Kawahiru Birthright Chapter

The Legacy of the Kawahiru Saga (カワ昼はイゾウ説話, Kawahiru no Izō Setsuwa) is the term that refers to all the events that take place over two years after the Seireitou and Kamui Saga. The Gotei 13 warmly welcomes Shōyō Shakyamuni as it's 36th Captain-Commander. Suzaku Kawahiru, thanks to his efforts in the War, was made honorary Lieutenant of the First Division, under Shōyō himself. Seireitou Kawahiru was regarded as a hero of the Soul Society and lives with his officially wedded wife, Shiori Miyamoto, in the outskirts of the Rukongai. The curtain raises once more, as the tale of the Kawahiru enters it's final act.

Shinigami Tourney: Semi-Finals
Picking up two years after the the Summer War, the Shinigami celebrate with a new tradition; a multi-participant tournament which will allow them to test skill, power, and tactics against one another. The preliminaries have soon ended, with the four final combatants attending the semi-finals: Matthew Getsueikirite, Takkun Kōshihi, Atari Nagatō, and Suzaku Kawahiru. Suzaku is seen with Matt, as Seireitou Kawahiru walks over to them, wishing them luck in the finals. He jokingly continues by suggesting that this will only happen, should they not lose against their next opponents. The first match is called, as Matthew and Takkun take center stage. Takkun extends a good luck to Matt, which the latter formally thanks and returns as the starting bell is rung. Takkun takes no time to use Hadō #33: Sōkatsui, as the attack explodes right near Matt. Matt reveals to have blocked it with his sword, facing downwards, using very little effort. Annoyed, Takkun draws his Zanpakutō and immediately charges forward. Matt smiles and suggests that Takkun may not wish to do that, as a cut appears right below Takkun's chest. Matt had used a Kidō known as Bakudō #26: Kyokko along with an immensely fast flash step to conceal his movements and hide behind a clone as the real one appeared behind and struck Takkun when he was defenseless. Takkun commends his opponent for such expert timing in the releasement of the Kidō, but as this occurs, Matt explains that he isn't done. Almost shocked, Takkun finds two energy shackles on his wrists, and is enveloped by a large burst of energy. Takkun falls to the ground, defeated, as Matt is declared the winner. Seireitou comments how much Matt had grown since he took possession of his true Zanpakutō, Kyōjin.

The next match is soon called, not before Suzaku extends his congratulations to Matthew for such an amazing victory. Suzaku and Akari soon arrive on the field, as Akari begins to show a creepy smile etched on his face. Smiling calmly, Suzaku asks if Akari is trying to psyche him out. Retorting to this, Akari merely smiles and draws his Zanpakutō. Following suit, Suzaku draws his own, as the starting bell rings. Suzaku launches off the ground, and slams his sword down on Akari, pushing him into a wall. Akari merely keeps smiling, and kicks Suzaku off effortlessly. Continuing the assult, Akari charges forward and prepares to copy Suzaku's previous attack, by slamming his own sword down on Suzaku. Making light of this, Suzaku uses reishi to gently push his body through the air, dodging the attack and slamming down his sword on Akari's shoulder, forming a large gash straight down to his chest. Silence surrounds the two fighters, as Akari chuckles, saying that Suzaku "has progressed nicely, much like his father." Before this can be questioned, the entire stadium is shocked by a foreign reiatsu as three large Garganta open up, revealing a battalion of Arrancar.

