"Such a shame, little kitty. Even though it's been a long time since we last met… today, I can't let you leave with that girl~"
Standing in Shihōin Yoruichi's path was a stunning woman wearing only a thin outer garment. The deep V-cut across her chest nearly bared those unnaturally full, voluptuous curves completely. She leaned forward slightly, deliberately showing off a figure that could make anyone's nose bleed.
"The reason? Because she has an older sister who married the Kuchiki clan head?" Yoruichi asked.
After her initial surprise, she had already steadied herself, watching the woman warily.
"More or less. In any case, she has to die here today~" The woman shrugged, sounding utterly indifferent.
As if what she was demanding wasn't a human life at all.
"That doesn't feel like your style. And does your master even bother with things like this?" Yoruichi didn't loosen her hold on Rukia—if anything, she hugged the girl tighter.
In a sense, Yoruichi had never believed she'd "betrayed" Soul Society, so she naturally placed herself on equal footing with the Kuchiki clan when weighing the situation.
From that angle, the Shihōin clan and the Kuchiki clan had always been allies.
"My master, you say? Him… he really wouldn't care about something like this." The woman smiled brightly, parts of her body bouncing as she laughed. "But little kitty, you should also know I'm special. And my master's situation right now is also very special. Under those circumstances, I have a lot of autonomy~"
By the time the other party had said this much, Yoruichi knew there was no point continuing. If she wanted to protect the life of this little girl she had just met today, then she had only one option:
Fight.
But… could she?
There was something Yoruichi had to admit—this woman was one of the very few people in the current Soul Society whose strength Yoruichi was absolutely certain surpassed her own.
Because this woman wasn't a true Shinigami.
She was a materialized Zanpakutō.
Because her owner's name was Azashiro Sōya.
That name alone would be unfamiliar to most Shinigami in Soul Society, but if you mentioned his other name, many would have heard of it:
Azashiro Kenpachi—once hailed as the man most likely to defeat the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society's history, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. He was also the successor to the Eleventh Division Captain, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi—
A textbook next-generation Kenpachi who inherited the title by killing the previous one.
How strong had Azashiro Kenpachi been back then?
Strong enough to believe—confidently—that he could physically purify all of Hueco Mundo by himself.
And he had been prepared to put that plan into action.
Only, for reasons unknown (in truth: the will of the Soul King), before he carried out that insane plan, he chose to abandon it—then surrendered, willingly accepting punishment, and was imprisoned in the Muken beneath Central 46.
Among all of Soul Society's history, Azashiro Kenpachi's combat power, in Yoruichi's mind, was easily within the top five.
And the woman now standing before Yoruichi was Azashiro Kenpachi's materialized Zanpakutō—
Urozakuro.
Back when Urahara Kisuke had only just tinkered together the Tenshintai, Urozakuro, driven by curiosity, voluntarily entered it, was successfully materialized by the Tenshintai, and then appeared before Urahara Kisuke and Shihōin Yoruichi.
Perhaps because she was pleased with the discovery, Urozakuro told them everything—her origins, and her ability.
It was also then that Yoruichi learned the truth:
Azashiro Kenpachi, on the surface, was serving his sentence in Muken… but in reality, he had already, in secret, nearly brought the entire Seireitei—and even parts of Rukongai—under his control.
Because Azashiro Kenpachi's Bankai ability, put simply, could be summarized in four words:
Reishi Yūgō (Reishi Fusion).
Azashiro Kenpachi could fuse his Reishi with anything. Once fused, he could completely control the thing he had fused with—whether it was inanimate or living, even concepts like the spatial territory of Seireitei and Rukongai.
As long as something was made of Reishi, then in theory, it fell within Azashiro Kenpachi's fusion range.
And everyone knew: in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, everything was made of Reishi.
In other words, if you gave Azashiro Kenpachi enough time, one day he would inevitably be able to fully control all of Soul Society and all of Hueco Mundo.
Of course, that time would be unimaginably long. At least back when Urozakuro first appeared before Yoruichi, Urozakuro's own statement was that she had only barely completed fusion with the entirety of Seireitei.
Which meant: from that point on, anything that happened inside Seireitei held no secrets for Azashiro Kenpachi or Urozakuro.
But that was secondary.
The key point was this: after Urahara Kisuke analyzed it, Yoruichi understood that due to the nature of Reishi fusion, as long as a Shinigami stayed within Seireitei long enough to reach a certain "threshold," their full abilities would inevitably be completely known by Urozakuro.
And once completely known, Urozakuro could reproduce that Shinigami in full—without pressure, and without side effects.
