Twelve's In the Middle

**Date Started:** 21 December, 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Next Role-Play**: N/A
**Previous Role-Play**:N/A
**Users Involved:** User:Dal101, User:TheCheeseMeister, User:TheGoldenBuddha, User:Mr.Zeno999, User:GoldenPiece, User:ComicMaster619, User:AbysmalShadows. User:Sir Ice Man, User:DazzlingEmerald
**Setting:** Seireitei, 13th Division's Training Ground
**Characters Involved**:
* **Thirteenth Division**: Tetsuyama Kobushi, Touwa Kashiwaeda, Yamato Takeru. Saeko Ichihara, Ichijou Tomohide
* **Eleventh Division**: Kenpachi Kiokushi, Kenzo Shinzui, Nagoriyuki Magatsuchi, Yashiro Mitsuhide, Taopaipai Nobunaga

## Snowdrop and Yarrow

*"Om Mani Padme Hum"* Tetsuyama chanted quietly as he stood among the delegation of the Thirteenth. He and the other seated officers who were available had been gathered together today. It was rare for such a thing to occur beyond a divisional meeting, however an order had been handed down by those up top. While the Eleventh division's civil war had finally concluded, it was deemed that the remaining members should probably test themselves against the other divisions. So today the thirteenth stood in waiting for them to arrive.

Touwa Kashiwaeda stood at the front of the delegation, being the highest ranking member of the division. He stood straight up, watching the entrance to the training field with dispassionate eyes.

*Well this will be interesting regardless of what happens,* he thought to himself as he stiffled a small sigh. Clasping his hands hands together, he stated, "Well, they should be here any minute now, let's see what the eleventh has in store for today."

Yamato stood silently among all those who had been assembled from the seated members of the Thirteenth who were available for the meeting between the Thirteenth Division and Eleventh Division. His face as per usual was a cool mask of neutrality, that betrayed no hint of how he felt about the strange meeting that was bound to occur between the two divisions.

Turning his gaze towards Tetsuyama, Yamato's eyes almost seem to gleam for a moment in the light of the room. "Sir Kobushi, what do you believe will occur when the Eleventh finally decide to show their face?" Yamato's voice somewhat monotone, but respectful as he attempts to make small talk between a fellow squad mate.

Ichijou Tomohide was present among the masses of the Thirteenth Division, however he was anything but motivated to go to war against what he assumed was one of the most formidable divisions in all of the Gotei 13. "I mean can we really even match up with something like that?" he pondered aloud in the presence of the others not knowing exactly how audible his voice was, "I mean we have people like Sakata and Kobushi in our division. We're going to lose by default."

Nervous beads of sweat trickeled down Ichijou's face. He didn't have that much confidence in his own strength, either. And truth be told, although he referred to Sakata and Kobushi by name, in reality he was using them as filler to cover his own powerlessness. Yes, it was much too probable that the aforementioned Shinigami who were his inferior in rank were actually his superior in skill.

Ichijou wanted to avoid fighting if he could but he knew a summon to the frontlines was not something he could deny without compromising his seating. *Dammit. What do I do?*

The members of the Eleventh Division have already been notified to come down over to the Thirteenth Division's barracks per request, with only four members choosing to do so and these four arguably being the strongest the squad has to offer according to rank. The captain "Kenpachi" Kiokushi, and her trusty lieutenant Kenzo Shinzui. Alongside two other high ranking members being third and fourth seat Yashiro Mitsuhide, and Taopaipai Nobunaga.

His footsteps were light, barely a sound was made as he flickered across the training ground. Sword gripped tight in hand he unleashed a furious volley of strikes. Each stride taking him one step forward as he spun and pivoted slashing at an imaginary enemy. Violet light glowed faintly from his sword before it too becaming a flickering mirage of light. With a final thrust the dust parts, and the world around settles into brief welcoming silence. Letting a breath he sheathed his sword and walked over the rack carrying a cloth. Grabbing it he wiped the sweat off his brow.

