Chapter 44 - Thousand Year Flames

After watching Yoruichi take Soi Fon with her, Itachi looked in the direction that Ukitake and Kyoraku went in to run away from Yamamoto. 'They will need my help against the Captain Commander.' Itachi thought as he vanished from the top of the hill.

Itachi made his way into the old district below the hill. As he approached, he suddenly felt the massive reiatsu of Yamamoto. 'So this is the Captain Commander's power. It is very fierce. It gets even worse the closer I get.' Itachi thought as he rushed to the site.

Itachi arrived on time to see a collapsed Nanao and Yamamoto drawing his zanpakuto along with the two other Captains who were facing him. Yamamoto noticed Itachi's presence as he arrived.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here!" Ukitake exclaimed upon seeing Itachi.

"Hmph another child who has yet to teach the world. Begone!" Yamamoto said as he focused some of his spiritual pressure over Itachi.

However, contrary to Yamamoto's expectations, Itachi was unfazed by the spiritual pressure. He drew his blade and readied himself. 'This won't be like other battles. Any ŀȧpse in concentration will end in my demise.' Itachi thought to himself.

"Oh?" Yamamoto was surprised that a lieutenant was able to stand in his spiritual pressure. He was also a little surprised at Itachi's eyes. However, as a man with over a thousand years of experience, he shrugged off his curiosity. Yamamoto glared at the two captains and Itachi

"Captain Commander, I ask you to stop this." Itachi inquired, attempting to stop the fighting. "Kuchiki's execution-" Itachi is cut off abruptly by Yamamoto.

"I won't forgive anyone who doesn't obey the law." Yamamoto declared. "The time for talk is over."

"Reduce all creation to Ash, Ryujin Jakka." Yamamoto's sword began to ignite in a bright flame as he exerted a massive fiery reiatsu.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to release your swords? Or do you want to be burned without challenging me?" Yamamoto asked. Ukitake and Kyoraku look at each other briefly.

"We have no choice, let's go Ukitake!" Kyoraku said.

"All waves, rise now and become my shield, Lightning, strike now and become my blade. Sogyo no Kotowari!"

"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer!" Katen Kyokotsu!"

Kyoraku and Ukitake both release their zanpakuto simultaneously and stare down with Yamamoto while holding their released dual zanpakuto.

"Itachi, get out of here! We'll handle this." Ukitake said as he and Kyoraku charged in at Yamamoto.

The three of them begin to charge in at each other only for a large lightning blast to strike at Yamamoto, surprising both Ukitake and Kyoraku. Itachi appears and stands next to Ukitake and Kyoraku.

Yamamoto clears away the smoke caused from the attack, revealing his unscathed body. He glares at Itachi and flares his reiatsu further.

"That Raikoho you used just now without incantation was executed well. However, a kido of that power will not be enough to harm me." Yamamoto further increased his reiatsu at an unfazed Itachi.

"The fact that you are able to stand means you are many steps above your fellow Lieutenants. However, if you continue to act foolish and aid Ukitake, I will end you here as well." Yamamoto said. Itachi remained silent as he thought of his plan of action quickly in his head. 'The heat generated by his reiatsu is too intense for me to engage in close quarters combat with hakuda or zanjutsu but factoring in his years of experience, it would be foolish to fight the Captain Commander in either of those styles. I'll use long range tactics and support Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku.' Itachi closes his eyes briefly before opening them again, revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Very well, show me what you can do, Uchiha. It appears that three of Soul Society's most talented individuals will burn away at my hands today..." Yamamoto raises his blade into the air then swings down, engulfing the area in a massive torrent of flames. The two captains raise their reiatsu in response as Itachi focuses his gaze at the approaching flames.

"Amaterasu!" A black wall of flames suddenly appears in front of Itachi, blocking Yamamoto's fire from reaching the three of them. Yamamoto looked surprised upon seeing Itachi's fire.

"Black flames that can burn away at even my own?" Yamamoto continued to release greater flames from his zanpakuto that began to overpower Amaterasu. As the flames approached Itachi, a rib cage formed around him to block out the heat.

Upon contact with the rib cage, Itachi raised his arms out in front of him as he felt the heat burning through his flesh. 'He got through Amaterasu with the raw power of his flames. This stage of the Susanoo is not enough to block it.'

Kyoraku suddenly appears behind Yamamoto and slashes at him with one of his zanpakuto. Yamamoto stops releasing his flames at Itachi and jumps out of the way.

"Taimatsu!" Yamamoto waves his sword and creates a large inferno that blocks the wave of flames Ukitake released at him. The inferno swallows up Ukitake's blast and makes its way towards the Captains. Both Captains raise their hands out in front of them, ready to cast Danku but stop as Itachi appears in front of the Captains and an armored half body of reiatsu surrounds the Captains and Itachi. Itachi, with his susanoo, puts forward a shield in front of them to block the incoming blast.

The blast collides with Susanoo's shield, causing it to explode in a huge column of flame. Yamamoto looked in surprise as Itachi, Kyoraku, and Ukitake were completely unharmed. 'His zanpakuto? No, he hasn't even drawn his yet, it's something else. That shield completely blocked my attack.'

'In terms of raw reiatsu and power, the Captain Commander is still stronger than all three of us combined. I wouldn't have been able to fully block that attack without the Yata Mirror…' Itachi thought to himself.

"Ukitake, you told me your lieutenant was strong but I didn't realize he was this strong." Kyoraku commented, observing the ethereal body surrounding them.

"I'm just as surprised as you are. I've never seen Itachi go all out." Ukitake replied.

"Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake. I have a plan to subdue the Captain Commander but I'll need your help." Itachi said. Both Captains agree and Itachi brɨėfs them quickly on his plan while protected by the Susanoo.

"Well I hope that works." Kyoraku responded after hearing the plan.

"You brats are quite troublesome." Yamamoto said as he flared his reiatsu further. From inside his Susanoo, Itachi raised both his hands in front of him, with the Susanoo mirroring Itachi's movements and also raising both of its hands in front of it. A large amount of reiatsu begins to gather inside the Susanoo's hands.

"Hado 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho!" From the susanoo's hands, the mass of reiatsu forms a large lightning blast shaped like the head of a dragon. In response, Yamamoto raises a hand in front of him.

"Bakudo 81: Danku." A large barrier appeared in front of Yamamoto. The blast collides with Yamamoto's barrier and continues pressing against the barrier. Cracks begin to form in the barrier as the blast of lightning explodes. From the smoke, Kyoraku and Ukitake appear on both sides of Yamamoto.

"Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku." Both Ukitake and Kyoraku summon large bright chains that bind Yamamoto from both sides. Yamamoto opens his eyes and releases a large blast of reiatsu around him, knocking back both the Captains and burning the chains away. The moment Yamamoto frees himself from the chains, Itachi appears in front of Yamamoto and the two of them lock eyes.

"Tsukuyomi."