The Legend of the Black Cat

Cangya repeated the cruel process over and over.

His face was expressionless, as though he were already accustomed to such bloody scenes. Izumi's face turned pale.

Even Katsuki and Shōmei couldn't help trembling at his merciless methods.

Finally, when the Hollow had exhausted its Reiatsu, Cangya left it writhing helplessly on the ground.

He turned to Izumi with a smile so bright it was unsettling. "All done."

"I have no words for how much you've grown," Izumi said, tossing him the car keys. "You can go home. I'll talk to the Soul Reaper."

"The interesting part's only just starting. You can't send me away. I want to talk to the Soul Reaper too."

As long as Izumi didn't leave the mansion, he had no chance to sneak out of town and meet up with Tier Harribel.

He might as well stay and see who would be sent to Karakura Town after he had alerted the Seireitei with the appearance of two Arrancar.

Fortunately, a Soul Reaper appeared a few minutes later.

He was a tall, black-haired man with sharp features.

His Reiatsu was comparable to a Gillian's, but Cangya could sense something was off about him.

This Soul Reaper had the air of a veteran.

"Lieutenants and captains have limit seals on them in the World of the Living, don't they? This guy should be a lieutenant at the very least."

A sense of familiarity flashed through Cangya's mind, but he couldn't remember the Soul Reaper's name.

The black-haired Soul Reaper surveyed the scene—the group of Quincy and the Hollow still wriggling on the ground—and looked surprised.

"Who are you? Did you do this to him?"

Katsuki and Shōmei exchanged glances, then pointed behind Cangya almost simultaneously.

Without the slightest trace of guilt, Izumi followed their example and pushed Cangya forward.

"My little brother has no heart."

Cangya's face twitched. "If you hadn't taught me how important the balance between the three worlds was, I'd have killed it long ago."

"Balance?" The Soul Reaper's eyes widened, and a flicker of understanding passed through his black eyes.

"Ah, I see. You're... Quincy. A race said to have gone extinct a century and a half ago."

If he had read the documents he'd been given carefully, he would have known about the Ishida Family.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the kind of person to pore over a pile of reports.

A shadow fell over Izumi's face, and her eyes dimmed. "And who was responsible for the extinction of our race?"

The Soul Reaper scratched his neck, the weight of the Quincy's tragic history seemingly hanging in the air.

"I didn't mean to reopen old wounds. It's just... I'm surprised to meet people like you. I'm Kaien Shiba, lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division."

Cangya suddenly remembered something.

Kaien came from the Shiba Clan, a once-noble family that had fallen from favor within the Gotei 13.

Isshin Kurosaki had also been a member of the Shiba Clan before taking on the burden of suppressing the Hollow inside Masaki.

Kaien's death had played an important role in Rukia's growth, both as a Soul Reaper and as a person.

The fact that he was still alive meant Rukia might still be in the Thirteenth Division, or she might not have graduated from the Bleach Academy yet.

Kaien turned to face the Hollow and drew his Zanpakuto. "Let's continue after I put this guy out of his misery."

Moving swiftly, almost mercifully, Kaien cleaved the beetle-shaped Hollow in two.

The Hollow let out one last agonized scream, then its form flickered and vanished without a trace.

The Hollow was purified and sent to Soul Society.

Kaien sighed and slid his sword back into its sheath. "I thought there'd be a whole group of Hollows, but there's only one. Could it be a scout?"

If he hadn't been dozing like a hibernating bear, he should have arrived much earlier.

"Can't be too careful." The corner of Cangya's mouth lifted in a mischievous grin. "By the way, what's the deal with Arrancar?"

"You may not know about Arrancar. They're Hollows that have taken off their masks. Aside from Hollows like Gillians, Adjuchas, and Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo, they aren't much of a threat..."

Kaien narrowed his eyes. "The Seireitei is taking this seriously. I'll be staying in town for a few days."

His captain, Jūshirō Ukitake, had sent him to monitor Hollow activity.

As a lieutenant, he had come alone, bringing his Zanpakuto.

News of an Arrancar that was a Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo had worried the Gotei 13.

Shunsui Kyōraku believed the Hollows were planning a full-scale invasion of the town under the leadership of a Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo.

Fate was truly ironic. Kaien stood before the Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo he was supposed to be watching out for, yet he had no idea.

Cangya held back his laughter and said, "All right, don't be so late next time. Dealing with small fry is a real nuisance."

Kaien looked at Cangya, then burst out laughing.

"I like your confidence. It reminds me of my captain's best friend. Well then, my Quincy friends, I think my job here is done. Good night."

Kaien had never imagined he would become friends with someone from a nearly extinct race of Hollow hunters.

He gave everyone a brief farewell, then left in good spirits.

Meanwhile, Izumi stood where she was, her face pale.

She knew all too well how powerful a lieutenant was. Even her husband would struggle against such a formidable opponent.

And now, an opponent like that was roaming freely around their town.

On top of that, there was the frightening potential of an Arrancar that was a Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo. She was sure she would lose sleep until the matter was resolved.

In the Seireitei, people saw a black cat deftly leaping from one rooftop to another time and again.

No one knew where the cat had come from or understood how it evaded the Soul Reapers who tried to catch it.

The agile cat became a mystery and the subject of a story often told among the Gotei 13.

In truth, the cat was Yoruichi Shihōin, a Soul Reaper who had been exiled alongside Kisuke Urahara and Tessai.

Before her exile, she had been renowned throughout Soul Society.

Few had earned the title of Master of Shunpo, but Yoruichi had gone a step further in her pursuit of agility, earning the highly respected title of Flash Goddess.

At one point in her life, she had been not only the youngest commander in the Stealth Force's history, but also captain of the Gotei 13's Second Division.

As her noble titles suggested, Yoruichi had been born into the illustrious Shihōin Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Clans of Soul Society.

Her clan was known for stealth and agility, and its members were masters of Kidō, a unique form of combat originating from sorcery.

As a princess, she had carried the weight of expectations from the day she was born.

But rather than being crushed by the pressure, she had excelled in her clan's arts.

Even among the Shihōin Clan, Yoruichi's abilities stood out.

She excelled at close combat and stealth operations, and her command of Kidō spells was impressive as well.

Yet, despite her noble birth and all her advantages, Yoruichi wanted more.

That conventional way of life and its strict rules frustrated her freedom-seeking soul.

She found hope in Kisuke Urahara, who came from a declining noble family and later moved into the Shihōin mansion with Tessai.

Despite his humble origins, Kisuke was a gifted man.

Though Yoruichi had friends for company, she couldn't leave the clan grounds often.

When her clan restricted her freedom, Yoruichi came up with a creative solution—she developed a technique that let her transform into a cat at will.

Decades later, Kisuke became captain of the Twelfth Division, while Tessai became commander of the Kidō Corps.

Less than ten years later, Kisuke and Tessai were arrested for experimenting on other Soul Reapers.

Yoruichi found herself in a dilemma.

Loyalty or duty?

In an instant, she gave up everything for her friends.

Her position, her titles, and her clan—she abandoned it all to help Kisuke retain his Soul Reaper powers.

Central 46 branded them "exiled Soul Reapers" and forbade them from entering the Senkaimon that connected the World of the Living and Soul Society.

But could that keep Yoruichi away from Soul Society?

Not at all.

Her ability to turn into a cat changed her Reiatsu signature enough for her to evade the Senkaimon's restrictions.

And so she created a new legend—the legend of the black cat.