The Final Showdown

The weight of Tenkai's reiatsu became heavy and unyielding after the successful assault. It was not that the elder Captain possessed more reiryoku then Tenjinsai but simply that he was no longer reserving his power. The man had not been fighting in earnest, essentially toying with his son to a degree and only using as much power as was necessary to carry on the battle. Now though that Tenjinsai had proven himself capable of causing real damage and had the potential to win the battle, his father could no longer risk playing things safe. This change of pace had the makings of great misfortune for the younger shinigami. From the start of the fight Tenjinsai had been giving it his all; or at the very least close to it. His attacks were to the full capacity of what he could muster as far as destructive capability was concerned. It was truly hard to say how much longer he could hold this pace for until his reserves gave out.

Unfortunately he would not be given a chance to try and make out a plan of attack as Tenkai disappeared in a blur, moving faster then even Tenjinsai could accurately track. The older Bushinji appeared up in the air, a dozen meters distance away and began swinging wildly with his blades. A barrage of flaming waves of energy was set upon the young Captain with each wild, yet precise, swing of his father's blades. The natural defenses of his flaming construct protected him from the brunt of damage; even that though could only do so much against the unyielding assault. Tenjinsai raised up the mammoth twin blades of flame, protecting himself from what his natural defenses could not and even absorbing a portion of the energy. Despite his staunch defense his father gave no signs of letting up, the burning rage pummeling down on Tenjinsai from up above endlessly.

That was, until it did stop abruptly to a more sinister approach. Once more his father had disappeared, this time popping up on the ground with his blades raise up in the air. Each one coalesced flames around them, the fires heating up even further then they already were before plunging deep into the ground. The earth itself roared and rumbled as the machinations of Tenkai's plan came to life, a number of flaming pillars erupting from the ground in a circle around Tenjinsai. One after another they popped up until the young Captain was completely surrouded, a total of eight pillars of hell fire rising up and encircling him. Tenjinsai kept his eyes wide, focused on every small detail that occured around him to try and formulate what was to happen next. He did not dare move for fear of activating some secret strategem his father put in place.

There was no secret though, no trick or trap that had been laid, just an attack meant to be the end of things. Tenkai removed his blades from the ground and as he did so the pillars that surrounded Tenjinsai receeded back into the earth; the rumbling did not stop though. Below the young Captain the ground began to glow, even through the solid ground a brilliant light shone through and grew brighter as whatever was below him grew closer. In that moment his father began to roar loudly, his reiatsu flaring wildly as he plunged the blade in his right hand deep below the earth. "Dai Funka: Hi no Hashira!!" All at once the ground beneath Tenjinsai exploded as the flames from the eight pillars had gathered together and formed one massive geyser of fire that engulfed his flame construct in its entirety. The skyscraper of a creature was shrouded in fire that burned as hot and bright as the sun.

Even with his Taiyō Fureakāten protecting him from harm, the intensity and strength of the flames seeped through and scorched the young Captain's flesh. He roared out in pain as the attack took its toll on his body. Looks were deceiving to be certain, as one gazed upon his fathers form would not surmise his power could be so unyieldingly destructive. All of that power was concentrated, focused, and honed to one purpose; to destroy anything that stepped in its path. The flames around him slowly died down and the visage of Tenjinsai became visable, his flame construct no longer present as the young Captain now lay upon the ground. He seemed broken and defeated; his body burnt and charred in areas from the raw power that had just overtaken his own. There was something strange though, something only his father could see taking shape deep in Tenjinsai's very soul.

His reiatsu still pulsated strongly, not having weakened much from the strike from an uneducated observation. The truth of the matter was his strength had withered significantly from taking the attack head on, his body and reiryoku damaged and depleted. What could have happened to bolster his power so rapidly and by such a huge extent. The very flames that had protected and shrouded Tenjinsai was what granted him such tremendous power now. His bankai had not withered away, it had seeped into his very body and concentrated every ounce of his strength to the confines of his being. The young Captain slowly stood, his body bare save the black hakama of his uniform. His chest was bare, burns and scars adorned on it; both recent and long since past. His eyes were darkened, grayed out as if his consciousness was no longer present.

