Inside the general store, the two of them and one of them were discussing the matter. Yoruichi and Tessai, having learned what had happened, immediately told Urahara to put aside his dejection and try his best to come up with a solution.
"Kisuke, now is not the time to be timid. Since Nangong Ling didn't kill them immediately, it proves there's still hope."
"Mr. Yoruichi is right. Perhaps Nangong Ling intends to use them as Experimental Subjects, just like Aizen did..."
Upon hearing Tessai's words, Urahara and Yoruichi looked at him. What he said made sense, but somehow it seemed like these people's fates were rather bumpy.
He was Hollowfication in Aizen's experiments, then rescued by Urahara's experiments, and now he's been captured...
"My mistake. I didn't expect the Garganta to be so easily controlled by the enemy. Now the initiative is in their hands, and there's also Aizen in Soul Society with unclear motives."
Urahara felt a headache coming on; things were getting complicated. He needed to find a way to involve the Soul Society as well, otherwise he wouldn't be able to handle it.
Back in Soul Society, a month after the last great war, Gin Ichimaru, recommended by Aizen, passed the Captain's test and replaced Kaname Tōsen as the Captain of the Ninth Division.
As for Aizen, after receiving the Flesh Supplement, his arm Complete Regeneration. As for the surveillance Spirit Worm that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had arranged to inject into his body, they were crushed within ten minutes by the powerful Reiatsu within Aizen's body, comparable to that of the Captain-Commander.
The next day, Byakuya Kuchiki returned from Rukongai, recovered from his injuries, with his only remaining subordinate and his first love Hisana.
The children that Hisana brought also came, but they were placed in Rukongai, the first district of Junrinan, where the Kuchiki Clan's 'Youth Academy' is located.
The Youth Academy provides free accommodation and food. Anyone who develops Reiryoku must choose to receive education from the Kuchiki Clan and become a guard for the Kuchiki Clan; of course, the guards also include assassins.
For those children who were placed in shelters, this was already a very good outcome. Even if they couldn't awaken their Reiryoku, they could still live out their lives peacefully in the large courtyard provided by the Kuchiki Clan...
Kuchiki Ginrei, who was already terminally ill, jumped up from his sickbed upon hearing that his grandson had suddenly returned, truly a case of sitting up in shock from the brink of death... He was about to begin the succession ceremony for the head of the Kuchiki Clan.
Byakuya's victory had already been confirmed, but because he was unconscious after the battle and his Reiatsu was too weak to be tracked when Hisana rescued him, the Soul Reaper who went to provide support were unable to bring him back to Seireitei immediately.
His achievements and strength are both commendable, and giving him the right to inherit the Kuchiki Clan is only one reason. The other reason is that he must also inherit the position of Sixth Division Captain. The Sixth Division is essentially a force that the Kuchiki Clan has controlled for many years, and it is impossible for them to just hand it over to someone else.
In the battle not long ago, the morale of the Sixth Division members was low because Ginrei Kuchiki did not participate. However, after hearing that Third Seat Byakuya Kuchiki had killed Arrancar in Rukongai and single-handedly repelled an Espada, the members regained their spirits.
Because of his achievements, it wasn't too surprising that he inherited the position of Sixth Division Captain...
Because it was shortly after the Hueco Mundo invasion, Byakuya's succession and inauguration ceremonies were quite simple. It was only when he received the 'Flower-Wind Gauze' from Ginrei Kuchiki that Byakuya revealed his wish...
"Grandpa, I want to marry Hisana as my wife."
"Byakuya, you are now the head of the Kuchiki Clan, Five Great Noble Clans. Have you thought it through?"
"I've thought it through."
"Now that you've become the head of the family, you represent more than just yourself. I can no longer interfere with your decisions... Go!"
Byakuya was well aware of the responsibilities he would bear after becoming the head of the clan, and his marriage to Hisana, who came from Rukongai, was destined to be his only act of recklessness.