For the same reason as always: in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, everything was made of Reishi.
Which also meant Urozakuro didn't just know every single move Shihōin Yoruichi possessed—
Urozakuro could also proficiently use the Zanpakutō abilities of every Shinigami who currently existed in Soul Society, or had existed in the past.
And it didn't stop there. In theory, Urozakuro could not only use them herself—she could also "mold" the corresponding Shinigami and have them fight using their own Zanpakutō.
If those molded Shinigami fought enough times within Urozakuro's coverage range, and Urozakuro recorded enough information, Urozakuro could even make those molded Shinigami fight on their own.
And the cost was almost nonexistent.
Because Urozakuro had fused with Seireitei. You could say she was Seireitei, and Seireitei was her.
Any cost that Urozakuro should have borne would be spread across all of Seireitei—true freeloading in the purest sense.
Even so, Yoruichi had no reason to simply give up.
She was the Shinigami known as the "Shunshin (Flash God)." Even if she couldn't beat Urozakuro, surely she could still run, right?
Even though Yoruichi still didn't know why Urozakuro insisted Rukia had to die, just the fact that Rukia had an older sister married to the current Kuchiki clan head, Kuchiki Byakuya, was enough—
Yoruichi was protecting this little girl, no matter what!
And then reality slapped Yoruichi in the face—left, then right.
Yes, Yoruichi used Shunpō and escaped Urozakuro's line of sight—
But the Rukia she had been clutching tightly in her arms did not leave with her.
Or rather, she couldn't.
Because Rukia's body had been completely pierced through by two compressed lances of Reiatsu. Her brain and heart were utterly destroyed—her life signs snuffed out entirely.
Urozakuro's interception was utterly without warning, and completely unimaginable.
"Little kitty, it's been so many years… but your strength seems to have only been standing still~" came Urozakuro's faint message at her ear, delivered through Kakushitsuijaku (Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows). "But it's fine. I left you a gift you should like~"
The tone was casual.
The feeling it left behind was infuriating.
Shihōin Yoruichi immediately turned back.
Rukia was dead. Yoruichi didn't even ask for revenge—she only wanted Urozakuro to see her stance!
This time, Yoruichi didn't waste a single word. She directly opened her hidden skill slot and activated her trump card—
Shunkō: Raijin Senkei (Thunder God Battle Form)!
There was no need for any opening probe. What Yoruichi wanted was a direct ultimate move—try to kill in one strike.
Otherwise, dragging things into a prolonged fight against a materialized Zanpakutō with all of Seireitei as her backing… there was no chance of winning.
However, while Yoruichi was still charging, she heard a voice from the "target" Urozakuro—one she very much did not want to face:
"Yoruichi-sama?!!"
It was Soifon's voice!
And with Soifon's voice ringing out, Urozakuro's appearance fully transformed into the small, delicate figure of the Second Division Captain, Soifon.
"What is going on?!"
Yoruichi's mind blanked for an instant—but her reaction was lightning-fast. At the final moment before her attack would have struck Soifon, she forcibly reined in her Reiatsu. Only then did Soifon barely manage—through sheer reflex—to block the ambush.
"So this is the 'gift' you said you left for Shihōin Yoruichi?"
In another space far away, Higashino Shuuichi watched the scene, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Yeah." Urozakuro appeared behind Higashino Shuuichi, wrapping her arms lightly around his neck. Her hands pressed across his front while her body clung snugly to his back—so close the atmosphere almost turned ambiguous. "The person she once admired and respected most abandoned her, betrayed Soul Society, and now they meet again. They must have a lot to say to each other, right?~"
"You think I meant that?"
Higashino Shuuichi wasn't affected by Urozakuro's movements at all. He snorted coldly.
"The real 'gift' you left Yoruichi is the hint about Kyōka Suigetsu's ability, isn't it?
Otherwise you wouldn't need to go out of your way to do all this. Am I wrong?"
"Caught me." Urozakuro stuck out her tongue, then mischievously rubbed her cheek against Higashino Shuuichi's. When she sensed his disgust, she immediately giggled. "But that's what makes it more fun, isn't it?"
"Sōya is really looking forward to the day Aizen Sōsuke gets exposed~"
"By then, those Shinigami in Soul Society will realize that the gentle Fifth Division Captain they've always trusted is actually the true mastermind behind so many major incidents over the years!"
"And when Aizen Sōsuke openly rebels, taking the Third Division Captain, Ichimaru Gin, and the Ninth Division Captain, Tōsen Kaname, with him—Soul Society will be in an uproar again. Three Captains in the Gotei 13… all inside men!"