*I don't understand*, he thought. *Why is the Heavenly Demon Transcending Sword Formation out of my reach!?* His mind raced. Nagoriyuki growled in frustration before angrily returning to the training ground. Unsheathing his blade he began the sequence once more. Another dizzying array of sword strokes ripped through the air and when the dance was done, Nagoriyuki found himself wanting. Yet anger would not aid him. He would instead focus that fury into his training, so that it may yet yield what he desired most.

In the distance he heard several others members talking. Curious he walked over to the sliding doors, off beyond the door and down the hall, the conversation was loud and rambunctious, as was the case in the Eleventh Division.

"I can't believe those bastards! Of course the Captain went on ahead, and the bitch only took three others! But why only them?" Said a voice he recognized as Kawamatsu Nobuo. He was just shy of hitting 10th seat. Needed to work on his footwork a bit more, and sharpen his stances and he'd make it no time.

"Look, I'm just as pissed as you are. Know how many times the Thirteenth has personally requested a sparring match with the Eleventh? Not once. Not in this century at least. Couldn't fuckin believe it. I already packed my shit when the Captain ran off with the first four seats. Didn't even have the courtesy of waiting for the rest of us." Replied a voice he knew as Kaoru Gosaku. She was on the lower rung, though thats only because she had some problem with her Zanpakuto. If she'd get over her problems and learn her Shikai properly, the power jump would probably put her above even Kawamatsu.

But, that was news to him. *A sparring match with the Thirteenth?* Maybe that was what he needed. He'd been so focused on simply honing what he already had, that the thought of fighting against another Division hadn't even occurred as a possibility. *A battle against another Shinigami, against one who rose above death.* That's what he needed. He could feel it, the power brimming within him, so much potential just waiting to be unleashed. All he needed was a catalyst. A fight where he could pit himself against people he didn't regularly play with. Yeah, the more he thought about, the better the idea sounded.

Looking around, and seeing nobody around to stop him, Nagoriyuki quickly cleaned himself up, gathered his sword and belongings and sped off towards the Thirteenth Division. As he closed in on the Thirteenth barracks, he couldnt help but let out a whoop of laughter! There was nothing like the technique of Shunpo. One of the famed and most powerful secret techniques of the Shinigami. The freedom it gave him! Oh how he relished the feeling of the world fading away as his speed shattered all of his previous limits. How slow and unslightly they must have seemed. Even with their techniques and natural speed, Shunpo was just on another level. Yet he knew there was a whole mountain for him to climb in terms of his skill in the technique. He'd briefly seen the Second Division Captain move, and it was... well he couldn't see. And that was just it! It was a level of speed beyond anything he'd ever known!

He felt the spiritual density of their Captain, as well as another rivaling her own, which meant it wouldn't be long before he closed in on them. In a burst of speed he flickered away towards the meeting.

It was a stroke of genius to combine the step movements of *Kaze Ugoku* along with Shunpo. Although he would have to address the stamina issue at a later point, the end result was something he was quite pleased with. Not only had he gained even greater speed but his maneuverability whilst moving had been augmented substantially. Now even after taking a single leap he could alter his trajectory allowing for even more precise movements! He let out a whoop of laughter as he danced in the heavens with no abandon.

Thankfully his destitnation had drawn considerably near, and in record time too. Then again the entourage from his Division had merely walked while he had practically ran after. Cutting off his movements he plummeted down below landing with like the boom after thunder outside the barracks of the Thirteenth. Up ahead he could see the Captain and his fellow squadmates being ushered in ahead. Using one last step he closed the distance and appeared at their flank following in closely after them as they were ushered into the Thirteenth.

They stand in front of the doors of the Thirteenth's barracks awaiting for them to be welcomed in, instead of brutally breaking into the place without permission like the ruffians would usually do. But since they were facing another squad and captain of the Gotei 13 they decided to be on their best manners today. "Geez. Why are they taking so long?" Kiokushi says before being interrupted by a voice coming from the door from a camera. "You may enter." The camera says. "Woah. The Twelfth wadn't capping when they say they were giving out new tech to some squads!" Kiokushi excitedly yells out.

