"Hmm, probably because, before Miss Kurosaki married Captain Shiba, she was engaged to Ryuken..."
"Huh?"
Hearing such explosive news from Kisuke's mouth, not only did it shock Kukaku and the others who had come from the Soul Society, but even Orihime and Chad couldn't help but lean in closer to Kisuke.
As for the children of the topic's subjects, Ichigo and Uryu, their mouths hung open as if in shock.
"Is that true?"
Ichigo asked, stunned.
He never imagined his father would actually steal someone else's lover?
Meanwhile, Uryu's expression darkened.
Ryuken… Ishida Ryuken was his father's name!
Uryu had always been mature for his age.
As a child, he knew his father and mother's relationship wasn't good.
Sometimes, he even saw his mother secretly crying.
'Could it be that Mother truly wasn't the one Father loved?'
"Of course, it's true."
Kisuke adjusted his hat. "However, back then, both Ryuken-kun and Miss Kurosaki explicitly stated their refusal of this engagement."
"What?"
Uryu's head snapped up.
'Father actually opposed the engagement too?'
'Then why did he treat Mother that way?'
"Phew..."
Ichigo also felt a weight lift from his heart.
If his father had truly snatched love away, he really wouldn't know how to face Uryu in the future.
"However, Miss Kurosaki and Ryuken-kun's reasons for opposing the engagement were different."
"Miss Kurosaki loved freedom. Although she was childhood friends with Ryuken-kun, she didn't have the kind of feelings that would lead to starting a family."
"And Ryuken-kun, in his heart, did like Miss Kurosaki. But marrying her would represent continuing the ideology of the Quincy bloodline..."
"And Ryuken-kun did not want the Quincy to continue, he wanted the Quincy legacy to end with his generation..."
Hearing this, Uryu closed his eyes and remained silent.
At that moment, memories surfaced in his mind: his father's stern face when he was a child learning Quincy abilities from his grandfather.
It seemed that was when his mother started crying in secret more often.
'Could it be that because I went against Father's will, Father took his anger out on Mother?'
"Let's go, Ichigo."
"It's been a long time since I've seen your father. I'll have a good catch-up with him this time."
"What about you, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Shusuke, Maki?"
"Don't worry, we'll find our own accommodations."
"Alright, contact us if anything comes up."
After waving her hand, Kukaku wrapped her arm around Ichigo's head and led the way out first.
The others also obtained gigai from Kisuke and left the Urahara Shop.
After leaving the shop, a troubled Uryu returned home.
To his surprise, he found the light in his father, Ishida Ryuken's room, was on.
Remembering what he heard from Kisuke, Uryu, for the first time since growing up, stepped into his father's room.
Just as Uryu's hand touched the doorknob, he suddenly felt a deadly threat.
Whoosh-
A white Reishi Arrow shot past his forehead. The sharp Reiatsu cut off a few strands of hair right in front of his forehead.
"This is... Heilig Pfeil?"
Uryu was greatly shocked.
Heilig Pfeil… this was an ability only Quincies possessed.
'How could it be shot from Father's room?'
An unbelievable thought flashed through Uryu's mind.
Looking up at his father's room, he saw Ryuken step out from the door.
In his hand, he held a bow.
"A bow!"
Uryu's heart jumped, and then he saw his father, Ryuken, aim the bow at him.
Whoosh-
"Dammit!"
He couldn't see when his father drew the bow, but his long training told him that if he couldn't dodge this arrow, he would die!
Immediately, Uryu crushed the glass vial filled with Reishi in his pocket, controlling the dispersed particles to gather at his feet. He used the Quincy technique, Hirenkyaku, to evade his father's attack.
Swoosh-
Swoosh-
Ryuken walked down the corridor, aiming his bow at Uryu and firing arrows one after another, forcing Uryu to dodge with all his might.
That posture seemed to say that if Uryu couldn't avoid his attacks, he might as well die.
Huff, huff...
Uryu panted heavily. The physical exhaustion wasn't enough to completely halt his mind.
At first, he truly thought his father wanted to kill him, to end the Quincy legacy with his generation.
But as he dodged, he realized each of his father's attacks was precisely at his limit.
When his stamina was full earlier, his father shot arrows almost with every step.
As his stamina gradually decreased, the frequency of his father's arrows also slowed.
Not only that, but the arrows' flight speed had also reduced considerably.
Yet, all these attacks had one purpose-
To force him to exhaust his spirit and stamina.
If he failed to dodge his father's attacks, he would truly die!
Whoosh-
'It's over...'
After dodging another attack, Uryu wanted to use Hirenkyaku again, but found the Reishi he had gathered were completely depleted during his previous evasions.
Without Reishi, he couldn't possibly dodge his father's attack.
As the arrow came closer and closer, his survival instinct forced out the last bit of his strength, making his body do a sideways roll.
Boom-
The arrow Uryu dodged hit a pillar behind him, blasting a large hole in it.
It was clear that if Uryu hadn't avoided it, a similar hole would now be in his body.
Suddenly, Uryu's vision went dark. Looking up, he realized he had been forced to the top of the staircase without noticing.
And his father, Ryuken, had just finished walking up the last step, aiming his bow at his Saketsu.
Whoosh-
"Ah-!"
Uryu let out a scream.
But then, he found his body wasn't pierced by his father's arrow.
Instead, because of this arrow, he regained his ability to absorb Reishi.
"H-how is this possible?"
Uryu's mind stirred. The Seele Schneider in his hand immediately absorbed the surrounding Reishi, forming a bow that resembled a spider's web.
