Getsuga... Is That So...?
"Heh... you've certainly grown stronger since the last time I saw you, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"What!? You know who I am?"
"Who knows? Maybe I only heard about you for the first time from the Captain of Squad 6 the other day—or maybe, just maybe, I've known about you since long before you were even born."
...Right.
Ichigo Kurosaki remembered now. On the day he had stormed into the Soul Society to rescue Rukia, the very first Captain of the Gotei 13 he encountered had said those same ominous words. The man standing before him now—Gin Ichimaru.
"Since... before I was born?"
Midway through their clash of blades, Ichigo found his body freezing up at the memory.
"Oh, did you forget? My mistake."
"Ichimaru... you... don't tell me..."
"Forgive me. That was actually a bit of a spoiler. Let's keep that off the record between the three of us, shall we?"
Ichigo felt his blood boil. The man had shaken him to his core, yet he refused to offer a single word of explanation. Gin's mocking, playful attitude—revealing everything yet explaining nothing—was infuriating.
Just as Ichigo's temper began to flare, a hand reached out to steady him. It was his father, Isshin Kurosaki.
"Ichigo, step back. I'll handle this."
"But, Dad...!"
"And whatever you do, don't listen to a word he says. He'll rot your brain."
Ichigo couldn't find the words to argue. He was overwhelmed by the sheer, terrifying intensity on his father's face—an expression he had never seen in all his years growing up with the man.
In that moment, Ichigo understood. This wasn't just some battlefield banter. This was a massive secret involving his father's entire life and the mysterious spiritual heritage of the Kurosaki family. It wasn't something to be discussed in the heat of battle, nor was it something that could be easily processed.
"Fine. But I'm fighting too."
Ichigo pushed his curiosity aside and focused his killing intent. Perhaps if he traded blows with this man, he would find the answers he sought. He clung to that small sliver of hope.
"You idiot. Just don't get in my way!"
"Right back at you, Beard! Try not to trip over your own feet!"
"Who are you calling Beard!?"
Despite the bickering, father and son stood together to face their enemy. Across from them, the slit-eyed man continued to smile with visible amusement.
"Truly touching. It hasn't been that long since you were such a crybaby. Humans really do grow up fast."
Once again, Gin dangled Ichigo's past in front of him. But this time, Ichigo held his ground, sensing his father's rising temper and choosing to return the provocation instead.
"Hah! You think so? From where I'm standing, you're the one who's changed, Ichimaru."
"Me?"
Gin looked genuinely puzzled. Ichigo pressed on.
Ever since awakening his Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo had found that he could sense a glimmer of his opponent's thoughts whenever their blades crossed. It wasn't anything as grand as reading minds or memories; it was a vague sense of their resolve—whether they fought to protect, to kill, or for the sheer joy of combat. The stronger the opponent, the clearer the "echo" of their soul became.
"I've fought three people whose hearts I couldn't read. You were one of them."
He had lost to the other two before he could even trade blows, but he had managed to clash with Gin once before. The eerie "void" he felt back then had stayed with him—the chilling sensation of an enemy who looked right through him as if he didn't even exist.
But now...
"I can tell a little bit now. You can play the fool all you want, but behind that grin... you're actually pretty pissed off, aren't you?"
Ichigo added a self-deprecating shrug. "I don't know what's got you so annoyed, though."
Ichigo had only intended to rattle him, but the provocation hit closer to the mark than he expected.
"Hmm."
Gin's response was a quiet, singular note.
"I used to think you were just an interesting kid... but now I see you're actually quite creepy."
The atmosphere around Gin shifted instantly. The playful, fox-like expression remained, but his aura underwent a total reversal.
"Good grief... bloodline and power aside, you've grown into exactly the kind of boy Lord Aizen would find fascinating."
Gin muttered another cryptic line to himself and adjusted his grip on his sword.
Here it comes.
"Tell me," Gin started, surprising Ichigo with a sudden boast about his Zanpakuto. "Do you know how long my Shinsocan extend?"
He went on about its length and his old nicknames—the kind of self-aggrandizing talk that seemed completely out of character for a man like him. Ichigo felt a sense of dread pooling in his chest. When Gin finally mentioned the scale of his Bankai, Ichigo went cold.
"It's 13 kilometers."
It had to be a joke. That was more than double the distance from his house to his school. He couldn't even visualize it.
"Numbers don't really do it justice, do they?"
Reading Ichigo's confusion, Gin lowered the tip of his blade toward the ground. "Then I'll show you. And this time... I won't be holding back."
Just like that day in the Soul Society, Gin took his stance.
"Bankai."
"Kamishini no Yari."
In a flash, the rubble of the town was sliced perfectly in half along the horizon.
"What...!?"
"Ichigo, move!"
Isshin shoved his stunned son out of the way just in time. Both men immediately regained their footing, but Gin's follow-up was faster. A blinding streak of light targeted Isshin, who had the lower spiritual pressure and had yet to release his sword.
