Chapter 54 - An Unexpected Enemy

Two weeks later

Ichigo continued his training at the Visored's hideout. During the two weeks, Itachi showed up nearly every day to train with him and give him advice in fighting.

'He's grown very fast in these couple of weeks.' Itachi thought to himself as he parried blows from Ichigo's zanpakuto. 'He's already corrected most of the mistakes I've shown him in his technique and he can wear his mask for far longer.'

Itachi and Ichigo clashed blows one more time before creating distance between each other. As Itachi got ready again, he felt a vibration in his shihakusho pocket and pulled out his denreishinki. 'I'm being recalled back to Soul Society? This soon?' Itachi thought as he sheathed his blade.

"What's up Itachi?" Ichigo asked as he withdrew his hollow mask.

"I'm being called back to Soul Society. Unfortunately our training will have to stop here for now. But you've improved drastically. A little bit more training and I think you could fight Grimmjow." Itachi commented.

"Leaving so soon Uchiha?" Shinji said as he appeared next to them and put a hand on Itachi's shoulder."I've been watching you guys train. You may not be a Visored, but you did a good job with this kid. You're not bad, Uchiha."

Itachi nodded to Shinji in acknowledgement and waved Ichigo goodbye as he vanished from the room.

"I guess I'll take over from here. Hiyori's still buŧŧhurt that you chose to train with Itachi over her." Shinji laughed loudly.

"I heard that dumbass!" A voice echoed from across the training room.

"Let's get started." Shinji said to Ichigo as he donned his hollow mask.

--------

Itachi had taken a Senkaimon back immediately after leaving the warehouse and found himself at the main Senkaimon of Soul Society. He quickly made his way to the Thirteenth Division Barracks where he was greeted by Captain Ukitake.

"Welcome back." Ukitake said with a smile. "How was your trip to the human world?"

"It went well. But I am confused as to why I was called back immediately with little detail in the message." Itachi responded.

"Well, there has been a massive influx of hollows that are appearing throughout Rukongai and it is suspected to be a result of Aizen's takeover in Hueco Mundo.. However, these hollows are far too strong for normal shinigami to handle and even seated officers are struggling. The other Divisions are short on manpower, especially the Tenth Division, as both the Captain and Lieutenant are in the human world."

"Understood Captain. I will deal with the hollows." Itachi replied.

"I've sent the coordinates to your denreinshinki already. You'll meet up with two others and help them take care of the hollows in that area." Ukitake said. "Now go."

"Yes Captain." Itachi nodded then vanished from the spot.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" Orihime said as she put her hands in front of her. A triangular barrier formed in front of her as a hollow's attack was repelled off the barrier.

"Hado 33: Sokatsui!" Rukia said as she fired a large blue wave of energy at the off balance hollow.

"It was a good idea coming here for training, Kuchiki. I didn't expect to be fighting so many hollows though." Orihime said as she retracted her Santen Kesshun.

"There is still one more that was reported here. So let's-" Rukia stopped mid sentence as she saw a large hand reaching for Orihime's head. Her eyes widened as she ran to Orihime to try to push her out of the way from the strange looking hollow. The hollow was about the size of a tall human, and had gray skin with spiky black hair. In the middle of his bȧrė ċhėst, was a hole.

She bȧrėly pulled Orihime away as the large fist was about to strike her. The hollow's strike misses and hits the ground, causing the ground to shake as it cracks beneath them. The shockwave from the punch sends the two women flying back, separating them. As Orihime regained her balance, the hollow appeared in front of her. As he reached for her neck, he felt an increase of reiatsu from his side.

"Dance, Sode No Shirayuki. Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Rukia punctured the ground with her blade, creating a large ice circle as she took a battle stance with the ice forming around her blade. Soon after, a large wave of cold reiatsu swept over the hollow, encasing him in ice and preventing him from moving.

"Inoue, get out of there!" Rukia yelled as she sensed the increase of Reiatsu from the hollow. Inoue nodded and ran towards Rukia just as the ice around the hollow shattered. The hollow looked at the two women and raised his palm to them as a red energy began to gather. As Rukia watched the light, she began to run towards Orihime to try and protect her as the Cero was fired.

Suddenly, the beam stops just before Orihime as a figure stood in front of it, diverting the Cero in two separate directions as if cutting it in half.