He was still there, on some level, just functioning out of his lower brain; running purely on raw power and grit. Tenjinsai stood, slowly advancing forward toward his father, the ground beneath him cracking under each step as the raw weight of his new power became unbearable. The elder Captain's eyes squinted as he observed the new form of his son, knowing to some extent what he was looking at. "I see, the true depths of your power has been awakened from that last attack. It dug your resolve from deep within your soul, unwilling to lose and have your vision crushed." The man gritted his teeth slightly as he returned to his combat stance knowing full well that what was approaching him was the most dangerous being alive in their world. "If only your mind had remained present through your metamorphosis, it would make this a lot easier if I knew you would continue subconsciously holding back.

But if you come at me with everything you have, I cannot promise I will not kill you in the exchange." These words fell on deaf ears as Tenjinsai's listless yet rejuvenated body slowly approached him. The elder Captain sighed as he raised his blades up ready to continue their deadly duel. "So be it." Tenjinsai would then vanish in a blur, moving signficantly faster then he had been before and lunged forward toward his father. A blade of flames congregated itself in his hand as he swung it downward at the elder man. It took every ounce of Tenkai's strength to resist the force of the blow as he was pushed down into the ground from the raw power behind it. Moving quickly to avoid being crushed, the elder Bushinji swept down low and retreated using shunpou, but his son was upon him just as quickly as he had evaded the brunt of the attack.

Tenjinsai's lifeless eyes follow Tenkai's movements, his blade swinging with undaunting precision and ferocity. It was true that his mind had subconsciously been making him hold back in their fight. Despite the history he had with the man, as well as his own ambition to fulfill, Tenkai was still his father and he did not have any true desire to kill him. It was simply a possible outcome to their fight that he wanted to avoid. Due to that simple fact, he had not been fighting at his full strength, until now that was. Every ounce of his energy had been brought forward now and further concentrated directly to his body. The exponential increase in Tenjinsai's destructive capability was staggering as he fought. Tenkai barely avoiding the vicious attacks of his son; the residual energy brushing past him and ripping apart the landscape. Each strike ripped apart the earth; ground turned into canyons, buildings reduce to nothing, mountains crumbled before his might.

If this did not end soon, the very world that Tenjinsai sought to protect may very well be destroyed by him. There was no guarantee that if he won his mind would come back to him and he could continue to move forward, rampaging across the Soul Society against anyone that would stand in his path. Would he prove to be the victor and save his world from the chaos that had seized it or become the next great blight upon its history.

OOC: For the sake of clarity, the raw power from Tenkai's attack awakened what is Tenjinsai's ultimate technique, Seishin-Tekina Honshitsu - Shin no Katachi: Chōshinsei, and it is his first instance of now using it. Being subjected to the attack and absorbing some of the energy as well as his own being drawn into his body turned him into a psuedo-conscious version of his final form.

To also give you an idea of the destruction he is about to wrought, these are what his stats would look like right now.
Power : 117000
Strength : 92
Stamina : 167
Speed : 190
Energy : 243
Perception : 180
Energy Speed: 233

With Tenjinsai's new found form he stayed on top of his father like white on rice. Every move the elder Captain made the junior followed with ungodly speed and precision. It was terrifying to behold and if the young Captain was able to witness the feral mindset, he would not believe what he was seeing. The battle had become clearly one sided, Tenkai doing everything in his power to just keep up with his son and the overwhelming strength he was just gifted with. After the disappearance of the former Captains, this man was seen as the most powerful shinigami in existence. The strength of his raw reiatsu, destructive power of Oni Kokouo, and abilities that were forged from hundreds of years of battle; these things were now null and void before this, beast. Something had to be done and quickly, lest Tenjinsai murder his own father and who knew what beyond that.

