Chapter 152 The real infiltration, of course, is through the front door! (Please subscribe)
"The walls surrounding Seireitei are constructed of ' Sekiseki,' which can block Spiritual Power. These Sekiseki release fluctuations that dissolve Spiritual Power, creating a spherical protective shield that protects Seireitei from the air to the ground. Therefore, under normal circumstances, it is impossible for a soul to break through the shield and enter Seireitei... To safely enter Seireitei from Seireitei Rukongai, one must pass through one of the four gates: West, East, North, and South ( White Way, Blue Stream, Black Ridge, and Vermilion Hollow ). Each gate is guarded by a hero handpicked from Soul Society, whose names, in order, are Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, Kaiwan, Danzōmaru, and Higonyūdō."
While everyone was changing clothes, Kaien Shiba was busy introducing the situation of Seireitei to them.
"So, what method does Brother Kaien plan for us to enter Seireitei?"
While changing clothes behind the screen, Orihime Inoue Kaien Shiba had already begun to call Shiba Kaien "Kaien- nii" (older brother Kaien). In her eyes, Kaien Shiba, who looked almost exactly like Ichigo Kurosaki, was like an older brother.
"It's very simple!"
"Of course, we should go in from the front, openly and honestly, with our heads held high and chests out."
Kaien Shiba puffed out his chest as he spoke.
"Go in openly and honestly? Aren't we supposed to infiltrate Seireitei?"
Orihime Inoue felt a little guilty and asked Kaien Shiba the question again.
"That's right, since it's an infiltration, we should go in openly and honestly, infiltrating from the front!"
Kaien Shiba nodded, answering Orihime Inoue's question with great confidence.
"Oh, this..."
After hearing Kaien Shiba's words, Ichigo Kurosaki opened his mouth slightly. Kaien's words were reasonable and well-founded, leaving him with no room for rebuttal.
"Going in from the front... is it really okay?"
Orihime Inoue was still slightly nervous. She knew that the Seireitei contained thirteen terrifyingly powerful individuals who had easily defeated Ichigo Kurosaki. What if she were to run into one of them?! Orihime Inoue felt flustered.
Don't worry! I've already arranged everything.
Kaien Shiba calmly answered Orihime Inoue's question.
"But..."
After changing her clothes, Orihime Inoue emerged from behind the screen, her face still showing worry.
"Don't worry, Orihime. Even if you encounter danger, I will protect you."
Just as Orihime Inoue was filled with worry, Ichigo Kurosaki came to Orihime Inoue side and gently took Orihime Inoue hand.
" Kurosaki-kun..." Orihime Inoue looked at Ichigo Kurosaki's resolute face, and her tense heart immediately relaxed. "Yes! I understand! But I won't let Kurosaki-kun protect me. I will use my own strength to help everyone!"
"Ah! Then I'll leave it to you."
Ichigo Kurosaki looked at Orihime Inoue, who was full of determination, and was slightly taken aback at first. Then he gently patted her head and smiled.
"Hmph~"
Ganju Shiba looked at everything before him with disdain. From the moment he met Ichigo Kurosaki, he had already guessed Ichigo Kurosaki's identity. Unlike his older brother, he was not enthusiastic about Ichigo Kurosaki. He was not particularly fond of this descendant of the person who abandoned the Shiba Clan and went straight to the World of the Living.
"Alright~ Now that everyone's changed, let's go!"
Kaien Shiba was still dressed in his casual kimono, as if it didn't matter to him whether he changed into his Shihakusho or not, he could still enter Seireitei.
"You two line up behind me and stay close."
Kaien Shiba waved to Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, signaling them to follow him closely. Then, like a mother duck leading her ducklings, he led Ichigo Kurosaki and the others towards the Seireitei.
"Is this really okay?"
As Uryū Ishida felt the curious and fearful gazes of the Rukongai residents around him, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He felt that Kaien Shiba's method was unreliable. If changing clothes was enough to sneak into Seireitei, then he would start to doubt Seireitei's security measures.
"Since Brother Shiba says it's okay, then... it's probably okay."
Yasutora Sado, walking behind Uryū Ishida, answered softly.
"Tsk~"
After hearing Yasutora Sado's answer, Yasutora Sado Uryū Ishida clicked his tongue in amazement. It was no different from not hearing it at all; it was as if listening to a wise man's words was like truly listening to a lecture, offering him no help whatsoever.
"Arrive..."
Just as Uryū Ishida was exchanging Yasutora Sado, the group arrived at one of the four gates of Seireitei: the Western Gate, the White Way Gate.
