The night is beautiful tonight; there are no dark clouds to obscure the view, and the starlight and moonlight shine down on the earth almost without reservation.
The dense forest path was also dappled with moonlight. Nemu Kurotsuchi stood outside the path, wearing a blue and white striped patient gown, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders without her braids.
Her forehead was adorned with straight bangs, and her magnificent, agate-like green eyes reflected the silhouette of the Shiraishi.
The intense running brought a slight blush to her fair, snow-white cheeks, making her look like a ripe little apple, tempting one to take a bite.
" Nemu!"
Once Shiraishi confirmed that the other person wasn't hallucinating from drinking, he excitedly ran up to her, gave her a big hug, and laughed loudly, "Haha, what brings you here? I thought I wouldn't see you for a long time!"
Nemu Kurotsuchi hugged her back tightly, her gentle tone tinged with joy as she said, "If you want to see me all the time, you can become a test subject at the Research and Development Institute. I'll help you negotiate with Mayuri and get you the best treatment."
"Uh, never mind then."
Shiraishi didn't continue hugging him. No matter how good their relationship was, he absolutely couldn't agree to being Shiro-chan. He didn't want to have tens of thousands of identical younger brothers one day.
Just thinking about that scene sends chills down my spine.
He quickly changed the subject, asking, "Is there anything else you need my help with?"
"No."
Nemu Kurotsuchi shook her head.
Shiraishi paused slightly, then smiled even more broadly. "Sorry, I misspoke. It doesn't matter if there's anything wrong or not. You're welcome to come anytime you want."
Nemu Kurotsuchi got to the point, saying, "I didn't come here to play with you; I'm here to inform you that Mad King Munemasa may be on his way to kidnap Ganju Shiba."
Kūkaku Shiba, who had been drinking, was suddenly startled. He jumped up, his face filled with astonishment, and exclaimed, "You mean Mad King Munemasa?!"
Shiraishi was startled by her reaction and asked in confusion, "Is he famous?"
" The Mad King Munemasa, whose real name is Munemasa Tsunayashiro, is a sinner who nearly wiped out the Shiba Clan almost two thousand years ago!"
Kūkaku Shiba was very agitated and smashed the sake bottle with a snap.
The original Shiba Clan wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't this small either.
The combined population of the main family and the branch families still exceeds one hundred.
However, two thousand years ago, when the Shiba Clan was performing their customary ancestral rites, they were ambushed by Munemasa Tsunayashiro, and all the clansmen participating in the rites were wiped out.
Her grandfather, Jō Shiba, was too dissolute and did not participate in the ritual, becoming the sole survivor of the entire clan.
After the incident, even the Tsunayashiro Clan the Shiba Clan, felt that the act was too cruel.
The current head of the family immediately expelled Munemasa from the Tsunayashiro Clan and actively responded to her grandfather's call, joining forces with the other three noble families and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto to attack the Mad King Munemasa.
"My father said that the battle was very fierce, lasting a full half hour before Munemasa was subdued."
Kūkaku Shiba recounts the history as told by his father.
Shiraishi's expression turned serious.
The Shinigami's battles are usually not very long.
The scenario of top-tier fighters battling for hours or even ten days and nights without a clear victor is impossible here.
The stronger the Shinigami Reaper, the shorter the battle, and the outcome can be decided in the blink of an eye.
Even with dialogue time included, a battle still takes five or six minutes.
The battle to capture the Mad King Munemasa lasted for half an hour, and it was a case of the enemy outnumbering the enemy, similar to the situation with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
This shows that the guy's strength should not be underestimated.
But Shiraishi really couldn't understand, "Why would he cause trouble for the Shiba Clan after being imprisoned for so many years?"
Nemu Kurotsuchi explained, " Sister Rangiku Mad King Munemasa's goal is to kill the Soul King and plunge the Three Realms into chaos. To achieve that goal, he needs the Shiba Clan's ancestral spiritual artifact to travel to the Soul King Palace."
"Dream on!" Kūkaku Shiba shouted angrily. She had no liking for Shinigami, but she still held respect for the Soul King who ruled Soul Society.
The records left by the Shiba Clan say that without the Soul King, there would be no Soul Society, no World of the Living, and no Hueco Mundo.
Therefore, the Soul King is a supreme being.
The fact that the Shiba Clan, who opposed those aristocratic vices, recorded it in this way shows that Soul King was indeed great.
Ignoring her anger, Nemu Kurotsuchi continued, " The Captain Kyōraku guessed that the Mad King Munemasa would kidnap Ganju Shiba and use this to threaten Miss Kūkaku, so he proposed a strategy of sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight."
Captain Unohana and Sister Rangiku felt that involving an innocent child was against their values, so they sent me to inform you.
"Really? Thanks for reminding me."
Kūkaku Shiba suppressed his anger, patted Nemu Kurotsuchi on the shoulder, and solemnly promised, "If you ever need any help in the future, feel free to ask me anytime."
Nemu Kurotsuchi remained silent, continuing to discuss what she considered more important, " The Mad King Munemasa's Zanpakuto ability is to Zanpakuto the abilities of others. If you fight him head-on, your chances of winning are very slim. I suggest you take your people and run away."
"That's none of your concern. It's time to settle this two-thousand-year-old feud."
Kūkaku Shiba's face was full of murderous intent; she wasn't the type to be intimidated by a few words.
The opponent's ability to seal the Zanpakuto's power is indeed troublesome.
The problem is that she doesn't have Zanpakuto.
Her fighting style has always relied on Kidō, Shunpo, Hakuda; she has never used a sword. " Shiraishi, would you be willing to help me?"
"We're friends, how could I not help you if you're fighting?"
Shiraishi readily agreed. His Zanpakuto's ability is critical strike; his other skills and passive abilities are not Zanpakuto abilities.
The inability to use his Zanpakuto's abilities doesn't necessarily make him weak; at most, it greatly reduces the possibility of him killing someone stronger than himself.
The relationship wasn't completely severed; he was still at a disadvantage.
The Way of the Wanderer: To Intent also allows him to land a 100% critical hit, though the probability isn't as high as with Infinity Mode.
Nemu Kurotsuchi of this and no longer tried to persuade the two to escape. She only knew of the Mad King Munemasa's strength from other people, but she had no direct experience of how strong he was.
"I'll head back now; Sister Rangiku is still waiting for me."
She took her leave.
"Okay, take care. If Mayuri Kurotsuchi continues to treat you badly, don't Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Resist. Only by resisting can you earn respect from others, understand?"
Shiraishi was a little worried about her going back, and added, "If you're unhappy in Seireitei, you can come find me anytime."
"Okay, goodbye." Nemu Kurotsuchi bowed without the slightest hesitation, then turned and ran into the dim forest path.
Watching her leave, Shiraishi turned his head and asked, "Shall we eat first or get going?"
Kūkaku Shiba had no appetite for drinking and eating anymore; she couldn't wait to be by her younger brother's side, her only family in this world. "Let's go to the District 26 first."
"Okay, let's go." Shiraishi didn't care about wasting food and decided to leave immediately.