Ambush of the Arrancar: The Man Behind the Mask
The main one in the lead takes a strange resemblance to that of Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai, but wearing a ram-like mask. The Head Arrancar orders the others to attack, and leave nobody alive. The sky is full of Arrancar, attacking from above with Cero. The Shinigami below quickly respond, drawing their Zanpakutō and charging in to combat the attackers. Seireitou, much like the others, flies up and kicks several Arrancar away, using his own form of hand-to-hand combat. Suzaku is also ready to do battle, but is met with a punch to his gut by Akari, who wears a menacing smirk on his lips. Akari takes Suzaku over his shoulder and disappears instantly, appearing in the air space above. Seireitou catches notice and appears before Akari, questioning his actions. Akari quickly laughs at this, as his skin starts cracking. His appearance shatters away, as he reveals himself to be the man who confronted Seireitou in the Garganta all those years ago; Datara Kawahiru. Datara quickly reveals his true persona, as Seireitou takes on an offensive stance, aiming his Zanpakutō for Datara. He releases Hanullim's Shikai, and charges at Datara with Shikon Hisakiten imbued in it's blade, as he slashes down on Datara. Making simple defensive movements, Datara is seemingly pushed back by Seireitou's assault, but remains calm, merely staring at Seireitou's attempts. After several clashes between the two, and the Arrancar seemingly defeated by the hands of the other Shinigami. The Arrancar Leader appears beside Datara, as Datara extends his goodbyes to Seireitou and the Shinigami. Before leaving, he throws Suzaku's unconscious body at Seireitou and disappears with the Arrancar Leader. Seireitou catches Suzaku as he plummets toward the ground below.

Emergency Meeting: The Gotei 13 Meet Once More
The ambush of the Arrancar left many in a state of chaos, worrying about the possibility of going to war once more. The Gotei 13's Captains are called in, to discuss this matter. Standing outside the door, Shin Fuji asks his captain if he is ready, which Captain Kurosaki tells him to come inside. Shin and Hikaru disagree over Shin's unwillingness to dress up for ceremony they are to attend and the music that Hikaru is listening to. Settling this matter, Shin tells Hikaru that Captain-Commander Shakyamuni has called for an emergency meeting; a Level One Alarm had been sounded. Hikaru, deciding to not get involved as of yet, decides to skip the meeting and do some "investigating" on his own. Meanwhile, 12 of the 13 Captains have attended, choosing to disregard Captain Kurosaki's absence, and begin their meeting. Shōyō explains to the Captains that over the past few days, rumors of Rukongai villagers being kidnapped and then being found exactly thirteen days after their disappearance, having absolutely no memory of the events that transpired between those two intervals. But, Shōyō changes the topic toward something involving an ancient myth of the Soul Society. He explains that when the Soul Society was first constructed by the First Soul King, three mystical objects were used in it's creation. Furthermore, after their usage, the King hid these three in separate locations, far away from eachother. Captain Ken'omaru Imikirau intervenes and says that those three are myth, and only myth. Captain Hokōra Shimura retorts to Ken'omaru's comments, and to allow the Captain-Commander to finish. Taking stead of the discussion once more, Shōyō relates the matter of these three to the appearance of Datara Kawahiru. Most Captains do not believe that he, the actual founder of the ancient Noble Kawahiru of the Royal Family, would still be alive after a timespan of millions of years.

At this time, Seireitou walks out from the shadows, surprising many of the Captains as he explains that he fought with Datara during the recent Arrancar ambush. Also, he had reason to believe that Datara had planned this in order to keep the Gotei 13 on their toes. He goes on to suggest that should these mystical objects exist, the best place to learn if this is fact, would be in the Royal Family Archives. This causes many to go silent, as only the Soul King is allowed to read over that information. No-one, not even the Soul Empress is allowed in that room. Seireitou explains that during his brief status as Soul King, he did read over those notes and learned about the location of one of the objects; the Shinjū Mirror. He suspects that Datara may be after those, and planning to use them in conquering the Soul Society. Captain Keiji Gatotsu protested this, saying that using this time to "chase after fairy tales" would lead to nothing but discombobulation among the Gotei 13's ranks; essentially making them unprepared, should Datara attack once more. Seireitou answers that he will not ask for the Gotei 13's help, for he has an idea of who he will need help from. And with that, Seireitou bid his farewell, flashing out of the meeting hall. Shōyō laughs softly at Seireitou's young spirit, while the other Captains begin to have wary feelings regarding Shōyō. Some believe he is taking this situation too softly, and will even allow one of the Soul Society's greatest assets to just leave for some treasure hunt. Nevetheless, the Captains agree to Shōyō's decision and proceed to exit the hall.

