the RG minority to hatch.

And the sewer thing Kisuke mentioned seemed like an out of nowhere eureka moment. Does he have any reason to believe that the clone captains are hiding out in the sewers?

>>792465
>>Share. Maybe we can help validate it.
>>Or get a laugh out of it

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>>792442
“Share your thoughts,” you insist. “We all know that when it comes to your theories we're usually the ones who end up validating them anyway.”

Kisuke sighs wearily, considering the evidence in his mind and eventually concluding that despite his reticence to share incomplete information it makes less sense to try and hide it from you. “Well... I've been trying to assess something unusual with my Lieutenant's behavior. Despite her usually unemotive demeanor she's seemed hesitant to assist in locating the reigai stronghold.”

“That's weird,” Yoruichi agrees thoughtfully. “Mayuri clearly anticipated the problem... even left Riku those contacts that spark like the reigai's eyes do. So why wouldn't Nemu help you?”

“She wouldn't share her reasoning, so I kept track of the total amount of time she spent dealing with tasks related to various goals and ranked them,” Kisuke explains carefully, working through his own reasoning. “I found that I was wrong. Lieutenant Kurotsuchi did not take any longer to start working on tasks related to the reigai, she simply completed tasks related to the dangai in the minimum amount of time and with unusually low enthusiasm.”

“Like she wasn't interested?” you ask.

“More as if she thought it was a waste of time. As if she suspected the reigai might not be hiding there at all despite their apparent leader's expertise with the dangai.”

“So where would they be?” Halibel indulges Kisuke's tendency to force people to ask before he continues.

“The sewers beneath the Seireitei are a labyrinth of interconnected passages and chambers,” Kisuke explains, “many of which are uncharted. Of all the Divisions only two find a cause to go down there on any regular basis... the Fourth Division, whose Captain and Lieutenant were copied, and the SRDI, of which the leader of the reigai was a member for some decades.”

“So you believe the Reigai went into the sewers to hide?” you conclude. “Seems likely, if you ask me.”

“I would have to check the location of initial and last contact each time the reigai attack,” Urahara tells you, “but in order to confirm it we'd either have to chase them down or root them out.”

>If we launch a first strike we could gain the initiative.
>We could try and predict their next assault location, set an ambush.
>Maybe Unohana could shed some light on this.
>Other?

>>792638
>We could try and predict their next assault location, set an ambush.

>>792638
>I can infiltrate their numbers. Disguise myself as one of them.
Lets do an actual stealth mission for once. Put that onmitsu training to use.

>>792638
>>We could try and predict their next assault location, set an ambush.
>Maybe Unohana could shed some light on this.
>Good thinking Kisuke

>>792638
>We could try and predict their next assault location, set an ambush.

>>792638
>Maybe Unohana could shed some light on this.
See if her cleaning duty personnel mapped most of the area out. There might be locations of interest, like entrances and exits.

>>792638
>Maybe Unohana could shed some light on this.

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>splitting the difference

>>792684
Yachiru Unohana looks cute in this depiction.

>>792688
Looks almost like she lolified herself

>>792691
more like that was her when she was a teen spirit.

>>792695
can't be, she's wearing a Captain's uniform and has the Kenny scar.

>>792684
“I don't like it,” you frown, having seized on a problem. “You said that too many of the underground passageways are unmapped. Do we even know of all the ingress and egress points the reigai could be using, at least well enough to set up an ambush?”

“I'll admit that I don't think we do,” Kisuke agrees with you.

“You said that your Fourth Division would know,” Halibel recalls. “Their Captain could point you to an expert.”

“I guess that settles it,” you conclude. “I'll go speak with Retsu.”

After having remained silent for the entire duration of the conversation, to the point that her voice seems to startle Kisuke as if he's forgotten she was there, Tenri speaks up. “I can take you to the Fourth Division barracks if you wish. The teleportation spell is one of the few that I have been allowed to learn.”

“Thank you, Tenri,” you incline your head, and your partly-divine assistant bows deeply.

After using the spell, however, she takes a knee in front of the Fourth Division barracks. She seems to be out of breath, and you reason that even a single jump taxes her reiatsu reserves to an uncomfortable degree. She'll need to rest before you can ask her to do it again, you reason: most shinigami would be similarly winded after using that technique, or else dead from overexertion, even if their talent for kidō was such that they avoided being teleported inside a wall.

“Apologies, ma'am,” she wheezes softly.

You shake your head, then put your arm underneath her shoulder and haul her to her feet. “Quit apologizing. That bit of reiatsu you saved me may make a difference later on. Let's just get you rested up.”

Tenri allows you to help her walk into the medical facility where you pass her off to a nurse with the instruction that her reiatsu is to be replenished as quickly as possible. The nurse agrees immediately, insisting that she will take care of it herself. Before leaving to find Unohana, Tenri gives you one more polite bow and a quick word of thanks.

Captain Unohana is in an office upstairs, looking over a small stack of reports sitting on her desk. When she looks up, it's with plain relief that her boredom has been however briefly alleviated.

“Captain Kusajishi, what a pleasant surprise,” she greets you. “To what do I owe the visit, I wonder?”

“All business I'm afraid,” you reply calmly, gesturing to a chair. “May I?”

“Please.”

You pull the chair away from the wall, positioning yourself directly across your fellow Captain's desk and sitting down to look her in the eyes. “We need the expertise of your Division to draw a battle plan.”

“I'm listening.”
>1/2

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>>792807
“Kisuke has come to believe we were wrong about the reigai's hiding place,” you explain carefully, “and that instead of in the dangai they've been hiding underground. In the sewers.”

Unohana's eyes widen slightly as what you're suggesting registers. “So you wish to use this knowledge to your advantage. The Division in charge of infrastructure support has the expertise you presently need.”

You nod in agreement. “Flanders, the Somme, the Dolomites... modern conflict has proven nothing if not that all sorts of expertise have applications to warfare, you know that as well as I do. And knowledge of what's right under our feet is what's needed now.”

Captain Unohana sighs, rising to her feet and pulling several files off a nearby shelf. Each seems to be written for a different officer under her command. “Let's see who has the most experience, shall we?”

Looking over the files together, it seems that going down into the sewers is regarded as a dangerous task and that teams are usually led by a high-ranking officer. Unohana never goes down there personally, though she admits to keeping detailed personal notes out of curiosity more than anything else. In her days as a junior officer Isane Kotetsu would occasionally lead such teams, however she has not been down recently nor does she have the most number of missions to her name. That honor would go to the Third Seat Iemura, although surprisingly Seventh Seat Yamada seems to have filed quite a few mission reports himself.

“As you can see the 'sewers' can be something of a death trap,” Unohana admits, closing Iemura's folder and setting it aside to speak with you. “At least for what you would consider a normal shinigami. We only send teams when it's absolutely necessary, either to reach elements of the infrastructure for maintenance or to investigate reports of damage. There are many unstable passages, sudden drops, and areas built from seki stone where many shinigami would simply be too weak and vulnerable to function. Old barriers bar the way in places, hollows sometimes sneak in and get lost for years, and even worse... some contact reports suggest things worse than hollows might live down there.”

>Iemura's led the most missions, according to these documents. I'd like to speak with him.
>Yamada's filed an awful lot of this paperwork for someone with so few 'official missions'.
>You've been keeping notes, Retsu. Where would you lay an ambush?
>Other?

>>792893
>>You've been keeping notes, Retsu. Where would you lay an ambush?

>>792893
>Yamada's filed an awful lot of this paperwork for someone with so few 'official missions'.
>You've been keeping notes, Retsu. Where would you lay an ambush?

>>792893
>Yamada's filed an awful lot of this paperwork for someone with so few 'official missions'.

>>792893
>Yamada's filed an awful lot of this paperwork for someone with so few 'official missions'.

