Battle's Red Glare

**Battle's Red Glare** is the seventeenth episode of the Bleached Wolf's Rain series.

On the move from Ichimaru's soldiers, Kiba and Orihime are found, until Ichigo and the others show up. Meanwhile, Toboe makes a decision.

## Summary

A flashback is shown of Toboe with Granny, who tells him that dinner is ready. Excited, he goes over and jumps at her, knocking her down to the floor as he goes to licking her face playfully. She attempts to beg him to stop as he continues, until she is unable to breath anymore, Toboe panting in confusion.

Back near the village, he looks out at the desert. The next think he knows, a voice asks if he's sure about his decision. He sees that it's Ihk, who wants to know if he's sure about his decision in staying behind. Saying that he is, he isn't worried because he feels he found his own Paradise. Toboe then tells him that he would have simply held the others back, but Ihk can't help but ask if he really feels that way. Whenever Toboe states that all he ever wanted was to get to Paradise with the others, he lets him know that he shouldn't give up on that. If he really believes that, then he should go after them. After a while, it's at that moment that he realizes that Ihk is right, and Toboe thanks him. He wishes him to best, but before he leaves, asks him for a favor.

Inside the city's sewers, Hige complains about the smell, wanting to know why they couldn't go through the front way. But Ichigo reminds him that it wouldn't be a good idea, and that this is their only clear way into the city.

At that moment, Kiba and Orihime go through the alleyways of Ichimaru's city to avoid the soldiers that might be searching for them. Orihime wonders what could have happened to Rukia, or if she was taken. It's Kiba who believes that she could have been taken prisoner and taken to the Noble who rules the city.

However, he feels if they stay out of sight, they should be able to reach the keep. Right then, Orihime looks at him for a while, which causes Kiba to notice, and ask her what's wrong. Apologizing to him, she reveals that for some reason he actually reminds her of Ichigo the way he is, but Kiba doesn't say anything. While on the move, Orihime wants to say something else to him, but doesn't seem to know what to say, when they reach the city square. People are going about their business, and don't seem to notice them. They decide to go through the crowd, making their way for the keep. After a while however, several of Ichimaru's soldiers enter the area, searching the area, until one of them sees Kiba. They begin to surround him and Orihime, who doesn't know what to do as people start clearing out of the city square. Kiba simply tells her to stay back, since the soldiers are probably after him. As he growls at them in his wolf state, they start to attack. He dodges each of their attacks, and is able to take out each one. One of the soldiers sees Orihime, and makes a move against her, until he's stopped by Kiba, who goes for his thoat, which she doesn't expect. More of Ichimaru's soldiers show up to help the remaining ones. While Kiba growls at them, Orihime still doesn't know what to do, when one of them makes a move, only to be struck down by a figure.

Good enough, it turns out to be Shinji, who brings up the fact that "wolves always seem to run into trouble". Kiba asks where he's been, causing him to say that he went to scout the city to find a way into the keep, where he knows Rukia was taken. Apparently, he's thankful that Orihime is okay, but knows they need to deal with the soldier first, and releases his zanpakuto, Sakanade. Rotating the blade on its' ring, he delivers a single swing, spirit energy coming out and taking on the form of a pack of wolves. The soldiers seem slightly intimidated, until Shinji commands them to attack them. Although the soldiers attempt to fight them off, managing to hold their own, though it starts turning into his favor, Kiba joining in the fight.

Suddenly, it's in that moment that Shinji is unexpectedly impaled by an extended blade, catching Kiba and Orihime by surprise. The blade is retracted out of him as he falls to the ground and his spirit wolves to dissipate, trying to make sense of what just happened, when a voice says that it's been a long time since it's seen Shinji. The voice belongs to Ichimaru, who he's surprised to see, implying it has been long. Not only that, he'd been hoping that when he came to the city, he wouldn't have had to see him again. Ichimaru informs him that he should have known better than to return to the city. Bringing up that he's the one who taught him everything, he claims to Shinji that things have changed. That they aren't like they were before, meaning that he's even willing to take his life. While trying to stand, Shinji finds that he's too injured to stand, let alone defend himself as Ichimaru launches the blade of his dagger, which extends out towards Shinji. All of a sudden, someone manages to deflect the blade, surprising Ichimaru, until he is interested to see that it's Ichigo, who Shinji, Kiba, and Orihime are completely surprised to see.

