Training while wondering, Shimada's new resolve

Walking down a blood covered path that is covered in the bones of those who have fallen to blood thirsty criminals of the outer district. Shimada knew this all too well since he once resided here and protects a town from here as well. Coming to a small shack Shimada decided to stop and rest here for a moment. Sitting down against the shack itself he thought to himself about the last battle against the Gillian. Being a member of the Second Division it was rather embarrassing that he could not defeat that thing quickly without much trouble at all, especially being a Sixth Seat. Looking down at his sword Shimada could only think about the power that he lacked, this power that he was thinking of was his Shikai which he noticed that Hana had gained during that battle before, mostly judging by her Spiritual Pressure increase. "I need that power too. I can not allow the Second Division to fall behind all the others." Thinking about all the things that he needed to do in order to catch up was numerous due to all of the things he lacked, kido being the most major one of them all. Knowing the basics of kido it would not be enough to really be on par with other seated officers of the Gotei Thirteen. Closing his eyes for a moment he began to understand what it was that he had to do. This time around he had to train to use Kido and no other art for the moment. Looking up at the sky he began to think about the first way to learn about kido that would be useful to him while being in the Second Division. Most Bakudo would serve the purpose of the Division and even do more on missions that are given to him in the near future. As an assassin of the Second Division it was top priority to make himself stronger to carry out his mission no matter how difficult even if it was to cost him his life.

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Kido Practitioner 344/1,000wc

Sitting himself on the ground he began to focus his spirit energy in a more controlled manner. This was part of his training to gain control over his own power. Kido was a good way to adhere to not only his own spirit energy control but to control his powers as a whole. Shimada knew that if he couldn't master things this much he wasn't worthy of the Second Division. "Focus, remain calm. Nothing around you matters in this moment. Just me sitting here with nothing but the wind and trees."

His reiatsu began to glow around him as he began to push it out slowly but maintain control over his own power. With any Shinigami it is a necessity to control their reiatsu, no matter what position they hold in their squad. All power must be under control at all times. It is an unspoken law of the Gotei Thirteen, one that is followed quietly. Shimada was no excuse of this despite his talent in the academy that allowed him to graduate early compared to most. With that being a leading factor he had to work harder than anyone else since he finished early. Being already behind those of his squad but still being granted sixth seat is a great feat no matter how you look at it. However at his current level he would barely be worthy of a tenth seat if that. He knew that he had to push it to the limit even more, to reach for the top.

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Kido Practitioner 597/1,000wc

Sitting on the ground as quiet as he could be, Shimada could feel the presence of the many citizens of the Rukongai in the near by town. Keeping his focus on keeping his power more under control he began to place his hands in a triangle formation. In his mind he began to draw on the power that he had and use it to project it in a ball of light. With this he hoped to gain more control over his spirit energy and handle it with more grace. Being in the second division he had no choice but to execute his actions with grace and quietly.

Within the Second Division there was a spoken rule, all members must be willing to deal the justice of the Soul Society without question. Failure is not an option, even if it means sacrificing your life to finish the mission. This has been a main law of the Division since the days of Yoruichi Shihoin, or that is as far as the Division records go.

Following the laws of the Second Division, Shimada had to become strong and able to kill without failure. His missions were very important to him now that he was a ranked officer of his division. "I must not fail my Captain and fellow seated officers. I must show my worth the next time I go back to the barracks." His then had a dark purple aura appear around him as a ball of light appeared between his hands. Maintaining his focus on the light he then held it into the air and fired it directly at a tree. "No matter the cost, no matter what it takes, I must become stronger than anyone in the Gotei Thirteen. Rise to the rank of Captain someday and set things right for everyone in the Soul Society!"

