Both Byakuya and Rukia had their weapons pointed at the man.
"Oh? Aren't you two a bit hostile to a fellow captain?" the man said with a smile.
"Gin Ichimaru, you have deserted Soul Society and have colluded with Sōsuke Aizen. You are a traitor to Soul Society."
Minor details. They were acting like he hadn't killed Shinigami before... he did... but that was all in the past, really. Did they really have to get this angry?
Couldn't they just take a chill pill or something?
"I suppose this won't end if I ask nicely, now," he said with his trademark grin. Hm, yeah, there was no way anyone could tell what was happening beneath those eyes of his.
"Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Goddamn, Byakuya wasted no time activating his Bankai.
"Bankai: Hakka no Togame."
As Rukia activated her Bankai, no gust of cold left her body. She simply transformed. It felt like she was getting better and better with her Bankai.
Something about being close to Sora... well, she did have the biggest boost ever, got first taste of the best protein ever... a piece of Sora was in her... not in that way. To be honest, Sora had been in there in that way... like five-ish times before... yes, he did it four more times after the first time, in the span of four-ish days... bite him.
He simply could not resist, and luckily, his walls were thick, so no one heard shit... he might have faked an earthquake, may have done it on days he knew an earthquake would happen so that no one questioned why the house was shaking.
Anyway, enough about how Sora was secretly back-bending the whole time—focus on the battle.
Rukia stayed next to her brother, blade in hand and ready to box. Gin was ready for this—maybe he already had his Shikai out.
Gin's smile remained, curved and unreadable, even as the temperature dropped drastically around him.
"Impressive," Gin said, eyes still closed. "You've grown a lot, Rukia-chan. I guess dying a few times'll do that to a girl."
Byakuya narrowed his gaze. "You should have expected nothing less."
Without another word, the siblings moved in perfect harmony—Rukia freezing the air to limit Gin's movement, while Byakuya's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi swept in from all sides like a crushing tide of cherry blossom blades.
Truly... sibling jumping. It helped with bonding.
CLANG!
Gin's blade extended in a flash—"Bankai: Kamishini no Yari."
Even faster than before. Rukia could barely track it. The man had activated his Bankai—he was not about to take this 2v1 while not being properly lubed... prepared.
Gin danced around the frost from Rukia's Bankai and the cherry blossoms, twisting his wrists, deflecting attacks with an almost mocking casualness. "You've really mastered that Bankai. You must've had a great teacher."
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't bite.
"Tch. Cold as ever."
Then it happened. As Byakuya lunged in from behind, Gin sidestepped—
—and stabbed him through the chest.
Time froze for a beat.
"Byakuya!" Rukia cried out, moving in an instant.
The man puked up some blood. Gin's movements were quick... way too quick.
Was that Hierro? Byakuya thought, as when the man grabbed him, he had used his Bankai to try and cut him to make him let go... yet, it did no damage.
"Do not despair yet, Rukia-chan. We haven't gotten to the good part yet."
Rukia's gaze darkened. What did the man mean?
"You see, my Bankai has an ability."
Rukia's brow furrowed. Wasn't his whole shtick the fact that his sword could extend and contract really, really fast?
"Isn't your Bankai ability extension...?"
"You see, I used a simple trick... called... lying."
Well damn. Yeah, that couldn't be beat.
"You see, it carries a poison. A nasty one. Breaks down cells at the molecular level. Not fatal... unless I feel like it."
But before he could activate it—a golden light enveloped Byakuya.
"Orihime..." Rukia whispered in relief, as the orange-haired girl stood just behind them, her eyes fierce.
"I reject." Orihime's voice rang firm, reversing Byakuya's injury to a point before the poison entered his system.
Gin's head tilted.
"Oh my, this could prove to be a bother."
He blurred forward, blade raised—this time aimed directly at Orihime.
CLANG!
Rukia was there first, intercepting the strike. Her ice shimmered on Gin's blade.
"You'll touch no one else."
Gin sighed and straightened, flicking his wrist as he pulled something out from his sleeve.
It was a mask.
A Hollow mask—smooth and white with snake-like fangs curled in a devilish grin and slitted emerald eyes. A serpent's visage.
He placed it over his face.
The moment it clicked, the atmosphere cracked.
His power multiplied thirtyfold—the spiritual pressure made Orihime collapse to her knees, gasping. Even Byakuya was forced to brace himself.
"So," Byakuya spoke, tone colder than ice. "This is how far you've fallen. Hiding behind the mask of a Hollow."
Gin, his voice muffled slightly behind the mask, simply chuckled.
"Fallen?" His voice still carried that silky lilt. "I just took a different path. One with better... options."
He vanished—BZZZT—BOOM!
Sonido. Not Shunpo.
Byakuya raised his blade in time, only for Gin to tank the petals using Hierro, swatting away the deadly blossoms like dust in the wind.
They clashed again—Rukia's frost met with Cero, fired point-blank from Gin's palm.
BOOM!
"Your teamwork's solid," Gin admitted, dodging their combined assault with infuriating ease. "But I wonder..."
He vanished again.
"...can you keep up when I stop holding back?"
A/N Yes...in this story he hollowfied...simple...if he is trying to sneak Aizen, this version of himself need to be a lot stronger, so yes, he accepted it, he can now hollowfy and even has a restriction.
Yes...this Gin is strong, probably Ywach elite guard level, high sternritter low shustaful level.