Just as Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai, two Muguruma- tier fighters, were locked in a fierce battle, neither giving an inch, providing Sōgo Shihoin with an incredibly exciting fight...
Even in the shadows of this vast Soul Society, there are those who continue to act.
Inside the Fifth Division's headquarters.
The man named Sōsuke Aizen, the Fifth Division Captain, who became famous among the commoner Shinigami and won the favor of countless Soul Reaper for sheltering the only surviving Soul Reaper of the Central 46 Chambers, is currently writing and reviewing documents concerning various matters of the Fifth Division.
" Lord Aizen... here's your tea."
Just as Aizen was intently reviewing the documents, the door to the Fifth Division Commander's office was gently pushed open, and a petite girl carrying a teacup walked in.
"Thank you for your hard work, Hinamori."
Aizen looked at the graceful woman who walked in carrying a teacup, smiled faintly, put down the pen he was holding tightly, took off his glasses, and gently pinched his sore nose.
" Captain Aizen, would you like me to give you a massage?"
Hinamori consciously came up behind Aizen and gently massaged his shoulders with her soft, Aizen hands.
"Thank you so much, you've been a great help."
Aizen spoke with his eyes closed and an expression of enjoyment on his face.
"It doesn't matter..."
Momo Hinamori gently massaged Aizen's shoulder, her face slightly flushed.
Sōsuke Aizen was always an extremely diligent, gentle, and humble person. This was evident to countless Soul Reaper during his nearly one hundred years as the captain of the Fifth Division. Even those outside the Fifth Division held Sōsuke Aizen in high regard, to the point that within the Gotei 13 Seireitei, a saying circulated: 'You may not like Sōsuke Aizen, but you will never hate him...'
Indeed, this is true, even exaggerated. Almost no one dislikes the powerful and unassuming Sōsuke Aizen. Everyone admires the diligent Sōsuke Aizen, especially the Fifth Division's lieutenant, a woman named Momo Hinamori, who is her favorite...
Momo Hinamori... The childhood Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the captain of the Tenth Division. Although she is a childhood friend who shines like a morning star and whose looks and talents are among the best in the entire Soul Society, she Isshin admires her own division captain.
In Momo Hinamori's heart, her captain was a perfect being, like a god... However, when such a perfect being, like a pillar of her soul, collapsed, the impact on Momo Hinamori's heart was unimaginable, but it was precisely this kind of impact... that Aizen wanted.
"Speaking of Sōgo's been locked up lately!"
Sōsuke Aizen his eyes tightly closed, suddenly spoke.
" Sōgo Shihoin?!"
When Momo Hinamori heard the name Shihoin, her expression changed, and she even increased the pressure on her hand.
" Sōgo Shihoin is still a good person... As for why he would do such a thing..."
Aizen's brows furrowed tightly, as if he were in great pain.
" Lord Aizen, please don't be angry because of Sōgo Shihoin. There is justice in this world, and justice is on our side."
Even if the Central 46 Chambers is no longer able to execute that demon Sōgo Shihoin.
"But... I believe Captain-Commander Yamamoto will definitely not let that devil get away with it."
Momo Hinamori began to speak very earnestly.
"Is that so? Is it just?"
After hearing Aizen Momo Hinamori's words, Aizen's lips curled up slightly. He liked the word "justice," and he was... justice.
" Hinamori, you can leave now."
"I'll drink the tea later."
I still have some work to do.
Aizen gently patted Momo Hinamori's soft, white hand resting on his shoulder and spoke.
"I understand. Please be careful."
Momo Hinamori felt the warmth of Aizen's hand on her small hand, and her face instantly turned red. She quickly took a few steps back and mechanically smiled at Aizen.
"Um."
Aizen smiled gently at Momo Hinamori Momo Hinamori waved lightly at her.
"Um!"
Momo Hinamori gave Aizen a stiff nod and left through the gate.
"Hmph~"
Aizen smiled slightly after Momo Hinamori left.
" Sōgo-kun, Kurosaki- kun, everyone is in position."
"The play can finally officially begin!"
Aizen gently stood up from his seat, walked to the window, and looked at the beautiful scenery outside, a slight smile playing on his lips.