Gathering the Group
Knowing full well he would not have the Gotei 13's assistance in this matter, Seireitou decided to take Shiori Miyamoto, his wife as of now, with him. He also decides to take Matthew Getsueikirite. He, along with Shiori, arrive in the Human World, looking for Matt and Ryan by extension. Deciding to make matters easy, Seireitou begins to extend his spiritual pressure outwards, it's enormous might surrounding the city with dense waves of energy. It wasn't long until Matt arrived, with Ryan outside of his Zanpakutō Inner World. Seireitou explains the situation in full, as the two partners decide to accompany Seireitou on this search. Having his initially planned group all assembled, he began to discuss their next course of action. However, the group of four are interrupted as a Senkaimon opens slightly above them in the clouds. They see the figure of Hikaru "Shadow" Kurosaki stepping out, and flashes beside the four. Seireitou questions why Hikaru came, when the Gotei 13 announced they will not provide assistance. Hikaru merely answered with "My friends go above my position. If my friends die, and I'm not there to help, then I'll hold onto that fear even as a commander." Seireitou chuckles at this, as his group now includes five.

From there, Seireitou discusses their plan. The Shinjū Mirror is said to be broken up into four components, which must be put together for it's power to function. He goes on and explains that the location of one of the pieces is somewhere in Hell. Hikaru jokingly states that he'll head to Barack Obama's House immediately, earning a laugh from each member of the group. Regaining seriousness, Seireitou states that they need to tear open the Gates of Hell in order to enter; which open only when a Hollow is slain that was evil during their Human lives. Ryan states that they cannot wait for that chance, but he may have an alternative. However, Ryan himself doesn't know, but he knows someone who does. From there, they set off to find the only one who may know how to enter Hell; Sadow Yatsumaru.

The Gates of Hell: Sadow's Answer
Making their way to the outskirts of Rider City, they come across a large warehouse that is kept separate from the Human World, by means of Kidō. Seireitou, taking the lead, proceeds to shatter the barrier. The group move inside the warehouse, where they are greeted by the former Captain of the Tenth Division, Rikuto Nakamura, who kicks Seireitou in the face comically. Seireitou retaliates, punching Rikuto in the face, demanding to know what was that for. Rikuto berates Seireitou for his lacking skill, for the younger Seireitou would have been able to anticipate that attack. Greeting eachother as friends, the group enter the storehouse, coming across Sadow. Ryan immediately greets Sadow, earning him a peculiar look from the latter. Sadow notes that Ryan, both in appearance and reiatsu, seems extremely different. Matt walks up, explaining Ryan's position as a Zanpakutō. This shocks Sadow, but he shrugs it off, stating that "stranger things have happened." Sadow then turns to Seireitou, asking what they wish of him.

Seireitou then moves to explain the recent attack of Datara Kawahiru, and the events that have transpired from the Kamui incident. Finally caught up with the situation, Sadow states that he does know a way into Hell. One of two ways: Either sacrificing a virgin, or finding the portal in the hottest climate of Hueco Mundo. Hikaru steps up, saying that his blood has a mind of it's own, and should work. Sadow also gives a smirk upon ending his explanation, asking why he should help them. This earns him a kick in the groin by an irritated Seireitou, but Sadow quickly makes the same motion; both men holding their groins in pain. Hikaru, fed up with the two children, smacks them both in their heads. Sadow, now rubbing his head in pain, decides to assist them. Using his Zanpakutō to cut himself across the chest, Hikaru spills his blood on the floor, as Sadow begins to draw markings on the floor using that blood. Followed by a chant, a dark red portal opens above the location of the spilt blood, which Sadow says is the portal to the Underworld. As the portal slowly closes, Sadow warns them this is their only chance, unless they plan to wait another 24 hours. Ryan, Matt, Shiori and Hikaru all enter the portal, as Sadow wishes them luck. Comically, Seireitou kicks Sadow in the butt, forcing him to fall through the portal as the former jumps in; the portal shutting close.

