"Attention, will all Captains please report to the first squad building immediatly."  Choujiro's voice echoed over the loud speaker.  I frowned up at it before glancing at my squad and then Toshirou.  He nodded once and flash stepped away.

"All of you keep training until I get back."  I snapped, before following Toshirou's lead and flash stepping to appear in the first squad office.  I took my spot in between Shunsui and Toshirou and glanced around at the assembled Captains before resting my gaze upon Sotaicho's empty seat.  I narrowed my eyes at Choujirou who stood next to where Sotaicho should have been standing.

"So, why are we here?"  Gin asked, slightly confused.

"And where's Sotaicho?"  I snapped, causing anyone who hadn't been watching him to face him now.  

"As his lieutenant, I'm acting in what I hope is the right direction.  I found him dead this morning as I entered the office from my house.  After having him examined, it was determined of natural causes."  I narrowed my eyes at him and with out warning, flash stepped at full speed to appear before him, his neck in my grasp, his body pressed against the wall, and my Zanpakuto angled at his chest.

"So, why'd you kill him, Choujiro."  I spat, angling my head so I could look at him closer.  "You're reiatsu is not Choujiro's at all.  It's just traces of it melded together with a much more powerful and sinister one.  I have no intention of sitting around and listening to your lies, as I'm sure the rest of these Captains don't either.  So start talking, and talking the truth, or I will kill you."  I sensed the rest of the Captains break formation and circle around us.  

"I'll go search for Sotaicho's body."  Soifon declared, her special forces logic instantly taking play.  She flash stepped away before I had time to nod in approval.  I glared at this imposter, disappointed that he would make himself as the murderer known so quickly.  His lips widened into an almost demonic sort of grin, and in a swift movement, he shot out his hand as if to strike my heart.  I gripped his hand tight enough to break bone while concentrating the vision in my right eye to reveal his brain, and with that I contracted and widened the pupil of my eye, and his brain literally exploded and he fell limp against my grasp and I released him, watching him crumple against the ground.  

"It was a Hollow."  I heard Ukitake say.  I turned to him and took in a deep breath.  

"Sou desu."  I sat on the ground cross legged and looked around.  

"He may not have been the murderer."  Byakuya said.

"He was lying."  I muttered quietly, closing my eyes as I masaged my temples.  

"Nani?"  Was the resounding response.

"His pulse spiked, and by the way he grinned, I'm going with the fact that it was just a lure to give a mastermind behind this more time to do whatever they're planning.  Besides, I only said it to see if he would reveal anything else, I detected traces of Sotaicho's reiatsu even before we came here."

"So you're saying this is an act of war?"  Unohana asked slowly, not wanting to see another all out war break loose again.

"Aa.  That's exactly what we're facing."  Zaraki said with that same grin.  To him, wars were fighting, and fighting was fun.  A war would be an endless game to him.

"It's a war and we have no idea who our enemy is."  Shunsui evaluated.  

"Well, I'm going to find Sotaicho, being that Soifon's reiatsu detection isn't great enough to sense his surpressed reiatsu.  I'll call for back up if I need it."  I declared, growing bored of this pointless chatter.  "Until then, well, it's war.  Treat it as such."

"Hai."  Everyone said in unison.  With that, I closed my eyes, and searched for his reiatsu.  It wasn't long until I found it, and with that, I flash stepped out of the building, before leaping up to a roof and flash stepping repeatedly from there until I landed at the far southwest side of Seireite.  I took in a deep breath, before slamming the heel of my palm into the ground creating a massive hole around the area my palm had hit.  I leaped down into the darkness of it, feeling my haori billow around me for a brief moment, before feeling my feet impact with the ground.  As soon as they met with the earth, I touched my hand against the wall of the hole, and closed off the top of it, save for a small hole which allowed air to flow through.  With that, I closed my eyes and sensed for his reiatsu once more, and found it almost directly to the east of me.  I pivoted, and launched a punch at the earth causing it to give way to a massive tunnel that extended on for over 300 meters.  I began walking through the tunnel, and it wasn't long until I stumbled across Sotaicho.  He was tied in seki-seki clay rope, which stopped him from using any of his reiatsu to use techniques, let alone allow him to move.  It coiled around his torso, legs, and was even shoved in his mouth similar to a gag.  His Zanpakuto was no where to be seen, and I knew the drainage of reiatsu would cause it to deteriorate until he regained the strength to use it again.  And judging by how sallow is face appeared, and how much his figure had shrunk, he had been there for more than 3 days at least.

I pondered this briefly, and realized it did make sense.  After all, Captains were the only ones that went to his office and it was only to pick up work, which was only once a week, or for Captain's meetings which weren't all that often.  It made perfect sense that no one would know until now.  I walked towards him and halted so I was standing directly above him.  His eyes met mine, pleading, weary, tense, and angry, and I sighed.  