In the underground training room of the Shihōin Clan in the noble district.
The two figures, panting heavily, faced each other in a standoff.
"Give up, Ichigo Kurosaki..."
Renji Abarai looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, who was no longer able to maintain his Bankai, and laughed loudly.
"You're the one who should admit defeat, aren't you?"
Ichigo Kurosaki the cleaver-shaped Zangetsu, raising an eyebrow. He simply couldn't understand where this guy, who couldn't even maintain his Shikai, got the courage to make him admit defeat!
"So boring..."
Sōgo Shihoin yawning. He was already bored with Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai. Their fight had made him sleepy.
"You guys continue~"
I want to go back to sleep.
After saying this, Sōgo Shihoin, holding the already sleeping Yoruichi Shihōin in his arms, left the underground training room.
Is this okay?
"Damn it, Renji Abarai?"
After Sōgo Shihoin left, Ichigo Kurosaki Renji Abarai.
"Call..."
"Finally gone..."
"I'm exhausted."
Renji Abarai plopped down on the ground, panting as he spoke.
In order to prevent Sōgo Shihoin from realizing that they were acting, they agreed from the beginning to go all out, and now it seems that their operation was quite successful.
"It's because you're too stubborn."
"If you had just given up from the start, we wouldn't be so exhausted."
Ichigo Kurosaki a kitchen knife, glanced at Renji Abarai lying on the ground and smiled disdainfully.
"Ha?"
You mean you want me to admit defeat?
"How could I admit defeat? I have to defeat you first."
Renji Abarai angrily roared at Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Speaking of which, where did they all go?"
Ichigo Kurosaki looked around, noticing the empty seats and Orihime Inoue and the others who had long since left, and asked.
"They seem to have left a few hours ago, right?"
"To be honest, I didn't pay much attention either..."
Renji Abarai scratched the back of his head; he really wasn't quite sure.
"Then what do we do?"
Ichigo Kurosaki an eyebrow, looking at the vast training ground and Renji Abarai, who was the only one still standing there. He gradually fell into deep thought.
What else can we do?
"Let's go out!"
Renji Abarai looked at Ichigo Kurosaki as if he were an idiot.
He bypassed Ichigo Kurosaki, strode to the door of the underground training room, and then froze in place.
Why is the door locked?
After pushing the door in front of him with all his might to no avail, Renji Abarai suddenly had a bad feeling.
"No way?"
Hearing Ichigo Kurosaki Renji Abarai's mutterings, Ichigo Kurosaki's expression changed. He quickly went to Renji Abarai's side and asked anxiously.
"The gate is locked..."
"That Sōgo probably locked the door when he left."
Renji Abarai opened his mouth slightly, feeling as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He gritted his teeth and spoke slowly and deliberately, looking at the locked door. He was almost furious.
"Knock knock!"
Unconvinced, Ichigo Kurosaki stared intently at the door before him, finally convincing himself that it was indeed locked.
There's no other way now.
"We can only try our best to blast this door open!"
Ichigo Kurosaki Zanpakuto, which resembled a kitchen knife, preparing to cleave open the door blocking his way out.
"Take a little more pressure off."
"If anything goes wrong again, that stingy guy Sōgo will definitely not let us off the hook."
Renji Abarai patted Ichigo Kurosaki on the shoulder, tacitly acknowledging Ichigo Kurosaki's plan to blast open the gate.
"Call!"
" Getsuga Tenshō!"
Ichigo Kurosaki took a deep breath, raised his hands high, and powerful Spiritual Power overflowed from his body, converging towards the Zanpakuto in his hands. The next second, a huge, azure crescent moon was released from the kitchen knife in Ichigo Kurosaki's hand, blasting towards the huge iron gate that was blocking Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai from leaving.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, the massive iron gate remained completely still.
"What?"
Ichigo Kurosaki stared at the door, feeling a sense of disbelief. He knew perfectly well the power of his Getsuga Tenshō; one strike could cut a hundred-meter-high mountain in half. Yet, this powerful Getsuga Tenshō couldn't budge the iron door in the slightest. This was truly shocking to Ichigo Kurosaki's worldview.