>>792893
>Yamada's filed an awful lot of this paperwork for someone with so few 'official missions'.
>You've been keeping notes, Retsu. Where would you lay an ambush?

>>792893
>Yamada's filed an awful lot of this paperwork for someone with so few 'official missions'.
>You've been keeping notes, Retsu. Where would you lay an ambush?

You know... This brings to mind, who the fuck is the architect that designed the sewers of Seireitei? And how did the C-46 and the G-13 not even know about their entire infrastructure let alone perform maintenance whenever a water pipe bursts? It's the equivalent mysteriousness of the ancient structures in ghost mexico.

>>792946
>It's the equivalent mysteriousness of the ancient structures in ghost mexico.
I know, right?

>>792950
I wouldn't be surprised to see Mimihagi or even Izanami or any other fallen/ded god taking refuge inside the absurdly spacious sewers there. The fact that the structure is lined with Seki-stone makes it a perfect place to hide. It's almost as if a god designed the place.

>writing

Rolled 8, 9, 7, 3 = 27 (4d10)

>>792978
Also, need to do this and would rather make it public.

>>793004
dayum

>>792946
Even more surprising is that the underground training space didn't hit any sewer areas when it was excavated.

>>793004
A super competent Retsu roll? Step up Riku.

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>>793004
“Seems a little weird that Hanatarō's name is on so many of these documents,” you observe, filing through a stack of maintenance reports that could be bound and published as a really boring,repetitive book. “Even the missions he wasn't leading. It's been a while since my Division had that sort of structure, but I think I recall that normal protocol is that the highest-Seated officer on a mission is supposed to file the report?”

“That is true,” Unohana admits, examining some of the paperwork for herself. “I see... this one. And these as well. All of them?”

You can feel Retsu's presence shift slightly, suddenly becoming colder despite her cheerful smile. She calls to someone outside of the office. “Oh nurse, would you mind requesting my Third Seat and Seventh Seat?”

“I believe Third Seat Iemura is attending a meeting of the Shinigami Men's Association, ma'am,” the nurse apologizes, poking her head in. You can practically feel Unohana have an aneurysm. “It may be difficult to reach him just now... should I have someone fetch him?”

“What's this about, Captain?” you ask quietly.

Retsu's attitude warms ever so slightly, recognizing your change in language for the benefit of her subordinate. “Nurse, please close that door.”

The nurse does as Unohana asked, and your fellow speaks her mind.

“It appears that many of these documents do not simply feature the name of Yamada Hanatarō, but are written to mimic Third Seat Iemura's heavy-handed style of handwriting.”

“So you don't think Iemura was ever down in the sewers?”

“Perhaps one of every ten reports filed in his name appears to be legitimate.”

>I'll go fetch your Third Seat, and be the “bad guy” here if you'd like.
>I'll fetch your Third Seat and we can grill him together. It'll be a bonding experience.
>May I speak with Yamada then? Iemura is your own business.
>Other?

>>793035
>I'll fetch your Third Seat and we can grill him together. It'll be a bonding experience.
>Say the above with a cheery smile

>>793035
>May I speak with Yamada then? Iemura is your own business.

>>793035
>I'll fetch your Third Seat and we can grill him together. It'll be a bonding experience.

>>793035
>I'll fetch your Third Seat and we can grill him together. It'll be a bonding experience.

>>793035
>May I speak with Yamada then? Iemura is your own business.

>>793035
>>May I speak with Yamada then? Iemura is your own business.
There's just no good cop to work as a foil here. We still want the suspected clone/collab/whatever Iemura to talk, not gibber in fear. Poor fellow.

>>793035
>>I'll fetch your Third Seat and we can grill him together. It'll be a bonding experience.

>dice+3d10, higher is better
The passing threshold is 5.

Rolled 2, 2, 5 = 9 (3d10)

>>793131
I guess it's interrogation time?

Rolled 8, 9, 1 = 18 (3d10)

>>793131

Rolled 10, 1, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>793131

>>793134
>>793135
>>793142
.......
wow

god dam the mediocrity. Somehow I can think of a way to do the dice mechanic. Riku can spend some Shinreiryoku to fiddle with the dice results. but it comes at a cost in which she can't easily recover it unless she's actually had a full night's sleep or something like that. like divine influence.

>>793149
It's a decent enough pass for the later 2 rolls. Hey, at least our perp will be keeping his shit together. Him spilling his guts in front of Retsu would be quite a spectacle.

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>>793134
>>793135
>>793142
Have a Nel to make up for the sheer mediocrity. I may actually try the next session I run the way Spooky does it, and set the DC as the sum. I've noticed an odd tendency for one die to suck.

>>793175
>odd tendency for one die to suck

Last roll clutches are a thing of beauty though.

>>793182
I mean as a pool, one die tends to suck. Almost like it's weighted towards mediocrity.

>>793175
>>793198
Well it depends toatlay on the dice, we've seen term do batshit insane thing in both this quest and in Sith Apprentice Quest.

>>793135
>>793142

Seriously how do we keep getting all these 1's in perfectly good rolls?

>>793175
>I may actually try the next session I run the way Spooky does it, and set the DC as the sum. I've noticed an odd tendency for one die to suck.

Might want to be lenient on the DC then while you stress test this method. How would you convert this? DC is 5 here, so for the sum a crit success if 15, normal success if 10, failure is 5, critfail is less than 5?

...Huh, that actually sounds like pretty reasonably odds for something as experienced and competent as Riku and Unohana.

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>>793175
“I'll go find your officer,” you volunteer, rising to your feet. “Don't worry, I'll bring him back in once piece. Just going to put the 'fear of god' in him, if you will.”

Unohana leans back in her seat, shutting her eyes. “Very well, you may have your fun. In the mean time I'll have to consider whether I wish to punish him as badly as I want to, or whether to take advantage of your offer and demonstrate comparative restraint.”

“Your Division,” you shrug and step out of the office. “Nurse, where exactly is this meeting? Or do you know?”

After a few minutes of asking around, you find a very polite young man by the name of Ogidō, who takes a moment out of his day making nurses swoon as he walks by to explain that he's the co-leader of the same Response Unit Iemura leads.

“I believe, Captain, you will find him on the Sixth Division's grounds,” he tells you, “as the meeting is being held in Lieutenant Abarai's office.”

“Thank you, Ogidō,” you nod politely as the man bows. It seems the two of you have attracted some stares and prompted a few whispers, so you quickly excuse yourself and leap from a nearby window.

Sixth Division's barracks are just as well-manicured as you recall from the last time you came here, kept immaculate and beautiful by the Kuchiki Clan's near-inexhaustible wealth. But unlike most visitors you head straight for a rather modest-looking structure detached from the rest, in which you can feel a ludicrous number of shinigami gathered.

It's not just Renji and Iemura, but also Kira, Hisagi, and even Tetsuzaemon. It's been a while since you've seen a lot of those guys... and you can't help but notice the absence of the one Captain who used to sit in on these meetings. Ukitake used to do it out of a sense of charity you think, since the Men's Association hasn't always been the most well-funded group in the Seireitei. Or the largest. Or successful. Or popular.

In fact it's kind of a shitty organization if you're completely honest.

>Go in through the door like a normal person, but more intimidating.
>Fuck that, the Kuchikis can afford to repair a little property damage. Get creative.
>Go full eldritch horror. Warp in, warp out.
>Other?

>>793339
>>Go in through the door like a normal person, but more intimidating.

>>793339
>use Kyokko to sneak in, dispel the barrier right in front of their faces for your entrance, go full eldritch horror when saying your piece, and then walk out the door like a normal person.

>>793339
>Go in through the door like a normal person, but more intimidating.
All the better to embarass him publicly in front of all his friends.

>>793339
>>793368
supporting

>>793368
Second.