Having just gotten married, Hisana was in poor health and needed medical treatment and recuperation. Before he could even enjoy the celebration, Byakuya received a duty assignment to relieve the Spirit-Dense Area World of the Living a month.
When he returned after his first term ended, Ginrei Kuchiki had passed away due to old age, and Healing Way was unable to save his life. Before his deathbed, he told Byakuya his only regret: that he had not seen the next heir of the Kuchiki Clan.
Upon hearing this, the couple understood, but unfortunately Hisana's health was still recovering...
After several Captain-level rotations, and six months after the Arrancar invasion of Soul Society, Byakuya was once again stationed here.
In Naruki City, the garrison Captain-level at this time are Byakuya and Gin Ichimaru, along with the Vice-Captain of the Seventh Division, Shōtsubaki Jin'emon, the Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Kaien Shiba, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth seats of the 11th Division. The Vice-Captain, Ashido, is not present.
Recently, the Fifth Seat of the 11th Division has been changed to Tetsuzaemon Iba. This guy defeated Yumichika Ayasegawa was hiding his strength, but was defeated by Ikkaku Madarame.
At this time Iba had not yet become the Vice-Captain of the Seventh Division; he wanted to continue climbing the ranks in the 11th Division.
They were unaware of what was happening in Hueco Mundo, and because of Gin Ichimaru's presence, Urahara and his group did not choose to share information with these Captain-level.
Not only did he refuse to share, but Urahara was also trying to drag them down with him.
The day after capturing the Visoreds, Zero also managed to obtain the location of Urahara Shop through some underhanded means.
In the World of the Living, the sky was torn apart, the Garganta opened, and eight Arrancar appeared. The leader was still the most diligent Espada, Ulquiorra, who would carry out any order Zero gave him.
Also present were Ulquiorra's three Fracción, who were rather taciturn. Accompanying Espada were the battle-loving Grimmjow and his surviving Fracción.
"I went to deal with those Captain-level, which cost me four Fracción. This time, I'm going to take down a few of those scumbags no matter what."
Grimmjow didn't come with the intention of completing a mission; he just wanted to cause trouble and wanted to separate from Ulquiorra as soon as he came out.
"Whatever, I can find the target myself... Let's go."
Ulquiorra ignored them and left with his Fracción. Their destination was clear: an inconspicuous general store, which was not yet in Karakura Town.
Meanwhile, Grimmjow led his remaining men to other locations, leaving only three under his command: Shawlong, Ilfort Grantz, and Edorad Leones.
He assigned his subordinates to hunt down non- Captain-level individuals, while he himself charged towards Captain-level targets...
Upon sensing the Reiatsu reaction of the eight individuals, chaos erupted in the Twelfth Division's Control Room. An enemy attack had arrived, and there were two Blade-level Arrancar.
Captains' Meeting was held immediately, with everyone on high alert. The Captain responsible for providing support were Kenpachi Zaraki and the recovered Amagai Shūsuke, while the rest were on standby.
At the entrance of the quaint general store, Ulquiorra strolled over, looking down on all enemies with an air of superiority. His three Fracción had been assigned to block the approaching Soul Reaper.
As Ulquiorra approached, the sliding wooden door suddenly opened, and Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi emerged. Their attire was different from when they were in Soul Society; they now appeared to be ordinary people from the World of the Living.
"The Arrancar come to visit so late at night; what brings you here?"
Urahara pretended not to know, offering a casual greeting. He had already guessed that Nangong Ling had kidnapped Hirako and the others because he wanted the Hōgyoku in his possession.
At least Nangong Ling definitely has an Hōgyoku, otherwise how could the Menos Grande Arrancar be so complete? As for what two Hōgyoku can do together, Urahara is still speculating.
"Lord Nangong said that your companion, whom you painstakingly saved, is in our hands. If you don't want to be killed, hand over the thing that can break the boundary between the Soul Reaper and the Void, or we will kill him."
