Yamada Hanatarō's body trembled the moment he saw Zaraki Kenpachi and his lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, appear before him.
The reputation of the Eleventh Division's Captain was legendary throughout Seireitei.
To a timid and insecure person like Hanatarō, Zaraki was less a Shinigami and more a natural disaster in human form.
He had never imagined that he would encounter such a terrifying individual here.
Panic immediately overtook him.
Turning toward Ichigo, he hurriedly said:
"Ichigo, run!"
"You can't beat him!"
"If you fight Captain Zaraki, you'll die!"
As the words left his mouth, Hanatarō unexpectedly found a measure of courage.
Stepping forward, he placed himself between Ichigo and Zaraki.
Seeing this, Ichigo frowned.
"Are you kidding me?"
"How can I run now?"
"I still have to save Rukia!"
"No matter who he is, I won't let anyone stop me."
Hanatarō froze.
The fear in his heart remained, but Ichigo's determination gradually helped him regain his composure.
Seeing Hanatarō's condition, Ichigo quickly made a decision.
"Hanatarō."
"You go rescue Rukia."
"I'll hold him off."
The situation was obvious.
If Zaraki truly intended to stop them, escaping together would be nearly impossible.
Someone had to create an opening.
Although Ichigo often acted recklessly, he was not foolish.
Especially after his battle with Renji Abarai, he had gained firsthand experience of how powerful a lieutenant could be.
Renji had been formidable.
And the man standing before him was a Captain.
Moreover, a Captain whose spiritual pressure felt far more dangerous than Renji's.
Hanatarō opened his mouth, wanting to object.
But before he could speak, Ichigo had already moved.
With a shout, he swung Zangetsu and charged directly at Zaraki.
Zaraki listened to the exchange between the two and felt slightly annoyed.
Why did people always waste so much time talking?
He hadn't come here for speeches.
He had come here for a fight.
A real fight.
Ever since hearing that a Ryoka had defeated Renji Abarai, Zaraki's interest had been piqued.
The news of Aizen's apparent murder had only increased the chaos spreading through Seireitei.
To Zaraki, however, none of that mattered.
The only thing that interested him was battle.
Now, seeing Ichigo attack him head-on, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"That's more like it!"
He raised his Zanpakutō and met the attack directly.
Steel collided.
The battle began.
Only moments later, the clash had already intensified.
Meanwhile, Yachiru quickly found a comfortable position from which to watch.
As always, she treated the entire situation like entertainment.
While observing the fight with sparkling eyes, she noticed Hanatarō still standing there nervously.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Hanatarō blinked.
"Huh?"
"You're not going to stop me?"
Yachiru tilted her head.
"Why would I stop you?"
Hanatarō looked completely confused.
Yachiru pointed toward the battlefield.
"Ken-chan only came here because he wanted to fight."
"Now he's fighting."
"Whether Rukia gets rescued or not has nothing to do with us."
"That's somebody else's problem."
Hanatarō stared at her.
For a moment, he couldn't process what he had heard.
Then realization dawned.
The Eleventh Division truly was different from every other division.
After bowing awkwardly, he turned and hurried away.
As he ran toward the Tower of Repentance, he silently prayed for Ichigo's safety.
Ichigo was risking his life to create this opportunity.
He could not afford to waste it.
After Hanatarō departed, Yachiru devoted her full attention to the battle.
At first, Zaraki completely dominated the fight.
His overwhelming strength forced Ichigo onto the defensive almost immediately.
However, something strange soon became apparent.
Ichigo was adapting.
Rapidly.
His growth during battle was astonishing.
Ever since becoming a Shinigami, Ichigo had displayed extraordinary combat instincts.
Within days of obtaining Shinigami powers in Karakura Town, he had already become capable of defeating ordinary Hollows.
After losing those powers and later awakening his own through Urahara's training, his strength had increased dramatically.
Then came his battles in Soul Society.
First against Ikkaku Madarame.
Then against Renji Abarai.
Each battle had sharpened him further.
Now, while facing Zaraki Kenpachi, he was evolving again.
At the beginning, he could barely block Zaraki's attacks.
Each strike threatened to overwhelm him.
Yet as the battle continued, he gradually adjusted to Zaraki's rhythm.
His reactions improved.
His timing sharpened.
Eventually, he began launching counterattacks.
The sight was remarkable.
Even Zaraki noticed.
The grin on Zaraki's face widened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Rather than ending the fight immediately, he deliberately prolonged it.
For Zaraki, victory had never been the true goal.
What he loved was the battle itself.
The struggle.
The excitement.
The feeling of pushing himself to the limit.
Long ago, during his battle with Retsu Unohana, he had unconsciously sealed away much of his own power in order to continue enjoying combat.
Now he was doing something similar.
Without realizing it, he constantly adjusted himself to match his opponent.
Whenever Ichigo became stronger, Zaraki instinctively released more of his own strength.
Unfortunately, Zaraki's control over his spiritual pressure had never been particularly refined.
As a result, the balance was imperfect.
And that imperfection created an opening.
At a critical moment, Ichigo suddenly erupted with power.
The accumulated pressure of battle exploded outward.
Zangetsu cut through the air.
The strike landed.
Blood scattered.
For the first time in a very long time, Zaraki Kenpachi was seriously wounded.
Yet Ichigo also paid a price.
The immense strain pushed his body beyond its limits.
Moments later, both combatants collapsed.
The battlefield fell silent.
Watching from nearby, Yachiru blinked.
"Eh?"
Both fighters were down.
For a moment, she wondered which one would stand up first.
Then something unexpected happened.
A figure suddenly appeared.
Moving with extraordinary speed, the newcomer seized the unconscious Ichigo and immediately vanished.
The movement was so fast that even Yachiru failed to react in time.
She frowned.
The silhouette looked strangely familiar.
Before she could think further, another voice suddenly sounded nearby.
"Zaraki."
"You've become quite pathetic."
"To think you'd end up in such a state against a young man who only recently became a Shinigami."
"It seems being Kenpachi hasn't improved you very much."
The voice carried unmistakable amusement.
Lying on the ground, Zaraki turned his head.
When he saw the newcomer, his expression immediately darkened.
"Hah."
"So it's you."
"You retired old man."
His tone was anything but polite.
After all, his memories of their battles in the past were far from pleasant.
Nearby, Yachiru's eyes brightened.
She immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Captain Gosuke!"
Unlike her usual habit of giving everyone nicknames, Yachiru always treated Gosuke Shigure with genuine respect.
Even after his retirement, she continued addressing him as Captain Gosuke.
Gosuke smiled at her before turning toward Zaraki.
"I sensed a rather noisy battle nearby and came to take a look."
He glanced at the heavily injured Captain of the Eleventh Division.
"Though I have to admit…"
"I didn't expect to find the current Kenpachi lying on the ground in such a miserable state."
Zaraki snorted.
Despite his injuries, the excitement in his eyes had not faded.
On the contrary
For the first time in years, he looked genuinely satisfied.
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