Each Other's Bonds (5)

"Boom! Boom!"

"Miss Yoruichi Urahara, Mr. Urahara, Dad... Dad!"

Ichigo Kurosaki stared wide-eyed at the three people blocking his way: Yoruichi Shihōin in her Stealth Force combat uniform, Kisuke Urahara still dressed in green with a flamboyant air, and Isshin Shiba in his Shihakushō with a pure white Captain's Haori tied around his arm.

Even though he had already heard about his father's true identity and the secret of his own origins from Yoruichi Shihōin, hearing it and seeing it with his own eyes were clearly two different things. Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned and couldn't react at all.

"What are you spacing out for, Ichigo?!"

At this moment, Isshin Shiba no longer possessed his former naivety and carefree attitude. His square face carried an indescribable air of authority, the kind of authority that belonged only to those in positions of power.

"Don't I always teach you? No matter what happens in battle, you must stay calm!"

"But, Dad, Renji..."

Ichigo Kurosaki wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by Isshin Shiba before he could even open his mouth.

"Listen carefully, whether our comrades are injured or dead, it's all the same!" Isshin Shiba's voice was serious and solemn; "In battle, calmness is the first essential element!"

"Dad!"

"Lady Yoruichi!"

Soi Fon appeared beside Yoruichi Shihōin Ōmaeda Marechiyo following behind her.

"Ah! Soi Fon, you..."

Yoruichi Shihōin turned to look at Soi Fon, but when she saw Soi Fon's severed arm and battered body, a flash of anger appeared in her golden eyes.

"It's alright, Lady Yoruichi!"

Soi Fon immediately shook her head. She knew Yoruichi Shihōin Yoruichi Shihōin and didn't want her to worry about her.

"This is tricky!"

Yoruichi Shihōin's voice lowered slightly. To be honest, she was furious about Soi Fon's severed arm, but she hadn't lost her mind. With Shadow around, she could just go back and have him reattach it.

"I also..."

"Lady Yoruichi, you have no idea, that Twentieth Espada is practically a monster. Captain Soi Fon and I..."

Soi Fon had barely opened her mouth when she was drowned out by the terrified voice of Ōmaeda Marechiyo. "What is that even saying?!" Soi Fon was instantly enraged, punching Ōmaeda Marechiyo. "Idiot! How can you say such things at a time like this?" The fiercely competitive Soi Fon would never admit she couldn't beat Baraggan. Even if it meant mutual destruction, she wouldn't let anyone else interfere, because that's who Soi Fon is, that's her dignity as captain.

"Yeah!"

Yoruichi Shihōin glanced at Soi Fon with her golden eyes. She knew Soi Fon well; how could she not sense Soi Fon's thoughts? But she still didn't say anything, because Soi Fon was already a captain, wasn't she? She had her own pride and dignity. Besides, Yoruichi Shihōin knew very well that if she were in her shoes, she would make the same choice.

"Captain Shiba!"

Trembling with disbelief, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto stared intently at Isshin Shiba. How could this be? Wasn't he missing long ago? How could he be here, and as Ichigo Kurosaki's father no less?

Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto couldn't understand it no matter how hard they tried. Apart from the two of them, the other captains, such as Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Retsu Unohana, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Sajin Komamura, weren't too surprised because they already knew. Kenpachi Zaraki, who didn't know, didn't care about such things at all. As for the others, they were stunned, especially Rukia Kuchiki. She had seen Isshin Shiba many times, but she never expected that the seemingly frivolous man would have such a background.

"Shiba, he's from the Shiba Family. No wonder Ichigo Kurosaki looks so much like Kaien Shiba, "Rukia Kuchiki thought absentmindedly, looking at Byakuya Kuchiki, who showed no surprise whatsoever. It turned out they already knew Ichigo Kurosaki's true identity.

"Yo! Tōshirō, Rangiku!"

Isshin Shiba turned to look at his former subordinates, now the captain and Lieutenant of the Tenth Division, and greeted them with a grin; "Long time no see, you've all changed so much! Rangiku's figure is getting more and more captivating..."

"Captain Shiba!" Rangiku Matsumoto was speechless.

"And Tōshirō, how come he's still so short after all these years!"

"That's completely unnecessary, Captain Shiba!"

Veins bulged on his forehead Toshiro Hitsugaya laughed Isshin Shiba. At that moment, time seemed to have turned back to the past.

"Yoruichi Shihōin, Kisuke Urahara, Isshin Shiba!"

A detached voice came from Sōsuke Aizen, the man as arrogant and disdainful of everything as ever.

"What? I came out specifically for you all, whom I haven't seen in so long! Do you really want me to speak first? You must have a lot to say to me! You'd better hurry up, or you'll miss your chance!"

"Still as arrogant as ever, Aizen!" Isshin Shiba grinned. "I really wanted to say 'long time no see,' but then I thought, 'That doesn't sound right. You've been keeping an eye on me all this time. Anyway, my silly son has to thank you for taking care of him!'"

"Don't say that! Ichigo is a very good pawn, isn't he!"

Sōsuke Aizen smiled faintly. Although Isshin Shiba was also smiling, he could see the coldness in his eyes. However, seeing it was one thing, and not caring about it was another.

"Is that so! A chess piece!"

