Bakkōtō

A loud "Boom!" came from outside. Ye Yang, who was working, quickly came out to see what was happening. He saw Kenpachi, as usual, smash through the wall of the Fifth Division and come in, with Yachiru on his back.

"Little Ye, have you seen Little Ichi Yi?" Yachiru asked.

Ye Yang was already used to Yachiru's penchant for giving him nicknames, but he still couldn't help but yell, "From now on, come through the front door! Do you know how many walls you've broken? I've paid for all the repairs myself!"

"Tch, you're still so indecisive. I'm asking you if you've even seen Ichigo?" Kenpachi scoffed dismissively. Entering through the door or the wall, isn't it the same thing?

Ye Yang calmed down. "Ichigo? Is that Kurosaki- chan? Isn't he in the World of the Living?"

Yachiru eagerly answered, "Little Ichi has come to Soul Society! Kenny and I both sensed his Spiritual Pressure, and we're looking for him!"

Ye Yang nodded knowingly. Besides enjoying fighting Ye Yang, Kenpachi also had Ichigo as someone he had always wanted to find. Every time Ye Yang sparred with him, he would mutter, "Not bad, but it wasn't as satisfying as fighting Ichigo."

Ye Yang then carefully searched for Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure and found it in the Seireien, but the location was a bit strange; Ichigo was actually at the Kasumioji Clan.

The Kasumioji Clan is second only to the Four Great Noble Clans in Soul Society. When the Shihoin Clan was facing decline, the Kasumioji Clan was the most promising to succeed them. Ye Yang even suspected that they had plotted something to replace the Shihoin Clan. However, with Ye Yang's return, the Shihoin Clan has become increasingly powerful, and the Kasumioji Clan seems to have become much more low-key.

How did Ichigo end up there? He shouldn't have any connection to the Kasumioji Clan. Ye Yang then said, "Oh, is that so? I'll take you to him. That way you won't get lost."

Yachiru, however, seemed somewhat dissatisfied. She pouted, her face full of resentment, and said, "Little Ye, are you doubting my ability to give directions?"...

Ye Yang quickly raised his hand. "How could that be? I just happened to be looking for Ichigo anyway, so I was just passing by."

Ye Yang then led the two directionally challenged individuals to search for Ichigo. It was actually quite easy to find him, as Ichigo's location hadn't changed much; he had been wandering around the Kasumioji Clan.

When Ye Yang found Ichigo, he was confronting a child who looked only a few years old. "Kurosaki, I never thought you would bully a weak girl. I really misjudged you before. Wait, something's not right!" Ye Yang exclaimed. The child's behavior was not like that of a child of this age at all; she was more like a well-trained assassin.

She quickly jumped away, but was grabbed by Kenpachi. Then a black shadow flashed by, and Kenpachi was only holding a piece of clothing in his hand. The black shadow turned into an assassin dressed in black, but he still didn't give up. He directly rushed towards Rurichiyo Kasumioji with his knife. However, with just one strike, Kenpachi instantly killed him.

Rurichiyo Kasumioji is the sole successor to the current head of the Kasumi family. The Kasumioji Clan has always been headed by women, but her parents died shortly after her birth, and she was too young to manage the family affairs. As a result, internal strife broke out in the family, and real power was not in her hands. The Kasumioji Clan is now controlled by her retainer, Kumoi.

These kinds of things happen frequently among the aristocratic class, but what Ye Yang found strange was why Ichigo was involved.

Rukia arrived at that moment, and the guards of the Kasumioji Clan also appeared. Since the assassin had been eliminated, they rushed over to inquire, "Rurichiyo, are you alright?"

Ye Yang then looked directly at the heir of the Kasumioji Clan. She had emerald green eyes and golden hair. Her pink kimono made her look adorable, like a little princess.

Rurichiyo finally snapped out of her panic. Ye Yang could only shake his head helplessly; it seemed she was just a hothouse flower. As the sole heir of the Kasumioji Clan, she still had a long way to go.

"It's alright, thanks to Ichigo and Captain Zaraki arriving in time." She then noticed Ye Yang standing to the side, a flicker of shock crossing her eyes before she respectfully greeted him, "Lord Shihoin, thank you for arriving in time."

It was obvious that her attitude had improved a lot, even Ichigo was puzzled. "Hey Rurichiyo, why are you being so polite to this guy?"

She replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! Lord Shihoin is the current head of the Shihoin Clan; how can she be compared to a commoner like you?"

Ichigo was immediately confused. He turned to Rukia beside him and asked, "The head of the Shihoin Clan? Is he very powerful? Rurichiyo seems to respect him a lot."

Rukia flicked Ichigo on the Ichigo: "Nonsense! The Shihoin Clan is on par with our Kuchiki Clan, both being among the Four Great Noble Clans. Teacher Ye Yang's status is about the same as your older brother's, understand?"

"What are you doing! That hurts!" Ichigo yelled, then continued, "So Byakuya is this powerful in Soul Society? The Four Great Noble Clans? They really are incomprehensible beings."