"And finally, when you, Higashino Shuuichi, step out too—bringing the Katana-gari-shū, and the Eleventh Division Vice-Captain, Yushima Ōko, to help Aizen fight against Soul Society's Shinigami…"
"Do you think they'll feel like the sky is falling?"
"Sōya thinks that to oppose your alliance with Aizen, nothing short of the legendary Zero Division stepping in will be enough—and when that happens, he can finally get a good look at the Soul King's will!"
"And as Sōya's Zanpakutō, easing my master's burdens… isn't that perfectly normal?"
Urozakuro grinned, then exhaled lightly against Higashino Shuuichi's right cheek, unconcerned.
"Sweet talk. You're just someone who loves stirring chaos for its own sake."
Higashino Shuuichi's voice sank, displeased.
"If you really wanted cooperation between Azashiro Kenpachi and me the way you claim, then why deliberately show yourself in front of Tokinada Tsunayashiro?
Don't tell me you don't know what it means—at a time like this—to let someone like Tokinada get his hands on the Tsunayashiro clan's divine weapon."
Urozakuro appearing at all was a shock—not just to Yoruichi, but to Higashino Shuuichi as well.
He hadn't expected Kuchiki Kōga's little "uproar" to lead Urozakuro—who had been living a lazy, aimless life in some nameless corner of Seireitei—to find a new toy:
The pseudo-Tenshintai that Higashino Shuuichi had asked Aizen to fabricate.
After watching how events unfolded and weighing the situation, Urozakuro decided—behind her owner Azashiro Sōya's back—to make what she considered a very good decision:
To show goodwill toward Higashino Shuuichi.
In Urozakuro's view, Azashiro Sōya's dream was to purify Hueco Mundo and help Soul Society eliminate the problem of Hollows once and for all.
So she ought to help Azashiro Sōya by making the road to that goal… a little more challenging.
Ah, yes. Because Urozakuro was just such an understanding Zanpakutō—always thinking of her master.
To Urozakuro, Higashino Shuuichi was powerful, iron-willed, and an extreme pragmatist.
Which meant Higashino Shuuichi would definitely not support Azashiro Sōya's ideals.
Helping a Shinigami like that climb to a high position in Seireitei would, for Azashiro Sōya's future, become a major challenge.
As for why she didn't approach Higashino Shuuichi directly, but went to Tokinada Tsunayashiro instead—the reason really was exactly as Higashino Shuuichi said:
Urozakuro simply wanted to make things bigger, so she could enjoy the spectacle.
After discovering Tokinada's wolfish ambition, Urozakuro had delightedly "accidentally" exposed herself right in front of him. Then, as "compensation," she volunteered to steal the Tsunayashiro clan's divine weapon for him—
The Zanpakutō Enrakyōten.
At the same time, the "rebellion" of materialized Zanpakutō outside the Kuchiki estate earlier had also been Urozakuro's work.
To her, it was nothing—just a casual pinch-and-mold.
After all, the household Shinigami stationed near the Kuchiki estate weren't particularly strong. Even the strongest among them wasn't Captain-class.
Urozakuro had told all of this to Higashino Shuuichi herself after finding him—and to show sincerity, she even revealed an additional little arrangement she had quietly made earlier:
The Rukia that Shihōin Yoruichi had "rescued"… was actually a fake Rukia molded by Urozakuro.
And if Higashino Shuuichi wanted, Urozakuro could personally erase the unexpected influence Yoruichi had introduced.
After all, the current Rukia was just a commoner and not yet a Shinigami. Swapping her out—replacing the real with the fake—was laughably easy.
More importantly, Yoruichi, who had only just returned in secret, didn't even know Rukia beforehand.
Well—Higashino Shuuichi's original intent had been to find Yushima Ōko, use Yushima Ōko's Zanpakutō ability, combine it with Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu and a sneak attack of his own, and quietly kill Rukia from Yoruichi's hands.
But since Urozakuro was being so proactive, Higashino Shuuichi couldn't exactly refuse.
Besides, Urozakuro's appearance wasn't entirely bad news for him.
After all, in his original plan, he had already intended to pay a visit to Azashiro Kenpachi in Muken.
"Hehe. So what do we do now?"
Urozakuro laughed lightly, unbothered at being called out.
"Do we just leave?
I've already delivered the gift anyway~"
"Leave?" Higashino Shuuichi replied. "Why would we leave?"
"Soifon and Yoruichi reuniting after so long—sure, the format and timing are a bit unexpected and rushed, but…"
There were seven words Higashino Shuuichi didn't say out loud:
So good. Love it. Give me more.
That kind of scene… you could never get tired of watching.
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