Inside Hell: The Hunt Begins
The, now six, Shinigami land in a dark shadowy field; cornered by a motley of corpses. Sadow comically welcomes them to Hell, as he demands to know why Seireitou forced him to come as well. Seireitou explains that Sadow probably has the best idea of Hell's geography, and will be a great asset in finding the Shinjū Mirror fragment. Though reluctant, Sadow accepts his reasoning, and explains that Hell functions similarly to that of the Garganta Space. They will need to use reiatsu as light in order to traverse through Hell. Seireitou uses Hadō #33: Sōkatsui, keeping it in his palm as a light source in order to illuminate the darkness. Looking down the road, they are shocked to find Hollow masks scattered around. Sadow takes this chance to suggest that they split up, with the idea that they can all cover more ground. Agreeing, Seireitou makes the teams as follows: Seireitou with Shiori, Ryan with Matt, and Hikaru with Sadow. Forming their own means of reiatsu light sources, the three teams split up in separate directions.

Elsewhere, deep inside the darkness, a new portal shatters the bloody skies of Hell, as Datara Kawahiru and the Arrancar Leader from the former's ambush walk out. Datara orders the Arrancar to keep tabs on Seireitou's group, and only make their presence known when they come across the Mirror fragment. Bowing to his master, the Leader states that he will follow his orders precisely, as he flies down to Hell. Datara makes note of Seireitou's power, seeing a slight difference upon entering Hell, as his Hollow powers have somehow made way to Seireitou's interfused Hogyōku; seemingly affected by it's infused presence. Furthermore, he reveals the leader's name, Damiano Schiffer; he also makes note that it's time to "step out of the shadows."

An Unlikely Match-up: Hikaru "Shadow" Kurosaki & Sadow Yatsumaru vs the Hell-bounds
Hikaru and Sadow come across a large black gate, which Sadow explains leads to the under-levels of Hell. When the gates open, the two Shinigami slowly and meticulously enter inside. It is explained by Sadow that in the olden times, the Kidō Corps was originally a separate organization to the Gotei 13, and they were originally posted in the deep levels of the Underworld. However, the lower levels soon became a no-man's land as the increasing numbers of Hollowfied Demons became too much for the Kidō Corps to handle. Hikaru takes stead of the discussion, stating that Hell was also the original location of the Maggot's Nest.

As they descend into the foul lower-levels of Hell, Sadow asks if people are really locked up in such a place, even now. Hikaru replies that it is a horrible affair, but it is not a prison; furthermore, many of the detainees were reported to have become Hell-bounds, and thus, abandoned in the prison as the Maggot's Nest moved to a more confined yet maintainable location. While the detainees cannot leave, their movements are not restricted. When Hikaru warns him that someone might suddenly attack him, he asks what they have done. Hikaru tells him that they have not actually done anything wrong, but have simply been deemed to be dangerous elements according to the Seireitei's regulations. Sadow criticises this, but is interrupted by Hikaru, who asks him if he knew any Shinigami from back then who had withdrawn from the Gotei 13. He explains that if somebody has to leave the Gotei 13 due to personal circumstances, it is called a "leave of absence". If that leave of absence prolongs and it is unlikely the person will come back, it results in "Decommissioning". Actual withdrawal is a cover that means the Shinigami has been transferred to the Nest of Maggots. This is all in accordance with the views of the Central 46. As they arrive to the ground level, they witness several strange demonic creatures lurking about. Sadow is attacked by a detainee and reaches for his sword. Hikaru apologizes for not reminding him that Shinigami Zanpakutō have no effect on Hell-bounds.

Sadow and Hikaru are then forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Hell-bounds. Sadow shows quick exhastion, though Hikaru seems to be toying with the demons, stating a short prayer for their lost souls as his kicks make their way through the Hell-bounds. As the duo soon finish off the rest of them, Hikaru makes note of a bright light, eminating from the top-most ceiling of the ground level. Sadow jumps up to discern it's identity, making it out to be a mirror piece. Hikaru states that this must be what they are looking for, as Sadow takes it out of it's burial spot. An earthquake quickly erupts at this moment, the area around them collapsing. Using their flash step, the two quickly exit the lower-level as the entrance caves in.