>>793339
>Go in through the door like a normal person, but more intimidating.
As fun as the other stuff is, they are soldiers and we have enemies on two fronts. They might embarass themselves trying to fight us.

>>793368
>>793339
How could I not?

>>793339
>Fuck that, the Kuchikis can afford to repair a little property damage. Get creative.

>>793339
>>Go in through the door like a normal person, but more intimidating.

>>793339
>Go full eldritch horror. Warp in, warp out.

>>793339
>>Other?
Get the lights flickering, the floors and trusses groaning, then when the lights cut off knock on the door for trick or treat.

Late Halloween surprise!

>>793421
>dice+3d10
DC is a little different this time. Best of three, but instead of counting individual rolls it will be the sum of each 3d10 pool. DC is 12, critical is 16.

Rolled 8, 1, 3 = 12 (3d10)

>>793445

Rolled 4, 3, 6 = 13 (3d10)

>>793445

Rolled 10, 8, 10 = 28 (3d10)

>>793445

>>793452
Hahahahahahahaha

>>793452

Okay, the dice are clearly just fucking with us.

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>>793452
this deserves a smug riku face.

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>>793452

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>>793452

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>>793452

>>793495
Wait I am of the dumb, Nevermind, I blame going without sleep.

>>793480

And then Riku graced the Shinigami Men's Association with her best Unohana impression.

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>>793480
“Hey, Tenkotsuki?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“Let's have a little fun, shall we?” you suggest with a devilish grin that'd even put Yoruichi on high alert.

“At the expense of the Shinigami Men's Association?”

“We have to do it anyway,” you point out, “and it's important to take pride in what you do.”

“I could not agree more, dear Riku.”

With a few moments of preparation you cloak yourself, and find a window on the outside of the small building. Inside you see that Renji has his own small work space with an adjoining meeting room, and it seems like he's actually not participating in the meeting at all. Instead he's sitting at his desk writing... which actually comes as a surprise. You weren't sure he could write well enough that Byakuya would trust him to do paperwork.

It's easy enough to step in through the window and reach the ceiling where you create a reishi foothold for yourself, essentially walking across it as though it were the floor. It even comes as a mild surprise to you that your own footsteps are totally silent. Not muffled or quiet, as you're used to being able to do thanks to your Onmitsukidō training, but dead silent.

“What have you done?” you ask Tenkotsuki, sensing that something is very unusual about your own Kyokkō. “This isn't normal.”

“I have given your reiatsu a shape,” she explains silently as you take a position on the ceiling above the shinigami in the meeting room, each of whom is dressed like some kind of stereotypical yakuza boss with a haramaki and their kosode draped over their shoulders. “It has a somewhat softer, serrated texture that dampens sound.”

Neat, you think to yourself. It may be possible to modify shunkō along the same lines to interesting effect when you have some time.

“So what do we have?” Kira sighs, clearly frustrated about something. “We can't have possibly spent all of our funding already!”

“That's what I'm tryin' to tell you,” Tetsuzaemon grumbles. “We didn't have a budget after this month. As in no new money in after July.”

“How is that possible?” Iemura demands as you hang down from the ceiling well above their notice.

“Apparently our expenses are considered so low that our funding was switched to a six-month basis,” Tetsuzaemon explains.
>1/2

>>793644
On the one hand, that seems too low. On the other, serves them right for being part of a feudal system, like the term for "Shinigami Men's Association" is still mostly just "Shinigami"

>>793644
Don't mind me, just lurking and I wanted to see if this ctrl+s thing actually works.

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>>793644
“One of you has a much more serious issue on their hands,” you interrupt, prompting the shinigami below you to search the room.

Tetsuzaemon however doesn't bother, instead extending his arm to cast Tenteikura. The two floating quills decorate his left arm from hand to elbow then disappear into his uniform as he attempts to contact you.

“Captain Kusajishi, you contacted us?” he asks. “Where are you, ma'am? Do you need assistance?”

“I'm behind you, Tetsuzaemon,” you announce, after taking a new position with a hirenkyaku. Unlike your normal step, which produces a faint sound as you form the reishi current you use to travel that a keen observer can hear, this step is totally silent. “You're slipping. The Tetsuzaemon I knew would have checked the room more thoroughly than that.”

“Apologies, ma'am,” he bows in greeting. “I forgot who I was dealing with. You said there was an issue?”

“I did,” you repeat, reappearing noiselessly behind Shūei. His body visibly stiffens as he hears your voice, having neither seen nor heard your movements. The anxiety is practically tangible. “Very serious trouble indeed, worse than he could possibly imagine.”

“And who is it, Captain?” Hisagi asks, still standing as if at attention even after you've moved on to spook Kira.

“Think about it, boys. Out of all of your respective Captains, whose would you want to anger the least? Which one is the most terrifying?”

Iemura's eyes go wide as you're suddenly staring him straight in the face. “You've done a foolish thing, Third Seat Iemura.”

From behind him, you lean in to whisper as he sweats bullets. “She knows about Yamada's reports.”

“Help me...” he practically squeaks, looking to his comrades for salvation. Tetsuzaemon shakes his head solemnly.

“If it's that woman, it can't be helped.”

“We'll all chip in for your funeral, Iemura,” Kira bows politely.

“Hisagi?” Iemura pleads.

Your former Commando looks away. “I'll remember you as you lived, Iemura. So please try not to hold a grudge, and rest in peace.”
>2/3

>>793781

Wonderful. The only way this could be more perfect is if Riku found a way to feed on fear.

>>793795
Why do you think she's so strong?

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>>793802
I'm gonna say...a compelling reason to fight.

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>>793835
A VERY compelling reason to fight.....

>>793835
>>793855
Looks more like a compelling reason to ignore work and relax at home, to me.

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>>793781
“How cold,” you comment with a grim smile. “However, you've made the right call. And I'll see to it you get a little extra funding... the Women's Association has a surplus if you count out refreshments. I'm certain they could be persuaded to cut back.”

“Thank you, ma'am,” Tetsuzaemon bows deeply. “I appreciate your willingness to speak on our behalf.”

You wave him off. “If it comes at the expense of someone else, it's not equality, is it? I just call 'em how I see 'em.”

“All the same, thank you.”

“Please convey my greetings to your respective Captains,” you nod as Renji walks into the room.

“What's goin' on in... Captain,” he greets you in confusion, glancing over his shoulder at the open window in his office and immediately piecing the likely order of events together. “If you'd warned me you were coming I'd have had something prepared for you.”

“No time anyway, Abarai,” you assure him, before using your new 'silenced' hirenkyaku to step behind him. “And please tell your zanpakuto I said hello. I look forward to seeing what you can prepare by the time Aizen's war kicks off.”

“And I look forward to a chance to show it off,” he grins. “Not planning on letting that carrot-topped brat keep showing me up!”

“That's the spirit.”

You then grab Iemura by the collar, carrying him on your back like a sack of produce. “I'll be taking this. Bye!”

By the time you arrive at the Fourth Division barracks, not only has Iemura all but resigned himself to his fate but Tenri has recovered fully from her exertion. After depositing the Third Seat in Unohana's office, a nurse leads you to a small conference room where Tenri and Yamada are waiting for you.

“Captain Kusajishi!” Yamada greets you, standing upright with a start and bowing so furiously it makes it hard to understand him. “I apologize for all the trouble back then, I really do! I didn't mean to get involved with the invaders, so please don't be angry it's just that Miss Kuchiki seemed so nice when I met her and I wanted to do the right thing and then Kurosaki showed up and...”

“Slow down,” you sigh. “And take a seat.”

>Tell me about the tunnel system under the Seireitei. Is there a place big enough to hide a small military unit?
>What are these tunnels actually used for, and how extensive is the full system?
>Just focus on the ingress and egress routes. Which ones are the least visible, or else most obscure?
>Other?

