Under normal circumstances, the simplest way for Sōsuke Aizen to obtain Urahara Kisuke's Hōgyoku would have been to travel to the Human World personally and take it from Kuchiki Rukia.
However, after careful consideration, he abandoned that idea.
If Urahara had hidden the Hōgyoku within Rukia years ago, then he would certainly be aware that she had been dispatched to Karakura Town.
Aizen knew Urahara well enough to understand that nothing the former Twelfth Division Captain did was without purpose.
If he acted rashly, he might be stepping directly into one of Urahara's schemes.
Therefore, there was no need for him to intervene personally.
Instead, he could allow Soul Society itself to bring Rukia back.
After all, Rukia had committed a serious violation of Soul Society law.
Without authorization, she had transferred her Shinigami powers to a human.
That action alone was enough to attract the attention of the Central 46 Chambers.
Aizen merely needed to ensure that the matter received sufficient attention.
The rest would happen naturally.
Within a very short time, he had already devised his next move.
Time passed.
Soon, news began spreading throughout the Seireitei.
The matter concerned the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
More specifically, it concerned Kuchiki Rukia, a member of the Thirteenth Division and the adopted sister of Kuchiki Byakuya, head of the Kuchiki family.
Reports stated that while stationed in the Human World, Rukia had illegally transferred her Shinigami powers to a human.
The incident immediately became a topic of discussion among the Gotei 13.
The severity of the offense depended entirely upon how Central 46 chose to interpret it.
If handled leniently, Rukia could simply be ordered to recover her powers and face disciplinary action.
If handled harshly, the consequences could become far more serious.
Ultimately, the decision belonged to Central 46.
Before any verdict could be reached, however, one issue required immediate attention.
Rukia had to be brought back to Soul Society.
When Byakuya learned what had happened, his first reaction was concern rather than anger.
Outwardly, his expression remained unchanged.
Internally, however, he understood what Rukia's actions implied.
He knew her character.
She would never violate Soul Society law without reason.
If she had transferred her powers to a human, then she must have faced a situation she could not overcome alone.
Which meant she had likely been placed in genuine danger.
That realization alone was enough.
Regardless of the circumstances, Byakuya intended to bring her home.
Only within Soul Society could her safety be guaranteed.
To many people, Rukia's combat ability seemed adequate.
To Byakuya, her strength was never the issue.
Her safety was.
That concern had influenced many of his decisions over the years.
Even Rukia herself never fully understood that one of the reasons her advancement had progressed so slowly was because Byakuya preferred keeping her away from the most dangerous duties.
A seated officer carried greater responsibilities.
Greater responsibilities led to greater risks.
Though he never voiced such thoughts aloud, he had always tried to protect her in his own way.
Thus, when orders were issued to retrieve Rukia from the Human World, Byakuya accepted the mission personally.
Accompanying him would be the newly appointed Lieutenant of the Sixth Division.
Abarai Renji.
Renji's rise through the Gotei 13 had been remarkably rapid.
Originally assigned to the Fifth Division after graduating from the Shin'ō Academy, he later transferred to the Eleventh Division, where his combat-oriented talents flourished.
Under the influence of warriors such as Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, his strength increased dramatically.
Within a relatively short period, he had earned a seated position.
Yet the Eleventh Division offered little room for advancement.
Its core officers were exceptionally stable.
The Lieutenant remained Kusajishi Yachiru, Zaraki Kenpachi's inseparable companion.
The Third Seat remained occupied by Asido Kano, the veteran warrior who had survived years of battle in Hueco Mundo in this alternate timeline.
Ikkaku and Yumichika likewise held their positions firmly.
As a result, Renji's future prospects within the division were limited.
Coincidentally, a vacancy eventually opened within the Sixth Division.
Byakuya selected Renji personally.
His reasoning was simple.
First, Renji possessed the strength necessary to serve as a lieutenant.
Second, he shared a long history with Rukia.
Although Renji had distanced himself from her after her adoption into the Kuchiki Clan, Byakuya had noticed that both carried unresolved feelings regarding their separation.
In his own quiet way, appointing Renji to the Sixth Division was also an attempt to mend that distance.
As for Renji himself, he accepted immediately.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
No matter how much time passed, Rukia remained important to him.
Serving in the Sixth Division brought him closer to her.
That alone was enough.
Thus, the retrieval mission was assigned.
Kuchiki Byakuya.
Abarai Renji.
Their destination was the Human World.
Their objective was Kuchiki Rukia.
Meanwhile, in Karakura Town, Gosuke Shigure sat quietly with a cup of tea in hand.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It's finally beginning."
There was genuine anticipation in his voice.
After all, he had waited an incredibly long time for this moment.
Across two lifetimes, he had spent centuries within the Bleach world.
Seven hundred years.
Perhaps eight hundred.
Long enough to witness entire eras rise and fall.
And now, at last, he had arrived at the point where the true story began.
In his previous life as Tsunayashiro Shusui, he had never lived long enough to witness these events unfold.
Now he finally could.
The feeling was difficult to describe.
Several months had passed since Rukia transferred her powers to Ichigo.
Because she no longer possessed sufficient spiritual power to perform her duties, much of the responsibility for protecting Karakura Town fell to Kurosaki Ichigo.
Whenever Hollows appeared, Ichigo confronted them personally.
Fortunately, Rukia was not entirely helpless.
During this period, she encountered Urahara Kisuke, who provided her with a specially prepared Gigai.
Through the Gigai, she could live temporarily as a human while remaining in the Human World.
This made daily life considerably easier.
It also allowed her to remain close to Ichigo and guide him whenever problems arose.
As time passed, Rukia discovered that Human World assignments were far more complicated than she had expected.
Hollows appeared constantly.
Spiritual incidents never seemed to end.
And Karakura Town, in particular, attracted an abnormal amount of supernatural activity.
Nevertheless, life gradually settled into a routine.
During that time, Ichigo formed connections with several important individuals.
Inoue Orihime.
Sado Yasutora.
Ishida Uryū.
Just as in the original timeline, the bonds between them slowly began taking shape.
Especially Ishida Uryū.
As one of the few surviving Quincy, his encounters with Ichigo were inevitable.
Although rivalry existed between them, mutual respect gradually developed as well.
For Rukia, this period became unexpectedly enjoyable.
Despite losing her powers, she had gained friends.
She had people she could rely on.
And for the first time in years, she felt genuinely connected to those around her.
Then one day
Everything changed.
While walking through Karakura Town, Rukia suddenly sensed two familiar spiritual pressures approaching.
Pressures she knew extremely well.
One belonged to her adoptive brother.
The other belonged to someone from her distant past.
As she looked up, her expression froze.
Standing before her were two figures clad in black Shinigami robes.
Kuchiki Byakuya.
And Abarai Renji.
The Sixth Division had arrived.
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