That something would quickly come to light as a hollow mask appeared over his fathers face. It was white, similar to all others, with various black and red markings that swirled across it. On the left and right peaks, where his forehead rested, were two large horns that curved backward to a sharp point. Small barbs poked out from them that seemed to release a steam or heat. This would have all normally been interesting to Tenjinsai, soaking in the capabilities that his father possessed. Now though, the evolving escalation fell on a blank mind that was hell bent on destroying the man that stood before him. That was why what happened next actually took the mindless Tenjinsai by surprise, wounding him in all of his new found might. The various barbs that resided on the horns of Tenkai's mask began to slowly light up a dark crimson. Small, swirling orbs formed at the tip of each barb and expanded outward, maintaing a small size but releasing a strong reiatsu.

The black sclera and yellow irises that Tenkai's eyes had turned to locked onto his son as a barrage of cero blasts were emitted from his horns. "Cero Escopeta!!" All told a shotgun blast of twenty or so cero were fired all at once, each with the full strength that the elder Bushinji could muster. Tenjinsai's eyes did not change, nor did he falter in movement; but even in his new found form he could not have foreseen or avoid what was coming toward him. Most of the blasts managed to miss him, considering the wide range of the strike; several though made direct impact with the young shinigami. Though with each strike he did not flinch at all, nor was he moved back from where he stood. It almost seemed as though each impact did not deal any damage to him despite that being far from reality. Even with the protection of his Taiyō Fureakāten the blasts were strong enough to harm his flesh.

Burns appeared in multiple sections of his body, extensive in the damage they dealt. Blood was drawn from the multitude of wounds that now littered his being and flowed freely across his skin. Tenjinsai's gaze moved from his father and down across his body, observing the various different wounds and the blood that flowed from them. It was almost quizzical how he observed his body, as if he did not know what he was truly looking at. Was him mind truly that scattered that he did not even realize it was his own body that his eyes set upon. He returned his focus then to that of his father, staring him up and down as the latter was recovering from the attack, his own reiryoku reserves beginning to dwindle as well from the stress of battle. The mask sparked something within Tenjinsai, a recognition or semblance to something that he knew was also his own.

As if clockwork, upon observation of his fathers mask one had begun to appear on his own face, the mask similar to that of an Oni manifesting itself. His already impressive power was now reinforced further, his reiatsu following suit as well with the addition of his hollow powers. There were, among these rapid changes, two things that stood out much further then the rest. The first was an unusual change in the color of Tenjinsai's flames; they had become a light blue as opposed to the red that they typically were. The thin aura that had gathered itself around him, as well as the flame blade he held, both had changed to this light blue. It was unusual, but with a change such as that it were surely more then just aesthetic. In the world that they lived in, every single detail could be tied to something, it was just a question of finding out what that something was.

Beyond the change of the color of flames was the second, and most startling detail of all things that had just occurred. The various wounds that had just littered Tenjinsai's body began to slowly smoke and steam poured off of them as they seemingly, began to heal. Observing these changes, a 'Tch' could be heard from Tenkai as he bolstered his own reiatsu against his son's growing power. "I had not realized that you had already progressed this far with your hollow powers. Perhaps you haven't though and your subconscious is simply drawing out your innate abilities. To think that you could utilize regeneration though, you are making this seem more and more impossible by the second Tenjinsai..." The elder Captain staggered slightly as he took a step forward. Plunging his blades down into the ground, he stopped and leaned on them, his eyes glued to Tenjinsai's form.

