How can I protect you when your blade is drawn against me?" Kensei asked. Minato didn't even flinch. "I'd be dead right now if I hadn't drawn my blade.." He answered cooly. Even Kensei had to admire the kid's disposition. He had intentionally let out a bit of his Reiatsu to pressure him, but the kid looked completely unfazed.
"Come with me. Put away your blade. I'm not known for being gentle..."
The wakizashi in his hand spoke for him, as his other hand formed the hand seal of confrontation.
"Humph!" Kensei's eyes hardened, his Reiatsu flared and then he moved. Fast. The only way Minato could describe him. It wasn't Body Flicker, obviously as Shunshin no Jutsu was more subtle and difficult to trace, but this, this was explosive. He was even faster than the Hollow Minato had fought prior. Only advantage was, he wasn't the same Minato who had been in that fight.
His reiatsu roared and then he moved. Shunshin no Jutsu. A yellow streak. Kensei had to pause momentarily in his stride to intercept a slash to the skull. His eyes revealed surprise when they clashed. 'The control of his Reiatsu. I've never seen anything like it..' He snapped out of his own thoughts fast enough to back step another slash aimed for his skull.
Fast and Ruthless. Kensei's first judgement of the opponent. Their blades clashed more than a dozen times in a split second. Kensei grit his teeth. Minato wasn't a power type like he was. Speed types were usually the most annoying to deal with. Their agility and dexterity were a pain.
Minato's blade was a blur, intercepting, slashing, cleaving and stabbing, backed by incredible pace. His fighting style as a Shinobi mostly revolved around blitz type attack and combat skills that were aimed at finishing off the opponent fast and simple.
By targeting Kensei's weak points, he was preventing the man from getting in too close. A bead of sweat dripped down Minato's face. He could keep up with Kensei no problem, and his agility was a difficult aspect for the man to get around, but only one thing was a problem. Kensei was too strong. Every clash, Minato felt his bones rattle.
He was pushed back with every clash. 'This can't go on for too long.' Minato thought and vaulted over a slash to the torso, landed on Kensei's outstretched blade and then corkscrewed onto the man's shoulders. A kunai twirled within his fingers and then he stabbed.
However, Kensei grabbed his arm and then smashed him into the ground, the floor shattering as a result. Minato groaned, but he twisted, using his legs to lock in and pull Kensei in while his blade drove towards the Captain's skull for a finisher.
But the man's right leg stamped into the ground, stabilizing himself and cancelling out Minato's momentum, before he raised up his arm, Minato hanging on it and then whipped it out. Minato catapulted through the air, flipping multiple times and then landed silently on the side of a tree, breathing heavily.
"Who are you?" Kensei cast a sharp glare towards Minato. Jumping off the tree's side onto the ground, Minato spat out blood as his cloak flew off, drifting in the wind into the distance.
"What's the use? You won't let me go even if I tell you.." He looked at his wakizashi for a moment and then performed multiple hand seals in a split second.
"Tssst!!" An electric current poured out, covering his blade as Minato let out a breath. "That's not a kido spell. It's not a shikai either. You really think you can go against me without your shikai?"
Kensei voiced out in displeasure while Minato took a deep breath and lifted his head. "Shikai eh? Is that what it's called? That transformation?" Kensei coldly grunted and exploded towards Minato, his blade cocked back.
SLASH!
He was too fast, his blade ripped into Minato's skull, unstoppable. But, his instincts kicked in. The Minato in front of him exploded in a puff of smoke, and then came the trouble. The real Minato blurred into motion beside him, so fast that he barely managed to shift in time to avoid his vital organs getting harmed.
An electrified blade ripped into his side, the currents damaging his body. He looked down, seeing the coldness within Minato's eyes and then slashed out with his own blade. Minato was too fast. A shunshin brought him a few meters away faster than before. He weaved a couple of hand seals and then spat out a massive flaming meteor from his mouth.
"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"
BANG!
An explosion rocked the surroundings as flames whizzed out. Minato never dropped his guard. Instead, his brows furrowed deeply. He felt the spike in Reiatsu right before that fireball landed.
'He's using that multiplier technique..' The grip on the wakizashi tightened. The dust settled to reveal a practically unharmed Kensei, only a part of his Captain's robe was burnt, but he looked fine nonetheless. A trickle of blood flowed down his lips, as his eyes fixed on Minato.
The katana in his hand had transformed into a small combat dagger.
"Blow : Tachikaze!"
Minato had already moved. By the time Kensei mouthed the chants or whatever, he was already upon him, a two handed over head swing ripping towards the man's skull. But ...
BOOOOM!
An explosion of wind and Reiatsu shook the area for a moment. Minato had been caught right in it. Or had he not. The ground had caved in, trees splintered. Rather than Minato's injured or dead body, the only thing Kensei saw was a destroyed log of wood.
Right then and there he caught it. A blade headed towards him again. The grip on his dagger tightened. This was going to be more difficult than he thought.
*
Mashiro, Rangiku and the others were doing their jobs in other zones of the District, when they suddenly paused. "Kensei Taicho? That's his Reiatsu..." Mashiro sped off, while Rangiku frowned for a moment.
"He's using his shikai? And wait, this Reiatsu.." Without hesitation she followed. And not just her, the Shinigami around them followed, those of the ninth and twelfth division.
*
A figure was hurled back into the distance for a moment, crashing into multiple trees. Minato. His feet dug into the ground stabilizing himself. He wanted to escape. He needed a distraction. Kensei was relentless. Minato grabbed his chest and vomited blood. He had to admit, his base form against this full seasoned Captain just wasn't enough, not to talk of the fact that he hadn't even fully recovered from the effects of the Sage mode..
But right now, there was only one way out of this..
Kensei dropped down from the ground, like a cannon ball, crashing into the ground where Minato should've been. In that split second, Minato's blade came for his throat. He ducked, but Minato was just as relentless as he was fast. In fact in the Captain's base form he had to admit that he was no match for Minato's speed.
Now, Minato was having a hard time, but it didn't mean Kensei was having a walk in the park either. He was covered in cuts and scorch marks and bruises, from Minato's tricky and relentless assault.
It wasn't enough to take him out, but it slowed him down. If he hadn't forced himself to move, Minato's blade wouldve cut through his throat completely. The bleeding slash on his throat squirmed, but the pain was nothing. He blocked another incoming slash and then utilized his zanpankutou's shikai ability. Getting Minato right where he wanted a razor slice of wind exploded in his face, sending the young man crashing into another tree.
Minato slid down, as blood burst out his mouth. He had to..
"Your Reiatsu. I've felt it before. Feels familiar. You're strong too. Not a. Captain, Not a Lieutenant. Tell me who you are.." Kensei looked like he had had enough. His dagger pointed towards Minato.
"It doesn't matter. You won't let me go even if I tell you.." Minato pulled himself up from the ground, wiping the blood from his lips and then formed a hand seal.
"Haaaaa!"
He was pushed to a corner. He had to escape somehow. It was reckless. He knew. But it was the only solution. Sage Mode. His blue irises turned golden, whole his round pupils morphed into horizontal slits, like a toad. He had only five minutes. Five minutes to finish this..
A/N: I need powerstones. 10 powerstones for an extra chapter. Who's up?