" Jidanbō Ikkanzaka! I want to go in!"
Kaien Shiba arrived at the massive gate and immediately called out.
Who's yelling like that here?!
As Kaien Shiba finished speaking, a giant nearly ten meters tall slowly rose from the ground and strode toward Ichigo Kurosaki and the others.
"Wow, it's huge!"
Orihime Inoue couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as she looked at the enormous size of Jidanbō Ikkanzaka.
"Physical strength is directly proportional to physical strength; it's unimaginable just how terrifying the strength of this person before me must be!"
Uryū Ishida gritted his teeth; he was ready for battle.
"Um?!"
Yasutora Sado clenched his fists, pondering to himself whether his giant arm or the giant's strength would prevail if he were to fight the giant before him.
" Jidanbō Ikkanzaka! It's me, Kaien Shiba!"
Kaien Shiba crossed his arms over his chest and smiled gently at the towering giant.
" Kaien Shiba?!"
"Shi... Master Shiba Clan!"
Upon hearing Kaien Shiba's words, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka was immediately jolted awake, looking nervously at Kaien Shiba, who was no bigger than his foot.
"Boom!"
The next second, accompanied by a cloud of dust, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka instantly knelt down on one knee in front of Kaien Shiba.
" Jidanbō Ikkanzaka pays his respects to the head of the Shiba Clan!"
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka looked at Kaien Shiba with respect. As the guardian of the West Gate for three hundred years, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka was different from these young people who did not take the glory of the One King and Five Dukes seriously. He knew the One King and Five Dukes, or rather, he knew what kind of existence the Five Great Noble Clans who ruled the Soul Society were.
No need for formalities! No need for formalities!
"I've told you before, stop being so outdated! We need to innovate!"
Kaien Shiba waved to the Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, indicating that he didn't need to be so formal and didn't care about such tedious formalities.
"No, no, no, etiquette must never be disregarded!"
"May I ask what brings you here today, Lord Kaien?"
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka remained kneeling on one knee, and he respectfully asked Kaien Shiba.
"I need to bring a few new recruits with me into Seireitei. Could you please open the door?"
Kaien Shiba crossed his arms over his chest and spoke politely.
"This..."
After hearing what Kaien Shiba, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka looked somewhat hesitant.
"Is that not allowed?"
Kaien Shiba raised an eyebrow at Jidanbō Ikkanzaka hesitant expression.
"Of course."
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka at Kaien Shiba. After a brief hesitation, he completely understood. He was simply following the Shiba Clan's orders anyway. Since the Shiba Clan told him to open the door, he would open it, even if... the people behind Kaien Shiba were clearly not Soul Reaper...
"Ha!!!"
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka stood up, and with a low growl, the veins on his arms bulged, and then the heavy door was lifted high by Jidanbō Ikkanzaka!
"Thank you, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka." Kaien Shiba smiled and thanked Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, then, like a mother duck leading her ducklings, walked through the main gate of Seireitei, just as he had said before. "Alright, let's come in!"
"This is troublesome!"
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka watched Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"These people are definitely not new members... They're probably unidentified individuals, most likely Ryoka who have intruded into Soul Society!"
With his Jidanbō Ikkanzaka saw through Ichigo Kurosaki and the others' disguise in an instant.
"What are the Five Great Noble Clans up to? First the Shihoin Family, now the Shiba Clan... um... the Shihoin Family..."
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka mentioned the Shihoin Family, he immediately thought of the rumors he had heard about Shihoin, the current acting head of the Sōgo Shihoin. It was said that he had single-handedly slaughtered the entire Central 46 Chambers, but in the end, he was only punished by being confined to his own ancestral home.
"Forget it, let's just pretend we didn't see anything!"
Jidanbō Ikkanzaka considered himself a mere gatekeeper, not as noble as the sages and judges of the Central 46 Chambers. The Five Great Noble Clans were beings that even the Central 46 Chambers could kill at will. As a mere gatekeeper, he should just do his job well and not pry into anything else.
"They got in so easily?"
Ichigo Kurosaki, who had expected a tough battle, was somewhat surprised.
"What do you take our Shiba Clan for?"
"If you don't even have this much power, then you shouldn't be considered one of the Five Great Noble Clans of Soul Society, along with the Shihoin and Kuchiki Clan!"
Kaien Shiba, taking small, quick steps ahead, replied irritably.
"Huh?!"
Ichigo Kurosaki raised an eyebrow as he listened to Kaien Shiba's words. He had misjudged the situation; it seemed that the Five Great Noble Clans wielded more power in Soul Society than he had imagined.