"Hang on, Sotaicho-jii, I don't want to lose my reiatsu like you have."  With that, I silently said the number 258 to myself, feeling my reiatsu concentrate to my hand.  I held the said hand up, and pressed it against the earth, instantly causing the soft ground to rotate upon my touch and drill out of my way until I reached the solid rock.  Once I felt my fingertips touch the stone, I sharply pulled back my hand, jerking it irregularly so I could pull out a jagged and lethal spike of stone.  With that, I stopped the flow of my reiatsu to my hand, and gripped the spear properly.  With that, I flash stepped repeatedly around him, swinging the spear precisely where it needed to be swung and in less than a second he was freed.  

"Shikuma," His naturally raspy voice was now nothing more than a mere whisper.  "They'll be here any minute."  I sensed for reiatsu, and when I found none, I arched an eyebrow at him.  I realized he might be in a state of shock or delirium, so I just nodded and went along with it.  

"Wakata, that's why we've got to get out of here."  I bent down and grabbed him under the arms and knees and slung him over my shoulder so that his face was near mine.  With that, I flash stepped to the end of the tunnel, before jumping up and bouncing off the sides of the walls of the tunnel up to the surface several times, and in no time, we were back in the light.  "You need to be in top condition in order to fight, so I'm going to heal you as best as I can.  So while I heal you, I want you to tell me what happened and what is going on currently."  He nodded, but it was so faint, I hardly noticed it.  I silently released hadou kido that was in my necklace, and began curing his injuries.

"The Hollows and Demons have joined forces and are planning to take down Soul Society.  They figure they've waited long enough for them to invade successfully.  I don't know much more of they're plans, for when I was taken here, I was unconscious and they never returned to get me.  I was only bait for a bigger plan."  I drew my eyebrows together, realizing that this was the first time I had seen him lose his serious demeanor in all my 700 years of knowing him, and that he had a point.  I took in a huge breath, and backed away from him, now done with his healing.  

"Goddamn it."  I breathed in frustration.  "So, I take it the Demons have once again forgotten that I truly reign?"  I asked.  He nodded once, and I glared at a blade of grass.

"Lucifer Yatou was killed by other demons over a hundred years ago." He stated, clearly back to his calm and relentless state.  Before I could glare at him, there was a huge explosion and we both spun around to face the rest of Seireite and saw a huge cloud of smoke rising from where the cliff was, and a few moments later, we saw the cliff fall as well as the buildings that rested atop it.  I leapt to my feet, and pulled Sotaicho with me.  

"You go to Unohana for more treatment, I'm going to go over there and see what the hell is happening!"  I declared.  He nodded once, and we both parted our separate ways.  I was in the midst of the smoke and dust in an instant and I sensed for reiatsu.  It wasn't long until I found the reiatsu of a demon, and I flash stepped over to it.  My speed, concealed reiatsu, and veil of smoke made me virtually undetectable, and to him, it probably felt as though out of no where he had been suddenly strangled from behind.  I tossed the creature into the air and caught it so it's grotesque face was facing mine.

"Tell me what you're plans are, and I'll make your death quick and painless, okay?"  The creatures eyes widened as it realized who I was.

"Y-you're Shikuma-dono?!"  It gasped.

"That's my name."  I replied calmly, before unsheathing my sword.  It glanced around, realizing that, although it was his orders to find me, I was much more terrifying than he had expected and he was cornered.  He also must have decided he would rather die than tell, but he was clearly scared shitless over the fact that I'd be the one to kill him.  It opened it's mouth before closing it, trying to find the right words.  I grew tired of this tedious act of fear and slammed him into the rock hard enough to knock the breath out of him and make a small crack in the rock.  

"Well, are you going to answer me or not?  I'm getting very annoyed of the fact that you're fear of me blocks out all use of common sense."  I snapped teresly, as I heard several other explosions coming from behind me back in the central area of Seireite.  He smirked and I raised my blade high.

"Stop, Owasai-dono!  Choose you're actions carefully, being that I know the whereabouts of you're beloved!"  Although these words were uttered out of a desperate attempt to prolong his death, he said them firmly and I knew whatever he was trying to get at was not a lie.  I didn't lower my sword, but instead pressed it to his scaly neck.  

"What do you mean by that, Demon-san?"  I asked impassively, too stunned to by the fact of his sudden threat to realize the implications completely.

"It means, if I were in your position, I would be more worried about what's happening to Toshirou-kun right now than killing me."  He snarled.  I blinked.  I had been aware of his reiatsu leaving, but I had figured it had been to fight.  There hadn't been a dramatic shift such as most captures are, so I hadn't expected him to be taken.  These demons certainly were growing smart.

"If that's all you've got to say,"  I started, before with a swift flick of the wrist slit my blade through his neck so that it broke through flesh, arteries and spinal cord and rolled clean off his neck.  "Sayonara, demon."