After he asks Kiba how he is, he admits he's alright, when Orihime takes in his appearance, then asks if it's really him. Ichigo assures her it is, when Tsume and Hige show, thankful to see Kiba again, who notices that Toboe isn't there. None of them say anything about it, but Ichimaru realizes that Ichigo is the human Soul Reaper that "she" gave her powers to. Confused, he wants to know what he's talking about, Ichimaru answering that it was a former Soul Reaper named Rukia. Hearing her name, Ichigo demands to know how he knows her and where she is, but he doesn't say anything. Once he tells him to do it or else, Ichimaru merely replies that he doesn't regret anything, poising to attack. This makes Ichigo ask if he plans on fighting with a dagger, but he informs him it's not a dagger: it's his zanpaukto, taking him by surprise. After calling on his Shinso, Ichimaru thrusts it out, the blade launching towards Ichigo, who manages to catch it with his Zangetsu, but ends up getting pushed back and thrown off. Ichimaru retracts the blade, looking slightly disappointed as Ichigo starts getting back up, ready to make a move. But that changes when Shinji stops him, saying they need to fall back, that he isn't ready to fight Ichimaru. He doesn't know what he means by that, but all Shinji does is say that they need to get away for now. More soldiers come to aid Ichimaru, and Ichigo realizes he's right. So for now, they all make a run for it while he helps Shinji escape.

The group manages to lose the soldiers. Getting him down, Ichigo asks Shinji if he's alright, although despite his injury, states he's fine. It's then that Ichigo asks him why he stopped him, since he feels he could have taken on Ichimaru. He explains that he wasn't fighting seriously, and that he's a Noble who was once a Soul Reaper.

The only way he could take him on was if he achieved Bankai. Ichigo wonders what that is, so Shinji goes on how each Soul Reaper possesses a zanpakuto in a sealed state. Only when they learn the name of their zanpakuto do they form a powerful union, and the Soul Reaper can perform Shikai, the release state of the zanpakuto. Through years of training, a Soul Reaper can then manifest the zanpakuto's power physically through a form referred to as Bankai. Although Ichigo starts on about how he doesn't have that much time and has to save Rukia, Shinji tells him that there is a faster way, but he'll have to confront Zangetsu. He seems to understand, and wants Kiba, Tsume, and Hige to get to Ichimaru's keep to rescue Rukia; at least for now. They're confused by this at first, but Ichigo is deteremined to achieve Bankai, and that he'll meet with them as soon as he can. Kiba is apparently the only one who understands, and says that they'll be waiting for him.

After the wolves head out for the keep, Shinji teaches Ichigo Jinzon, the meditation form Soul Reapers use to communicate with their zanpakuto. Using the form, Ichigo finds himself in his inner world, where Zangetsu has clearly been waiting for him. This causes Ichigo to inform him that he needs to learn how to achieve Bankai. Zangetsu warns him that it will be difficult, but he will show him, and uses his power to change the scenery, to what becomes a desert wasteland.

Afterwards, he tells Ichigo that in order to achieve Bankai, he must fully understand their union, and must first undergo a test.He summons forth large swords that all stab into the ground, creating a field of them around the both of them, Zangetsu saying that only one of them is the real Zangetsu, and that is the only sword that can defeat him. Once he asks him if he's ready, Ichigo answers he is, until they each grab a sword, rush towards each other, and start to clash.

## Appearances In Order

* Toboe
* Granny (Flashback)
* Ihk
* Ichigo Kurosaki
* Tsume
* Hige
* Kiba
* Orihime Inoue
* Ichimaru's Soldiers
* Shinji Hirako
* Gin Ichimaru
* Rukia Kuchiki (Mentioned)
* Zangetsu (Spirit)

## Notes & trivia

* This is the third episode to feature the physical manifestation of Zangetsu. The first was Episode 8: "Song of Sleep", the second Episode 10: "Moon's Doom".
* Ichimaru's Shinso is the fourth zanpakuto to appear in the series.
* The Bankai training that Ichigo undertakes is very much like the one he goes through in the *Bleach* series.