When Gosuke Shigure still held the title of Kenpachi, both Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa were already members of the Eleventh Division.
Although most combat operations in those days were personally led by Zaraki Kenpachi, Gosuke occasionally took the field himself.
During those battles against Hollows and other threats, he had sometimes displayed the swordsmanship he developed over many years, a refined style that emphasized fluidity, timing, and precision.
Ikkaku and Yumichika had witnessed it on several occasions.
However, those memories were from many years ago.
The number of times they had seen it was limited, and so Yumichika could not immediately place the familiar feeling he sensed from Ichigo's swordsmanship.
Still, that no longer mattered.
After personally exchanging blows with Kurosaki Ichigo, both men had already reached certain conclusions.
Not long after their encounter began, Ikkaku was defeated first.
Afterward, Yumichika also crossed swords with Ichigo and ultimately lost as well.
Following their defeats, the two appeared irritated and unwilling to accept the result.
They deliberately mocked Ichigo.
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
"The Gotei Thirteen isn't as simple as you think."
"If you want to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, you'll need to go much farther."
"She's imprisoned in the Repentance Cell within the Tower of Repentance."
After giving him that information, the two simply collapsed where they stood, acting as though they had no further interest in the matter.
Upon learning where Rukia was being held, Ichigo immediately became anxious.
Without wasting another second, he rushed deeper into Seireitei.
No matter what obstacles stood before him, he would save her.
Not only because she was his friend.
But because her current fate was connected to him.
If she had not transferred her powers to him, she would never have been sentenced.
That burden weighed heavily upon his heart.
After Ichigo disappeared into the distance, Yumichika, who had been lying on the ground, lazily sat up.
He glanced toward Ikkaku.
"Ikkaku, why did you do that?"
Ikkaku snorted.
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean."
Yumichika looked at him knowingly.
"You lost too easily."
During their battle, Ikkaku had released his Zanpakutō.
However, he had not fully utilized its abilities.
More importantly, he never revealed his greatest trump card.
Bankai.
A fighter who had achieved Bankai should not have been defeated so quickly by a newly arrived Ryoka.
At least not under normal circumstances.
Ikkaku glanced at Yumichika.
"He's strong."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"And if he really can rescue Rukia Kuchiki, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Yumichika smiled faintly.
"Then we're thinking the same thing."
"I wasn't exactly fighting seriously either."
Unlike most members of the Eleventh Division, neither man truly viewed Ichigo as an enemy.
The reason was simple.
Renji Abarai.
When Renji had served in the Eleventh Division, he had fought beside them countless times.
They were comrades.
Friends.
Brothers-in-arms.
Even after Renji transferred to the Sixth Division and became Lieutenant under Byakuya Kuchiki, their relationship had remained unchanged.
Since Rukia's arrest, both men had noticed Renji's suffering.
Although Renji never openly discussed it, everyone close to him understood how much he cared for Rukia.
Back in Rukongai, they had grown up together.
They had shared hunger, hardship, dreams, and memories.
Now Rukia awaited execution inside the Tower of Repentance.
And Renji could do almost nothing.
As officers of the Gotei Thirteen, Ikkaku and Yumichika were similarly constrained.
There were limits to what they could openly do.
In many ways, the Ryoka represented the only variable capable of changing the situation.
Because of that, both secretly hoped Ichigo would succeed.
After leaving Ikkaku and Yumichika behind, Ichigo continued his advance.
Unfortunately, he had landed near territory frequently patrolled by the Eleventh Division.
As a result, he constantly encountered members of Zaraki's squad.
The Eleventh Division was filled with battle fanatics.
Most of them cared little about laws, politics, or formal procedures.
But they loved fighting.
And a Ryoka invasion presented an irresistible opportunity.
Ichigo found himself repeatedly attacked.
Again and again.
Every time he escaped one group, another appeared.
Eventually, he came up with a solution.
He captured a Shinigami and took him hostage.
Originally, he intended to use the captive to force his way through Seireitei.
Unexpectedly, the hostage turned out to be someone who cared deeply about Rukia.
The man's name was Hanatarō Yamada, Seventh Seat of the Fourth Division.
Rather than opposing Ichigo, Hanatarō ended up helping him.
Guided by Hanatarō's knowledge of Seireitei, Ichigo avoided numerous patrols and pursuit squads.
Together, they eventually entered the vast sewer network beneath Seireitei.
From there, they made their way toward the Tower of Repentance.
Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
Until they emerged near their destination.
Waiting there was a familiar figure.
Renji Abarai.
Renji had come to visit Rukia.
Or rather, he had tried to.
Since Rukia was a condemned prisoner, access to her was heavily restricted.
Byakuya Kuchiki had made his position perfectly clear.
No visitors.
No exceptions.
Unable to see her, Renji could only remain nearby, wrestling with his own emotions.
Then fate placed Ichigo directly before him.
The moment Renji saw him, his expression changed.
He was genuinely surprised.
After all, the last time they met, Ichigo had lost his Shinigami powers.
Yet now he stood there once again, Zanpakutō in hand.
Not only had he regained his powers
He seemed stronger than before.
However, regardless of his surprise, Renji quickly made a decision.
He drew Zabimaru.
A battle was inevitable.
Because Renji understood something that Ichigo did not.
The person guarding the Tower of Repentance was not an ordinary opponent.
It was Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.
If Ichigo lacked the strength to defeat Renji, then confronting Byakuya would be suicide.
Rather than allowing Ichigo to rush toward certain death, Renji intended to test him personally.
Thus, the battle began.
Compared to their encounter in Karakura Town, Renji was vastly more powerful.
During assignments in the World of the Living, seated officers and above were subject to the Gentei Reiin, the Spiritual Power Limiter.
When active, it restricted most of their spiritual pressure to approximately twenty percent of its normal output.
In other words, Renji's true strength in Soul Society was several times greater than what he had displayed in the Human World.
Yet Ichigo was no longer the same person either.
The power he wielded now was fundamentally different.
Previously, the source of his Shinigami abilities had been Rukia's transferred power.
Now, however, he wielded his own.
The power inherited from Isshin Kurosaki.
A former Captain of the Gotei Thirteen.
Moreover, deep within Ichigo's soul slept the Hollow known as White, an artificial Hollow created by Sōsuke Aizen using Shinigami souls and Soul King-related materials.
The fusion of those powers made Ichigo's spiritual potential extraordinary from the very beginning.
As the battle unfolded, sparks flew between Zangetsu and Zabimaru.
Both warriors fought with everything they had.
Neither side intended to retreat.
Elsewhere throughout Seireitei, Ichigo's companions were facing challenges of their own.
Uryū Ishida, Orihime Inoue, and Yasutora Sadohad all been separated during the invasion.
Each encountered Shinigami patrols.
Several battles broke out.
Some ended in direct confrontations.
Others became desperate escapes.
The Ryoka invasion was rapidly spreading chaos throughout Seireitei.
And while most people focused on the intruders, another event was quietly approaching.
A far more significant event.
Inside the headquarters of the Fifth Division, Captain Sōsuke Aizen calmly reviewed stacks of official documents.
His expression remained gentle and scholarly as always.
No one around him noticed anything unusual.
To his subordinates, he was still the dependable captain they admired.
Aizen slowly finished signing another report.
Then he placed the brush aside.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
The stage had been prepared.
The actors had taken their positions.
And the time had finally come.
Soon, Captain Sōsuke Aizen of the Fifth Divisionwould cease to exist.
At least, that was what the entire Soul Society would believe.
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