Yashiro was surprised to hear about another sparring match, but it was more so impressive that it was coming from another Division of all places. How could he resist, especially if the challenger in question was their polar opposite, whereas the 11th Division was the first to any fight in the Soul Society, the 13th was all about defensive tactics and civil defense. It was laughable, and was grateful for the chance to participate. Following from behind, his towering figure hung high above the others, standing out as their largest member, gazing at its officers, smiling as cordially as he could. “This is the 13th Division? Are you sure it isn’t the 4th Captain? I swear they look like they’d break at the smallest touch,” Yashiro bellowed out, sitting down at the nearest table he could find, yawning as he slammed his Zanpakutō across the table, the sheer force he used was beyond what was necessary, shattering the structure into pieces as chunks of wood flew across the room, his sword embedded into the ground where he placed it. Pulling out his kiseru, Yashiro took a deep breath, savoring the taste before exhaling the smoke through his nostrils.

The newly promoted Kenzo looked at Yashiro confused on why he put so much force to the point where it shattered the table, "Man do you have a like any sense of the word delicate or soft or anything that wouldn't leave you to breaking the table" he said to Yashiro before looking at the new tech that was provided to the division.

"Sorry, I guess I don't know my own strength sometimes," Yashiro mumbled embarrassingly, reaching to examine this piece of technology. From the look alone, Yashiro’s first thought quickly ran toward the 12th Division’s Research & Development, since the design was anything but simple.

Kiokushi looked at her squad mates in dismay that they'd be causing such damage to their fellow allies' property, and new one at that. "Can y'all atleast try to be civilized mayne? Plus their captain is coming here right now." Kiokushi said as she waves towards Touwa and gives him a bow showing a sign of respect something that is not so oftenly seen with her. "Sup, captain of the Thirteenth Division, Touwa Kashiwaeda." she gallantly spoke to him.

Touwa had just finished opening the door to the entryway when he was greeted by the eleventh's captain, though he supposed that it was only the natural thing to do. "Greetings to you as well, Captain Kenpachi Kiokushi. A pleasure to meet you at last. I do apologize that we didn't have anyone to greet you here, we've been rather short staffed lately," He said with a far more calm smile, ignoring the obvious property damage made by the eleventh's third seat. "The members of my division here are currently waiting out by our training facility, and I've made sure a feast was prepared for both divisions for people to peruse between matches. We can get started right away if you wish, or we can let everyone relax a bit first. As our guests I'll let you decide."

Kiokushi giggled a bit at Touwa's response. "Waiting till' we fight?" She said. "You already know how we roll! we ready fo that smoke!" She yelled towards Touwa aggressively as she slammed her hand down on the table. "On your call, Thirteenth Captain." Kiokushi utters out.

"Well then, let's be on our way," Touwa smiled as he beckoned the rowdy division to follow him, ignoring the broken table for now. "I already have the matches prepared, it won't be directly seat versus seat, but everyone should have a suitable opponent." He added as he walked, measured steps making short work of the distance to the training ground. "Matches will be posted on the announcement board at the field, and the first match will start in twenty minutes, anyone have any questions?"

## Round One - Nagoriyuki Magatsuchi vs Tetsuyama Kobushi

Touwa moved out to the center of the training field, taking a position off to the far of the set position for the two combatants to start their combat. Ready or not, it was time for round one to begin. "If Nagoriyuki Magatsuchi and Tetsuyama Kobushi would be so kind as to bring youselves out of the field, it is time for the first match of the day." He said calmly, a referee asking for the competiters to enter the field of battle.

"*Om Mani Padme Hum*," Tetsuyama chanted quietly to himself as he walked out towards his captain. The giant of a man moved with a lithe grace that belied his size, a feature of his monastic training from his days before he became a shinigami. Reaching the traditional spot, he gave a stiff bow to his opponent. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaitance, Sir Nagoriyuki. I look forward to our sparring match." He said as he drew his weapon, the katana looking almost comically smally compared to the Thirteenth's Tenth Seat officer. Holding his sword low, he entered a classic Seigen No Kamae stance, albeit his left hand gripped the wrist of his right arm instead of grabbing the sword due to his hand covering the entirety of the hilt.

