Chapter 8: Bleach's Byakuya Isn't Better.
I mean, to be honest, he isn't. He Spams Bankai the most aside from Ichigo and has nothing to show for it even Toshiro, who gets turned into a joke half the time, is still way stronger.
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The cold, damp air of the cave clung to Arsene's skin as he moved deeper into the shadows. His movements were silent, predatory, his eyes scanning the flickering torchlight ahead. The bodies of the guards he'd taken down were still fresh, their blood pooling in dark, sticky puddles on the floor. He was close now. Close to the leader. Time to end this, he thought, his senses on high alert.
Suddenly, a sharp instinct pulled at him. Without hesitation, Arsene flipped backward, dodging just in time as a flurry of ice crystals shot past where he had been standing. He landed in a crouch, his eyes narrowing as he looked up. Ice?
A figure emerged from the shadows—the same young man, Ryogi, who Arsene had just taken down moments ago. Ryogi's chest wound, the one Arsene had opened with his kunai, was now encased in thick layers of ice, sealing the blood within a frozen barrier.
"I won't... let you attack the Boss!" Ryogi's voice was strained, but the determination in his eyes burned fiercely. As he staggered forward, his hands began forming more signs, and the ground beneath his feet crackled with frost, spreading outward in a circle of cold.
Arsene's eyes flickered briefly with curiosity. Ice… Kekkei Genkai. He recognized the rare ability instantly. Ice Release—a powerful fusion of water and wind chakra. Kekkei Genkai like this were scarce and typically passed down through bloodlines. The only place known for its ice techniques was the Village Hidden in the Mist, Kirigakure.
This wasn't just some ordinary grunt. Ryogi, with his Kekkei Genkai, was more valuable than Arsene had originally thought. Capturing him alive might be useful... Arsene considered though the thought was purely pragmatic. Someone like Ryogi could fetch a good reward—or provide useful information.
"Hey," Arsene started, his tone still cold, detached. "Give up and I'll—"
Before he could finish, Ryogi's hands blurred through more hand signs. In an instant, dozens of razor-sharp ice needles formed in the air around him, launching forward with deadly precision. Arsene moved quickly, dodging the first barrage and using his kunai to deflect the others. The needles shattered against the cave walls, spraying ice shards in every direction.
Ice needles… Arsene noted. Smart choice for someone like him. Against an opponent who relied on speed, the wide coverage of the needles forced him to slow down, limiting his mobility. Ryogi was thinking tactically, something that most enemies Arsene encountered lacked.
"Why do you persist?" Ryogi shouted, his voice filled with frustration and raw emotion as he continued his relentless assault, summoning more ice with each passing second. "We're doing good things here! You Konoha shinobi could never understand what it's like being us—being at the bottom!" The ground cracked and froze beneath his feet, his desperation fueling his attacks.
Arsene dodged left, then right, avoiding the barrage with swift movements. The ice needles came faster now, but his calm never wavered. His eyes remained locked on Ryogi, watching him closely, waiting for an opening.
"You steal from the rich to give to the poor, right?" Arsene's voice cut through the air, cold and emotionless, even as he continued evading the attacks. "You steal to help others… so you think you're a good person, right?"
The words pierced through the cave like an arrow, sharp and direct. Arsene saw Ryogi falter for a split second, his resolve shaking. At that moment, Arsene moved. In a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, slamming his knee into Ryogi's chest with brutal force. Ryogi let out a choked gasp as the air was knocked from his lungs, his body crashing into the cave wall behind him.
The ice around Ryogi's wound cracked under the impact, splintering as fresh blood began to seep through the gaps. Ryogi coughed, his hands trembling as he desperately tried to freeze the wound again, but Arsene loomed over him, his presence cold and merciless.
"For the short term, your idea will work," Arsene said, his voice low and almost contemplative. "But soon, the people you give money to will face the consequences instead of you. Your plan is flawed."
Ryogi's breaths were shallow, his vision blurring as he struggled to maintain his focus. His chest throbbed painfully where Arsene's knee had struck him, and he could feel the warmth of his blood seeping through the ice. Flawed? The word echoed in his mind.
Arsene continued, his tone steady and almost clinical. "You'll put the very people you want to help in prison or worse. The rich you steal from won't just let this go. They'll find those you're trying to save, and when they do, it'll be them who suffer for your crimes."
The words hit Ryogi like a sledgehammer, cutting through the haze of his pain. Is that… true? His mind raced, but the truth of Arsene's words was undeniable. It hadn't occurred to him before—not like this. He had believed in their cause, believed in the Byakuya Gang's mission to redistribute wealth and help those who had been cast aside by society. But now, in this moment, he saw the inevitable outcome. The rich had the power to retaliate, to make the poor pay for their defiance. And when that happened, there would be no one to protect them.
"But..." Ryogi tried to speak, his voice weak and trembling, but the weight of Arsene's logic crushed him. What would happen to them? To the people we gave the money to?
Before Ryogi could form another thought, a violent cough wracked his body, and a glob of blood spilled from his mouth. His body trembled, his hands weakly reaching for his wound. The ice was no longer enough to hold the blood back.
"Don't bother moving," Arsene said coldly, watching Ryogi with detached indifference. "You'll die naturally."
Ryogi's vision darkened as he slumped against the wall, the cold seeping into his bones. This is it... The reality of his situation settled in—a slow, suffocating despair. He had fought for something and believed in something, but it was all crumbling now. Was it all… pointless?
Just as Ryogi's consciousness began to fade, Arsene's sharp senses picked up the sound of footsteps in the distance. Reinforcements. The faint scent of metal and sweat reached him, signaling the approach of more enemies.
Arsene glanced down at Ryogi's lifeless form, then slipped into the shadows once more, his movements silent and seamless. He vanished from sight just as the sound of footsteps grew louder.
The hunt wasn't over yet.
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[Auther: Yo.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Seth_Eden_5432
Seth_Eden_5432 Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone