Bleach: Cero Devastador

From town to town, it was a long but enjoyable journey. I never thought I'd say this, but I am glad that I had a guide. In the 34th District, we sat in a restaurant to rest and look for a place to lodge for the day. 

"With this much money, we could live in the upper district without issues, Ryoma-kun," Sakuya suggested after I told her my intentions to meet more Shinigami.

"We can't go to the Seireitei where the rest of the Shinigami are?".

"We can't... only Shinigamis are allowed to live in there; although, if you go to the academy, you could eventually become a Licensed Shinigami and enter the Seireitei, you could even take us there to live with you!" Her voice sounded hopeful, this woman... she had begun to believe.

"I see".

"The next best option is to live in the Upper districts. With this much money, we could live comfortably–" Mikoto interjected but I cut her off real quick.

"Are there strong people there?"

"Yes, Ryoma-kun, there are..." She said, exasperated. 

"Then that's where we going~".

"You were going in the opposite direction, though~" She mocked me.

"Shut up, my instincts were telling me that there were strong people in that direction–".

"An abandoned forest?"

"..."

Seeing my predicament, Sakuya put her hands on my shoulders and took me away from an argument I wasn't going to win.

"You want to fight the strongest Shinigami?" Somebody said all of a sudden, earning our attention. It was a man sitting on the opposite table, he looked a bit ragged with a massive sword on his back. 

"Yes, I want to put him or her to the test~ Is that you?" I asked thrilled at the size of that sword. 

"I wish, but you're quite the confident one, huh? If you so wish, your best option is to become a shinigami attending the Shin-o-Academy".

"I'm not going anywhere to study shit. It has to be a matter of strength in the end, I'll just get my spot by force".

I have already spent all of my life studying the arts of the sword, what else could those old geezers teach me? If they want to teach me something, they have to prove to me their swordsmanship is better. 

The man smirked, he moved his finger around and it began to shine, replicating something that I had seen from that Shinigami, Ryōsuke.

"Kido arts!" Murasaki exclaimed, "Are you a Shinigami?"

"I am not... my name is Satoshi, I'm just a little mercenary who happened to be entrusted once upon a time".

"Should you be saying that?" I frowned, this is the first mercenary I've known who's so quick to reveal his profession.

"Mercenaries are not that rare are these districts. Besides, you're not a shinigami, are you?" The man chuckled.

"Do we look like it?" I spread my arms widely. He looked at us, a group of common citizens with a lot of bags, wandering around... there is a lot of money and clothes in those bags, but he doesn't need to know.

"You all look like souls who lost their way".

"We're happily lost! Hmph!" Mikoto huffed. 

"Anyway, aren't you interested?" He did all that finger movement again, I wasn't impressed.

"Don't need them. I fight with my sword, I don't care about that magic of yours" I said then leaned forward, "However, I don't know you and you're trying to convince me to get into the academy. What's your agenda?".

"..." The man smirked and stood up to leave, but so did I and he quickly noticed what I meant. 

"As a mercenary, I have my own contacts. If I recommend a capable Shinigami to an officer from the Academy, I get a commission. That is, if you're capable..." He faced me.

"That sounds like the truth. But what makes you think I'm capable? Have you been watching me?" I pressed further, hand on the hilt of my sword. Those in the restaurant quickly noticed the tension and started to leave. 

"You're one the type to always have your guard up, aren't you?~" He chuckled again but didn't reach for his sword despite the threat. 

"Answer my question" I insisted, if this man went out of his way to talk to us, it had to be for a reason. We've gone from place to place, people around here are quite reserved and don't like to mind someone else's business. 

"You have an Asauchi" He pointed at my sword.

"..."

"You have an Asauchi and yet you're not a Shinigami. That means you stole that from one. That's a crime, boy. I advise you to hide that before you get in trouble..." He left after that, I didn't catch up. 

"Satoshi, huh...?"

"I think he's right, Ryoma, you should cover it" Before I even did, Sakuya took my sword and covered it with robes.

"How could he tell it was an Asauchi?" Murasaki asked that was a question that would have to go unanswered.

We came out of the restaurant and stayed one night in the district before heading off. On our way out, we met Satoshi again. This time he wasn't alone, he was with a small group of people that looked as roguish as him. 

"It seems you hee my advise, what's your name?" He asked, I ignored his question.

"Where can I fight with the strongest Shinigami?" I asked blatantly.

"The strongest...? If you wish to fight the strongest Shinigami... that must be the one with the title of Kenpachi".

"Kenpachi..."

"The Kenpachi of this generation hails from the 80th district of Zaraki and he's currently the captain of the 11th Division; he's a reckless man hungry for battles and blood with a demon on his shoulder".

"Kenpachi Zaraki... demon on his shoulder, noted"

"If become the next Kenpachi you wish, defeat all Shinigami you must!" Satoshi said he and his group started at us as we went away. 

"Ryoma, will you–"

"Let's find this Kenpachi geezer~".

...

I said I would and so I did, but it wasn't fated to be an easy task. Travelling from district to district, I came to know about the Rokungai's underworld. As in any culture that reveres strength and swordsmanship, it was unavoidable for duels to take place. 

*CLAANG!*

"Go Kamishiro!".

"Crush him, Keisuke! You can't let me down like this, I bet everything on you!".

*CLAANG!*

*CLAANG!*

I ducked, danced... evaded, everything it took to make the fights a little longer, a bit more entertaining. But just as I thought, the quality of this sword made any battle completely lame and boring. I still had to conceal its scabbard and hilt to prevent anyone from knowing it was an Asauchi.

I thought that was all it took. 

Unable to continue this farce, I grit my teeth and struck forward. The sword pierced my opponent's steel like it was butter, it sliced his flesh and planted him on the ground with a shock that silenced the audience, he was unable to continue... whether he was dead or alive questionable.

They realised I had been pretending... I could have finished this from the start, but then there would be arguments and maybe all bets would be cancelled. 

"Haaaa!!"

"Amazing! He remains undefeated yet again!".

Mikoto decided on the name 'Kamishiro' that goes alongside the name of the district we hail from. Ryousuke and Ryota chose the attire, a white hakama with red lace and long sleeves. Impractical, but cool... it served as the perfect handicap.

Sakuya picked up the mask, an Oni mask with two horns to conceal my identity. Murasaki made the bets and leeched the money out of our contestants in every fight.

We were a team; this was far from being my personal gang, but they were quite supportive of my desires and knew how to act accordingly.

That's all I needed. 

All the way from the 78th District until we reached the upper class, that was all we did. Travel, eat, fight, make money and ultimately enjoy ourselves as I made a name for myself in the Rokungai as I sought after the one that called himself Kenpachi. 

From my previous life to the current one, all I have wanted is to beat the strongest. Once no sword could defeat me, I had to face those with guns.

This time it is no different. I will find that Kenpachi and I'll cut him.

"The winner is: Inuzuri Kamishiro!".