On hearing his name, Nagoriyuki leapt to his feet and leisurely made his way towards the training field. He took that time to assess his opponent, this Tetsuyama. A little known fact regarding the ranking system of the Gotei 13 was the nuances in power between the lower ranked seated officers. Unless you were the top four positions, then one's spiritual power mattered comically little. Most Shinigami have similar levels of spiritual power, some more, some less but largely irrelevant when it concerned one's seat. No, what truly separated the officers were two things: Shikai and their own individual skills.

Shikai goes without saying. Even releasing one's Zanpakuto is able to grant one a substantial increase in fighting power that the difference between having one and not having one was like night day. But if two officers both have Shikai, what then separates them? Individual skill was the last determining factor. Swordplay, hand-to-hand, your speed, and knowledge of Kido all served to rank order the bottom rung of the Gotei 13. Nagoriyuki was not like the others here, who had grown around giants their entire life, used to seeing power, speed and ability that were simply beyond. Instead Nagoriyuki had lived a life where minute differences in skill determined victory or defeat. Looking at his opponent he knew what to look for, the small details that gave it away.

Nevermind Tetsuyama's statuesque form and rippling muscle. A massive towering behemoth that made someone of his stature look small. It was the way he walked, the balance between each step, the angling of his body to remove counter points, and to maximize his size and reach. Even the way he held his Zanpakuto. The *seigan no kamae* was a balanced stance, and it spoke of the training he had undergone. Tetsuyama was well beyond the power of a Tenth Seat, that much Nagoriyuki was certain of. But to what extent was unclear. He'd have placed him near 7th or 6th as was his own if he were completely honest. Meaning this fight was sure to be an interesting one.

"Soooo," he said drawling out the vowel. "Yer Tetsuyama huh?" Nagoriyuki gave him an appraising look, "Why would a man content in his spot, now want to challenge someone? And not just anyone, ya'll wanted to fight the Eleventh. First you had my curiosity, now *you* have my attention." Unlike his battle crazy fellows, Nagoriyuki was a man of the old ways, a man of culture. A man who engaged in the age old form of pre-fight banter, and he was determined to have his way.

"Tetsuyama I am," The giant replied simply at first, "As for why we would want to challenge, I can not say the exact reason as it was Captain Kashiwaeda's decision. But I can hazard a guess. The Thirteenth has been ground by constant work, as we have the largest patrol area of the Gotei squads." He noted with a hint of bitterness in his voice, "Not only does this give the members a chance to relax for even a brief period, but it also providing a chance to sharpen ourselves." He paused for a moment before continuing, "If you wishen to sharpen a blade, you go to a blacksmith. If you wish to sharpen your body, you go to a monastery. And if you wish to sharpen a warrior, well then, you go to the Eleventh."

As the two combatants took their poses, Touwa raised his hand in the air. Bringing it down, he yelled "BEGIN!" in the same motion he used to jump away from the combatants. Round one had begun.

## Round Two - Taopaipai Nobunaga vs Ichijou Tomohide

Touwa quickly refinished the field after the first fight, making sure everything was in good order for the second. Taking up his spot as the referee once more, he called out. "Would Ichijou Tomohide and Taopaipai Nobunaga please come out to the field. It is time for Round Two to begin."

Taopaipai, seated on his position with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, rose and picked up his sword. Long gone was Taopaipai of the past, the one with an uneven walk, dirty clothes, and unkempt hair. The man now has had a slow, very even walk with a hint of a lack of poise. His clothes were clean and his hair trimmed. Ever since his fiancee's departure to the Human World, Taopaipai had tried to cope by grooming himself and indulging in more civilized activities. All of that had brought him no solace, though, and a good fight was just he needed to pick himself up. He greeted Touwa with a polite smile and a nod, followed by a nod to his opponent Tomohide.

