Chapter 68: Mind Infiltration (3)
In contrast to the mass amount of water below, the night sky began to turn a tint of orange as a sea of fire erupted around Rei forming an inferno. The water drill began to fill with Munriba's Reiryoku as it glowed a similar color to Fuyumi's Reiatsu. With one wave of her hand, the drill shot forward towards Rei, creating a storm of wind as it flew.
"Taimatsu!" Raising Ryujin Jakka in the air as flames scattered through the sky and fell to the ocean, Rei swung down with all his might. By all means, this was him using Ryujin Jakka to his limit without completely losing control. A hurricane of flames flew down towards Munriba, matching the size of the drill of water.
It was a clash of water and fire and also a clash of Reiryoku as the two attacks flew into one another. On impact, a deafening explosion rang out that was accompanied by a hurricane and steam and wind pressure. The entire inner world stretched for about three miles before you reached the edge.
Ino had retreated two miles from where Rei and Munriba were fighting; however, as she watched the two of their attacks collide, the pressure reached her in a matter of seconds. The ocean seemed to be thrown into a frenzy as large waves crashed around her. Struggling to even keep her eyes open, she watched in a state of shock and fear.
She thought Rei was strong, and at the same time, she had seen all kinds of Jonin level battles but compared to what she saw now. Moreover, she remembered Tsunade had officially clarified that Rei was an S-Rank threat. Some people in the village didn't seem to believe that, but as Ino watched the scene before her, she felt Tsunade was off. "This might even be beyond the level of a Kage." As she said that, she glanced towards the island Fuyumi was on.
'Right this is my chance.' Soon she began making her way around the battle heading towards the island in the center of this world. Meanwhile, Rei didn't even know Ino had made her move. All of his attention was focused directly on Munriba. The amount of energy he was burning in this attack was insane. But even then, he could only keep it at a standstill.
As the look on Rei's face turned more and more contorted, he heard a voice. "It appears you're reaching your limit at this rate you'll run out of Reiryoku." Hearing Ryujin Jakka's voice, Rei spoke through his teeth. "You don't say! Sadly there isn't much I can do about that in this situation!" Trying not to lose focus for even a moment, Rei could feel Munriba's strength was growing.
"Tell me how long have we been together? How long has it been since I became your Zanpakuto?" Hearing such a random question, Rei responded hastily. "Now isn't the time to reminisce Ryujin Jakka If you didn't notice!" Despite saying that, Ryujin Jakka continued to speak to Rei calmly.
"Over the years you unlocked my Shikai and learned my name at an unprecedented rate due to the fact I needed to keep you alive. However at the same time you have always used my abilities separate from yourself. You trust in my ability however you refuse to use me to help your own." Hearing that, Rei's mind began to split its focus as he listened silently.
"You focus on mastering my abilities, controlling my flames. You've built the Soul Society up to the point even I never expected and protect it thanks to the deal we made. Yes… You've mastered so many of the techniques I shared with you and your talent is unrivaled compared to the world I originated from. But compared to my previous Master there is one thing you lack."
Ryujin Jakka rarely brought up its previous master, but it always carried a sense of reverence when it did. Listening to his accomplishments made even Rei feel as if he lacked in cases. Rei bit his lip slightly before speaking. "So tell me what am I missing?" For some reason, despite fighting again, Munriba at this moment Rei's attention became more split.
"The one thing Soul Reaper's usually have is Ambition. A driving force, something that would push them. It would propel them to greater heights despite what they would face. If your goal is something lowly or is based on another person's then that's where you will stop. You will never surpass the expectation you've placed on yourself even if you reach it."
"When you train you train only what I've taught. When you work you work because of a promise you made to me. You never thought there was a level beyond Shikai because I never brought it up. You never thought there were Kido beyond level ninety because I never mentioned it. And you never asked because you were satisfied at being at your current level."
Rei's eyes widened slightly as his grip on Ryujin Jakka's handle tightened, and it spoke once more. "So this time I have a question for you. If I show you a height of which you never dreamed up. If I show you a power that you never hoped to obtain. Will you reach for it? Will you advance not because I told you to, or because of a promise or because of anyone but yourself? Will you gain proper Ambition if I give you an impossible cliff to climb?"
Rei felt a familiar feeling, one he remembered from a while ago when he invaded the Hidden Sound and fought against Kimimaro. His eyes went dull as if his soul was absent, and his tense expression faded to one of complete calmness. All signs of stress or worry disappeared as Ryujin Jakka's voice escaped his lips.
On the other side near the sea, Munriba's gaze changed as he raised her other hand. "You can't defeat me even with your flames. I'm ending this now." However, in the midst of raising her hand, she froze. All flame's from Ryujin Jakka disappeared in an instant, yet an ungodly amount of heat and pressure pressed down on her.