Isshin Shiba understood Sōsuke Aizen's meaning and knew that Ichigo Kurosaki had actually been living under his surveillance and arrangement all along, but when he heard it with his own ears, he still couldn't control his anger.

"Isshin!" Yoruichi Shihōin said calmly.

"I'm fine!"

Taking a deep breath, Isshin Shiba to calm himself down; he wasn't the type to act recklessly when his temper flared.

"Your eloquence is as good as ever, Aizen!" Kisuke Urahara said casually, but his eyes were serious.

"You too, Kisuke Urahara!" Upon hearing this, Sōsuke Aizen chuckled softly; "Alright, enough of the nonsense, it's time for the three of you to make your move! A hundred years have passed, I hope your strength has improved a bit, don't disappoint me too much!"

"Of course, it will surprise you!"

Yoruichi Shihōin smiled faintly, her tone not at all inferior. Although she knew very well that the three of them, or even the captains, might not be a match for Sōsuke Aizen, because of his Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, which had hypnotized them, leaving them with no chance of winning. However, there were two people who were not hypnotized: Ichigo Kurosaki, and their trump card, the Shadow.

Before they arrived, Yoruichi Shihōin, Kisuke Urahara, Isshin Shiba, and the others had already discussed their options: fight if they could, and delay if they could. Although they didn't know what the Shadow was planning, they were determined to stall until he returned.

"Yeah!"

Sōsuke Aizen's voice remained indifferent, almost icy.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a few flashes of light appeared in the azure sky, and the Senkaimon appeared.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Senkaimon opened, and two figures walked out one after the other.

With black hair, a white headscarf tied around her forehead, and wearing a tight red short-sleeved shirt that revealed her voluptuous and mature figure, she had a large short sword, Zanpakutō, at her waist—it was none other than Kūkaku Shiba.

The man who lagged behind had messy black hair, a white headscarf tied around his forehead, and wore only a silver vest and tight pants. His bulging muscles seemed to contain a violent power, and his equally large Zanpakutō was tucked into his waistband. It was Ganju Shiba.

Upon seeing Kūkaku Shiba's figure, Sōsuke Aizen inexplicably laughed, despite his continued indifference and disdain.

"Kūkaku Shiba!"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke calmly, perhaps he had long expected her to come, no, he was certain she would come.

The other captains had varying expressions: Soi Fon Byakuya Kuchiki Kenpachi Zaraki was nonchalant, Mayuri Kurotsuchi Toshiro Hitsugaya and the rest were surprised.

"······"

Ichigo Kurosaki looked at Kūkaku Shiba and Ganju Shiba standing in the void, opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He understood why Kūkaku Shiba always scolded him and Ganju Shiba together every time he went to the Shiba Family, but treated others much worse. It was because Kūkaku Shiba knew his background, knew that he was her younger brother, and that they were a family of blood relatives.

"Hey! Kukaku, you're too slow!"

Completely ignoring what the other captains thought, Yoruichi Shihōin smiled broadly at her friend, her golden eyes full of teasing.

"I didn't want to either!" Kūkaku Shiba shrugged helplessly; "It's all because searching for Ganju wasted so much time..."

"What does this have to do with me!"

Ganju Shiba shouted defiantly, but before he could finish speaking, his older sister had vanished. He turned around and looked around before finally finding Kūkaku Shiba in front of Kisuke Urahara.

"Yo! Long time no see, Kukaku. I've been taking good care of your two younger brothers..."

Seemingly startled by Kūkaku Shiba's sudden appearance, Kisuke Urahara quickly looked up and greeted him with a loud laugh. However, before he could finish speaking, Kūkaku Shiba punched him in the chin with an uppercut, knocking off his hat. He clutched his chin and howled in pain.

"Kukaku, what did I do? Why did you hit me!" Kisuke Urahara cried, his face contorted with grief. "What did I ever do to you!"

"What did I do to deserve this? You have the nerve to say that, you idiot!" Kūkaku Shiba's forehead veins bulged as he yelled angrily, "Don't think I didn't know you talked badly about me to Ganju before. I'll let it go, after all these years, I don't want to hold it against you. But what was that coordinate you gave me?! Huh?!"

Kūkaku Shiba shouted angrily, "Do you know how much time I and Ganju wasted, how many places we ran around, all because of that stupid coordinate you gave us? If we hadn't run into Uncle Shan Qing by chance, I would still be wandering around aimlessly! Kisuke Urahara, you bastard!"

"I didn't mean to!"

Seemingly intimidated by Kūkaku Shiba's ever-explosive temper, Kisuke Urahara shrank back and weakly uttered a sentence, his face full of dejection. This must be a psychological trauma!

"Ha ha!"

Yoruichi Shihōin couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter, tears welling up in her eyes.

Hearing Yoruichi Shihōin's undisguised laughter, Kisuke Urahara became even more deflated. A hundred years ago, Yoruichi Shihōin and Kūkaku Shiba were the most mischievous people. The two of them together were almost as dangerous as the Shadow. But they seem to have become even more terrifying in the past hundred years!

"Fine, I'll settle the score with you later!"

Kūkaku Shiba glared fiercely at Kisuke Urahara, ignoring Yoruichi Shihōin was rubbing her eyes, took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and finally turned to look at Isshin Shiba who had been staring at her.

"Uncle... Uncle!"