As the two combatants took their poses, Touwa raised his hand once more in the air. Bringing it down, he yelled "BEGIN!" in the same motion he used to jump away from the combatants. Round Two had begun.

Taopaipai stood in his position for a while, waiting for his opponent to make a move. He waited, and he waited for long. It was clear to him; the other man wanted him to make the first move. Taopaipai sighed, and waited even more. The spectators seemed to be getting bored now. Taopaipai knew that this fight was mere buffer for the next fights, and did not wish to keep others waiting.

With a grumble, Taopaipai uttered the name, "Sakesuke." His wakizashi-shaped shirasaya changed into two straight, needle-like nodachis, complete with holes in its pommels. He lunged forward, and unleashed a straight, horizontal slash towards his opponents.

## Round Three - Yashiro Mitsuhide vs Yamoto Takeru

Touwa quickly refinished the field after the second fight like before, making sure everything was in good order for the third. Taking up his spot as the referee once more, he called out. "Would Yashiro Mitsuhide and Yamoto Takeru please come out to the field. It is time for Round Three to begin."

As the two combatants took their poses, Touwa raised his hand once more in the air. Bringing it down, he yelled "BEGIN!" in the same motion he used to jump away from the combatants. Round Three had begun.

Glancing at the roaring from the crowd, Yashiro was impressed by the gathering of so many Shinigami. He couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the nature of the event or the simple fact that "Kenpachi" herself was participating, but it mattered very little for the large man, crossing his arms as he kept his narrowed eyes focused on his quarry for this round: Yamoto. With his smile perked up, Yashiro slowly and meticulously walked toward the young man, pacing around in circles around him like some kind of vulture, whispering and mumbling to himself as he examined him from head-to-toe, his large Zanpakutō dragging itself across the ground from his waist. More than satisfied with what he's seen, Yashiro slapped his hands together, he let out a sigh of relief, "I've decided: we're going to be the best of friends huh," Yashiro spat out, speaking directly in front of the smaller Shinigami, mere inches away from him. "Win or lose, no hard feelings before or after the fight. Let the best man triumph," he saluted, extending his right hand forward while letting the other rest in his pocket, rummaging around as he waited for the man's response.

It was only common for one to show respect for his opponent before a duel, "manners” is what came to mind when he thought of what normal people did in this kind of environment, and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his Captain.

Yamato had watched the previous two fights with a passive interest, his face not shifting in the slightest due to the results of the bouts. His ears give a somewhat noticeable twitch at the referee announcing his name for the next round, yet whatever motions stirred within him did not rise to the surface and make themselves known to those nearby. Yamato descended from the stands at a brisk pace utilizing tight, restrained, almost-robotic movements. He passed the other assorted members of Eleventh and Thirteenth that made up the audience, not giving a single glance to any of their presences.

Yamato arrived at the traditional starting point for a contestant, standing opposite of Yashiro, the former gate guard standing heads and shoulders above him. Extending his arm in mirror to the larger shinigami, he returns the handshake, albeit with a small amount of difficulty to the size difference between both contestants. Resting his other hand on his sword, Yamato raises his head, his gaze locking with Yashiro's. "That I must agree with, may the superior contestant succeed in our bout.", responding to the giant’s statement without the slightest hint of emotion in his voice.

"Hmmm, yes, you're everything I could've hoped for..." Gripping Yamato's hand in equal measure, Yashiro's face was beaming with delight, his eyes narrowed with his signature smile widening even further, gently squeezing as he shook it several times to greet his opponent. However, rather than let go, the pressure of his grip was gradually increasing, the muscle and veins around his hand and forearm pulsing as they stretched up his arm, doing so without breaking facial expression. "...It's why it makes this so hard for me," Yashiro mumbled, tears welling up from his eyes as incoherent wails erupted from his mouth, the pressure from his grip skyrocketing, the force exerted enough the break the hand of any ordinary man, but just threatening enough to warrant the immediate attention of a Shinigami of their standing. Yashiro was careful of the force he was putting on display, his spiritual pressure rising, reminiscent of what one would expect from a Shinigami from the 5th or 6th seat.

