Making a Scene at the Kasumioji Clan

"Take down the assassin immediately!" Kumoi shouted, while Soi Fon looked at Ichigo, "Ichigo Kurosaki, if you don't stop, then I will capture you!"

Ichigo, still seemingly unwilling to give up, headed directly towards Rurichiyo's location. Soi Fon Rurichiyo to follow and stop Ichigo but was blocked by someone else. Rukia had appeared in front of her at some point, blocking Soi Fon's Zanpakuto with her Soi Fon.

"Rukia Kuchiki, do you know what you're doing?" Soi Fon questioned.

Rukia looked helpless, but still refused to move aside. "Captain Soi Fon, this matter is very serious, and we have very important reasons for doing this. We will definitely explain it to you another day, Captain Soi Fon. Please understand us."

With Rukia blocking his way, Ichigo reached Rurichiyo's side without any hindrance, grabbed her shoulder, and said, "Rurichiyo, what's wrong with you? It's me, Ichigo! Aren't we friends?"

Rurichiyo remained unmoved, saying, "Let me go, I don't know you."

Her husband, Shū Kannogi, grabbed Ichigo's arm, shouting, "Let go of Ruri!" Ichigo released Rurichiyo and then asked Kannogi, "You're her fiancé, haven't you noticed that Rurichiyo very strangely? I suspect that Kumoi is controlling her."

Just then, a hand appeared in Rurichiyo's arms, holding a dagger. She stabbed Ichigo directly, and since Ichigo was completely unprepared, he was stabbed.

"You've been tricked, Substitute Shinigami!" A voice that didn't belong to Rurichiyo came from his lips, and he quickly jumped back to create distance between himself and Ichigo.

"Are you an imposter?!" Ichigo clutched his injured abdomen. Shū Kannogi also stunned. He never imagined that his fiancée, with whom he was to be married, was actually an imposter. How could he accept this? However, this also explained her previous unusual behavior.

The imposter Rurichiyo grinned maliciously. Then, Kumoi sensed it, and Ichigo, enraged, drew his Kumoi to Zanpakuto. But then, Soi Fon's voice rang out from the sky. "Ichigo Kurosaki, this ends here!"

Meanwhile, Kumoi took this opportunity to leave, saying, "Soi Fon, let me explain. That Rurichiyo is completely fake."

"What evidence do you have?" Soi Fon questioned. She didn't know Ichigo Kurosaki at all, so she wasn't at the point of unconditionally believing him.

"Please believe me, Soi Fon!" Ichigo couldn't produce any evidence to prove that Rurichiyo was an imposter, so he had no choice but to say this. However, Soi Fon didn't believe him. "Still talking nonsense!"

Soi Fon planted her Zanpakuto in the ground, leaped into the air, threw off her Captain's Haori to reveal Punishment Force's special combat uniform, and rushed towards Ichigo at lightning speed. First, she delivered a side kick, then instantly appeared behind Ichigo and pushed him with both hands. She struck Ichigo directly in the abdomen with her right elbow, then appeared in Ichigo's back and delivered a flying kick, sending Ichigo flying dozens of meters away.

Since becoming a Shinigami, Ichigo has not received much formal training in the basic skills of a Shinigami. All he knows are Zanjutsu and Shunpo. He has never been exposed to Hakuda or Kidō. Moreover, the opponents he has encountered are all skilled in Zanjutsu and Shunpo, so he has never fought against Kidō or Hakuda- type Shinigami.

Soi Fon is particularly skilled in hand-to -Hakuda. As the Second Division Captain, she not only needs to be fast with her Hakuda Shunpo), but also needs to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, which is the Second Division's specialty. In addition, Ye Yang has been teaching her Hakuda since she was a child. Therefore, among the captains of the Thirteenth Division, Soi Fon's hand-to-hand Hakuda skills should rank among the top three.

After all, he has only been a Grim Reaper for a few months, and it is already unbelievable that he has achieved what he has. It is impossible to be perfect in every aspect in such a short period of time.

Soi Fon then spoke to Ichigo, saying, "It seems you're not used to fighting someone who uses Hakuda." Seeing Ichigo quickly stand up and pick up his Zanpakuto, Soi Fon also picked up her Zanpakuto, saying, "Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson."

She Zanpakuto and chanted, "Sting All Enemies to Death — Suzumebachi!" The Zanpakuto transformed into a golden finger ring. This small Zanpakuto perfectly allowed Soi Fon's abilities to reach their full potential, and its two-hit kill capability greatly compensated for her lack of offensive power. She didn't need overwhelming attack power; just injuring Soi Fon was enough to kill you!

"If I could, I wouldn't want to use my Zanpakuto to finish this off," Soi Fon stared intently at Ichigo. "Let's go!"

Ichigo also became cautious. He knew about Suzumebachi's abilities; if he were to be hit twice by her, he would die instantly. This was no joke. So Ichigo Zanpakuto tightly, having already made his plans: if he was outmatched, he would immediately Bankai!