"Lieutenant Uchiha?!" Rukia exclaimed, surprised at his timely arrival. Itachi dispelled the Cero and looked at the hollow in front of him.

"You're no ordinary hollow." Itachi commented as he and the hollow in front of him locked eyes. 'This one is far above the arrancar I fought in the living world. An Espada perhaps?'

"No. I am simply an Arrancar created by Lord Aizen. I am Bliksem, Strider. You must be Uchiha, Itachi. Lord Aizen has mentioned you quite a bit. You are a thorn to his side that must be destroyed." The arrancar said as he charged at Itachi as he drew his blade.

Itachi and the arrancar clashed blades, only for Itachi's body to suddenly dematerialize into crows that began to circle around him.

Strider began to swing at the crows flying around and swatted them away. As the crows disappeared, he felt a sharp pain in his arm as blood erupted from just under his shoulder and the arm holding his blade separated from his body.

Immediately as his arm separated from his body, a feeling of rage took over Strider as electricity began to leak from his body and his reiatsu rose drastically, freeing him from the genjutsu.

"You little shit! I'll kill you!" Strider angrily yelled as lightning began to leak from his severed arm and the area where his arm was cut.

"Smite, Ira Dorado!" The separated arm immediately reattached itself back to Strider as his body glowed brightly until his entire body was clad in golden armor as it emitted electricity. Itachi could feel the air around him charged with electricity. Itachi looked curiously at the Arrancar in front of him. 'This doesn't make sense. Why would Aizen send a single Arrancar out to Soul Society...Is he like Grimmjow and simply not following orders? No, there has to be another reason. I'll weaken him first and put him under genjutsu again and find out what Aizen is really up to.'

"Cero Relampago!" Strider raised both of his arms as lightning began to swirl around them, concentrating into a ball. A loud crackling sound could be heard as the Cero was fired in a large ray of yellow reiatsu. 'I can dodge this but there is a small town several kilometers away that would still get hit by this attack. I'll have to block it.' Itachi thought to himself. He activates his Mangekyou Sharingan and a large half body humanoid figure appears and blocks the blast, creating a huge explosion that covers the surrounding area in smoke and lightning.

With the Susanoo, Itachi waved its arms, causing the smoke in the area to clear up. As he looked at Strider, Strider suddenly vanished and reappeared above Itachi's Susanoo.

"Die!" Strider yelled as he flared his reiatsu again. "Milagrera la Cadena!"

Out of Strider's body, several golden chains infused with lightning emerged and launched towards Itachi's Susanoo.

"Yasaka Magatama." Itachi reacted by raising his Susanoo's arm and creating a chain of reiatsu orbs that fired at the chains, destroying them and hitting Strider in the process. As Strider fell to the ground, Itachi pointed a finger at him.

"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro." Six beams of light slammed into Strider's torso, catching him before he hit the ground. As he was suspended in the air, Itachi walked towards him as his Susanoo faded.

'Tell me why you're here and what Aizen's plans are.' Itachi ordered as he placed the weakened Arrancar under a genjutsu.

"I was created as a test. To test...Uchiha Itachi's power for Lord Aizen. Lord Aizen will manifest the power of the Hogyoku...to create the Ouken." Strider replied.

'I already knew this information from Yamamoto. It seems Aizen doesn't even let his stronger subordinates know of the specific details of his plan.'

"Uchiha, what is going on here?" A voice said from behind Itachi. Itachi calmly turned around having already sensed who it is.

"Captain Soi Fon. I have already dealt with the threat." Itachi mentioned as he gestured to the Arrancar who was still trapped in the Bakudo.

"So you caught this Arrancar. I'll bring it back to the Second Division for questioning." Soi Fon said as walked towards the Arrancar.

"That is not necessary Captain. I have already interrogated him. He was created by Aizen only as a test." Itachi said. As Soi Fon approached the arrancar, she heard it mumbling the same sentence over and over.

"Then kill it. This thing has a Captain level's reiatsu and is a threat to Soul Society. I could feel its spiritual pressure all the way from Sereitei." Soi Fon said as she turned her back and began walking away.

"By the way Uchiha…" Soi Fon added as she stopped walking. "Have you been in contact with Miss Yoruichi?"

"No. I haven't seen her since the invader incident." Itachi replied.

"I-I see...l-let me know if you find her…" Soi Fon said nervously before disappearing. Itachi smiled briefly but his expression quickly turned cold when he looked back at the arrancar.