"What…" Munriba's voice turned weak as she Rei raised Ryujin Jakka's blade and sliced down. The giant drill of water that was racing towards Rei stopped. A large gash had appeared, cutting it clean in half. Not to be more precise, it was as if it was erased. The sea below him, the drill of water, everything in front of him was affected by this singular slash.
Munriba saw her vision begin to shift into two different sections as she looked at her body and then back at Rei. "Oh… I see…" Ino had reached the Island and was standing right next to Fuyumi's consciousness. However, something had caused her to look back. And when she did, her eyes widened to an impossible degree.
There was an uneasy stillness. Everything that was an obstacle of Ryujin Jakka's blade had disappeared in its entirety. And in front of Rei's path, all that was left was a gash that seemed to cut through the entire inner world. In the real world, Fuyumi's Zanapkuto, which had been slowly trembling and shaking more and more on the table, suddenly stopped.
The sound of metal being shattered ang through the room as the blade broke in half and seemingly fell asleep. From inside the inner world, Ino stared at the scene before her before finally snapping out of it and turning around. The moment she touched Fuyumi's body, her consciousness was absorbed, and she entered a sea of darkness.
Standing in an empty void, she could only see her own body and the curled-up girl sitting in front of her. "Fuyumi?" Bending down, she reached for her and touched her shoulder. "It hurt…" Ino heard a weak and broken voice come from Fuyumi as she raised her head. Her entire body was trembling but not in fear. No, this was something else.
"It hurt so much… It happened over… And over… And over again… I called out but it never stopped." Her voice was quaking as she spoke, and her eyes were beginning to water. "Where was everyone… Why did they leave me there… No one came to help me…" Listening to her as tears fell from Fuyumi's eyes, Ino suddenly felt her vision flip.
It only happened for an instant, but in that instant, she had seen a world. An inverted world where only Itachi and Fuyumi existed, the world of Tsukuyomi. Normally Itachi would only show someone enough to disable them in a battle for as long as he needed. However, when it came to Fuyumi's situation, he pushed the limits.
He made Fuyumi spend over a year in a world filled to the brim with nightmares that a person could only imagine. It combined her fears and her hopes before shattering them just as they came into reach. She saw her entire world crumble to the ground, the only people she had loved die over and over again.
She felt herself ripped apart piece by piece, only to be stitched back together. He turned her mind into her own personal hell to which she would never escape from. By all means, Itachi did everything in his power to shatter her in her entirety. And seeing it all personally, Ino's face turned from one of confusion to one of horror.
Her face turned pale, and her body shook. Words couldn't describe what she had seen, what she had seen someone else experience. "Fuyumi… I-" She had no words and simply looked at the girl in front of her. It was a miracle in itself that she could even meet her subconscious self in this state, let alone speak to her.
Without even thinking, Ino reached out and held Fuyumi without saying another word. It was all she could do to relay how she felt at that moment. And in return, Fuyumi cried horribly to the point it was unreal. Nothing else happened for who knows how long. Back in the real world, Rei finally opened his eyes.
'Ryujin Jakka…' His memory led up to the point where Ryujin Jakka had suddenly taken over. He heard a few words during that time, but he couldn't make them out. And the next second, all he could see was the destruction left in front of him. He dwelled on that scene for a moment as he looked over to his right.
Ino slowly retracted her hand and looked at Fuyumi with an unexplainable look in her eyes. "Ino? Is Fuyumi going to be ok?" He spoke slowly, but despite that, Rei saw Ino didn't give him an immediate reaction. "Ino?" Tapping her shoulder, Rei suddenly saw her look at him with a vacant expression.
"Rei… I can't explain it to you nor can I show you. Nothing I do will be able to convey what Fuyumi had gone through." This was the first time he had heard Ino speak so clearly yet so bluntly to the point it was scary. "All I can do now is try my best to help her… But I can't guarantee she will ever recover or wake up from this. In the end it will all boil down to her."
Those words fell on Rei's mind like a hammer as he looked at her to see if she truly meant it. Ino didn't avoid his gaze, and after a moment, Rei looked back down at Fuyumi. "I-" He truly didn't know what to say. He knew it was bad, but hearing it from someone who had gone to deal with it personally made his heart shake.
"Rei, while I will do my best as I said before there is something I need you to promise. No… Something I need you to do." Rei looked up at her absently and spoke. "What is it?" The next few words Ino spoke were filled with both rage and murderous intent. "If you ever find Itachi Uchiha… Kill him the first chance you get."
Weekly Power Status
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