His sense of justice was stronger than anyone around him. Shimada just wanted to bring complete peace to the Soul Society, even to the Rukongai. The social standings of everything was just out of balance. People without proper clothing and shoes and not having enough food to survive out there. The lack of food was one large factor on why it was a shock to get Shinigami candidates from beyond Rukongai Sixty. Despite all of these factors Shimada came from District Eighty Zaraki, one of the most dangerous and poor regions out there. He is now the Sixth Seat of the Second Division, and a part of the stealth Force. Once he gained the proper rank he was going to change the Soul Society to benefit everyone not just select groups. No matter the cost, this gain in strength was needed to set things right. With his goals in mind he began to work on his strength once more and become strong enough to earn his titles.

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Kido Practitioner 1,070/1,000wc finished

With his goals now refreshed within his mind, Shimada was now ready to take it up a notch. He learned about the basics of Kido while in his barracks. Having basic knowledge on most kido, he could use it to his advantage out here. However his concern with learning kido here was the villages that were near by. If one kido misfired while he was training he could possibly destroy the village or even injure the people.

"I have to try and avoid the villages while training here. I would put too many in danger if I mess up even once." Knowing he had to maintain his focus at all times, he turned away from some of the closest villages towards more empty areas. This was in an attempt to avoid close by travelers as well since the main roads were close by. "Now it is time to begin this once again."

Looking back into his memory he looked back at the kido training at the barracks, he could remember a single low level kido that was fired from the index finger. It was a type of white lightning, very quick and could be deadly. With a grin on his face he then took his index finger and held it pointing in front of him. "Hado number four Byakurai." A white light appeared off his index finger and vanished in a quick flash. It was a prompt failure, Shimada didn't give enough power to make the kido work.

"So I fell short on power a bit, oh well. I'll just give it a bit more this time around!" Building up his power, Shimada then lifted his index finger back up and held it out. "Now then, Hado number four Byakurai!" A bright white light appear off his index finger and he fired it straight ahead of him at a tree. In a bright bang the tree then appeared to have a hole in it with most of the branches destroyed from the force of the attack. Smiling with satisfaction for the power of this kido, Shimada then sat back onto the ground.

"This kido thing is not very hard as they all say. By the time I do return to the barracks I'll have the strength to combat even the most veteran officers." Looking around at his surroundings he realized that most of the villages were starting to go quiet for the night. This was good news so he could continue training for the moment. Within his mind Shimada decided that he was going to train until he could no longer move on his own. Standing back up he prepared himself for his next kido that he wanted to learn. In total he decided to learn a total of three during this one session. Since he had mastered the first one, it was time to master the second.

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Hado 4 Byakurai 478/400wc finished

With so much time that has passed by during his training, Shimada noticed that the light of day was starting to fade and turn to night. He knew from experience that if you are out at night in the Rukongai either thieves or Hollows come after you. Especially those with strong spiritual pressure such as his own. This night was going to be troublesome for not only Shimada but the villages near by. If Hollows were to strike it would be difficult to fight without casualties and with each death would be a stab in Shimada's pride. He knew right there he had to hurry this along and not stand around doing nothing like he had been. It was time to become serious and master his kido for the moment then move along. With his mind set to finish quickly he began to focus his spirit energy.

All he could think of was a bakudo that he wanted to learn that he saw other members of his division learning. It was bakudo thirty Shitotsu Sansen, something that formed a triangle like beam of light that then pins an opponent against something. This kido would serve useful to him pulling off quick assassinations if need be. Feeling ready to start, Shimada then began to make preparations to use the kido. "Ok so it all starts off with forming a triangle with my hand then casting the bakudo at an opponent. Alright, ready to go!" Feeling excited about this training he then formed some spirit energy into his right hand. His hand began to glow a yellowish color as he watched it gather. It shined very bright that it almost illuminated the area around him to the point it was almost mid day once more. The power began to make sparking sounds in his hand as he began to form the specific seal to activate the bakudo. Moving his hand up above his head on the left side Shimada quickly slid it over to the right side of his head forming a yellow line between the two points. Knowing what he had to do next, he quickly drew his hand down perfectly center between the first two points. Quickly moving his hand back to the first point he then formed a perfect triangle.

