Back home, Sōgo Shihoin excitedly started playing his game. Magical girl versus tentacle monster—it was so addictive...
Meanwhile, while Sōgo Shihoin was playing around recklessly, the entire Gotei 13 was in chaos.
One by one, the Soul Reaper, each wielding Zanpakuto, wander through the Soul Society. Their goal is simple: to find Rukia Kuchiki!
" Rukia Kuchiki!" a Soul Reaper roared, "Come out here!"
I don't know when it started, but it suddenly changed...
" Rukia Kuchiki! Come out now!" The Soul Reaper, with their ferocious expressions, walked down the street, their eyes constantly searching for and comparing anyone who matched the image in their hands.
"Gentlemen! Rukia Kuchiki has an onion-shaped hairstyle! That means... don't let any onion-headed guys get away!" Ikkaku Madarame commanded his subordinates!
"Oh!!!" All the Soul Reaper of the 11th Division nodded in unison. They understood; the order from above was to find Onion Head, who had been lost within the division!
"Onion Head, come out here!"
"Onion Head, where are you?! Come out right now!"
"Look everyone, that guy looks like an onion!"
"Don't let him get away! Arrest him right now!"
"But this guy looks like a man!"
"It doesn't matter, the higher-ups said we just need to catch Onion Head!"
The 11th Division, who only knew how to fight, grabbed all the Onion Heads and headed towards Ikkaku Madarame!
"Vice Captain! We've found Onion Head!" Several Soul Reaper escorted an elderly woman, who looked to be in her sixties, as they approached.
"What's your name?" Ikkaku Madarame asked the onion-headed man in front of him, holding a portrait in his hand.
"My name is... my name is..." the old lady said a few words and then suddenly fell asleep.
"This isn't Rukia Kuchiki at all!" Ikkaku Madarame slapped the Soul Reaper across the face.
"Vice Captain, didn't you tell me to find Onion Head?" the Grim Soul Reaper said somewhat unwillingly.
"Idiots! I told you to find Rukia Kuchiki, it just so happens that this Rukia Kuchiki has an onion-shaped head." Ikkaku Madarame knew that communicating with these people was like talking to a brick wall, he helplessly covered his face, "And what kind of people did you all bring me? And who is that two-meter-tall giant?"
"Reporting to the vice-captain, this two-meter-tall man is called Ruki, and he's mute!" the Soul Reaper immediately reported. "I think he's definitely Rukia!"
"Go to hell!" Ikkaku Madarame picked up a brick from the ground and threw it at the Soul Reaper's cheek.
"Find me Rukia! It has to be the one from the Kuchiki Clan, Rukia Kuchiki!" Ikkaku Madarame angrily shouted at the group of Soul Reaper standing in front of him.
"Yes, sir..." Although these Soul Reaper harbored some resentment, believing that Ikkaku Madarame was somewhat disgruntled, they would still strive to find Rukia Kuchiki. The reason was simple: the Gotei 11th Division was a division where strength was the deciding factor. Although Ikkaku Madarame lacked hair and brains, he still possessed strength.
"I'm so angry!" Ikkaku Madarame was furious as he looked at the group of Soul Reaper.
On the other side, the Fifth Division Captain, Shinji Hirako, the laziest guy in Soul Society, opened a Senkaimon.
"I bet Rukia isn't in Soul Society!" Shinji Hirako said, stepping into the Senkaimon...
"It's not really gambling, it's more of a guess! But the question is, if Rukia isn't in Soul Society, where would she be right now? That's what I need to consider..." Shinji Hirako walked through the Senkaimon, continuing forward as he pondered. "But guessing is never going to work. Instead of wasting time guessing here, let's set our sights on something, and head to the World of the Living Hiyori Sarugaki!"
Yes, Shinji Hirako's real purpose was simply to go to the World of the Living to see Hiyori, whom he couldn't let go of, and to find an excuse for his search for Hiyori.
Shinji Hirako is the laziest man in the entire Soul Society.
However, there is also someone in Soul Society who doesn't slack off, but insists on doing so anyway.
On the roof of the tiled house in the Eighth Division's captain's quarters, a man wearing a straw hat lay there with his legs crossed, looking up at the sky.
"Ah, this rest is wonderful. I wish it could last forever." The man looked at the blue sky and smiled slightly.