Ichigo glanced at Ye Yang, a question nagging at him: Byakuya and Ye Yang were both heads of the Four Great Noble Clans, so how could there be such a vast difference between them?

At this moment, the people who came to welcome Rurichiyo arrived. They greeted Ye Yang Ichigo, which made Ichigo understand Ye Yang's status to some extent. Then Rurichiyo got into the sedan chair, and they followed behind it.

"By the way, Ichigo, shouldn't you be in the World of the Living? Why did you return to Soul Society? And why did you come specifically to protect her?"

Ichigo pouted, clearly somewhat dissatisfied with the situation, having inexplicably become her bodyguard. However, Ichigo still told Ye Yang about what happened in the World of the Living, because he knew Ye Yang was definitely close to Urahara and might know something.

When he mentioned that the assassin used a strange Zanpakuto, Ye Yang suddenly sensed something and asked, "A strange Zanpakuto? How so?"

Ichigo thought about it carefully and said, "That kind of Zanpakuto seems to be attached to the hand, and it also absorbs the user's Spiritual Pressure. The more Spiritual Power it absorbs, the greater its power becomes."

A flicker of shock crossed Ye Yang's eyes as he murmured, "The Bakkōtō... I never expected it to be this..."

This Bakkōtō is a type of demonic blade that appeared in the past. It can absorb the Spiritual Power of its wielder. The more you try to unleash greater power, the faster the Bakkōtō will absorb the master's Spiritual Power. In the end, the wielder will be drained of their Spiritual Power and die. It is precisely for this reason that it was listed as a blade whose production is strictly prohibited.

Since the Kasumioji Clan was famous for producing weapons, Yamamoto suspected that the Bakkōtō was produced by the Kasumioji Clan. He even sent people to investigate the Kasumioji Clan, but to no avail. He has not heard of the Bakkōtō since, so the matter was left unresolved.

Ye Yang turned his gaze to the Kasumioji Clan. If it really was the Bakkōtō, it would be inextricably linked to the Kasumioji Clan. He just didn't know if this so-called princess of the Kasumioji Clan knew about this.

The group arrived at Xia Dalu Prefecture and learned of Ye Yang's impending arrival. The retainer Kumoi personally came out to greet them, given Ye Yang's status and the strict hierarchical system here. Among the nobility, Ye Yang and Byakuya held positions similar to those of prime ministers in ancient China. As long as the Soul King did not emerge, they would remain at the very top of the pyramid.

Although the Kasumioji Clan is second only to the Four Great Noble Clans, there is still a considerable gap between them. The Four Great Noble Clans are appointed by the Soul King and have a very high status. However, the Shiba Clan has declined, and another family has long since disappeared in the tide of time. Now, only the Kuchiki Clan and the Shihoin Clan remain powerful.

"Lord Shihoin, your presence at the Kasumioji Clan family is an honor. Acting head of the family, Kumoi, is sorry for not welcoming you properly." This Kumoi was an old man with white hair, probably not far from his death. His purpose in seizing the Kasumioji Clan at this time was probably for his descendants, since it had no meaning for him personally.

"It's alright, I didn't come here for anything. I just happened to see the princess of the Kasumioji Clan being assassinated, so I helped out and escorted her back," Ye Yang said with a smile.

Kumoi appeared extremely flustered. "What! The princess has been assassinated? Who would be so worried as to dare to assassinate the princess of the Kasumioji Clan?" He then turned his gaze to Rurichiyo and asked, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

She simply replied, "It's nothing."

"It's alright, but you are the next head of our Kasumioji Clan. We absolutely cannot afford any mishaps. Lord Shihoin, thank you for your help." Kumoi appeared very happy, seemingly pleased that the princess was unharmed. In reality, he wished Rurichiyo would die so that he could rightfully seize control of the Kasumioji Clan.

Moreover, the assassin might be one he sent out. Ye Yang's family also has assassins like that, specializing in assassination missions. They are trained by their families from a young age and instilled with a strong sense of obedience. They are emotionless killing machines. Once they receive an assassination mission, they either return successfully or die! There is no third outcome!

Generally speaking, only a few large families would have such assassins. Within the Seireien, there are no more than ten families that possess such assassins, and the Kasumioji Clan is one of them. Moreover, once Rurichiyo dies, the one who will directly benefit is Kumoi, so there is a high probability that the assassin was sent by him.

"It's nothing. If you want to thank someone, thank this young man and Captain Zaraki. They're the ones who saved the princess," Ye Yang said, pointing to Ichigo and Kenpachi Zaraki.

Kumoi looked at the two people standing to the side, "Thank you for your help, Captain Zaraki. And this is..." Kumoi pointed to Ichigo, clearly not having seen Ichigo.

Ichigo pointed to himself. "I am the Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Kumoi suddenly understood, after all, Ichigo had caused quite a stir in Soul Society a few days ago. "I see, then thank you for your help, Kurosaki- kun."...()