"Ginrei Kojaku!"
This was a spiritual bow more powerful than the one he used before, with a maximum rapid-fire capacity of 1,200 shots.
Of course, in the case of Ryuken, he could exceed that limit to 1,201 shots.
However, what shocked Uryu now wasn't that he had obtained a bow, but that he could regain the ability to absorb particles even after using the Sanrei Glove and entering the Vollständig.
"What's so impossible about it?"
Ryuken snorted coldly. "What you learned from that old man are just antiques from hundreds, even a thousand years ago."
"Losing Reishi after using the Sanrei Glove... one only needs to be pushed to the limits of their spirit and body, then have another Quincy shoot them three inches below their navel to recover."
"Moreover, having experienced the Vollständig once, after recovering your abilities, your control over Reishi and the intensity of your Quincy powers will receive a huge boost."
Uryu had already sensed this.
Although he wasn't as strong now as he was when he used the Sanrei Glove to enter the Vollständig, he was also far beyond his level when he entered the Soul Society.
If the version of himself that used the Sanrei Glove possessed power exceeding that of an average Captain, then his current self had definitely reached a level comparable to a Shinigami Captain.
"Father, since you're this strong, then why...?"
"Uryu, I don't want to be a Quincy because I have no interest in it."
"As for you... you have no talent!"
After showing off like this, Ryuken pushed up his glasses with a finger and turned, disappearing from Uryu's sight.
…
"Please have some tea."
At the Kurosaki Household, Kurosaki Yuzu placed the brewed tea on the table and slid it towards Kukaku.
"Ha, thank you."
"You must be Cousin Yuzu, right?"
"I came to see you when you were born."
"I never imagined you'd grow up so big in the blink of an eye."
Kukaku laughed heartily and ruffled Yuzu's hair.
This little girl was too likable.
It's just that her Reiatsu talent was too low.
Aside from Ichigo, that black-haired cousin had good talent. If she became a Shinigami, she could potentially reach Captain-level in the future.
A pity. Such good talent could only be realized after her death when she entered the Rukongai.
"Huh? Kukaku-nee, you've been here before?"
"Yes."
Kukaku nodded. "I came when Uncle first disappeared."
"But back then, Uncle had lost his Shinigami powers and committed the crime of bestowing Shinigami power upon a human, so we didn't bring him back."
"Eh?"
Yuzu escaped from Kukaku's hand and hid behind Kurosaki Karin, murmuring, "So Dad really does have relatives... But, Dad was actually a live-in son-in-law..."
"Cough, cough!"
Hearing his daughter say this, Isshin coughed a few times.
Although he willingly gave up his family name to start a family with Masaki, being called a live-in son-in-law by his own daughter was a bit hard to accept.
"Kukaku, why have you come here?"
"Is it just you?"
"What about Kaien and Ganju?"
When Isshin entered the Seireitei, the three Shiba siblings were still small.
Later, after he became the Captain of the 10th Division and established himself, he reconnected with the main Shiba family, allowing Kaien to enter the Shin'o Academy.
"Big Brother is still in the 13th Division."
"Uncle, you know Captain Ukitake's health isn't very good. Big Brother often has to handle division affairs, so he really can't get away."
"As for Ganju, since I was coming to the living world, someone had to handle Revolutionary Army's matters, so I didn't bring him."
"Besides..."
At this point, Kukaku shook her head.
According to Kyoya, in future battles, those without Captain-level strength would be mere cannon fodder.
In fact, in the upcoming battle against the Quincies two years from now, even Captain-class powerhouses would have a high probability of dying.
Kyoya had already told them this long ago.
Kukaku also came with the determination to die if necessary.
But she felt she could die. Her brother hadn't married or had children yet, hadn't left an heir for the Shiba Clan. He couldn't be like her.
Therefore, whether it was coming to the living world for support or going to the Seireitei to participate in the battle two years later, Kukaku wouldn't let Ganju get involved.
This was a sister's protection for her brother!
"Originally, coming here, I also wanted to incidentally protect my cousins."
"But it seems now, Uncle, your power has mostly recovered. You don't need my help."
"Eh?"
Hearing Kukaku say this, Ichigo looked at his father in surprise.
"Dad, your power really recovered?"
From Kisuke and Kukaku, Ichigo already knew his father was once the Captain of the Gotei 13's 10th Division.
If Dad's power recovered, he wouldn't have so many worries when he went off to fight in the future.
Every Captain of the Gotei 13 was very strong.
Not to mention, Kukaku said his father was among the stronger Captains.
"Yes, completely recovered."
Isshin nodded.
Then, with a thump, Isshin's body suddenly slumped onto the table, while his spiritual body, wearing a Shihakusho with a white armband wrapped around his left arm, appeared.
"Ah! Dad! Dad! What's wrong?"
Kukaku, Ichigo, and Karin could all see spiritual bodies, so they knew Isshin's current state was the same as Ichigo's Shinigami mode.
But Yuzu couldn't see.
She only saw her father suddenly collapse onto the table while speaking.
Worried, she ran to Isshin's side and asked anxiously.
"Yuzu, don't worry, Dad's fine."
Seeing this, a vein popped on Ichigo's forehead. He jumped up and punched Isshin back into his gigai.
"Dad, think about Yuzu, will you? You'll scare her like that."
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
Isshin got up, apologizing repeatedly.
"Yuzu, Dad's fine. I was just joking with you earlier."
After calming Yuzu down, Isshin said seriously to Ichigo, "Ichigo, do whatever you want to do."
"Rest assured, I'm watching over the house!"