>>793870
>Tell me about the tunnel system under the Seireitei. Is there a place big enough to hide a small military unit?

>>793864
Nonsense, WE MUST FIGHT TO PROTECT DAT ASS!

>>793870
>What are these tunnels actually used for, and how extensive is the full system?
>Have you met any being that lives in those sewers? just in-case there's spirit crocodiles living in those waters.

>>793870
>>Tell me about the tunnel system under the Seireitei. Is there a place big enough to hide a small military unit?


>>793864
Silly anon. Relaxing at home isn't where you find Yoruichi!

Most of the time.

>>793882

Indeed. How can we expect Yorutichi to cover our ass, if we do not do the same?

We happily throw our body atop that bombshell.

>>793870
>>What are these tunnels actually used for, and how extensive is the full system?

>>793870
>Tell me about the tunnel system under the Seireitei. Is there a place big enough to hide a small military unit?
>What are these tunnels actually used for, and how extensive is the full system?

>>793870
>Tell me about the tunnel system under the Seireitei. Is there a place big enough to hide a small military unit?
>What are these tunnels actually used for, and how extensive is the full system?

>>793896
Is cover a euphemism for ogle, in this case?

>>793870
>Tell me about the tunnel system under the Seireitei. Is there a place big enough to hide a small military unit?
>What are these tunnels actually used for, and how extensive is the full system?

>>793870
>Other?
Find out which tunnels and spaces were used during his time with Ichigo. If it worked for them in evading search, it stands to reason that a few of the clones might use those as well.

>>793920
>>793870
supporting this write in

>>793905
It can be euphemism for whatever you want. There's just so MANY ways to TAKE it...

>writing

Also I remember an old Fosfor fic where Yamada found a way to make his shikai really effective.

He heals people with his sworduntil his meter is full, and then unleashs a Menos killing blast.

Except if he stabbed himself, he instantly filled his gauge.

Maybe we should try that. And not just because casually musing on the subject in front of Yamada would be hilarious.

>>793969
“Just tell me about the tunnels you used to evade detection back then, Yamada,” you insist quietly, trying to keep in mind how easily spooked he is. “I assume it must be an extensive system?”

Yamada nods rather meekly, somewhat put at ease by your tone. “Yes, ma'am. Few people realize it, but it's not just a sewer. All of the rainwater drainage, cisterns, and aqueducts for the Seireitei run underground as well. The SRDI only knows about the sewers because they ran some of the electric grid through them. But...”

His voice seems to falter until you prompt him to continue. “But what, Third Seat? By all means speak freely.”

He gulps. “Well, it almost seems like... something else. Some of the chambers down there don't even seem to serve any infrastructural purpose.”

“Explain.”

“I mostly stick to the drainage channels,” Yamada readily admits, “because the lower levels can be really dangerous. But the one time I went down to the third level to check the structural integrity of a deep cistern, the chamber I was in was too ornate. Carefully carved columns, with torch holders and everything! Almost like people were expected to spend time down there.”

“It was really weird.”

“Could a chamber like that be used to hide a small military force?” you press, trying not to sound too aggressive. “How accessible is it?”

“Only one way in and out,” Yamada explains with a shake of his head. “So I doubt that particular chamber could be usable for that sort of purpose. But other chambers could be used like that.”

>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?
>So where do you figure they could be getting to and from the surface?
>So... do we really need a lot of those tunnels? What would happen if one mysteriously collapsed?
>Other?

>>794144
>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?
>ready
read queen. it's "read"
Drink!

>>794011
Just slap him around a bit and tell him it's for his own good, then have him use his healsword for a super move.

>>794144
>>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?
>So where do you figure they could be getting to and from the surface?

>>794144
>>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?

>>794171
ready makes sense aswell

>>794144
>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?

>>794144
>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?

Mind you, I'd still favor the ambush, which means going for the option with the surface exits. But it just seems that without a proper force to thoroughly flush the reigai out, we'd end up with having to take them out piecemeal.

Also, it just occurred to me what gimmick zanpakutou was missing in Bleach. Drill Swords.

>>794144
>Somebody ready my article on defensive tunnel warfare. So where do you figure they could hide?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJXKVOxqkWM

>>794144
>writing

If these tunnels are ruled by snakes somehow...

Wait, could Gin end up as a reigai?

>>794294
If Gin was a reigai we would all be dead already.

Unless he is such a dickass prankster that not even rewriting his psyche makes him follow orders.

>>794294
Oh shit. He'd absolutely dominate in confined spaces and long hallways.

Tunnel Snakes rule!

>>794326

Considering we kill Reigai Riku, who would arguably be his mother....he might legitimately be out for revenge.

Here's hoping he still considers real Riku a mother figure.

>>794329

And it would make perfect sense to have held him in reserve. For once he is vastly more effective in a defensive engagement, and the Gotei 13 could plausibly believe he was one of the people never copied. So he serves as an excellent trump card.

>>794349
I hate to do this, but we could trick him into thinking Reigai Riku survived by putting on the contact lenses Mayuri gave us.

>>794269
“Didn't realize anyone read that article,” you chuckle. “I mean I knew that statistically speaking it had to happen, but this is the first time I've seen evidence of it.”

Hanatarō allows himself a laugh as well. “Yes, well, I figured it may have some applications.”

“And did it?”

“Not really, no. But it was interesting anyway.”

Great. That took a little bit of the wind out of your proverbial sails.

“Well, then I suppose you can advise me about where one could hide a bunch of Captain-class fighters?”

Yamada considers your question for a few minutes, muttering quietly to himself. “Excuse me, ma'am... I'll be back in a moment!”

The third seat runs from the room and returns just as quickly with a map of the Seireitei, which he spreads out across the floor and points towards a large number of little red crosses. “Here, the locations of the entrances I know about are these. There are a hundred and thirty-seven, mostly leading to either the sewer proper or the rainwater drains.”

“The large chambers I know of with more than one way in and out that connect to major thoroughfares are here, here, and here.” The Third Seat marks three boxes onto the map and circles a series of entrances that presumably lead to the chambers he indicated.

“So those are the exits?” you ask, examining the map carefully. They cover an insanely wide range, including most of the kilometers-wide city: there's literally no way you can cover them all. “And you believe there are only three possible locations?”

>Start making plans to scout the three chambers.
>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.
>Other?

>>794393
>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.

>>794393
>>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.
use the nerd

>>794393
>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.
Or at the very least, we can work a way to put up passive detection for the areas that are still likely to be used, but we're unable to cover.

>>794393
>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.

No reason not to, unless time really is of the essence. Tenri seems ready for transport, unless we want to save her for later.

>>794372

....Shit we could. I'd feel like a heel and we'd still need to successfully bullshit a Gin, but we could try.

>>794393
>>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.

>>794393
>Return to Kisuke with this information, see if he can narrow down the ambush sites.
Yeah alright.

>writing
Sadly this will be the last update for now, since I've put off dinner and it's nearly 11:30 here. I need to get something to eat and get home. But I can do something Monday afternoon/evening, PST.

Will update here and on the Twitter once that schedule firms up.

>>794523
Awww, alright Queen! Take care.

>>794523
Okay, thanks for running and see ya next time.

File: 1478233969036.png (245 KB, 777x639)

245 KB PNG

>>794523
“I should get this information to Captain Urahara,” you announce, rolling up the map. “May I?”

Yamada bows swiftly. “By all means, don't let me keep you! Ummm... but what are you doing with my map?”

You sigh dramatically, bopping him over the head with the roll. “I'm taking it with me, Seventh Seat. I don't trust myself to replicate it from memory.”

“Oh! I see...” he frowns. “Well, like I said, don't let me keep you!”

“You can have it back when I'm done,” you assure him. “Tenri? You ready?”