Pulling his hand back he then placed it within the center of the triangle that he formed. Holding his hand there he began to pour even more spirit energy into it causing it to form sharp points on each corner. The points then began to take a shape of their own, forming sharp edges on them making it look like they could be fired at something. Having full control thus far of the bakudo Shimada then began to final preparations to using the kido. Pushing his power into the kido some more it then fired off three perfectly shaped points and pinned a small animal to a near by tree.

Standing there the triangle dissipated from in front of him leaving the points behind on the animal that was pinned to the tree. Starring at it with a blank look on his face Shimada felt no pity for such a creature being caught in his bakudo. All he could think about was getting his training done and this animal was in his way. Holding up his index finger pointing it at the creature he then charged his spirit energy. "You are in my way, so you must die. Hado four Byakurai." He then fired a very narrow shot into the creatures skull killing it instantly. Feeling over what just happened he watched as the bakudo vanish. "Now it is time for me to wrap up the kido I observed at the barracks. I must hurry, night is almost here." He then took a few more steps away from the roads and began to finish his training here. He had so much more to do that he had no time to waste.

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Bakudo #30 Shitotsu Sansen 662/650wc finished

With the sun nearly completely gone the light of day is now just a faint light illuminating the ground and some of the sky. Shimada was now in a small rush to get this last kido mastered before having to take shelter for the night. This one he knew that he would have to use the incantation for since it required alot of focus to control. This was not something he liked having to do since it slowed him down. However due to his location it was required that he used the incantation to save the villagers near by from being killed by it.

Incantations are used as a focus point on the kido being used. It also serves as a power up to make the kido more effective in combat. There is one major downfall to using incantations and that was it could be interrupted by an opponent and it took a while to cast using the incantation. This was a major draw back to using such a thing with kido. Even most captains and lieutenants tend to avoid using incantations when they could help it. Leaves the user too open for counter attacks and could even result in death if the opponent is that strong.

Shimada just knew what it took to use this kido and with that information he could pull it off with possible minutes to spare to take shelter. Time was a matter of the moment so he began to focus his spirit energy quickly into his right hand. He then held his hand up with the palm facing a tree in front of him. A red light began to appear in front of his hand as he focused his spirit energy and began to chant the incantation. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" The kido spell then began to build up power in front of his hand that he could feel the destructive force behind it. This blew his mind that such a level of kido was able to hold so much power and yet be so difficult to handle. Closing his eyes he then focused the spirit energy into a more refined ball of energy to fire it. Keeping his focus he then opened his eyes and began to fire it. "Hado thirty one, Shakkaho!" The energy then swirled in his hand and fired at a very high speed at the trees in front of him. It caused a large explosion that leveled most of the trees in the area in front of him. He could now see the near by village very clearly now that was only a few miles away.

With most of the trees gone Shimada now had a full view of the area. The sunlight was now almost completely faded from view and this meant trouble for Shimada. He knew that he could move at a very fast speed for someone of his rank. However this speed was not fast enough for him to reach a village and hide inside before things got messy. Keeping all of this in mind he knew what he could do to help himself out. He could master full control over concealing his spiritual pressure. Thus allowing him to nearly hide in plain sight. This was no easy task however, with most seated officers in the Second Division barely able to do this. That fact did not faze Shimada at all for a moment though. He knew that if he applied himself with the just right amount of effort he could pull it off.

Grabbing his zanpakuto that was planted into the ground, he quickly moved into the thicker area of trees and sat down under one of them. Keeping perfectly still he then prepared himself to move around this forest throughout the night until he could find a safe place to go. Knowing he was not going to get much sleep tonight he had to stay on top of his physical status as well. This was now a fight for survival against any hollows that could be out there.

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Hado #31 Shakkaho 701/700wc finished

Night has now come, the sun has set completely leaving only the moonlight to guide anyone else left outside. Distant roars of the hollows can be heard as they began to start showing themselves. Shimada was out here heavily unprepared for everything that was taking place in front of him. Without much going for him except his training thus far and a zanpakuto that he could not even use its power. All he could really do was sit there and slowly mask his spiritual pressure and hope that he could move quietly to safety.

