"Whoosh," Sado emerged from the Secret Passage; it turned out to be a room.
Looking at the accumulated dust on the ground, Sado rubbed his hands together, his palms covered in grime. "How many years has this place been abandoned? Oh well, let's get out of here."
Japanese-style rooms typically have sliding doors. Sado gently pushed one, and the entire door collapsed, startling him. Luckily, no one was around.
"Am I overreacting? How could there possibly be anyone in a place like this?"
Sado his courage and bravely stepped out of the house onto the street, only to find that it was truly deserted Sado.
"This place is so desolate, where is it?"
"This is Abandoned District."
The sudden sound made Sado swallow hard, then he slowly turned around. The person behind him was waiting for him to turn around, unhurried. When Sado turned around and saw who it was, he swallowed again.
"You're Tōshirō Hitsugaya, right?"
The Little Lion snorted coldly, "You all know I'm right, don't you? Who told you?"
"It was Yoruichi Shihōin- san of Shihōin who told us that."
"I see, Captain Shihoin. What is Captain Shihoin's opinion of me?"
She said it would be best if we surrendered immediately after meeting you.
The Little Lion, unusually curious, asked, "What if we don't surrender?"
"Nothing will happen if we don't surrender. You're not killing us, and you're strong enough to capture us."
"Haha~ Is that so? Then what's your choice?" Shiro-chan was very happy; it would be best if things could be kept simple.
Sado revealed his right arm, his eyes, hidden by his bangs, flickering. "Sorry, but I'm not one to surrender without a fight."
"Is that so? I understand. I won't kill you, but be careful, I might accidentally beat you half to death." The Little Lion drew his Zanpakuto and used Shunpo to rush towards Sado.
The Little Lion's Shunpo technique was quite strong. By the time Sado could react, it was too late. His fighting instinct kicked in, and he pounced like a vicious dog, resulting in only a small gash being slashed across his back.
"Oh? Not a bad judgment."
"Thank you!" Sado felt the burning sensation on his back, but suddenly realized the pain had lessened. This guy was a troublemaker who often got into fights, so this reduction in pain was invaluable good news for Sado.
Sado then assumed his fighting stance again, and Tōshirō, being a gentleman, waited for Sado to be ready before disappearing again with Shunpo. At that very moment, Sado miraculously predicted Tōshirō's direction, then ducked behind the shield on the giant's right arm, successfully blocking the attack.
"A good judgment, but useless."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tōshirō used his Shunpo technique several times in Shunpo, which Sado couldn't keep up with no matter what. Chad could only use his Secret Technique: Blindly Dodging, but this was just a joke for Tōshirō. After a few more strikes, Sado had several more wounds.
The heaviest blow landed on his leg, slicing deep into his right shin from the back, exposing the bone. That leg was essentially useless. Sado then unleashed his power, charging up the Giant's Right Arm to its Maximum Charge.
Tōshirō, of course, could see what Sado was doing and naturally wouldn't let Sado do it. He slashed fiercely at Sado's front, but it was blocked by the shield of the giant's right arm. So Tōshirō went around to Sado's back to attack from behind, but Sado stubbornly protected his front, abandoning other positions.
"Are you crazy?" Tōshirō sighed, Shunpo moved away from Sado's position.
Sado was on the verge of losing consciousness and was unable to mount an effective counterattack against Tōshirō. He resorted to a clumsy method, slamming a fully charged punch into the ground, the immense force blasting him away.
Braving the rain of stones, Tōshirō caught the battered Sado in mid-air. The big guy was completely unconscious. Tōshirō sighed, Shunpo, and brought Sado to the Fourth Division. After all, the Little Lion didn't know that Jun would Kaido.
Meanwhile, at the Kuchiki Clan, a three-way meeting was taking place Byakuya Kuchiki was on one side, Sōjun Kuchiki Mino the couple) were on the other, and Kōga Kuchiki and Aozumi the couple) were on the third. The reason for the meeting was also here: Uryū and Orihime.
Orihime has a very strong heart; even in this situation, she remained completely calm and diligently continued healing Uryū. Such dedication truly befits her title as the Soul Reaper's number one healer. Uryū, nestled in the goddess's arms, felt incredibly comfortable and naturally had no other thoughts.
"Even you, Father and Mother, oppose what I'm doing?"
Mino sighed, "Byakuya ~, it's not that we're against you, but have you really thought about what you're going to do?"
What does Mother mean by that?
The older generation of the Kuchiki Clan were incredibly disappointed in him. Aozumi angrily shouted, "What exactly were you thinking when you became the head of the family?! Your Hisana is still unconscious. Do you want her to wake up one day and find out that her sister died at the hands of her own husband?!"
"This is..." Byakuya said, looking conflicted, "But this is the rule of Soul Society, for the sake of the Kuchiki Clan."
Aozumi interrupted him, "You're the head of the Kuchiki Clan, not the lord of Soul Society! Besides, do you even have a thought about what you're willing to sacrifice for Soul Society!?"
Byakuya was completely bewildered by the question. He genuinely hadn't considered these things. Ever since he obtained the position of clan head, all he had thought about was how to be worthy of the position, after all, he had made a bold promise.
But Aozumi's question today touched on the most crucial point: what exactly is Kuchiki's position in the relationship between the head of the Kuchiki Clan and Soul Society?
To put it bluntly, this issue boils down to the difference in status between the Gotei 13 and the nobles. The Soul Society can't escape this problem. Aozumi's words were so straightforward that Byakuya finally understood.