“Of course, ma'am.”

Upon returning to your own office you immediately catch Tenri by the arm and set her down gently in a nearby chair, before passing off the map to Kisuke. “Take a look at what I got from Fourth Division and cross reference it with your own list of locations where the reigai have attacked and retreated. See if there's a pattern.”

“I can do that right away,” he replies before retrieving a large bundle from the floor. “I had a delivery while you were out. You mind?”

You motion to your desk where Kisuke unwraps the rough fabric bundle to reveal a heavenly assortment of tools. “I've been working on a few little toys, just in the event there was a cause for tunnel warfare. These are all prototypes.”

From the center of the pile you produce a firearm with a short barrel, a regular-sized stock, and a large internal magazine just forward of the trigger and cocking handle. But the most unusual feature is that upon closer inspection the entire length of the barrel is slotted through the locking ring of an oddly-shaped metal tube with slab sides. You immediately recognize it for what it is, a technology prohibited from mass production by the Central 46 due to what they claimed was an “overt offensive application”.

“An eccentric sound suppressor?” you muse, testing the weight of the weapon. “Aw, Kisuke! You read my Christmas wish list!”

“I figured such a design would be effective in closed spaces, where more powerful kidō might risk structural damage and the report of a firearm would be deafening,” he explains. “So I went ahead and designed it one rainy day. Built three prototypes with spare parts to repair one.”

"It's for when one reigai inevitably retreats back into the sewers,” Yoruichi adds. “So we don't blow our eardrums out.”
>1/2

>>794589
We get a gun? WE GET A GUN!

>>794589
“And these?” you ask, pointing to a small pile of disk-like objects no wider than a closed fist. “What do they do?”

“Single-use teleporters,” Kisuke explains. “They work similarly to that tool Aizen reportedly used to survive Riku's Kurohitsugi. They're only good for a short distance jump however, and I could only make six in total. They're also... well, let's just say their reliability could use some working on and leave it at that. The little black balls are portable gigai... you can use 'em as a distraction but they're definitely tricky to use. Again, I've only got a handful ready."

“So that's what we have to work with here.”

“Alright, the plan is to split up, station a Captain and a Lieutenant near each likely cluster of points where the reigai might assault from,” you recount, “then regroup when we make contact. Take out as many of them as we can, close off their retreat if possible but pursue them if not. Objections?”

Neither Kisuke nor Yoruichi voices any dissent.

“Then let's get to it.”

>>794523
Thanks for running!

>>794589
Why repair it when Yoruichi can duplicate it? Hey, it's technically not mass production.

>>794640
Thanks for running!

Also I'm guessing this ties into the whole "The Seireitei is built on top of Yhwach's shit" thing.

>>794646

This is an excellent point. Our wife is the best wife. Shit, could she outfit multiple people with these things? Could be well worth it...

>>794640
And that's where I leave things for now. Like I've said tomorrow will be SoZ around 10am PST, and Monday will be SSQ in the afternoon/evening for a few hours. Probably starting around 4pm PST.

Archive's up and thanks for turning out! I'll be back on in about 40 minutes to answer questions.

>>794640
>you can use 'em as a distraction but they're definitely tricky to use.

>he says as he does just that on the reg as if it were nothing

Kisuke, why are you such a lazy fuck that never does anything when you could have taken over the entire sereitei?

>>794688
Because he's not as morally grey as he likes to appear.

>>794646
>>794663
While mass reproduction is a loophole Yoruichi has an unfortunate problem maintaining high mass. So while she can produce one rifle producing a significant number would drain her reiatsu and would disappear when she left bankai, so it's hardly efficient.

>>794661
There's a reason behind it, yes.

>>795090
>and would disappear when she left bankai,

So she's constantly in bankai since we apparently always have those little knives she makes on standby?

>>795115
Those are tied to her shikai, which she can call without the phrase.

>>794144
>Third Seat
>>794393
>third seat
>Third Seat

Promotions!?

>>794589
>Seventh Seat

Awwww

>>795421
Yeah, especially towards the end of that section I forgot that he hadn't been promoted yet. Although I hear Iemura's seat might soon be vacant.

>>797498
“Seventh Seat Yamada, please come in.”

With no small amount of hesitation, Hanatarō obeys his Captain's order. For even though it was phrased in the sweetest, most reassuring manner possible it was an order, and nobody in the Fourth Division would ever be fool enough to believe otherwise.

“Of course, ma'am!”

Inside Captain Unohana's office, the Seventh Seat finds not just his Captain but Third Seat Iemura as well. It becomes immediately evident that he knows precisely what he's here to discuss with her, and so stands at attention even before she orders him to.

“Now, Seventh Seat, it has come to my attention that there was a discrepancy in some of the paperwork you've filed,” Unohana begins calmly, gesturing to a stack of papers on her desk, “going back some thirty years. I called you here because I've heard Third Seat Iemura's account, and would like to hear your explanation as to why you forged so many documents to appear as if Iemura wrote them.”

With a sigh, Yamada seems to accept his impending doom. “Captain, may I borrow a pen and paper? And would you mind giving the same to Third Seat Iemura?”

“I trust this is relevant to your explanation?” she presses, opening one of her desk drawers.

“Of course, ma'am. Third Seat Iemura, please write a short poem... and tell me the words you're writing as you go.”

“This is stupid,” he mutters mutinously, though under Unohana's stern gaze he complies anyway. “What could this possibly prove? Fine...”

“Araumi ya... Sado ni yokotau... amanogawa...” he recites slowly, accompanied by the furious scratching of two pens almost in unison.

“Now,” Yamada requests, “please present the Captain with your written work.”

As Iemura complies, Yamada sets his own paper down next to it. Unohana's eyes widen slightly in surprise as the meaning behind what she sees before her registers: the two samples of writing are a perfect match.
>1/2

>>798604
“You see, Captain, I assumed that I would lose any case of his word against mine,” Yamada explains quietly, “and I lacked the courage to disobey a direct order. So for the better part of three decades I nearly perfectly duplicated Third Seat Iemura's handwriting on the forged reports in hopes that when it was finally noticed, there could be a literal paper trail.”

“Only then would I be able to prove that he was abusing his authority: taking credit for missions he didn't lead, and reassigning duties he didn't want to do to others.”

With an earnest smile and a chuckle, Unohana sets the two writing samples atop the stack of forged documents and binds them all up together in one file. “I see. Third Seat, Seventh Seat? I believe I have the perfect solution for this problem.”

“Ma'am?” Iemura croaks, clearly terrified.

“I want you to switch places,” she tells them. “Yamada here has clearly proven he has the ability to handle the administrative responsibility, and you, Iemura, have proven that you feel menial duties beneath you. So for the next decade, those are precisely the sort of duties you will be relegated to.”

“Seventh Seat Iemura? The toilets on the third floor are backed up again. See to it."

"Dismissed.”

>>798625
>>798604
Bravo Yamada, Bravo. Satisfaction in revenge of 30 years of suffering. This might also explain why the men's shimigami association budget was basically bankrupt went during Iemura's tenure as a board member. how does it feel to be promoted to the rank you deserve Yamada? You gonna miss the field work anytime?

So when is Hanataro transferring to Riku's division?

>>798822
Hanataro just got a promotion from 7th seat to 3rd seat in Unohana's division. No need of kidnapping for commando training. Besides Commando training takes years to decades. We're better off working with getting Tatsuki and Rukia up to bankai level.

>>798922
Oh no, you misunderstand. I don't want him for immediate commando training.
If he can perfectly forge documents, and is too afraid to obey a direct order, I want him for Riku's shenanigans.

>>798954
Hanataro spent 30 years learning how to duplicate Iemura's handwriting to a perfect match. He didn't say he learned how to mimic handwriting of other people.

>>799127
That was meant to be implied as a talent of his however.