However, this is not surprising, as Ichigo Kurosaki, living in the modern world, has no idea what the title of "noble" means, especially the title of "Duke".
"What? Now you want to come back into the arms of the Shiba Clan?"
"If you agree to change your surname now, what I said before still stands!"
Taking advantage of the momentum, Kaien Shiba tempted Ichigo Kurosaki.
Don't even think about it!
Ichigo Kurosaki rejected Kaien Shiba without any hesitation.
"How boring."
After hearing Ichigo Kurosaki's reply, Kaien Shiba turned his head away and refused to look at Ichigo Kurosaki again.
"..."
Ichigo Kurosaki's eye twitched, but he didn't say anything more.
And so, led by Kaien Shiba, Ichigo Kurosaki continued forward. Along the way, they encountered several Soul Reaper with Zanpakuto at their waists. However, upon seeing Kaien Shiba leading the way, none of these Soul Reaper bothered Ichigo Kurosaki and his group. Although there were a few clueless rookies, Kaien Shiba easily dealt with them all.
"Brother Kaien, where are we going?"
Ichigo Kurosaki followed behind Kaien Shiba, asking the question.
Although Ichigo Kurosaki was somewhat unhappy about Kaien Shiba's constant attempts to force him to change his surname, aside from that, Kaien Shiba still deserved to be called Ichigo Kurosaki's older brother.
"Of course, I'm going to see someone."
"Oh, I just mentioned her, and here she is."
Kaien Shiba turned to the side and smiled slightly at Ichigo Kurosaki, then, upon noticing a certain stunningly beautiful woman draped in a haori, immediately waved his hand.
"Brother! Why did you call me here?"
A beautiful woman with black hair blocked everyone's way. Her Shihakusho could not hide her curvaceous figure. With one hand on her hip, she exuded a queenly aura.
"Yo! Kūkaku!"
When Kaien Shiba saw the black-haired beauty, he smiled slightly and waved in greeting.
"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"
"So it finally happened? It's gender- Ichigo Kurosaki-kun!"
Orihime Inoue gazed at the beautiful, sexy black-haired woman's delicate face, her eyes trembling for a moment before she spoke with utter astonishment.
"How is that possible!"
After hearing Orihime Inoue's words, Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes twitched slightly, and he gently tapped Orihime Inoue.
"It hurts!"
Orihime held her head, looking aggrieved.
" Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?
"It's already this big?"
"Let my sister see..."
Just as Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue were playfully bickering, the beautiful woman with long black hair naturally noticed Ichigo Kurosaki as well.
The beautiful woman quickly approached Ichigo Kurosaki, cupped his face in her Ichigo Kurosaki, and spoke excitedly.
"Forehead..."
Ichigo Kurosaki grinned as he looked at Kūkaku Shiba, who was standing very close to him.
"Ah! That's great!"
"It seems you grew up well in the World of the Living as well."
"Well then, welcome back to Soul Society!"
"By the way, now that you're back, it's time to change your surname back to Shiba."
Kūkaku Shiba and Ichigo Kurosaki embraced gently, then Kukaku stepped back a few paces, put his hands on his hips, and spoke with a smile.
"What's wrong with all of you?"
"I will not change my surname!"
After hearing what Kūkaku Shiba said, Ichigo Kurosaki spoke with displeasure.
"Huh?"
"If you're not here to acknowledge your ancestors, then why are you so Isshin..."
After hearing Ichigo Kurosaki's words, Kūkaku Shiba was slightly taken aback, and then began to blurt out everything.
"Etc..."
Fortunately, Kaien covered Kūkaku's mouth in time and pulled Kūkaku away, explaining to her in Kūkaku ear.
"Oh oh!"
"Really? Really?"
"I see..."
"I think I understand."
Kūkaku nodded repeatedly. After listening to Kaien's explanation, she finally understood everything.
"Although I'm a little disappointed that Ichigo didn't come to claim his family, well... since it's to save his loved one, there's nothing I can do about it!"
"Sob... The love between Ichigo and Little Rukia is so touching..."
"Speaking of which, how long has it been since our Shiba Clan and the Kuchiki Clan had a marriage alliance?"
Kūkaku gently wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, tears that seemed to have welled up from being moved by the story of Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki, and asked excitedly.
"What do you understand? You don't understand anything at all!"
Ichigo Kurosaki was internally frustrated and speechless.
"Just classmates! Nothing more than classmates!"
Ichigo Kurosaki watched as Kūkaku's acting was phenomenal, his forehead covered in sweat. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
(End of this chapter)