Treating Renji Abarai

Liu Hao helped the unconscious Renji Abarai to his feet and said to the Imperial Princess, "Take the fragments of Zabimaru with you. They are not only his Zanpakuto, but also a part of his power."

The Imperial Princess nodded and deftly gathered the scattered fragments of the Zabimaru. Although the blades were broken, they still shimmered with a faint Reishi light, proving that their connection with their master had not been completely severed.

Ichigo Kurosaki struggled to his feet. Although he was seriously injured by Liu Hao's Reiatsu, his eyes remained resolute. Seeing this stranger about to take Renji, he couldn't help but shout again, "Who are you? Where are you taking Renji?!"

Liu Hao didn't turn around, but coldly uttered two words: "Idiot."

This answer stunned Ichigo Kurosaki. It wasn't anger, but something deeper—the tone, the concise way of answering, gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

The Imperial Princess smiled and added, "Don't worry, Ichigo, we won't hurt Renji. We want to protect him even more than you do."

Just then, Renji Abarai, who was being supported by Liu Hao, slightly opened his eyes. His consciousness was still blurry, but he vaguely saw the person in front of him. When that face, which was mostly covered by a hood, came into view, the familiarity he had felt over the years made Renji recognize the other person.

"Liu Hao..." Renji's voice was weak but clear, "I didn't expect you, the traitor, to come too. Is it to save me? Or... for some other purpose?"

These words, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, created ripples on the scene.

Ichigo Kurosaki was completely stunned. He stared intently at the hooded figure, trying to confirm this astonishing information from the silhouette, the movements, and every detail. Hanatarō Yamada was also taken aback; as a member of the Fourth Division, he was no stranger to the name Liu Hao. Only Ganju Shiba looked blank; he knew very little about the inner workings of the Seireitei.

Liu Hao didn't deny it, but simply raised his hand and gently shattered the remaining fragments of the Hollow mask on Renji's face. "You bastard, you exposed my identity the moment you woke up." His voice carried a hint of helplessness and reproach. "You should think about how to solve your problems. Hollowfication is no joke."

After saying that, Liu Hao turned to Ichigo Kurosaki and said sternly, "Get out of here! You're all injured, are you waiting to be captured alive?! The Seireitei's attention is all drawn to you now, it'll be too late if you don't leave now!"

Ichigo Kurosaki was still in shock, but Hanatarō Yamada and Ganju Shiba reacted even faster. They grabbed Ichigo Kurosaki from either side and quickly ran towards the entrance of the underground passage.

Liu Hao didn't linger, supporting the heavily injured Renji he turned and left. Before leaving, the Imperial Princess turned back to Ichigo Kurosaki and the other two with an encouraging smile, "Good luck! I believe you can definitely save Rukia."

These words resonated within Ichigo Kurosaki. He glanced back at the receding figure, a complex mix of doubt and familiarity forming in his heart.

The three had barely entered the underground passage when the first search team arrived at the scene. Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira led their team and saw the area around the White Tower in complete disarray; both of them looked anxious.

"Renji! Where are you?!" Momo Hinamori shouted, her voice filled with worry.

Izuru Kira examined the signs of battle, his brow furrowed. "There's a strong residual Reiatsu here, and... the aura of a Hollow? How is this possible?"

Subsequently, the other Captains and Vice-Captains also arrived one after another. Soi Fon, Sajin Komamura, Tōshirō Hitsugaya... more than half of the Seireitei's high-ranking combatants gathered here, but apart from traces of battle and lingering unfamiliar Reiatsu, they found nothing.

"The intruder and Vice-Captain Abarai are both gone," Soi Fon reported coldly. "Judging from the traces at the scene, someone must have taken them. But their actions were very clean; they left no clues."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya crouched down, his fingers lightly touching the cracks in the ground. "This Reiatsu... it feels unfamiliar, yet there's a sense of familiarity about it. I feel like I've sensed similar Reiatsu fluctuations somewhere before."

"Does Captain Tōshirō have any leads?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked.

Hitsugaya shook his head. "I can't remember. But one thing is certain: someone with this level of power could never be an ordinary Ryoka."

The search continued for some time, but ultimately yielded nothing. The team Captain had no choice but to order the search area to be expanded, while simultaneously increasing security at Seireitei.