>>799182
considering his zampakuto's shikai release is a surgeon's scalpel knife, it makes sense for him to be able to be dexterous with his hands to the point of being able to mimic other people's handwriting.
Which begs the question, what's Hanataro's Bankai going to be like? Or more importantly, what's test will his sword put him through? I can already imagine the test in the form of performing surgery on yourself except you're not allowed to use your hands/limbs and must perform the surgery with eyesight only or something like that. Oh the possibilities.

>>798922
Getting those two up to a solid level (by Riku's standards) might take longer than we have anyway.

>will run for a while in about six hours

>update incoming

>>803904
Guess my sleepy self will miss it. Hopefully nothing goes wrong!

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89 KB JPG

>>803904
You are Captain Kusajishi Riku, and you've just begun what promises to be a long stakeout waiting for the reigai to launch an attack some time after the departure of several of your fellow Captains.

Yoruichi has been positioned near her own barracks, where there's a cluster of exits to the Seireitei's sewer and cistern systems that Kisuke believes the reigai may be using. As night falls she contacts you via Tenteikura to update you on her condition.

“I've set up on my end, and I've got several patrols tucked away all through the area. If the reigai show up here I'll know about it for sure.”

Not long afterwards, Kisuke also arrives in position near the Eleventh Division's barracks. Though to most observers it might seem that operating near the only pure-combat Division in the Seireitei would be asking for trouble, it does make some sense in one respect: that while the Eleventh Division welcomes skilled swordsmen, those who flock to it are rarely versed in other aspects of warfare. A Captain or Lieutenant could practically walk right through their barracks before anyone realized they were even under attack.

“I've placed motion sensors near each entrance in this area,” Kisuke informs you, “each of which carries an explosive charge. If they come this way I can collapse their escape routes.”

“And I'm on overwatch near Ninth,” you reply from a rooftop about a kilometer and a half from your Division's main gate. “We've quietly gone on alert... if they expect us to be caught napping they're in for a rude surprise.”

And so, having taken up your respective positions, you wait.

And wait.

The dinner hour passes, and you've still not seen any evidence of an impending attack. The night deepens all around you under a clear sky and a bright moon, and the temperature begins to drop. Rangiku sneaks you a cup of coffee before returning to the barracks, and the last dregs gradually go cold in the cup without any indication of an attack. For a while you draw little scribbles on a roof tile before even that bores you and you impale the tile with your pencil.

Repeatedly. Like a serial killer.

You're almost ready to doze off, when you finally feel it... two presences that shouldn't be here. It feels like Byakuya and Renji, despite the fact that you know Byakuya should be off training, meaning it can only be his reigai copy.

And lucky you, they've left the underground tunnels in your sector.

>Tail them for a while, give any other reigai an opening to come out of hiding as well.
>Follow them close, try and discern what their target might be.
>Let them get out into the Seireitei and attack them. Do it as fast and quiet as you can.
>Other?

>>803917
>Follow them close, try and discern what their target might be.

>>803917
>>Follow them close, try and discern what their target might be.

>>803917
>Follow them close, try and discern what their target might be.

>>803917
>Put on those contact lenses Mayuri gave us. Disguise yourself as one of the reigai, have a cover story on how the outburst of reiatsu last night in 9th division was "reigai Riku assassinating real Riku".

>>803917
>Tail them for a while, give any other reigai an opening to come out of hiding as well.

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>>803917
>>Tail them for a while, give any other reigai an opening to come out of hiding as well.

Byakuya eh? (pic somewhat related. But mostly because I thought it was funny)

>3d10, Best of 3
>DC 15, Crit 21

>>803917
>Let them get out into the Seireitei and attack them. Do it as fast and quiet as you can.

Rolled 9, 5, 8 = 22 (3d10)

>>803988

Rolled 5, 5, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>803988

>>803988
Are we wearing those contact lenses?

Rolled 6, 10, 10 = 26 (3d10)

>>803988

Rolled 8, 3, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>803988

>>804009
>writing

>>803999
I've kept my silence regarding this idea in the previous session, but I honestly think it's not gonna fly. Clone Riku is deader than dead and I doubt the surviving reigai wouldn't be informed or not be aware of that.

To put it into perspective, ask yourself if doing this plan but with Unohana instead wouldn't yield instant suspicion.

>>804055
I mean, I wasn't gonna say anything either but... she and Not!Yoruichi went to kill the real Riku and Yoruichi nearly a year ago iirc, there's no way they wouldn't have noticed that they've both been gone for that long. It's a pretty silly assuming they'd just go "OK, you've been gone for a year and a half to a year but whatever, you're the reigai."

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>>804018
“Contact with Kuchiki and Abarai,” you report quietly, “recommend you hold positions while I go in for a closer look.”

“Byakuya?” Kisuke muses quietly. “Wasn't he defeated?”

“Apparently he's been replaced,” Yoruichi concludes. “That's bad news. It means anyone we've already beaten could potentially be here... even ourselves. We need to find the leader of this rebellion and kill it to put it to an end.”

“Solid copy,” you acknowledge curtly before terminating the connection and suppressing your reiatsu as heavily as you can. What little remains you have Tenkotsuki carefully shape the same way she did before, and you hear the sound of your own footsteps all but disappear.

Quieter than a whisper, you close the distance between yourself and the reigai with two steps. From the top of the wall to their left you can overhear their hushed conversation perfectly, drawing on all your training from the Onmitsukidō to strike a balance between focusing on their words and maintaining awareness of the landscape around you. You carefully note every last detail...

“And that's why I'm telling you it feels wrong!” Abarai hisses. “I mean, killing her in her sleep...”

“Those are our orders,” Byakuya replies sternly. “Whether we like them or not is irrelevant.”

“But Captain, what about that pride you keep going on about!?”

Reigai-Byakuya sighs, as if he's had this conversation a thousand times already. “If you feel so strongly, why have you not disobeyed?”

His Lieutenant falls silent, likely realizing that no matter how hard he argues Byakuya's point remains: it seems that if ordered to do something by their 'master', they have no choice but to obey. As for who they've been sent to murder, your suspicions are soon confirmed.

“I've wanted to fight Captain Kusajishi for decades,” Abarai grumbles, “and to think I'd be ordered to assassinate her in her sleep by some coward, just because he made us... it's galling.”

“I'm aware,” Byakuya frowns. “But when the time comes, make no mistake. You will need to use your full power even if she is asleep.”

“I'm not that weak, Captain.”

“Who said you were weak? The problem is that your opponent hardly counts as a person. She's combat power given human form.”

>Continue to observe the two, see if you can glean any new information.
>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.
>Challenge Renji to a “fair fight”. See if you can knock one out quickly.
>Other?

>>804106
>>Challenge Renji to a “fair fight”. See if you can knock one out quickly.

>>804106
>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.
"-Boys-, did you really think you could sneak up on the likes of me?"

>>804106
>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.

"So maybe while you fail to assassinate me despite your best efforts, you could tell me where that coward is? Or who he is for that matter. Save a lot of lives on both sides that way."

>>804106
>>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.
Let's see if we can't take out Byakuya quickly

>>804106
>Implying Renji and Byakuya ever had any chance to sneak up on Riku
>Challenge Renji to a “fair fight”. See if you can knock one out quickly.

>>804106
>>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.
9th is understrength with most of the commandos still recuperating or in training.

I'd favor shadowing them to see if they're doing this on their own with no backup at least before engaging.

>>804106
>>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now

>>804106
>>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.