"If I had known that our battle would culminate in such an evolution, I would have never pushed it this far. Even with all my strength, I know that I cannot defeat you as you are now." Drawing his blades from the ground, Tenkai flared his reiatsu and took a single step forward, resolve shining brilliantly in his eyes. "I however cannot let you continue on in this way, you would destroy everything in our world and perhaps even beyond. This is no longer about the rights to become Captain Commander and lead our world, this is about survival of the entire Soul Society." Taking his eyes off of Tenjinsai for a moment, he looked up high into the sky, the growing power of the woman above that had been observing them for a short time now. "Perhaps I cannot do it on my own, but with help it may be possible." In a blinding flash Tenkai vanished, shooting up high into the atmosphere and appearing next to Nanaomi.

It was clear by the look in his eyes that if there was another alternative he would take it, but this was the only way that the monster that had been created below could be stopped. "You do not know me and I do not know you but it is clear that by the attack you are preparing you have understand how matters are progressing." Tenkai sighed loudly and then slowly extended his right arm out, placing it on Nanaomi's shoulder. "I may not have much power left, but perhaps together we can stop this world from being destroyed." In an instant the power that resided in Tenkai's soul flowed rapidly into Nanaomi, the overwhelming pressure of his reiatsu vanishing quickly as her own energy began to soar. As his energy was given away the flaming reiatsu around him slowly vanished, his blades returning to one; sealing away his power.

"I have given you everything I have, now do what needs to be done. My only true request is that you do not take his life. He may be a monster now but that boy is my son and the future leader of this world. We need his strength or we will be plunged into darkness again." With all said and done Tenkai sheathed his blade and stood to the side, observing the events that were about to unfold before him. It shamed him somewhat to require the aid of an outsider to deal with matters that were business of the Shinigami. However, this would not be the first time that a ryoka showed up to help them in a time of need. Down below, Tenjinsai looked high up into the air, his neck craned at an unnatural angle as he observed what was occurring. Though impossible to tell due to the massive distance between them, his eyes had moved from being a fixed on his father to Nanaomi now.

Her sudden rise in power had drawn his attention and she was now the object of his malevolence. In a sudden explosion of speed the young Captain soared upward into the sky; barreling toward Nanaomi with his reiatsu roaring around him. Clouds scattered before his monstrous strength and shockwaves rippled across the atmosphere with each step of shunpou he took. As he neared her the young shinigami cocked his arm backward, his blazing blade held behind his head in a striking motion. "Burn." With a single word he swung the blade down, a gargantuan wave of flaming energy being released from his weapon.

Power : 120000
Strength : 100
Stamina : 175
Speed : 198
Energy : 251
Perception : 188
Energy Speed: 240

I figured I would give you something to do and a more climactic ending to the battle then just beating his dad down lol.

The battle was drawing to a close, its climactic end of titanic powers clashing overshadowing even the gods themselves. With his father having passed all of his energy off to Nanaomi; someone who had not drawn Tenjinsai's primal attention now had his undivided focus. With their combined energies their strength had skyrocketed and was now a beacon in the night to those who could sense it. Her now as the primary threat, the young Captain's body had been propelled towards her and unleashed a devastatingly powerful attack to attempt smiting her. In the last moment Tenjinsai's eyes tracked her movements, the female Saiyan barely avoiding the wave of energy and sliding across to the left of it. His head twisted to the left slightly, observing her movements as she unleashed a catastrophically powerful attack culminated from her own and Tenkai's power combined.

The boy's eyes did not go wide but a sense of urgency struck deep into his once emotionless mind. The strike was far too large to avoid at this distance, even with the speed that he possessed. He would have to attempt mitigating the damage or accept the full force of the strike. With only moments to spare, Tenjinsai swung his blade and flung another wave of flames into the beam, the two colliding and conflicting for a moment. As he observed, his blazing wave was pushed back and exploded violently, sending him backwards toward the ground with the beam still moving toward him. He was plummeting too quickly now, the velocity being too strong for him to pull away from in time to attempt another diversion. The only thing he could do now was muster his strongest defense and take on what was left. Both of his arms extended out in front of him, orange energy swelling around them and expanding into a massive shield that appeared in front of him.

