Overwhelming Power

Kuro stood in the same dusty desert region of the Rukongai that he had trained in when he first achieved his bankai. It was away from the Seireitei and any villages, ensuring that he would disturb nobody with his training. He grasped his zanpakuto tightly and focused on summoning its spirit. After a few moments, the dark clad ninja appeared in front of him.

"You wished to see me, Kuro-sama?" it spoke with an air of respect that Kuro was not used to.

"Please stop it Seishou-sejin. You know that I am uncomfortable with such formal honorifics. I've called you here because I want to train to further my bankai strength."

The ninja spirit stood straight and its eyes glistened brighter from behind its mask as it spoke, "Your skill with your bankai is remarkable. You've just about mastered using even the advanced chakras with little stress to your body. There is one more lesson I can give you. Then you will have access to more power than you could ever use."

Kuro sternly replied, "I am ready. But not for the sake of just power. It depends on what I intend to use that power for."

"Correct. Very good. But before I let you use this power, you will have to pass a few tests. The first one is...you must defeat me!"

Seishou-sejin took a fighting stance and waited for Kuro to respond.

OOC: I have to leave for now. I'll post more later.

Kuro had not forgotten the ordeal of fighting with Seishou-sejin. Almost every time he had come to him for skills or guidance he had been required to show how much he'd grown. He had not expected this final lesson to come any easier. He smiled briefly before taking his own stance. His bankai ninja outfit appeared on him with a glint from behind the spirit's eyes. He focused and felt the power flowing through him.

"Let us begin!" they shouted in unison and leapt forward with simaltaneous shunpos.

Kuro felt that their skills seemed about even at the moment. Their arms clashed as they both started with a chop to test the other. Kuro added an additional thrust at the chest that the spirit avoided by leaping back. Their eyes locked on each other as they tried to guess each other's moves. Kuro was forced to shunpo to the right as Seishou-sejin darted forward and flung a kick at him.

Kuro breathed out slowly. This was a nerve wracking spar. The level of power he and Seishou-sejin had behind their blows was amazing. Any clean blow could drastically change the flow of the spar. Thinking fast, Kuro lowered his stance and began to sway slowly side to side. His zanpakuto spirit chuckled at this display.

“The fighting style you invented. Let’s see if it is effective against my power.”

He dashed forward again toward Kuro and began to throw a barrage of punches. Kuro’s swaying motion carried him out of the way as he moved back and forth. Left, right, right, left, the punches came with blinding speed and intensity. Kuro was grazed a few times as he looked for an opening. As he continued to dodge, Kuro began to concentrate and build up his power, filling up the first four rings on his sash. He saw his chance when Seishou-sejin threw a heavy left at his chest. Kuro grabbed hold of his incoming fist with his right hand and pulled him forward as he slammed his own left palm into his face while releasing his stored power.

Kuro’s counter attack threw Seishou-sejin’s head back and sent him spinning backwards. Kuro was worried at first that he might have been too rough. But his fears were set aside as the spirit got back on its feet and bowed to him in submission.

“Interesting, you didn’t have that form of counter before.”

Kuro exhaled and replied, “I thought it up a little while ago. I call it riptide.”

“Very well, I admit defeat. You’ve improved a great deal to be able to end it with a single blow. Your manipulation of spirit power has grown remarkably. It is now time for the second test.”

Kuro watched as his spirit raised his hands above his head. In an instant, Kuro’s body filled with a painful pressure that shocked him down onto his knees. It was unbelievable agony as he felt like he was standing at the bottom of the ocean. Seishou-sejin walked over and stood over him as he continued to gasp from the pain.

“This pressure is a test. You have learned to deal with the compressed power of the fifth and sixth chakras, but the final ability I can grant you is a power that is more than you have ever felt. You will have to get used to this pressure if you don’t want to be frozen in pain when you use it. No, not used to it…you must overcome the power and bend it to your will.”

Kuro was just able to comprehend what the spirit was saying to him. The pain was dulling his senses. His vision was blurring as his mind swam between awareness and unconsciousness. But he was able to tell that he had to do something. His eyes burned with determination as he stumbled back to his feet. He focused on the entirety of his body and the power within it and surrounding it. He strained his thoughts to ease the pressure and use it in some way. He guided it to his arm the same way he did when he used the kibaku hirate. The power he focused on seemed to ease up as he slammed his fist into the ground sending bits of earth flying everywhere around him. The pain still persisted however. He could almost hear his bones groaning from the stress. Bigger…I have to think BIGGER!

Kuro poured more energy than ever before into his hand and fired it in a blast that sailed into the sky. The force pressing down on him felt much lighter now. He breathed deeply and remained focused on overcoming the power. It took many minutes, and many more discharges of power before he brought it to a manageable level. He hunched over panting from exertion as his spirit explained what he’d done.

“Very good, the force you felt was the combined pressure of your own compressed spirit power and the spirit particles surrounding you being concentrated into your body. That was more power than you’re used to dealing with. It is possible now because your ability to control spirit power with me has grown beyond the limit of your own body. That is my final technique for you. It is a power unrivaled in intensity as your spirit power is mixed with gathered spirit energy from the land around you and refined to a concentration that can almost shatter a wall with a single flick. But be careful. With your power compressed this much, it will always slowly tax your body, even if you do not feel the effect right away.”

Kuro smiled and bowed to Seishou-sejin in thanks for his teachings. As the spirit faded, it spoke again.

“Your chakras have blossomed into beautiful plants so full of life and potential. Never forget your reasons for coming this far and you’ll do wonderful things for the entire world.”

Ability 2: Seishou Hasu (Spirit Lotus)

Activated when Kuro lights up the 7th ring on his spirit sash. Upon initial activation, a blooming sillouette of a lotus made from Kuro's spirit power appears behind him. The lotus then immediately rushes back into Kuro's body. With this ability activated, Kuro now has his power compressed to the strongest degree possible, making his raw strength and speed (when he applies the power to them) improve drastically. In addition, he gains an ability similar to quincies that allows him to absorb spirit power from the area around him to replenish the compressed power that is naturally used up faster than its previous concentration. This ability, though manageable, is not indefinately resistable to the body and will eventually wear Kuro's body down no matter how much he trains with it.