In the underground passage, Ichigo Kurosaki was dragged for a distance by Hanatarō Yamada and Ganju Shiba before he fainted due to the severity of his injuries. The two found a relatively secluded abandoned Warehouse, settled Ichigo Kurosaki down, and began emergency treatment.

As a member of the Fourth Division, Hanatarō Yamada was quite skilled in medical techniques. He quickly treated Ichigo Kurosaki's wounds, using the medical supplies he carried to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound.

About an hour later, Ichigo Kurosaki slowly woke up. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was grab Hanatarō Yamada's arm. "Who was that person just now?"

Hanatarō Yamada hesitated for a moment, then said, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure either. After all, the Reiatsu feels completely different. But if Vice-Captain Abarai says he's Liu Hao, then it must be him. They're best friends who grew Little Ichi in Rukongai; Vice-Captain Renji n't possibly be mistaken."

"Then why did Renji call him a traitor?" Ichigo Kurosaki pressed, his voice filled with confusion and unease.

Hanatarō Yamada's expression became complicated. "Because... according to official records, Liu Hao is indeed a traitor. He went to Hueco Mundo with the Hueco Mundo force to provide support, but later news came that he and a Menos Grande had teamed up to ambush Captain Ichimaru. Because he was no match for them, he defected. Since then, he has become a wanted criminal in Soul Society."

This explanation only confused Ichigo Kurosaki more. He recalled the person's actions—rushing towards Renji without hesitation, using that special power to stop the Hollowfication, and that final "idiot"...

"Is he strong?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked.

"Extremely strong," Hanatarō Yamada said confidently. "He was originally the Fifth Seat of the Fourth Division, but later he single-handedly built the Medical Guard Team within the Fourth Division and became its Captain. It's said that after Captain Hitsugaya took over the Tenth Division, they had a battle, which ended in Liu Hao's victory. There are also rumors that several Captains of the Gotei 13 wanted him to become the Captain of the Tenth Division, but he refused."

These words intensified the sense of familiarity Ichigo Kurosaki felt. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I have an uncle who helped out at my family clinic since I was little; you could say he watched me grow up."

Both Hanatarō Yamada and Ganju Shiba looked at him.

Ichigo Kurosaki continued, "Even though his face was covered just now, his voice, build, even the way he spoke... they were so similar. I think they are the same person."

"Ichigo, you're not trying to say that your uncle is Liu Hao, are you?" Ganju Shiba asked in surprise.

"I think so," Ichigo Kurosaki's tone became more certain, "But I don't understand, if he's so strong, why didn't he come out to stop our battle with Renji in the beginning, but instead came out to save people in the end?"

Hanatarō Yamada pondered for a moment, "Perhaps... he doesn't want to reveal his identity? Or perhaps he wants you to solve the problem yourselves? Sometimes, you have to face certain battles on your own to grow stronger."

This explanation sounded reasonable, but Ichigo Kurosaki felt there was a deeper reason. He recalled Liu Hao's last words—"You should think about how to solve your problems. Hollowfication is no joke."

Hollowfication... what's that?

At the same time, Liu Hao brought Renji Abarai to a special space—the secret Training Ground established by Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin within the Seireitei. This place was protected by a powerful barrier that could isolate it from all external perception.

He carefully placed Renji on a specially made treatment bed and began more intensive treatment. Thanks to the Hollowfication Vaccine he obtained from Kisuke Urahara, coupled with the special healing abilities of the Imperial Sword, the Hollowfication reaction in Renji's body was quickly suppressed.

The white ethereal matter completely dissipated, Renji's complexion gradually returned to normal, and his breathing became steady. Liu Hao checked his soul state and confirmed that the threat of Hollowfication had been temporarily eliminated, but long-term observation and treatment were needed to ensure complete safety.

After doing all this, Liu Hao asked the Imperial Princess to stay and look after Renji, while he quietly left and headed towards Yasutora Sado's location—according to his senses, Chad was fighting a Soul Reaper and needed support.

Inside the secret Training Ground, Renji Abarai slowly awoke. He felt unusually heavy, as if he had just experienced a long and painful nightmare. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar environment, and Liu Hao was nowhere to be seen.