"Bakudou number thirty nine, Enkosen." The beam made contact with the shield, pushing against it and in turn accelerating Tenjinsai's descent toward the ground. It seemed like a great deal longer to him, but in only moments the young Captain had slammed into the ground and been crammed deep into the earth. Chaos erupted around the impact sight absolutely annihalating anything that had managed to survive the battle already into unquestionable nothingness. The barracks as it was had been completed destroyed, his fathers headquarters no longer existing in any shape or form. The only discernable features of the landscape were now deep chasms from the battle, one of which Tenjinsai now laid in. Seconds passed in silence as his reiatsu had gone quiet, nothing being able to be sensed throughout the area.

There was no cry of battle, nor of help; flames did not erupt from the ground, there was nothing. Slowly though, a rumble could be felt beneath the earth, growing greater and greater as the moments passed until the very earth exploded, Tenjinsai pulling himself from the stone coffin he had been thrust into. He hovered above the ground, touching down after several moments a dozen meters from where Nanaomi now lay. The young Captain afixed his gaze on her, his eyes no longer possessing pupil or iris; simply black sclera beneath his hollow mask. Step by step he trudged forward, his right arm slowly raising upward with his flaming blade aimed to strike down the valiant Saiyan warrior. High up in the ground Tenkai observed the situation, being completely aghast with what he was now witnessing. The elder Bushinji began to plummet toward the ground with shunpou, moving as quickly as he could in his drained state.

"Run!! He won't hesitate to kill you as he is now!!" Clearly these words fell on deaf ears as everyone involved at this point was completely exhausted, their energy drained to its completion. It was a miracle at this point that Tenjinsai was even standing; sheer willpower keeping him in a psuedo-consciousness. Step by step, he slowly closed the distance between the two of them, his reiatsu fluctuating wildly from very weak to almost indiscernable from the very reishi of the world around him. A mist pouring off of his body as the seemingly endless wounds on his being started to heal. With only several meters now separating the two of them, something in Tenjinsai's head snapped. His head flopped backwards quickly and his mask broke apart, shattering away into the wind.

The young Captain fell to his knees soon after, his bankai and the incredulous power it gave him fading away along with the mask; his zanpaktou clanking loudly onto the ground as he dropped it from above his head where it was once positioned. His eyes remained blank as his sclera returned to white, his hollow abilities fading away as he returned to his normal self. On his knees Tenjinsai swayed slightly; moving forward and backward as his eyes took in his surroundings, capturing everything and nothing at the same time. One thing was certain to him though, his empty eyes had settled upon Nanaomi. Her broken and drained visage pouring into his mind as a hand reached down toward his hakama, or what was left of it. From within he pulled a small object, something green and alien to mostly anyone. The female saiyan would know what it was though as Tenjinsai flopped forward.

He collided face first into the ground, his body laying flat and lifeless. His arm had extended outward just enough that it had reached into Nanaomi's, dropping the small item into her hand. It was the remaining half of the senzu beam that she had given him while attempting to hold off his inner hollow. He did not know why he did it, not much of anything was making sense inside of his head. He was certain she had many more of these objects in her possession, she was the one that had given it to him to begin with. But, if even a small portion of his mind had reached out to her, it was to say thank you; thank you for stopping him from destroying the world that he fought to protect. Tenjinsai would be recognized as the savior of the Soul Society; far and wide that would become public knowledge once he took up the mantle of Captain Commander.

However, only to a small select few, himself, Tenkai, and of course Nanaomi; there would be a secret to what happened today. She was his savior, perhaps even a guardian angel, and it was something he would remember for the rest of his days.