The forest he was in is known as Death Forest, due to the high amount of deaths that take place there due to Hollows and thieves. Even the locals stay as far away from this forest during the day when it is a harmless place. Shimada was not one of these locals who feared all things in this forest. He just wanted to continue training but this location was not prime for such activity with possible interruptions happening. Wanting a more quiet location to focus more on his training than fighting off several different things. "Now then, time for my training within the Second Division to start kicking in." Quietly he began to mask his spiritual pressure even more to the point of being undetected for the most part. He knew that his spiritual pressure was not able to be masked completely and some will leak out but this was the best he could ask for.

"Now, that should be enough to mask me to get by them all." Getting up he placed his zanpakuto at his left hip and began to run quietly through the forest. Spotting a couple Hollows he jumped behind a tree and waited to see what they were going to do. The Hollows were just wondering around without even a sense of who they were. It was as if they had no individuality to them, which according to records that was only present in a Menos Grande. This was rather strange for this to happen especially in lower level Hollows. It was almost as if someone created them and took away their personalities for the sole purpose of using them. Out of no where Shimada sensed a presence behind him and as he turned it was a Hollow and ready to attack. He managed to barely escape an attack only getting his sleeve slightly cut. "Damn, that thing came out of no where. I must be leaking too much spiritual pressure!" Using his left hand he pushed off onto the ground placing himself back onto his feet. Taking a look around him all he could see was a horde of Hollows ready to attack at any moment. "Shit, I guess I got no choice. I must fight my way out of this!" Standing there maintaining his calm, he then drew out his zanpakuto and stood ready to fight. Now he was doing his duty as a Shinigami and trying to survive at the sametime. This was just plain insanity but at this point he could not complain.

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Standing in the center of a large group of Hollow, Shimada stood there frozen in place as he couldn't think of what to do next. Being surrounded like he was, he couldn't even think of a way to get out of this. These Hollows were oddly strong considering their level of intelligence, it couldn't be any more than a field mouse. However with the way they were organized it was almost unheard of with these beings. Doing everything he could think of, Shimada drew out his zanpakuto to prepare for an all out assault on these Hollows.

"Since I can't escape from this situation, I might as well put up a good fight." Holding his sword out in front of him he just stood there placing his right foot forward. "I don't know about you Hollows but as a Shinigami I am willing to go down fighting. So who is first?" He got a grin on his face as he knew that there was a high chance of him never making it out of here alive. Knowing that his life could end here, all he could do was fight as many as he could.

Looking around in other directions Shimada prepared himself for the first one to attack. There was something that was bugging him. He could sense another spiritual pressure in the area that did not belong to a Hollow. It was something similar to a Shinigami but was not trained enough to really be a Shinigami's. Was it possible that there was someone who had a strong spiritual pressure but was unable to control it. This was not unheard of since most in the outer regions of the Rukongai don't even get the chance to join the Academy. Most just sit out here and just survive hating the Shinigami for not coming to their rescue. This does not explain why these hollows were acting so strange. Shimada couldn't help but wonder why this was happening while in the Soul Society and it being unnoticed.

"Why are you just standing there? Fight you fool." This voice came out of no where, it was almost as if the voice came from a different world. Shimada looked around for the person the voice came from. He however could not place where it came from.

Brushing it off he lifted his sword back into a fighting position and charged at a couple Hollows only to have a few come at him from each direction. Having little time to react, Shimada jumped up into the air slicing at one hollow causing it to vanish and landed near where he started. There were just too many Hollows for only one Shinigami to handle. Running out of ideas on how he was going to survive this he pointed his finger at a group of them. "Hado four Byakurai!" Firing the kido at a Hollow in front of him, he defeated that one. Taking his zanpakuto he slashed at two Hollows in front of him taking those two out at the same time. Out of the darkness a sharp edge slashed a shallow cut into Shimada's chest causing some blood to come out. Another Hollow came out on the left side of him and slammed into him sending him onto the ground a few feet away.