"Auntie, do you mean the Kuchiki Clan doesn't need to listen to the Soul Society, but just doesn't need to listen to the Central 46 or the Gotei 13?"
It's not that I completely ignore everything, it's just that there's no need to listen to everything.
Byakuya frowned. "But what you've been saying all these years, Auntie, those..."
"Is it equal? Are those changes in the World of the Living enough?"
Hi~
"Byakuya! If you truly understood what I said back then, how could you possibly ask such a question? Resisting unjust tyranny! I ask you! Did Rukia really commit a capital crime!?"
Byakuya pondered seriously, thinking about many things: his family, his relatives, his wife, and then he shook his head.
Aozumi sighed, "At least you're not completely stubborn yet."
Byakuya looked at Uryū and Orihime and asked, "Then the Ryoka were also beings who shouldn't have been killed?"
"Isn't this obvious? These Ryoka possess Spiritual Power, and their essence is already different from that of the living. Is Soul Society ultimately just a place that receives the Dead Souls, or does it serve a broader purpose?"
"You mean the Soul Society should accept all beings with Spiritual Power?"
"Pretty much. Take that Substitute Soul Reaper for example. What's wrong with the Soul Society treating him a little better? It's like we owed Soul Society hundreds of millions! We ignored him, ordered him around, and didn't give him any benefits. He was Substitute Soul Reaper, did he owe the Soul Society or his life?!"
"Uh," not only Byakuya, but also Sōjun Mino chuckled awkwardly a few times.
To understand why Kūgo Ginjō, despite the immense pressure from the Soul Society, didn't choose to fully align himself with Soul Society, there are essentially two reasons. First, there's Kūgo Ginjō 'Kūgo Ginjō personality. Even if he wasn't a good person, he was intelligent. Given the pressure from the Soul Society, he would naturally have chosen the better path. So why did he still betray them?
Just like in the original work, why did Kūgo Ginjō betray them? Because Soul Society truly didn't treat him like a human being. How strong are the Substitute Soul Reaper? Although Ginjo isn't as Ichigo, he's still a Vice-Captain, or rather, someone in the Fifth Seat, yet his status is lower than that of the stationed Soul Reaper.
Let's not even talk about arrogant guys like Kūgo Ginjō; even if we replace him with an honest and obedient person, could they tolerate this kind of bullying? "I'm so powerful! I'm one of the top fighters, and this is how the Soul Society treats me? Nobody would work for the Soul Society for free anymore!"
Considering that in the original work, Kūgo Ginjō couldn't use Shunpo, Shikai, or Kidō, let alone Kai, he was practically an orphan Substitute Soul Reaper —truly tragic.
What reason is there to cherish a Soul Society like this? And as for the Dead Souls Soul Society, Dead Souls policies have been criticized countless times.
Byakuya suddenly understood everything completely, he truly saw the light, it was like a sudden enlightenment, so he stood up and said...
"I'm back with my team, and I don't know anything about this."
"Byakuya ~"
"Hi, Auntie, what can I do for you?"
Aozumi smiled slightly, "We have to do what needs to be done, otherwise it will damage our family's reputation. Remember to spar with that Ichigo Kurosaki a couple of times. By the way, you're from the same generation as him, go and see how much the Shiba Clan is worth."
"Yes, I understand."
After Byakuya left, Uryū and Orihime, who had overheard the entire Kuchiki Clan conversation, were largely relieved. Sōjun Mino comforted the two before leaving as well. Aozumi then said to them with a grin...
"Don't worry about recovering. Once you're healed, you can go out and have some fun again. Just remember to be careful not to die; there are plenty of places for you to hide."
"Thank you so much!" Uryū and Orihime quickly expressed their gratitude.
Kōga looked at the two men's clothes, torn from the fight, and said, "I'll go get you two sets of clothes."
"Ah~ that's great~", Aozumi jumped up and hugged her husband's arm, laughing with the two of them, "I'll go get Orihime a pretty outfit, girls should dress up nicely~"
"They still have to fight," Kōga said helplessly.
"What does fighting have to do with how beautiful you dress?" Aozumi said confidently.
Kōga was speechless. The couple walked out with smiles on their faces. Uryū and Orihime exchanged a glance, Orihime said, "Uryū, raise your hand, and I'll take off your clothes."
"No need, no need! I can do it myself!" Uryū was still a shy boy, and had never received the treatment of a goddess helping him change clothes before; he didn't even dare to dream of it.
However, Orihime was quite stubborn. She helped Uryū up, untied the bandages from behind, pulled on Uryū wound, and tugged at it a few times, making Uryū in pain.
"Look! How did you take it off yourself? Does it hurt?"
"Hahaha, I was wrong, ouch~!" Uryū tried to ease the awkwardness with a laugh, but just as he was admitting defeat, Orihime suddenly ripped off the scabbed clothes, leaving Uryū stunned by the pain.
Orihime smiled. "Sorry~, but this is for your own good. Talking to me will distract you, and it'll be much easier to tear it down this way than for you to watch me tear it down."
What could Uryū say? He activated the Sōten Kisshun again. Just then, Kōga and Aozumi returned, placing their clothes aside. Aozumi noticed the torn clothes and picked them up.
"Oh dear~ we can't do this! Let's throw it away," Orihime quickly said.
Aozumi chuckled, "Hehe, it's nothing, it's nothing. I'll see this through. Eh? What's this?"
The four followed Aozumi's gaze and saw that on Uryū's clothes at the site of his wound, a bright silver patch covered the red of the blood and the black of the scabs, which was extremely eye-catching.
The group looked at Uryū, Uryū shook his head in confusion, "Uh, I don't know."