Taking his hand with his own, Yashiro violently threw it off to the side, kicking up dust from beside the pair as the air pressure whipped the crowd nearby. Quickly reeling in his hand, Yashiro clenched it into a tight fist, aiming to deliver a quick jab directly across his head from such a tight distance. From all the exhilaration going on, Yashiro could feel his heart skip a beat, enamored with the little black mouse in front of him, all but giddy about what he would do next, like a child waiting to open his present as his left hand was still neatly tucked into his pocket.

## Round Four - Kenzo Shisui vs Saeko Ichihara

Touwa quickly refinished the field after the Third fight like before. Taking up his spot as the referee once more, he called out. "Would Saeko Ichihara and Kenzo Shisui please come out to the field. The Lieutenant's Round is up next." He smiled softly for a second before adding, "Its time for you two to show the rest of the divisions what they should aspire to."

As the two combatants took their poses, Touwa nodded towards both before he raised his hand once more in the air. Bringing it down, he yelled "BEGIN!" in the same motion he used to jump away from the combatants. It was time for the Lieutenants to square off.

”May the best Shinigami win” Kenzo said as he pulled out his Zanpakuto, his reiatsu thundering as he did this. “Let’s go” he said as he charged at Saeko at insane speed.

"This is a Spar correct?" Saeko questioned as her body seemed to fade into view from seemingly out of nowhere. "So I shouldn’t use my more ….lethal approach." She mused in after thought as her eyes fell upon Kenzo who was slated to be her opponent for the match. She knew him as a fellow Lieutenant but that was as far as her knowledge of him went, after all he hadn’t done anything to catch her attention.

"You’ll have to forgive me Kenzo-Kun I tend to be a bit vicious when I enter a battle." She called out towards her Opponent before she once again vanished from sight at the Touwa’s call to begin. A few moments after she vanished, Kenzo would find himself under the assault of a shower of thin needle like blades.

Quickly realizing what was happening, Kenzo put himself under a defensive stance and began to parry most of the needles with his blade.

## C for Captain

As the last of the division members finished their matches, Touwa couldn't help but let out an internal sigh. While he was grateful for the chance to let loose for once, as he hadn't been able to fight how he used to for decades, he hadn't fought at any level worth noting for just as long. But he supposed he needed the practice just as much as the new Kenpachi did.

Taking off his glasses, which were entrusted to the care of an unseated division member who had been watching, he walked out to the center of the field for what should be the last time today. "Well Kenpachi, the warmup rounds are over. Guess it's time for the main event," The instructor said as he took measured steps out towards the middle of the field. Stretching his arms, shoulders, and back out as he moved, he drew his sword in one well-practiced motion, the well-worn hilt fitting perfectly in the ancient shinigami's hand. It had been eighty years since Shimotsume had last been drawn, but to Touwa it was just like yesterday. He lowered his stance as he held the sword out in front of him with a single hand, his left hand stretching out behind him as if he were about to grasp something invisible behind him. "You ready?"

"Seems like you're going serious now huh, four eyes?" Kiokushi mockingly commented on Touwa putting away his glasses. She stepped forward closer to Touwa but putting enough distance between them to make it a fair match in which anyone can come out the victor. Also taking notice to the stance that the thirteenth captain was standing in leading to him to be more balanced and left off his feet. Kiokushi came to the conclusion that she'd have to wait for him to make the first move by any means necessary, even if the chances were highly unlikely. "Come on now, they always say the one who throws the first strike in a fight is a bitch." She says as she grabs her Zanpakutō and held it in front of her to block any incoming forward attack against her unless her opponent was well adept at Shunpō.