An emptiness faded over Tenjinsai as his mind left his body, a willful rest finally seizing him with force. He had pushed his body well past the point that it was physically capable of, this new power having seized hold of him and evolved him to new heights. Even with the majority of his body burned and damaged, sheer willpower kept him upright for a while longer. The young Captain was physically and mentally exhausted, it was a rest that he deserved. Though, while deserved, it was not time for him to put his sword down yet. He could feel his energy returning as his eyes shot open wide, his surroundings coming into view. The senzu bean had worked its magic and restored his strength, what his normal level of reiryoku was at least. With his cogniscience returning, Tenjinsai began to look around, seeing his father a short distance away and Nanaomi's face hovering directly over him.

Quickly jumping to his feet, the young shinigami removed himself from the somewhat compromising position, a fluster running through him for only a second. 'This is the second time I have awoken next to this women, without remembering what happened no less.' The thought ran through his mind and both embarrassed and agitated him somewhat. While being over one hundred years old, which was quite elderly by most races standards, Tenjinsai was still a child of his species. He had little to no experience with women that were not related to him. This resulted in a slight, awkwardness, whenever he was forced into a situation with the opposite sex. He was of course always the gentleman, just a somewhat tongue-tied one. Tenjinsai cleared his throat, before realizing he had clearly missed a beat. He jumped back several feet, his right hand grabbing hold of his sheathed zanpaktou while doing so.

There were a lot of things that he did not know right now. One thing he did know though, was that the last thing he remember was him and his father locked in a raging battle. What had happened that now everything was calm as if it had never happened. His jaw clenched down as the grip on his blade tightened. He shifted his zanpaktou to his left hand, his right resting over the tsuka as he prepared to draw it. Tenkai quickly stepped forward, his hands outstretched in a motion as if to say relax. "Tenjinsai you must calm down, the battle is over. We need not fight any further lest we turn the entirety of Soul Society to ash." It was then that the young Captain realized that he was standing where the Thirteenth Barracks had once been. The entire area around them, for as far as his eyes could see, had been completely devastated and reduced to ash and rubble.

"We did, all of this?" His father nodded lightly, not wanting to admit that most of it had been caused by Tenjinsai in his subconscious rampage. "I see..." So much destruction had been wrought on the Seireitei, and in its name as ironic as it was. What they had fought to protect had been destroyed by the very men that were meant to be its guardians. He sighed lightly, hanging his head for a moment before realizing another important detail was missing. "If our battle had come to an end, then who was the victor? It seems both of us are capable of going another round but, there has been enough destruction, as you have said father." Tenkai strode forward, his left arm gripping what remained of his haori and discarding it in the wind. As he passed by Nanaomi he placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze and nodding to her, an unspoken thank you as it was; both for the help and bean.

"Tenjinsai, there are two things that have happened today, both of which that are very important. The first, to answer your question, is that today you have become the Captain Commander of the Gotei Thirteen." Internally the young Captain, now Captain Commander, became ecstatic at the news. He of course would not start to jump up and down screaming hurrah, but this was certainly cause for a quite celebration within his head. With this confirmation he had finally achieved the goal he had strove to reach since becoming a shinigami. Granted, his career had not been a long one at this point, but he had worked hard to get to this point. Despite all of this though, something hung over Tenjinsai's head saying that there was more to this then it seemed. Tenkai had said there were two things that had occurred that were important.

What could this second piece of information be that it would be mentioned after his ascension to Captain Commander. His eyes locked with his fathers, a dire presence in them as he prepared to acknowledge whatever it was Tenkai was going to say. "As for the second occurrence, I believe it would be in your benefit to perform Jinzen and commune with your zanpaktou. There is, plainly put, frightening power at your disposal that you cannot control properly yet." Tenkai stopped a moment and shifted to his side, his left arm extending out to point toward Nanaomi. "You most likely do not remember but, it is only because myself and this woman combined our strength that your rampage was stopped. If that had not succeeded, we most likely would not be alive right now." Tenjinsai's eyes went wide, his body shaking slightly as he looked down toward his hands.