" Ichigo Kurosaki! Is your Spiritual Pressure not enough?"
Renji Abarai, who had been staring intently at Ichigo Kurosaki, spoke with some dissatisfaction.
"Are you kidding me? If you're so capable, you do it yourself!"
Ichigo Kurosaki said to Renji Abarai with displeasure.
"Then I'll do it!"
"You ruler! Mask of flesh and blood, all things take flight, those bearing the name of humanity! Scorching heat and strife, rising southward across the sea, marching forward! The Hadō #31, Shakkahō!"
Renji Abarai did not unleash his Zanpakuto. His Zanpakuto was more suitable for dealing with humans than with this kind of iron gate. So, facing this huge iron gate, Renji Abarai chose to use his most proficient technique, one of his most frequently used Kidō, the Shakkahō!
With Spiritual Pressure approaching Muguruma, and having almost reached the Captain-level Renji Abarai fully chanted the Shakkahō. It was like a small, shining sun, constantly radiating light and heat. As soon as the fireball left Renji Abarai's hands, it exploded on the door that was blocking the two of them from leaving. The terrifying shockwave stirred up a cloud of dust... But when the shockwave dissipated, the iron door remained unmoved, blocking their way.
Something's wrong with this iron gate.
Renji Abarai, staring at the iron gate that had blocked his and Ichigo Kurosaki's attacks, finally realized something was wrong.
"Could this iron gate be protected by a barrier?"
Renji Abarai's eyes twitched slightly as he spoke the truth, one he didn't want to admit but had to.
"No way?"
So, does that mean I'll be alone with you in a room today?
As he spoke, Ichigo Kurosaki took a few steps back and covered his buttocks.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
What do you mean by that?
You don't actually think I'm going to do anything to you, do you?
Renji Abarai's eyelids twitched violently as he watched Ichigo Kurosaki looking at him warily.
"..."
After hearing Renji Abarai's words, Ichigo Kurosaki fell silent... Although he didn't answer Renji Abarai, his silence spoke volumes.
"Damn it! If you don't want to be alone in a room with me, come help me!"
"Let's see if there's anywhere else we can get out..."
"Get out as soon as possible."
"Because I don't want to live with you either."
Renji Abarai angrily roared at Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Tsk~"
After hearing Renji Abarai's words, Ichigo Kurosaki Kurosaki's eye twitched. He had actually been jostled by this red-haired lion dog. Although he was very annoyed, he still came to help, because, as the other man's words implied, he didn't want to be with him either.
And so the next morning arrived.
The Seireitei shrouded in mist in the early morning... This was not smog caused by poor air quality, but rather a mist rising from the fresh dew in the early morning. Walking in the mist did not cause any itching on the skin, but only a slightly damp and refreshing feeling.
"So sleepy..."
Several patrol members, just awakened, yawned repeatedly as they walked through the mist. They strolled absentmindedly through Seireitei, more like taking an after-dinner walk than conducting a patrol. Nearly a century of peace in Soul Society had numbed their minds; they didn't believe any disaster would befall Seireitei. They were only thinking about completing their patrol mission quickly, then returning to their warm beds for another nap.
"Clatter~"
As the group strolled casually through the Seireitei in the early morning, a patrolman who had been walking briskly suddenly stopped. He looked up at a certain spot, his body trembling.
"Hey! Why did you stop?"
"I was planning to go back to sleep!"
His teammates behind him asked impatiently, looking exhausted.
"Look... there! What's that?"
The patrolman, who had stopped and was trembling, pointed to the pavilion in mid-air and kept asking questions.
"Ha?"
What could possibly be there?
His teammates behind him spoke dismissively, following the first teammate's finger as they looked towards the second-floor wall shrouded in mist.
With just one glance, the previously drowsy team member instantly snapped awake, a surge of extreme fear rising within him, jolting his very soul...
"Quickly! Go and inform the Captain-Commander!"
One of the quick-thinking team members immediately made a decision. What was happening before their eyes was no longer something they could get involved in. He looked at the man wearing the captain's Zanpakuto, whose chest was bleeding profusely and who had completely lost his life. He knew that the Soul Society was about to change!
(End of this chapter)