"Isn't that a bit childish?" Touwa smirked as he clenched his open hand. "But if that the role you desire me to play, so be it." If she desired to play defense, well then he'd be more than happy to oblige her by making the opening move. But the foolish part of the 11th's captain's desire to have Touwa decrease the range was simple. The ancient shinigami had no need to fight in melee if he didn't want to. He was perfectly fine fighting near and afar.

Whipping his free hand forward, a line of golden light surged forth from his grip. Whistling through the air as more and more of the golden rope appeared to surround his fellow captain, the golden whip spiralled into a dome around Kiokushi even as it began to contract around the captain of the 11th.

"Hainawa..." Touwa uttered as he whipped the dome down around Kiokushi, aiming to strike her from all directions at once even as lightning began to arc between the coils of light in one web of light and lightning, "Tsuzuri Raiden!"

”Looks like I miscalculated your true fighting prowess, not much of a surprise considering you are THE captain of THE thirteenth.” Said Kiokushi as she saw that instead of this being a close combat battle, Touwa was skilled in long range. Before Touwa’s lightning attack could land on Kiokushi though, she forced retaliation against it with her own attack that serves of an area of effect move. “Kaigara.” Kiokushi yelled out as she spins her Zanpakuto hilt around still sheathed, but blocking all of the attacks around her as if it was a shell, truly an impressive defense, but only time would tell if she could keep it up.

After her first move, she follows it up with an attack meant to also showcase her combat prowess as a distance fighter. Holding her zanpakutō in a slanted direction, she swung her blade across hoping to land on the thirteenth division’s captain, “Torikuni” Soon as she said the attack, the shape of the flying air blade transforms into that of a bird.

"Well then, I guess it's time for class to be in session," Touwa grinned as Kiokushi hurricane of slashes repelled his lightning whip. Using the sheath to protect herself from the lightning as smart, but at the same time while her defense was more than satisfactory, her response back left more than a little to be desired. Ranged fighting was clearly not her forte. So it was up to the 13th's Sensei to make sure the new Kenpachi was up to par.

"First lesson, play to your strengths." Touwa announced as he brought his blade up. While the bird of air was still a dangerous attack, it was one that could be dealt with easily enough. His ancient blade twisted to match the angle of the attack, the shockwave collapsing upon the blade as he began to redirect the force along the weapon's length. "If Kido and other forms of ranged combat aren't your strong suit, throw them away." Touwa added as he crouched down, spinning to bring the flowing slash and whip of electrified light around him even as he disappeared from sight with a flash of a step.

He appeared just behind Kiokushi, his spin continuing. "Nine times out of ten focusing on what you are best at is far more effective than gambling on your weaker abilities." he quickly added as he began to fully face the Kenpachi.

Touwa struck high and low simultaneously, his sword carrying the slashing coming down from high to bite into the 11th Captain's shoulder even as the electrified whip began to encircle Kiokushi's ankle to pull it out from underneath her.

Touwa was extremely well versed in all forms of Shinigami combat, adept at using the sheer breadth of his abilities to keep his opponents guessing at what he was going to go for next. While he would acknowledge that the Kenpachi was almost certainly better than him in pure Zanjutsu or Hakuda, that by no means he wasn't willing to mix it up point blank range. After all, while neither was his noted strength, the mixing together of all forms of combat most certainly was.

"Now then, it's time for you to show your strength."

”Hmph.” Kiokushi said, acknowledging what Touwa said but chose to not respond. *Everything he said as right though, instead of trying to use everything in my arsenal, I should showcase my best*  Kiokushi thought to herself.

As her shoulder felt the full brunt of Touwa’s attack she didn’t really care all that much about it due to her pain resistance. She quickly decided that she’d bet on her speed and blunt force in this next attack on Touwa. Figuring that she’d be able to deal a heavy amount of damage if she was able to speed blitz him.

Her attack did not require any charging or long waits like the previous other ones, this time she’d be betting on her speed alone. “Thunderbird” She said as her shunpo was fast enough, the average trained third seat would not be able to catch up with their eyes alone, leaving many onlookers baffled. She struck Touwa without looking back, to see how she did before the attack landed.