He gazed over the zanpaktou in his left hand, shaking slightly as all the pieces connected in his mind and he realized exactly what had occurred. If what he was hearing was correct, this rampage could have destroyed a great deal more then just the barracks. "I...I see...." He took in a deep breath as he placed Seijin back into his sash, one of the only parts of his uniform left after the encounter. "I do not want to frighten you, but, it would be best you try and get that power in check as soon as possible. If it manages to surface again, I don't know if we will be able to stop you. For now though we need to make sure the others are alright." Tenkai turned and began to make his way toward where Hayashi and Tsunkai were laying. "You two go on ahead and check on the others. I'll take care of these two." Tenjinsai shook his head, snapping out of the stupor he had been placed into for a moment.

Now was not the time to fret over the details; there would be plenty of time for that in the future. Turning his gaze to Nanaomi he gestured toward the energy signatures in the distance where the others were presumably still fighting. "Shall we?" With a burst of shunpou, the young shinigami then vanished in a blur heading off toward the grouping of energy.

Several of Nanaomi's comments struck Tenjinsai as somewhat, odd; specifically the portion regarding tests. It was not the first time that he had heard of one desiring to do such things, but the ones who typically suggested it had not, historically, been the most stable. This trek into the unusual would also question exactly what kind of tests the woman had in mind. This would all most certainly be something to recall and discuss at a later date. For the time being the pair had a task at hand, though it was certainly more so his then anything. To be entirely honest, Tenjinsai was surprised that she had even came to the Soul Society to begin with. They had only just met, and even still had little to no interaction with one another. If anything, Nanaomi and Mikoto had been better acquainted then Tenjinsai had been to her. Regardless of her reasons, her help was still indispensible with everything that had recently occurred.

Without the young saiyan's intervention, the events that unfurled could have ended very differently, and in a bad way. This would of course need to be a conversation in the future to really determine why she had come. But, that could all be done when it was appropriate. As the two continued to travel another question was poised to him, or actually directly at him now that his father was no longer nearby. She had inquired as to what they were; from what it sounded like as a whole species. She then went into a short, yet detailed explanation regarding her own people and what heritage she had come from. It was interesting, to be certain, for a variety of reasons. She was not a human it seemed, but a creature from a different planet altogether. They were a warrior race, these saiyans, as she identified herself as.

It did at least put Tenjinsai's mind slightly as ease knowing that she was not an ordinary human. To think that they were growing this rapidly in power, it could have been another crisis on the horizon. The last time that humans gained a strong power base; a war with the Quincy's broke out that nearly destroyed all of existence. Still though, he could not rest easy yet being uncertain of how her species as a whole aligned themselves. The shinigami served primarily as balancers, which they were once called many, many centuries ago. They were charged with maintaining the flow and balance of souls so as to keep the universe's very fabric stable. If anyone was to disrupt that balance and risk sending the world back down the path that Aizen and Yhwach almost succeeded in; they would be deemed a threat. There was unfortunately no rest for the shinigami in their duties.

The young shinigami sighed lightly, the reminded weight of his role sitting on him now more then ever. Even more so then ever his responsibilities were more extensive then ever having fulfilled the role of Captain Commander. There were millions upon millions of souls that were essentially in his care; their wellfare reliant upon how he conducted his organization. He of course also had the several thousand shinigami that served under him, a relatively small but elite military force that oversaw tasks that most being never even knew existed. Perhaps unveiling some of who he was, and who their people were, would help take some of this weight off his shoulders. At the very least it may distract him enough to relieve the stress that Tenjinsai felt within his mind. "To answer your question simply, we are Shinigami." Such a simple statement would of course create more questions then it would answer them.

He would of course follow up with a more in depth explanation, but it was more enjoyable to start in such a manner. "That is not to say that is what all of us are though. In general we are all Souls, or the spiritual essence of what people are when they die. Any mortal being, when they die, comes to the Soul Society; typically at least." This was of course not a definite truth; but it certainly represented the majority. Some souls would not be lucky enough to pass on to the Soul Society, not without undergoing a great deal of hardship to begin with. The unfortunate souls that would become hollows and would later have to undergo purification via the Konso. "I am not sure if you have bore witness to a Hollow yet, but some unfortunate souls will become one if they are seized by anger or attachment and refuse to move on." He paused a moment, still looking forward whilst moving at a rapid pace.