>>804106

>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.
>Other: use Tenkotsuki's modded "silent Kyokko" for extra pre-emptive stealth attack.
>Other: "honestly Renji, it really says something when your sword Zabimaru herself would rather have me wield her than you"

>>804106
>If they reach the Barracks your Division will engage. That means casualties. Attack now.
Asassinate kuchiki now. Renji can have his duel then

>3d10, best of 3
>DC 17, Crit 23

Rolled 4, 1, 3 = 8 (3d10)

>>804183

Rolled 9, 7, 3 = 19 (3d10)

>>804183

Rolled 4, 3, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>804183

Rolled 5, 10, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>804183
rolling for the lulz

>>804189
>>804190
>>804194
The dice are still trying to fuck us, I see...

>>804190
Phew, that was close anon!

>>804183
You can't let these two reach your Barracks, not with your Commandos mostly out of action. Who knows what orders they might have in the eventuality that you're not there for them to assassinate? That's why you strike immediately, allowing your reiatsu to flare. You realize that you briefly lost control of your technique and alert Byakuya, who grasps his sword, so you focus on Renji to reduce their numbers.

The reigai's leg crunches sickeningly beneath the weight of your kick as you sole meets the side of his knee, bending it inwards at an unnatural angle. Before he can shout in alarm you follow through by grabbing his right wrist and shoulder, wrenching his hand away from his zanpakuto and in fact ripping the entire arm out of its socket before slamming him into the paving stones beneath you with an elbow strike to the back of his neck. Three focused, powerful, and silent strikes in and the Lieutenant is already on the ground.

“Bankai,” you hear Byakuya declare in that infuriatingly calm, controlled tone of his. “Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”

You roll to your side in just enough time to avoid the stream of pink petals that targeted the space you were just occupying, and the wall to your right all but disappears under the weight of the barrage. Somehow he managed not to kill reigai-Abarai by mistake.

“I slipped up a little,” you admit sheepishly. “Sorry, it's a new technique. It won't happen again.”

“I see we underestimated you,” Byakuya muses, recalling the clouds of tiny blades that comprise his Bankai. They form a swirling mass that circles around him, just waiting for his direction. “But make no mistake, I know better than most your level of ability. I do not intend to fall victim to your peculiar style of combat.”

“We'll see about that!” you counter, attacking immediately out of hirenkyaku only to find yourself driven back by the onslaught of petals. “Prohibit, Tenkotsuki! Raze, Kobara no Tachi!”

With the help of your two zanpakuto you're able to keep up the pressure, and even threaten to land a hit a few times, but Byakuya begins to control his Bankai's movement with his hands to compensate.

>Get in close, his Bankai's only real weakness is that it won't come close to him by default.
>Batter him from afar with powerful kidō, see just how much punishment that Bankai can take.
>He knows your swords, huh? Time to see if the fake Zazbimaru likes you as well as the real one does.
>Other?

>>804264
>He knows your swords, huh? Time to see if the fake Zabimaru likes you as well as the real one does.

I'm looking forward to the salt levels in this option.

>>804264
>>Get in close, his Bankai's only real weakness is that it won't come close to him by default.

>>804264
>He knows your swords, huh? Time to see if the fake Zazbimaru likes you as well as the real one does.
Time for something he won't see coming. This may be the only time Riku gets to wield THREE zampakuto.

>>804264
>He knows your swords, huh? Time to see if the fake Zazbimaru likes you as well as the real one does.
Are we Zoro now? When did this become One Piece Quest?

>>804280
not possible. The only way I can see this happen is by releasing Rosa while tenkotsuki's in shikai form to create the merged sword in one hand while wielding Zabimaru in the other hand.

>>804264
>>He knows your swords, huh? Time to see if the fake Zazbimaru likes you as well as the real one does.

From what I understand of Riku, she is highly observant but even more then that she is adaptive. If fake Byakuya claims he knows our prowess and will adapt to it, then Riku (I belive) would pick up on that and adapt, doing something Byakuya would not expect...Like say, Zabimaru.

Also for the lulz

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>>804288
Sshhh anon. Just let it happen. Just let it happen.

>>804264
>>>Batter him from afar with powerful kidō, see just how much punishment that Bankai can take.
Fuck Zabimaru. Our two blades are the only ones we need.

>3d10
>DC 16, Crit 24

Rolled 1, 6, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>804365

Rolled 5, 8, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>804365

Rolled 2, 5, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>804365

Rolled 8, 1, 5 = 14 (3d10)

>>804365
for the record, using Zabimaru is retarded

Rolled 4, 6, 1 = 11 (3d10)

>>804365

>>804365
“What are you doing, Lady Riku?” Tenkotsuki asks as you re-sheath your own zanpakuto quite unexpectedly and retrieve the copy of Zabimaru from its sheath.

“Testing a theory,” you reply with a calm smile, resting your fingertips lightly on the side of the blade. “I think you'll find the results quite amusing.”

“You're serious?” Byakuya questions with a look you could almost call a sneer. “Very well. Try it.”

“Roar!” you declare, swiping your fingernails along the length of Zabimaru's blade. “Zabimaru!”

To Byakuya's shock and your own delight, Zabimaru releases under your command. “See, I figured whoever created you couldn't have duplicated the bond between a zanpakuto and its wielder, so the copies have relaxed standards for who they accept. And since the real Zabimaru would probably accept me if I asked them...”

You spin Zabimaru rapidly, releasing your own reiatsu through its joints to block a surge of petals. “If you know my own sword as well as you claim, this should be more interesting to you as well!”

The segments of the zanpakuto in your hand stretch even further as you sweep it towards Byakuya, who blocks with Senbonzakura only to find you pulling Zabimaru through his cloud of blades after using a soundless hirenkyaku to get behind him. The last fang nearly takes his ear off as Zabimaru retracts, but Byakuya's quick to follow up with an attack of his own. A wave of pink forces you to evade to your left, then forward with hirenkyaku to avoid a sweeping tendril of blades.

But it soon becomes clear that despite being able to fight a little better from mid-range Zabimaru's shikai form just isn't enough on its own, lacking the reiatsu and the tight bond needed to fight at this sort of level... and the second you draw Tenkotsuki once more you lose any advantage you might have had from keeping the fact that your own swords are still released a secret. You have only a few options, and little time to ponder them.

>Use Zabimaru as a distraction to close the distance with Tenkotsuki.
>Fuck it, try a Bankai with Zabimaru. See how much more you can abuse this advantage.
>Draw Tenkotsuki and use kidō or cero to clear a path.
>Other?

>>804392
I suppose a case can be made that kidou would be expected by clone Byakuya, and that he'd have no hesitation to risk getting hit with his own bankai.

>>804418
>Fuck it, try a Bankai with Zabimaru. See how much more you can abuse this advantage.
THE SALT MUST FLOW

>>804418
>Fuck it, try a Bankai with Zabimaru. See how much more you can abuse this advantage.
we must go deeper.

>>804418
>>Fuck it, try a Bankai with Zabimaru. See how much more you can abuse this advantage.

He's gonna be crying later you know

>>804418
>Fuck it, try a Bankai with Zabimaru. See how much more you can abuse this advantage.
Man, Renji's gonna throw such a massive hissyfit if he hears about this...

>>804418
>>Use Zabimaru as a distraction to close the distance with Tenkotsuki.

>>804418
>>Use Zabimaru as a distraction to close the distance with Tenkotsuki.
If the clone zanpakutou breaks, does it also translate to the clone user ending up spiritually gimped?

>>804437
>>804434
and we'll enjoy the salt while we give him some insights on using Zabimaru better when we show it off. you know what? Fuck it. if the Zabimaru clone-sword manages to stay intact when clone Renji dies, we're keeping it as a fucking trophy.

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>>804434
>>804437
>>804448
I know.

What's even better? The real Zabimaru will be upset too. Riku didn't pick up the real version of them to fight with so they didn't get to experience it, she used their power against the one person they wanted to fight against more than anyone and won, AND Riku still didn't find it worthwhile enough to continue the relationship.

>>804418
>>Use Zabimaru as a distraction to close the distance with Tenkotsuki.