Struggling to get to his feet Shimada tried to figure out what was going on. These Hollows had no intelligence but was very strong and corrdinated. "Why are you just laying there, get up already. Have you forgotten about your pride as the Sixth Seat of the Second Division!?" The voice appeared once again, not knowing where it had come from he shrugged it off. "What is it Shimada? Have you forgotten your training. With only this level of strength how can you hope to use my power?" Feeling a shocked look on his face, Shimada somewhat knew where the voice was coming from now. He just had a sense of where it was coming from, it was coming from his zanpakuto. "So you have it figured out where my voice is coming from. Very good. However I will not tell you my name, quite yet. Prove yourself worthy of my name and I will grant you strength."

"So just show my heart to protect and stick to my own reasons. Very well, I shall show you everything I got!" Standing back to his feet he then charged directly at the Hollows. Not even having a second doubt in his mind he began to slash at the many different Hollows standing around him. One by one, each of them began to fall. Shimada stopped and stood in the middle of a small group of them. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado Thirty one Shakkaho!" Firing this kido he destroyed the small group with one single blast only letting one live. The single Hollow that survived was promptly struck down with his zanpakuto piercing through its mask.

"Now you are starting to show what I was looking for. Prepare yourself, more are coming through the darkness." Shimada quickly jumped directly at the few coming out from the shadows and slashed right through them without even hesitating. His purpose and strength began to show itself, finally Shimada was growing the heart for combat. "That's it, now you finally found your purpose to fight. Now you are ready to hear my name." Shimada stood ready with his eyes glowing with power and reason to fight. "Stand tall, never back down. Now stand, fight and shout my name!" Shimada held his zanpakuto out in front of him and began to glow dark purple. "Ikigire Kiba!"

A giant gust of wind appeared around Shimada engulfing the entire forest ripping trees out from their roots and throwing them several yards. Hollows began to get thrown out of their shadows into plain sight with fear struck on their faces. Emerging from the gust of wind Shimada was holding a small knife like blade in his hand. He only stood there glowing with power shaking the very ground he stood on. A hollow felt brave to come at him from behind only to have the knife like blade stabbed directly into its mask. "Bang." An explosion then erupted from within the Hollow's mask destroying its head within a matter of seconds.

It was after this explosion many of the hollows began to back away. Knowing that Shimada's spiritual pressure just increased massively. Lifting his zanpakuto's new form up he then swung it with full force forming invisible blades made of air that then sliced up the last remaining Hollows around him. Standing still he looked at his zanpakuto's shikai state. He just couldn't belive that such a small blade had such power. Despite its loud and flashy moves it would serve a good purpose in the Second Division. "So I guess this is the power of a Shikai. Doesn't seem as strong as most other Shikai that I have seen thus far. Oh well, it will do." Releasing his zanpakuto back into its sealed state, he placed his zanpakuto back into its sheath.

"Guess I got a lot of training to do. Better get moving before more Hollows show up." He began to walk away from the now destroyed forest. Stepping over what remained of the trees to head back to the main road. Thinking to himself he was wondering if with his new power could he possibly do much with it. Protecting people would come much easier now, however was it good enough. Nothing was put into stone yet, but with this strength he could possibly face off against some strong opponents. For now he was willing to stand back and just train for the time being to become stronger.

Getting back to the main road he began to walk back towards his barracks to rest and eventually train. Using the moonlight as his only guide through the darkness. He began to think about everything that has been going on since he arrived here in the Soul Society. Defeating that group of bandits in Rivershire, capturing that rouge Shinigami and defeating a forest filled with strange Hollows. All of these accomplishments but what would they amount to if he couldn't get stronger than what he already was.

Getting close to the Rukongai District one, Shimada began to prepare to enter the Serietei and head home for the night. Placing his hand on his zanpakuto Shimada began to think about the power that he gained. Wanting to gain complete control over it and understanding of it. He required more training in order to use this power. So he decided that once morning comes he will approach one of his superiors and request more training. It was all he could really do. Once he entered the Serietei he used his shunpo to head for his barracks and get some sleep. As he had more training to do once the sun rose.

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Shikai 1,518/1,500wc finished
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