"Specifically what I am though is a Shinigami. Our numbers are a great deal smaller; a total of five or six thousand of us within the Gotei Thirteen and its branch organizations. We are, plain and simple, the military arm of the Soul Society that is charged with protecting the spiritual realm and maintaining the balance of souls." As he explained everything to Nanaomi, he began to slowly realize just how much information there really was to pass on to her. What they did and who they were was actually quite involved; never truly realizing it due to not really having to describe it to anyone. Perhaps this was what it was like to teach in the academy and pass this knowledge on to the students. In a few hundred years maybe he would retire and become an instructor.

"Within the Gotei Thirteen, as it is aptly named, there are Thirteen Squads. Each one is composed of several hundred shinigami with only twenty or so actually being ranking officers." Tenjinsai contemplated actually going into depth about the ranking structure of the Gotei Thirteen. There was a great deal to break down, though much of it could potentially be simplified. Even to just explain the bare minimum though, there was a great deal that would have to be divulged. There were of course the seated officers, the Vice Captain, Captain, and then the Captain Commander. They functioned a meritocracy as well with the positions being dictated by strength instead of family or seniority. But, if he was going to explain things, he may as well truly explain it. "There are seated officers, ranked from Third to Twentieth seat which tend to most squad duties.

Above them is the Vice Captain, the liaison between the Captain and the lower ranked officers to dispense with duties. Finally, there is the actual Captain who is the leader of that individual squad. They are the ultimate authority of their individual squad and only take orders from the Captain Commander, who is the leader of the entire Gotei Thirteen." Perhaps he got a little overzealous in his explanation, but it outlined the entire command structure of their organization from the bottom to the top. Hopefully she had fully comprehended his explanation so he would not have to elaborate on it again. It was a great deal of information to pass along and he did not particularly want to take the time out to do it again. Maybe retiring to be an instructor in the future would not be for him after all. Regardless, there was a piece of information he had neglected to pass along to her.

She had mentioned, very briefly, her interested in the weapon that he and his father used, the Zanpaktou. It was an astute observation and important question to be sure; the nature of the zanpaktou being rather important to their culture and operation. The weapon itself was a reflection of their own soul, being a part of the wielder and bestowing its power upon them. Tenjinsai lowered his left arm down, his hand grazing over his blade; shaking it slightly as his eyes glanced over to Nanaomi for a moment before looking back forward. "This blade that I, and every other shinigami carry, is called a Zanpaktou. Every single shinigami that graduates from the academy is granted, what we call an Asauchi, when they graduate. We spend every waking and resting moment with these blades and imprint upon them. Just as your arms are an extension of your being, these swords are an extension of ours."

Tenjinsai paused again, his eyes glancing down to his zanpaktou as he could feel Seijin's warmth reach out to him. "They are a portion of our own soul." He hoped that the information he had imparted to her had answered any questions she may have had. If not she was always welcome to ask more of him, his mind being a great wealth of knowledge on his own culture and people. Beyond that, unfortunately, he was not exactly the greatest of scholars. Tenjinsai had only traveled to the World of the Living once, and only for a very short period of time. His expertise on humans, and any other species that resided in that realm, was fairly limited. Perhaps that would be his next study focus so that he could learn more of them. That would be a topic for another time though, he already had enough on his plate at the moment as it was.

"I hope that the information I have passed on to you answer what questions you had. Perhaps you could tell me more of your own people too. I am unfamiliar with these, Saiyans, as you call yourself." Now it was time for the young Captain Commander to learn as well. On matters of the Soul Society he was quite knowledge, but he needed to expand his knowledge outside of that realm.