Chapter 231: You Dare Call Yourself My Friend?
"You... you are..."
Kaname stood frozen in place, stunned.
He "looked" toward Satoru, his face filled with astonishment.
Satoru offered no reply, merely casting him a fleeting glance.
Then, his form vanished in an instant.
From the river, Tokinada burst through the surface.
"Pfft!!"
He spat out a mouthful of water, glaring furiously toward the shore.
"Damn it, who did this... Do you have any idea who you're attacking?!"
Yet, the only person standing on the riverbank was Kaname.
Further away, a group of noble guards stood watch.
All of them had accompanied him here.
Logically, when their master was assaulted, the guards should have rushed to his defense.
But... these guards seemed to have gone mad, every last one of them brandishing iron rods and savagely striking their comrades!
Their expressions were twisted, their blows ruthless, as if the people beside them were not allies but bitter enemies.
This bizarre scene made Tokinada's eyes widen in disbelief.
Just as he tried to climb out of the water, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
"Ugh!!"
A large hand slammed against his face.
The hand moved with such speed and force that it gave him no chance to resist, shoving him backward across the river's surface.
Tokinada was propelled so violently that his body carved a long, churning wake through the water.
The river, parted by his passage, had no time to close behind him.
Under the immense force and velocity, the once gentle, harmless water became as sharp as blades, slicing into his body and forcing agonized roars from his throat.
BOOM!!!
The hand pressing against Tokinada's face drove him clear across the river, slamming him into the opposite bank and erupting a geyser of earth over ten meters high.
"Bastard... damn you! You've laid hands on a noble! You will die for this!!"
Lying in the crater, Tokinada writhed in pain, his eyes squeezed shut as he cursed through gritted teeth.
Just then, a voice that struck a familiar chord sounded beside him.
"What a pity."
"Though my status may not match yours, I am, by all accounts, a noble as well."
"If we fight, wouldn't it simply be a brawl between nobles?"
Tokinada's eyes snapped open.
At the sight of the person standing nearby, he gasped—
"Satoru!!"
"Your grandpa is here!"
As the words rang out, Satoru grinned widely and brought his fist crashing down.
Tokinada's eyes widened as he unleashed a burst of Reiatsu from his feet.
Still lying flat on the ground, he hastily formed a Reiatsu platform beneath him and shot backward.
Satoru's fist struck the empty earth, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Huh? Not bad."
Initially, he had thought Tokinada was just a noble young master, whose strength at best reached that of a high-ranking seated officer, so he hadn't exerted much effort.
But from the Reiatsu that burst forth from Tokinada in that instant, along with his Flash Step technique, it was clear this guy was actually Captain-level.
And not just any Captain—he was one of the quite capable ones, not some watered-down imitation like a certain "carriage."
He straightened up and looked toward Tokinada not far away.
The latter was also watching him with a wary gaze.
"Satoru... I haven't done anything to provoke you."
"What just happened, I can pretend never occurred."
"How about we each take a step back and go our separate ways?"
Hearing this, Satoru let out a scornful laugh.
"Pretty boy, why so timid?"
"With your strength, if we really fight, who wins is still up in the air."
"You didn't hesitate to kill your own wife, and you didn't hesitate to slaughter powerless civilians. If you're so brave, why yield to me now?"
As he spoke, he drew his Zanpakutō.
"Come on, show me the dignity of the Five Noble Clans!"
Tokinada narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"Satoru, you and I have no grudges between us. Why take things this far?"
"Though the Tsunayashiro Clan has been brought down by you and lost its former glory, we are still one of the Five Noble Clans."
"More friends mean more paths. Perhaps someday, I might even be able to help you in some way?"
Under his gaze, Satoru revealed a contemptuous smile.
"A beast who killed his own wife—someone like you isn't fit to be my friend."
At these words, the smile finally vanished from Tokinada's face.
He abruptly thrust out his palm: "Kidō #63, Raikōhō!!"
A golden light instantly took shape, piercing through the night sky as it shot upward.
Amid the lightning, Satoru reached out and tore through the electric blast.
Then, he leaped into the air, swinging his Zanpakutō as he charged toward Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
"Annihilate, Risō Jakumetsu!"
Blue flames erupted around Satoru as he soared through the air.
Watching Satoru enveloped in flames, Tokinada suddenly felt a surge of fear.
This form was far too reminiscent of that person.
Long ago, he had been a classmate of Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake.
Back then, the Gotei 13 wasn't as prosperous as it is now, and Yamamoto Shigekuni often personally took to the field to teach students.
Among all the students, Yamamoto quickly identified these three promising talents.
For various reasons, the old man only took Shunsui and Jūshirō as his disciples.
But for Tokinada, the old man still offered extra care and taught him many things.
Tokinada held complex feelings toward Yamamoto.
Gratitude, admiration, hatred, resentment...
But among these emotions, the most prominent was fear.
That figure, wrapped in flames, had lingered like a nightmare throughout his long life.
He had thought that as long as he didn't provoke Yamamoto Shigekuni, he would never have to face that figure again.
Yet now, in another person, he was seeing that familiar nightmare!
After a brief moment of panic, Tokinada suddenly took a deep breath.
He stared intently at the charging Satoru and drew his Zanpakutō.
"Bite down, Fūja!"
As the release command was spoken, a few wisps of gentle wind began to swirl around Tokinada.
Mid-air, Satoru, who was charging forward, suddenly let out a soft "Hm?"
He tilted his head slightly.
A gentle breeze brushed past his ear.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sensation shot through his ear.
Though he couldn't see it, Satoru instantly became aware of his condition.
Two tiny blood spots had appeared on his ear.
As if something had bitten him.
Something extremely dangerous quickly entered his bloodstream through the two bleeding points, rushing straight toward his heart.
All of this happened in an instant.
At the same time his ear was bitten, Satoru had already closed in on Tokinada.
Two blades wreathed in blue flames swept down with overwhelming, ferocious force!