" Kyōraku, what are you doing here?" Lisa Yadōmaru, one of the vice-captains of the Eighth Division, smiled as she looked at the lazy man lying on the roof.
"Hmm!?" The man slowly opened his eyes upon hearing this. "Isn't this Lisa- chan?"
"Yes!" Lisa Yadōmaru nodded slightly, then stepped on Shunsui Kyōraku's face. "I wonder what brings Captain here while we're all busy?"
"Um... Lisa -chan~ could you please be a little gentler?" Shunsui Kyōraku felt a bit of pain. Although he was enjoying it, it was also painful; it was a bittersweet feeling.
" Captain Kyōraku ~" Lisa Yadōmaru grinned maliciously, "Does it feel good to be lazy all by yourself?"
"Hmm..." Shunsui Kyōraku thought for a few seconds, "That... actually, it's really good!"
"Go to hell!" Lisa Yadōmaru stomped hard on Shunsui Kyōraku's cheek. "You lazy old man!"
" Lisa -chan~" Shunsui Kyōraku pinched Lisa Yadōmaru's little foot and made a dirty joke, "The view down there is quite nice today!"
"Slap!" With a loud slap, Lisa Yadōmaru strode away, "I'm ignoring you, you annoying guy."
"Oh dear~" Shunsui Kyōraku sighed, covering his swollen face, " Lisa- chan's temper has really gotten worse lately."
"Sigh..." Shunsui Kyōraku dusted himself off and began his work for the day.
Meanwhile, when Shinji Hirako arrived in the World of the Living, he was stunned when he saw the girl wandering the streets before him.
"Wait..." Shinji Hirako grabbed the girl with the onion-shaped haircut in front of him.
"You, you wouldn't happen to be Rukia Kuchiki, would you?" Shinji Hirako asked the girl in front of her with some uncertainty.
"May I ask who you are?" Rukia Kuchiki asked, puzzled, as Shinji Hirako grabbed her hand.
"Hahaha..." Shinji Hirako smiled slightly, "I've searched high and low without finding it, and now it's right here in my sight! So you really are Rukia Kuchiki!"
"Yes!" Rukia Kuchiki. "But sir, I don't think I know you."
"I am Shinji Hirako, the captain of the Fifth Division of the Gotei 13." Shinji Hirako introduced himself to Rukia Kuchiki.
"Although you don't know me, and I don't know you, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I need to speak with you. There's a place called Soul Society, where many people live who don't know you, but who should know you!" Shinji Hirako explained to Rukia Kuchiki. "And although I may not seem to know you now, I should actually know you!"
"Excuse me, sir!" Rukia Kuchiki waved her hand. "I can understand what you're saying individually, but I can't understand it when they're put together."
"That's not important!" Shinji Hirako shook his head. "The important thing is that you come with me..."
"I'm sorry, sir," Rukia Kuchiki said, her demeanor shifting, "I can't leave with you—because I want to live on in this World of the Living forever with my friends!"
Rukia Kuchiki spoke, a surge of Spiritual Pressure suddenly erupted from her body. The next second, Rukia Kuchiki's hair grew to half-length, her clothes transformed into formal attire, and she wielded a magnificent, enormous scythe.
"You bastard..." Shinji Hirako stared at Rukia Kuchiki in disbelief, "This Spiritual Pressure... is it Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande!?"
Soul Society.
" Shinji Hirako ~" Sōsuke Aizen muttered to himself as he sat in his study, handling official business. "My vanished Second Espada was no ordinary person. You all thought you had killed him? No! You all forgot about him, even forgot to deal with his existence. He has always been with you; you just forgot."
"With your strength, you think you can handle the perfect combination of my specially crafted Second Espada and Rukia Kuchiki!?" Sōsuke Aizen shook his head. "It's still too difficult! You don't have that power! But I'll help you a little, since you're my former captain."
Sōsuke Aizen spoke, his figure vanished from the spot.
Rukia!?
" Rukia, where are you!?"
Ichigo Kurosaki wandered the streets of Rukia's hometown, searching for Rukia Kuchiki.
Just as Ichigo Kurosaki was calling out Rukia's name and flashing across the street, a Senkaimon suddenly appeared above his head.
"What!?" Before Ichigo Kurosaki could finish speaking, he was instantly trapped inside the doorway.