"Gah! You brat!"
"Heh. I gave you plenty of hints, but I didn't think you'd see through it on the first try. I'd expect nothing less from the former Captain of Squad 10."
Isshin managed to shield himself with his blade, but the sheer force was staggering.
"But this is a Bankai, you know? If a standard Zanpakuto could stop it, Momo would have turned me to ash in the Hueco Mundo training grounds long ago."
"Gah!"
"Dad!"
Isshin was blown back, a spray of blood trailing behind him. Ichigo's heart hammered with concern for his father, but he didn't have time to look away.
"Now then. It's your turn, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Flash after flash of light erupted. Shockwaves of vacuum pressure pulverized the surrounding ruins. Blindingly fast strikes rained down on Ichigo.
But Ichigo had overcome despair in Hueco Mundo time and again. He was the miracle of the Soul Society.
Clang!
Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu caught and held Gin's impossibly long blade.
"Don't look so surprised. Your Bankai might overwhelm my dad's unreleased sword... but there's no way a Bankai can't stop a Bankai!"
Thanks to the healing he had received from Captain Unohana in the Garganta, Ichigo was in top form. He wasn't going to fall behind so easily.
Then, the tide turned further in their favor.
"Hey now. Don't start the party without me!"
Isshin returned to the battlefield, his aura now a blazing inferno that made him look like a completely different man. He finally released his own Zanpakuto.
"Burn... Engetsu!"
Heat flooded the area as spiritual flames erupted. The blade grew to double its size, with a long tassel trailing from the hilt. Ichigo stared at the weapon in shock.
"Heh. What's the matter, son? Can you feel the 'blood'?"
"Dad... that sword..."
"Yeah, mine's cooler, isn't it? Right, Engetsu?"
With those words, the "Bearded Father" lunged at Gin. Watching his father's reliable back, Ichigo felt a rush of pride and embarrassment that he couldn't quite put into words. He channeled that heat into his own blade and followed.
"Don't get cocky, Beard! Say stuff like that after you've achieved Bankai!"
"Shut up! It's been so long since I released him that Engetsu is being moody and won't let me use it yet!"
"Hah! Fine! Then stay back and watch the master at work! Let's go, Zangetsu!"
Leaving Gin to his father for a moment, Ichigo leaped into the air. He prepared his signature move—
"You mean... Getsuga Tensho?" Isshin asked with a smirk.
"Wait, you really do know about it!?"
"Of course I do. After all... that's my technique!"
Ichigo's mind reeled. "What!?"
"I told you, didn't I? Engetsu and Zangetsu... they're Zanpakuto that share our bloodline!"
With one final clash, Isshin used a flick of his finger—infused with massive power—to slam Gin into the ground. Using the momentum to vault into the air, he took his place beside his son.
They shared a quick glance and a smirk. In this moment, with their twin blades in hand, words were unnecessary.
"Alright, Ichigo! Match my timing!"
"In your dreams! You match mine!"
Both men raised their swords to the sky, pouring every ounce of their spiritual power into a single, devastating strike.
"GETSUGA TENSHO!"
The fusion of fire and darkness triggered a colossal explosion. Scorching winds and spiritual pressure tore the environment apart, throwing up a massive curtain of dust. It was a Getsuga Tensho of unprecedented power—the first joint attack between father and son.
"Let's go."
"Don't boss me around, Dad."
The two turned back toward the center of the battlefield. They had spent too much time here, and the primary threat was still active, radiating a tsunami of spiritual pressure in the distance.
Urahara, Yoruichi, Shinji, Kyoraku, Soi Fon, Komamura, and Unohana were all fighting Sosuke Aizen. It was an incredible lineup of power, yet after seeing what Momo Hinamori had been capable of, Ichigo couldn't help but worry. Defeating a man who could lead—and then discard—someone that powerful while simultaneously protecting Hinamori and Toshiro was a near-impossible task.
They had to hurry.
"Good grief... I really liked these clothes, too."
The familiar, light voice drifted out from the settling dust behind them.
"What!?"
Gin Ichimaru emerged from the smoke, wiping blood from his forehead with a nonchalant stride. He looked largely unharmed.
"Why so surprised? Did you really think I'd be the same as I was twenty years ago, Captain?"
"Ichimaru...!"
Gin brushed off his tattered clothes, a mocking grin on his fox-like face. "I'm used to high-density fire and spiritual pressure." He had taken little more than a scratch. The Demon King's lieutenant was still very much in the fight.
"Still... what should I do? My Kamishini no Yari's 'slashing' has been stopped..."
Gin toyed with the hilt of his short blade before pointing the tip directly at them.
"Then I suppose I'll have to rely on a straightforward 'thrust.'"
"Kamishini no Yari: Buto Renjin — Dance of the Connecting Blades."
In that instant, the Kurosakis' vision was swallowed by a thousand points of light.