By the time they left the Shiba Family, it was already dusk. Yoruichi Shihōin lay happily across Shadow's back, her golden eyes narrowed as though she had thought of something, and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Lady Yoruichi!"
Shadow turned back, looking at Yoruichi Shihōin on his back with some helplessness. "What exactly are you laughing about? You've been laughing nonstop ever since we left the Shiba Family!"
"This? I'm not telling you!" A faint, barely noticeable blush flashed across Yoruichi Shihōin's wheat-colored face. She tightened her arms around Shadow's neck and said, "Come to think of it, I really have you to thank today. Otherwise, I would've been in trouble!"
"It was my duty!" Shadow said matter-of-factly. "Lady Yoruichi, I truly don't deserve such praise!"
"There you go again!" Yoruichi Shihōin said helplessly.
Just as Shadow was about to say something, a black butterfly flew into their sight. It was a Hell Butterfly, a tool used by the Soul Society to transmit messages.
Shadow summoned the Hell Butterfly onto his finger. After reading the message, he frowned.
"What happened, Shadow?" Yoruichi Shihōin asked, tilting her head.
"The notice says Lady Yoruichi is to report to the First Division meeting room immediately!" Shadow replied.
"The First Division?" Yoruichi Shihōin froze. "Did it say what it was about?"
"No!" Shadow shook his head.
"That's really strange." Yoruichi Shihōin spoke softly. "The First Division meeting room is where the captains hold their meetings. The lowest-ranking people allowed inside are Lieutenants. Even though I'm the heir of the Shihōin family, I'm still only a Third Seat. Why would they call for me?"
"Will Lady Yoruichi be going?" Shadow asked, turning back.
"Of course I'll go!" Yoruichi Shihōin nodded. "They've already sent the notice. Wouldn't refusing be too disrespectful? Besides, I'm really curious!"
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!"
Soul Society, Seireitei, First Division meeting room.
Pushing open the somewhat heavy doors, a woman with short purple hair and dressed in the Punishment Force's tight uniform walked in.
"Yoruichi Shihōin!"
"Yes, Captain-Commander Yamamoto!"
Without the slightest sign of panic, Yoruichi Shihōin swept her gaze over the captains and Lieutenants standing on both sides before answering calmly.
"Not bad!"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood at the front, nodding inwardly at Yoruichi Shihōin's performance. As expected of the Shihōin family's heir.
"Do you know why this old man called you here?"
"I don't." Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head decisively, unable to stop herself from grumbling inwardly. How would I know what you want, old man?
After a moment of silence, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said sternly, "Can you call Shadow out? This old man has a few questions to confirm with him!"
"Yes!" Yoruichi Shihōin nodded. "Shadow!"
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!"
He appeared without warning, without the slightest sound or ripple, as though he had been standing there all along. Shadow dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully.
"All right, all right!" Yoruichi Shihōin said. "Get up already! Captain-Commander Yamamoto has something to ask you!"
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!" Shadow answered and rose to his feet.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had a headache. This boy had completely exceeded his expectations. Even he had no idea where Shadow had been hiding before emerging.
"Shadow, tell this old man: was the Hollow you slew more than ten years ago truly a Vasto Lorde?"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone was shocked. They looked at Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto in confusion, then turned toward Shadow. They could all sense that Hollow's power; it had definitely been at the level of a Vasto Lorde. But why...
"Yes and no." After a long silence, Shadow finally spoke coldly.
Everyone's faces immediately darkened. What kind of answer was that?
"Oh?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's gaze sharpened.
"In rank, it was indeed above an Adjuchas. But in terms of actual strength, it was still only an Adjuchas." Shadow said coldly, "It must have used some unknown method to forcibly elevate an Adjuchas into a Vasto Lorde. Its strength did not change much. It was merely a Fake Vasto Lorde!"
"Is that so? Just as I suspected." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto pondered for a moment before saying gravely, "Then why didn't you say so sooner? A Vasto Lorde possesses strength Beyond Captain-class. You should understand that, shouldn't you? Or could it be that you have..."
"It has nothing to do with me."
Shadow coldly spat out those four words. His pitch-black eyes fixed on Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, filled with an unmelting chill.
"You..."
"Sorry for the trouble, Captain-Commander Yamamoto!" Yoruichi Shihōin stepped in front of Shadow and said lightly, "Please don't take offense. Shadow has always been like this. I'll discipline him properly!"
Taking a deep breath, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart. He turned his head away, refusing to look at Shadow's iceberg-like face, and tapped the ground with his cane.
Shadow snorted coldly, bowed to Yoruichi Shihōin, and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique. Yoruichi Shihōin rubbed her head and stepped beside her father, Shihōin Shanqing.
"Now, let's discuss the real matter!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto swept his gaze over everyone before him, his tone stern and grave. "We have just received intelligence that Hueco Mundo has launched an attack on the Soul Society!"
"What? Hueco Mundo is attacking the Soul Society!"
The captains were shocked once again. Their expressions turned grave, and they fell silent. Even throughout the Soul Society's history, such a major event had occurred only a few times.
"Captain Shihōin, please explain the situation in detail!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded at Shihōin Shanqing.
"Yes, Captain-Commander Yamamoto!" Shihōin Shanqing stepped forward and said gravely, "According to the information returned by the Stealth Force, Hueco Mundo has already launched several attacks on the Boundary Gate leading to the Soul Society. Although the Expeditionary Force has repelled them all, it has also suffered heavy casualties. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that those attacks were all small-scale probing attacks, consisting almost entirely of Lesser Hollows!"
"However, we can already confirm that this is an organized invasion. Therefore, the enemy may include a considerable number of Gillians. There may even be hidden Adjuchas, or perhaps Vasto Lordes—the real Vasto Lordes!"
"Real Vasto Lordes..." Shunsui Kyōraku pressed down the straw hat on his head. "This is going to be troublesome."
Among the classifications of Bleach and Hollows, ordinary Hollows were equivalent to ordinary Bleach. Lower Menos Grande Gillians were equivalent to Seated Officers among the Bleach, while Middle Menos Grande Adjuchas were equivalent to Lieutenants and ordinary captains. Upper Menos Grande Vasto Lordes possessed power Beyond Captain-class. Only Bleach with strength Beyond Captain-class could contend against them.
But such beings were too rare. Adjuchas were already difficult to form, let alone Vasto Lordes. Likewise, while there were many Bleach in the Soul Society, there were only a few dozen Captain-class fighters, not to mention those with strength Beyond Captain-class.
Perhaps Shadow counted as one. Even if the Vasto Lorde had only been a fake, Shadow himself had also been severely wounded at the time. Besides, so many years had passed. No one could guarantee that they would definitely defeat him. Even the longest-serving captains, Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake, could not make that guarantee.
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