>3d10
>DC 20, Crit 24
Not going to be easy of course, but if you pull it off you fucking deserve the salt that would come with it.

Rolled 7, 2, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>804486

Rolled 3, 1, 7 = 11 (3d10)

>>804486
Come on Zabimaru!

Rolled 3, 3, 9 = 15 (3d10)

>>804486
Come on dice!

Rolled 2, 9, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>804486

>>804494
>>804492
>>804488
DAMMIT.

>>804494
>>804492
>>804488
It would seem that the dice still don't like us.

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>>804488
>>804492
Holy shit.

>>804486
Is there a chance we can go for bankai a second time?

Ah well, it WAS a long shot. BTW Queen I do like this rolling system better then the previous one thus far.

Whelp, RIP clone Zabimaru. Not like there was any value lost.

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>>804494
>>804492
>>804488

>>804488
>>804492
>>804494
Nothing
of
Value
is
Lost

>>804503
Nope. Byakuya's already figured out how to shut down Riku's shenanigans on this front. A crit here would've been good for Soo Zabimaru, while a pass at least let you come up with a suitable way of turning Byakuya's counter to your counter to your advantage.
>writing

>>804507
Yeah, I like it too. It's still a lot of RNG, but not the ridiculous nigh-impossible RNG of the previous system. I think to crit on a DC of 7 it's like a 8/125 chance or something.

>>804518
do we still get to keep clone-maru when we're done?

>>804531
No. That would be broken as fuck, and it's been factored in by the scientist leading this rebellion.
>update in a moment

>>804518
“Let's see how far we can push this,” you smile wickedly, releasing a powerful wave of reiatsu and holding Zabimaru forward in both hands. Looking over the point of its blade, you can see the Kuchiki-alike's eyes widen. “Ban...”

You're immediately assailed by a veritable tsunami of blades, but by using Zabimaru to split the wave you miraculously manage to avoid any injury and set up immediately to try again. This Zabimaru can feel it, they want to be used properly against Kuchiki, even if it's in your hands. And for a moment it seems like they'll get that chance.

Renji's reigai on the other hand...

“It also stands to reason,” Byakuya frowns as his Bankai sweeps away any trace of his Lieutenant's existence, leaving behind nothing more than a bloody smear across the cracked stones, “that there would be a failsafe in place, to prevent a copy zanpakuto from falling into the wrong hands. Or did you not consider that possibility?”

In your hands, Zabimaru grows cold and empty. Any life that was there fades as its blade reverts to the form of a simple katana, dead alongside its reigai partner.

Tenkotsuki leaves her sheath in an instant, and you feel an unusual rage boiling up at how casually this reigai seems to treat the situation. As embarrassing as it is for Renji that his zanpakuto like someone else better than him, you can at least maintain a degree of professionalism with the real deal. It doesn't get in the way of your work, and you think Renji has come to understand that it doesn't reduce his importance to his partners. It just means there's some envy there, and envy as ugly as it can be is a natural human feeling just the same as trust is. But to kill Renji so callously, in order to “kill” his sword... something about that's truly sickening.

“Cold, Byakuya,” you growl. “Ice cold. It doesn't suit you.”

“I have little say in the matter.”

“Then tell me this,” you press, “where is the coward responsible for all this?”

Byakuya shuts his eyes for a moment as the petals around him form a defensive ring once more. “He will find you, very soon I think. All you need do is wait.”

>Try and end this with an all-out kidō assault?
>Close in, get into the gap where he can't use his Bankai to defend.
>Other?

>>804575
>“I have little say in the matter.”
Two minutes earlier.
> “Very well. Try it.”

So full of it.

>>804575
>>Close in, get into the gap where he can't use his Bankai to defend.

>>804575
>>Try and end this with an all-out kidō assault?

>>804575
>Close in, get into the gap where he can't use his Bankai to defend.
>Other: Use spells that can be cast through your blade, and use Tenkotsuki's spell mod roulette to modify the kidou cast from the blade.

>>804575
>>Try and end this with an all-out kidō assault?

>>804592
His orders are to kill Riku. Letting her try and fail to do something he assumed was impossible falls within those orders. Killing Renji to prevent her from using Zabimaru's Bankai also falls within those orders.

>>804596
>>804600
>>804602
>>804604
Okay then, I have something to work with.
>3d10, DC 16 Crit 22

Rolled 7, 6, 3 = 16 (3d10)

>>804634

Rolled 1, 6, 4 = 11 (3d10)

Rolled 4, 3, 3 = 10 (3d10)

>>804634

Rolled 8, 3, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>804634

Rolled 6, 4, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>804634
Well then, Kido seems too be best given he would probably sacrifice himself if it meant killing Riku.

>>804638
By the skin of our teeth

>>804629
Sure, but for him to claim he couldn't have done anything to stop it when mere moments ago he specifically stated he'd let it happen is pretty disingenuous.

>>804638
>>804640
>>804641

Wow the dices must HATE us right now.

>>804638

Entirely too close for comfort.

Also are the dice tsundere or something? Cause now that we're on a new system, >>804496 roll probably would have been a normal success under the old one.

>>804638

Least this anon saved.

>>804634
are we going to roll for the spell mod?

>>804652
Yes, but have we used the old system, all of the rolls we have rolled the last hour would probably had failed, and the one you pulled out would have been too late anyway. '-'

>>804634
Time to put Byakuya's famed defenses up to the ultimate test: your famed relentless offense. You begin by drawing his petals into one spot to defend against a powerful attack. With Tenkotsuki chanting the incantation in your mind, you extend your left arm and gather a powerful mass of shining reiatsu in your palm.

“Hadō 63: Raikōhō!” you shout, unleashing a torrent of electrical energy against the walls of Senbonzakura's petals. The blast disperses them just enough for Byakuya to glare out at you through a gap in the luminous pink screen.

“How foolish...” he begins, though his eyes go wide as he realizes he was talking at an afterimage. Using your silenced hirenkyaku you've taken his back, and he whips around in place and swings an arm to drag down a mass of Senbonzakura to defend from your next move.

Instead of panicking you can only smile as he does precisely what you anticipated. “Hado 78: Zangerin!”

The slicing, circular pulse of reiatsu trails from your sword, forming an expanding ring that blasts Senbonzakura outwards in all directions, revealing that Byakuya's gotten better at controlling his blades within his little bubble of “danger close”: but not good enough. The petals have gouged deep, bloody paths through his arm and shredded his sleeve. But before you can finish him off Byakuya's reigai reveals his ploy: opening his palm as you prepare your strike and releasing a handful of his tiny blades that shear into your left shoulder.

You grunt in pain, thrown momentarily off balance as Byakuya raises his fingers for an attack of his own: probably Byakurai. As wounded as you are, you don't feel like letting that happen. Raising your left arm through sheer force of will, you release reiatsu throughout your body in a powerful, swirling mass.

“Shunkō!” you declare, focusing the power on countering Byakuya's buildup of reiatsu. Your use of Hanki stops him cold for a split second, and his eyes widen. He clearly expected that arm to be out of commission... and may not have actually known what shunkō can do. As good as his flash steps are you're certain Yoruichi has never taught him this final form, as he probably still lacks the required skill at hakuda.

You pull your left arm back in towards your chest with your palm still pointed at Byakuya, and instead of using another attack you secure your victory through one last spell. “Kuyō Shibari.”

With your foe thoroughly bound by the nine jet-black orbs that form in and around his torso, you lower Tenkotsuki's blade to your left hip and fill your right arm with raw, overwhelming power. Then, with a single stroke, you unleash it all.

“Kamaitachi!”
>1/2

>>804707
>Kamaitachi
I don't recognize that... Wait, wasn't that the zanpakuto of the creepy guy that tried to kill Orihime in the invasion arc?