"Liu Hao..." Renji called softly, his voice filled with disappointment and confusion. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, to understand why Liu Hao had betrayed Soul Society, and to figure out what had just happened.

At that moment, the Imperial Princess walked to his bedside, a gentle smile on her face, "Renji, you're awake."

Renji turned to look at the Imperial Princess, recognizing her as the materialized form of Liu Hao's Zanpakuto: "You are... the Imperial Princess?"

"Yes," the Imperial Princess nodded, "Liu Hao went to rescue people and can't stay here long, so he asked me to stay and take care of you."

"Who is he going to save?" Renji asked.

"Another person who needs help," the Imperial Princess said without specifying, "Is most importantly your condition right now. How are you feeling?"

Renji tried to sit up, but his body was still weak. He recalled the events before he lost consciousness—the battle with Ichigo Kurosaki, the sudden strange sensations, and the appearance of Liu Hao.

"What... happened to my body?" Renji asked, his voice filled with unease.

The Imperial Princess's expression turned serious. "After your battle with Ichigo Kurosaki, your body underwent Hollowfication reaction."

"Hollowfication?" Renji frowned. He had heard of the term before, but always thought it was just a legend or a product of forbidden experiments. "What is that?"

"Hollowfication is an experiment by which Soul Reaper, in order to acquire the power of Hollows, inject fragments of Hollow souls into their own souls, thus gaining Hollow power and combining it with their own Soul Reaper power to break through the limits of their souls," the Imperial Princess explained. "If successful, they can gain power surpassing that of ordinary Soul Reaper; if they fail, they will completely become Hollows and lose their sense of self."

Renji's face turned pale. "How is this possible? I've never conducted such an experiment! And no one has ever done this to me!"

"We know," the Imperial Princess said definitively, "That someone forcibly implanted a fragment of a Hollow's soul into your body. However, your Soul Reaper powers were always at their peak, thus suppressing the Hollow's power. After your battle with Ichigo Kurosaki, you were weakened, and the Hollow's power seized the opportunity to try and take over your soul."

These words ignited a chilling rage within Renji. He wasn't angry because he had been ambushed, but because of the implications behind the act—someone was conducting such a dangerous and unethical experiment within the Seireitei, and the target was Vice-Captain -level Soul Reaper like himself.

"Who did this?" Renji's voice was low and dangerous, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

The Imperial Princess shook her head. "We're only speculating right now, we don't have any concrete evidence. And... the most important thing right now is to tell you the solution. If it's not dealt with, your soul will one day be completely possessed by the power of the Hollow, and you'll eventually become a true Hollow."

She picked up a small bottle from the table beside her, containing a pale blue liquid. "This is the Vaccine Liu Hao left for you; it can temporarily suppress the Hollowfication. But a true solution requires time and systematic treatment. You'll need regular injections of this Vaccine, along with soul purification therapy."

Renji took the bottle, staring at the faintly glowing liquid inside, and remained silent for a long time. Then, he raised his head and looked at the Imperial Princess: "Tell me, why did Liu Hao betray Soul Society? If he wanted to betray it, why did he save me? If he didn't betray it, why did he run away?"

These questions troubled him, and they troubled everyone who knew Liu Hao.

The Imperial Princess sighed softly, "Some truths can only be fully explained by those involved. But I want to tell you that Liu Hao has never betrayed anyone, nor has he ever abandoned anyone. The reason he left is because there was a greater threat he needed to face, and he didn't want to involve you."

She paused, then continued, "As for the detailed truth... when the time is right, everything will naturally come to light. Right now, all you can do is trust him, protect yourself, and protect Rukia and Ichigo Kurosaki."

Renji lowered his head, gripping the bottle in his hand even tighter. He thought of the days he spent with Liu Hao and Rukia in Rukongai, of the difficult yet warm times they had shared, and of how Liu Hao was always the calmest and most resourceful person...

"I understand," Renji finally said. "I'll do as you say. But... if you need any help, be sure to tell me. That Liu Hao guy always likes to shoulder everything alone; that's not a good habit."

The Imperial Princess smiled, "I will convey his message. Now, you should rest well and recover your strength before considering our next move."

Renji nodded and lay back down on the bed. Although he still had many questions and anxieties, at least now he was certain of one thing— Liu Hao was still the same Liu Hao, unchanged.