As Ulquiorra relayed Ling's words, his eyes darted between the two, then glanced at a black cat in the corner... If a cat possessed such high Reiryoku, he refused to believe for a second that the black cat wasn't up to something.
According to the information provided by Zero, Urahara's side still has three Captain-level. Considering that the Soul Society will definitely intervene if a battle breaks out, the possibility of successfully seizing the Hōgyoku is not high.
Therefore, extortion offers a higher chance of success.
"Tear... tear up the ticket? This word can be understood as 'breach of contract,' right?" Urahara was momentarily confused by the new term, but quickly recovered and suggested, "How about letting your Lord Nangong give me a day to consider it? We can discuss whether to trade and how then."
Zero had already predicted this and warned Ulquiorra.
"As expected, you'll try to find some time to come up with a complete solution. A day is within the limit, and it's acceptable."
Ulquiorra pulled out a Communicator that could be attached to the ear and tossed it to Urahara, indicating that they would use it to contact each other.
As he turned to leave, he added, "Let me warn you, your companions really might die. Don't gamble on Lord Seireitei Nangong, and don't try any underhanded tactics..."
"Know."
Urahara responded, ignoring Ulquiorra's departure, while the Soul Reaper in Naruki City began their battle against the Arrancar, and the fighting was incredibly fierce from the very beginning.
Going to help is clearly inappropriate; as long as Aizen remains Captain, Urahara and the others will remain traitors, and their cases cannot be overturned.
If they dare to expose themselves, they'll likely face a new round of persecution.
While they were talking over there, Grimmjow was rampaging around until he encountered Shōtsubaki Jin'emon. In just one encounter, Tsubaki was killed on the spot.
"Tch, let's deal with this piece of trash first."
Grimmjow revealed a cruel, bloodthirsty smile, then turned and raised his hand to block, saying to the squinting Captain-level in front of him, "Next, it's your turn!"
"That's really impressive! They don't let their guard down at all."
Gin Ichimaru opened his eyes, and was naturally surprised as it was the first time he had ever experienced the hardness of the Espada's Hierro.
However, this did not mean he was afraid. In an instant, he unleashed his fierce swordsmanship, slashing fifteen times in a second. Grimmjow also drew his sword and responded to Gin Ichimaru with an even faster attack.
Gin Ichimaru's assassination swordsmanship was deadly, while Grimmjow's fighting style was incredibly wild. He found an opportunity to grab Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakuto with his left hand and was about to slash at him with his right.
Blood splattered Gin Ichimaru staggered backward, while Grimmjow was sent flying by an extended blade; both were injured.
Grimmjow's heart was pierced by the 'Shinsō', but it wasn't completely pierced because of the hardness of the Hierro. His left hand, which was gripping the blade, was also slashed.
Gin Ichimaru also suffered a deep cut to his left shoulder, rendering his left hand almost immobile. Had Grimmjow not been deflected by the Shinsō in time, the wound might have extended from his left shoulder to his heart, killing him...
"Very good, very good! Another Captain-level Soul Reaper. I wonder who's stronger, you or Kenpachi Zaraki?"
The opponent's strength and ruthlessness also excited Grimmjow. After fighting Kenpachi Zaraki, Grimmjow would get itchy to fight whenever a Captain-level character was mentioned.
"Honestly, I'm just a newly appointed Captain, replacing the Captain of the Ninth Division you guys killed. I'm definitely no match for him! Please, go easy on me."
Gin Ichimaru didn't hold back in mocking himself. What did it matter if his opponent was Paralysis and revealed a weakness?
"Haha, of course I'll go easy on you. I'll try my best to prevent the tofu pudding in your head from spilling out."
At this stage, Grimmjow had a slight advantage, but he was clearly not satisfied with that. He laughed wildly and broke the seal on his wrist, revealing his full power to Gin Ichimaru.