On the other side, Rukia wielded her giant scythe, relentlessly attacking Shinji Hirako. Having been strengthened by Sōsuke Aizen, Rukia Kuchiki displayed overwhelming fighting power against Shinji Hirako!
"Damn it!" Although Shinji Hirako was a veteran Soul Reaper and a Soul Reaper of both Kidō and Hakuda, Shinji Hirako felt powerless against Rukia Kuchiki, who possessed Vasto Lorde- level Arrancar Menos Grande. There was a qualitative difference in their Spiritual Pressure.
The reason why Shinji Hirako was able to keep fighting was entirely because Rukia Kuchiki was relying on her instincts to fight. There are differences between instincts. Not everyone's instinctive fighting awareness is ridiculously strong. After all, not everyone has a White living inside their body.
Rukia Kuchiki, who only knew how to slash randomly with her scythe, was relying entirely on brute force, but as the saying goes, the simplest is often the most effective.
Shinji Hirako, a skill-based fighter, is actually not good at dealing with someone like Rukia who completely overwhelms him.
"Ah!!!"
"What happened!?"
How did I suddenly end up here?
Just as Shinji Hirako was struggling, a crack suddenly appeared in the sky, and Ichigo Kurosaki, wielding Zangetsu, flew out from the crack.
" Rukia!" Ichigo Kurosaki looked down at Rukia Kuchiki and Shinji Hirako, his eyes Rukia!
"Stop Rukia!" Beads of sweat trickled down Shinji Hirako's forehead. " Ichigo, come save me! I can't beat her!"
Although it was quite humiliating for Shinji Hirako, the captain of the Fifth Division, to be defeated by Rukia Kuchiki, who was supposedly the vice-captain of the Gotei Thirteenth Division, being humiliated was nothing compared to losing one's life!
"I'm here!" Ichigo Kurosaki flew down from the sky, blocking Rukia's scythe with his sword. " Rukia, it's me! Ichigo Kurosaki!"
" Ichigo Kurosaki..." Rukia's eyes seemed to flicker with light.
"You saved me last time! This time, it's my turn to save you!" Ichigo Kurosaki looked at Rukia Kuchiki, gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, and his thoughts began to drift back to the past.
He remembered what happened two years ago...
That was the first time he met Rukia Kuchiki. At that time, facing the Menos Grande, the situation was extremely critical. Rukia held her Zanpakuto and stabbed Ichigo Kurosaki, giving Ichigo Kurosaki Soul Reaper, thus easily defeating the opposing Hollow.
That was Rukia saving Ichigo Kurosaki!
Then, due to Aizen's scheme, Rukia was captured by Soul Society. Ichigo Kurosaki stepped forward and rescued Rukia from the judgment of Soul Society. That was Ichigo Kurosaki's salvation of Rukia!
Two years later, Ichigo Kurosaki lost his power once again, and once again, in a moment of crisis, he was pierced through the body by that familiar Zanpakuto, and once again, Rukia pulled him back from the brink of death.
And now, it's his time to save Rukia again!
" Rukia! Stop sleeping! I know you can hear me!" Ichigo Kurosaki didn't use his Bankai; he simply swung his sword lightly in his Shikai state, sending Rukia flying. Even a Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande couldn't withstand the power of Ichigo Kurosaki strike.
"Wake up right now!" Ichigo Kurosaki yelled at Rukia.
" Ichigo..." A flicker of emotion Rukia's expressionless face, and tears slowly streamed from her eyes. " Ichigo Kurosaki..."
" Rukia Kuchiki!" Ichigo Kurosaki shouted Rukia 'Rukia name repeatedly.
" Ichigo Kurosaki..." Rukia's body erupted with intense Spiritual Pressure, and the power of the Menos Grande within her surged violently!
" Rukia- neechan... does our existence really cause you so much pain?!" In a daze, Rukia seemed to hear a voice she knew all too well, "If our existence causes you pain, then we will disappear, sister. You must live happily! We will become power, forever by your side, accompanying you."
"I remember now..." Rukia Kuchiki listened to the voice in her ear, and a look of realization dawned on her face. She finally remembered everything. She remembered Ichigo Kurosaki, the two children, and the owner of the warm power that was now completely entrusted to her body.
(End of this chapter)