Rukia drew her Zanpakuto, shouting, "Breathless Dance— Sode no Shirayuki! Dance, Shirayaki!" Rukia finally unleashed her Zanpakuto, but her purpose wasn't to fight. An ice pillar appeared between Ichigo and Soi Fon, effectively isolating the two.

Rukia Ichigo hid away, and Shū Kannogi previously helped them, naturally chose to believe the two people in front of him after witnessing firsthand that Rurichiyo was an imposter. Moreover, judging from their previous tone, they were probably friends of Rurichiyo. He just hoped that Ichigo others could rescue the real Rurichiyo.

Soi Fon's request to enter the Kasumioji Clan to investigate was refused by Kumoi, who reasoned that this was a privilege reserved for high-ranking nobles.

A captains' meeting was immediately convened to discuss the matter. Such a major incident required the approval of the Captain-Commander. Once all the captains of the Thirteenth Division were present, Soi Fon recounted the incident.

Only Amagai seemed surprised. "Excuse me, who is this Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ukitake stepped forward to explain, "Captain Amagai doesn't know yet, but he's a human acting as a substitute Shinigami, and he's a benefactor to our Soul Society."

"A Substitute Shinigami? Are there really such people?" Amagai muttered to himself in confusion, but Soi Fon ignored him and continued, "Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki are holding Shū Kannogi, the eldest son of the Kannogi Clan, captive. They are currently trying to escape within the Seireien. Although our Second Division is still investigating, considering Ichigo Kurosaki's strength, I think it's necessary to send reinforcements."

At this moment, Amagai stepped forward and said, "In that case, let me go. Everyone has a deep connection with him, and it might be difficult for you to lend a hand, but you don't need to worry about that if I do."

Yamamoto nodded. "Captain Amagai's proposal is approved. The Third Division will be dispatched to the Seireien to join the Second Division in capturing the substitute Ichigo Kurosaki and the Thirteenth Division's Rukia Kuchiki!"

Soi Fon continued, "Captain-Commander, there's something else. Kumoi, a senior retainer of the Kasumioji Clan, was the one who asked us to act, yet he wouldn't let us enter the house to search, and his unusual wariness is highly suspicious. Also, it seems like something happened between him and Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Is that so? I understand." Yamamoto interrupted Soi Fon, who wanted to say something more, but Soi Fon stopped Yamamoto. "Alright, that's it. Let the nobles handle their own affairs."

After the meeting ended, everyone left the First Division. Ye Yang walked up to Soi Fon and said, "You don't need to take what the Captain-Commander said to heart. After all, the Kasumioji Clan, as a high-ranking noble family, still has some privileges. They have extraterritorial rights. Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto would have to think twice before intervening, let alone the Thirteenth Division."

Soi Fon simply shook her head. "Why would I care? Although I don't know what he's up to, there's definitely something wrong with that Kumoi. If that's the case, then he's been getting away with it all this time, hasn't he?"

Ye Yang nodded. "As long as what he did isn't discovered by outsiders, and no one has evidence against him, then there's no way to enter Kasumioji Clan to investigate. Nobody can do that."

"Brother Ye Yang, does the Kasumioji Clan have such privileges? Do the Shihoin Clan and Kuchiki Clan also have them?" Soi Fon asked, puzzled. Although she often visited the Shihoin Clan and was born into a noble family, she was not familiar with such privileges of high-ranking nobles, and she had no interest or need to know.

Ye Yang nodded slightly. "That's natural. Even when the Central 46 were in power, they couldn't directly enter the Four Great Noble Clans to arrest or investigate people. This was a right granted by the Soul King; to enter and investigate, one had to request permission from the Spirit Realm!"

Soi Fon simply said softly, "Honestly, being a noble is such a hassle... By the way, what do you think about Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Well, given Ichigo's personality, there must be a reason why he did this. Also, regarding Rurichiyo's reaction, it was extremely abnormal. It feels like there's a huge conspiracy going on, with an invisible hand controlling everything, but we can't find out who the mastermind is. At this point, we can only wait and see," Ye Yang said in a low voice.

"So what about Ichigo Kurosaki? Should we arrest him?"

"Of course we should capture him, but given Ichigo's strength, it'll be quite difficult. Let's just let things take their course..."

Meanwhile, Ichigo were Shū Kannogi to an underground passage. Noble residences always have secret passages, Kannogi naturally knew, so he led Ichigo and the others inside to escape the pursuit of the Second and Third Divisions.

The Seireien is now under heavy guard, with the Second and Third Divisions searching for Ichigo Kurosaki.

Inside the underground passage, Ichigo said, "Rurichiyo must be hidden somewhere in the Kasumioji Clan's residence, so we need to infiltrate again to rescue her. Shu, you should be familiar with the layout inside, right?"

"I have a general understanding, but the area is too large; I'm not confident about the entirety of it."

Ichigo placed his right hand on his head. "It's alright. We have no choice but to give it our all now. Let's go. I'm counting on you to infiltrate the Kasumioji Clan again."

"Hi!"...