Chapter 358: The Captain-Commander Is Still Alive!
Watching Satoru charging toward him, Inaba Kagerōza felt a pang of anxiety.
Although he had successfully suppressed this guy last time, reputation matters—just the thought of Satoru's string of glorious achievements made him instinctively want to retreat.
Swish! Swish!
Two clone captains Flash Stepped between them, assuming combat stances against Satoru.
But before they could mount a proper counterattack, Satoru had already dashed to their sides with a grin, throwing two simultaneous punches—
Triple · One Bone × 2!!
Under the triple-layered force, the power had reached perfection. Even captain-level clones couldn't evade it.
After a terrifying explosion, both were severely injured and plummeted downward.
Witnessing this spectacular scene, the Gotei 13's morale soared.
The clones they had struggled so hard to suppress were like clay chickens and pottery dogs before Captain Mikami—utterly powerless!
Victory, a massive victory!
"Go, Captain Mikami!"
"Take him down, Captain Mikami!!"
Amid the shouts, Satoru, fueled by expectations and boiling with passion!
He charged forward!
"Eek, eek! Stay away from me!!!"
Inaba Kagerōza, who had just made a grand villainous entrance, couldn't help but contort his expression.
He instinctively stepped back, raising his hands to shield himself.
No matter how strong he became or how many powerful subordinates he had, when faced with life and death, he was still the coward deep inside, too afraid to confront danger.
In an instant, Satoru was right in front of him, dual blades in hand, slashing down!
Inaba Kagerōza turned his head away in terror and closed his eyes.
Yet, the expected pain never came.
He slowly opened his eyes and turned back to look ahead.
There, he saw Satoru gripping his dual blades, the edges trembling just a dozen centimeters away, unable to press down.
"Urgh... I can't break through! I can't break through!!"
Satoru's face twisted in agony as he strained with all his might, shouting aloud.
Staring at the blades before him, Inaba Kagerōza was stunned for a moment.
Then, he slowly grinned, revealing an excited smile.
Indeed... indeed!
It wasn't an illusion last time—this guy Satoru couldn't match him in terms of Reiatsu!
Faced with his own invincible power, even Satoru—who could rival the Captain-Commander—had no choice but to admit defeat!
Hah, just a fraction of his unintentionally released power had rendered Satoru helpless. What if he consciously unleashed his full strength?!
At this thought, Inaba Kagerōza let out a soft chuckle.
"Raikū!!"
He thrust his Zanpakutō forward, releasing a wave of Reiatsu.
"Gah!!"
Satoru was sent flying backward instantly, like a high-speed cannonball, crashing into the distant ground with a thunderous impact and kicking up billowing dust!
Witnessing this, the captains of the Gotei 13 were stunned.
From the shadows, Kujō Nozomi peeked out with half her small head, equally shocked.
Ukitake frowned deeply.
"Is the enemy really this powerful? Even Satoru can't handle him?"
Not long ago, he had witnessed the epic battle between his junior brother and their teacher. The power they displayed was something even he could only look up to.
Now, an enemy who had appeared out of nowhere was actually overpowering his junior brother...
This was simply unbelievable!
Kyōraku adjusted his straw hat.
He still felt something was off.
After scanning his surroundings, he spoke:
"Everyone, I'll test that guy... Since Satoru just took care of two clones, it should be fine if I leave temporarily. Hold the line for me!"
"Don't worry!"
The other captains nodded in agreement.
Among those present, Kyōraku was the strongest. With his assistance, Satoru might be able to turn the tide slightly.
Dodging the clones' attempts to intercept him, Shunsui Kyōraku Flash Stepped into the sky, brandishing his dual swords as he charged toward Inaba Kagerōza.
Seeing Kyōraku rushing at him, Inaba Kagerōza sneered.
If even Satoru can't defeat me, where does a mere ordinary captain get such confidence?
He didn't even bother using his Zanpakutō, directly releasing his Reiatsu to strike at Kyōraku.
Kyōraku's heart tightened.
It's the same move that took down Satoru... I can't take it head-on!
He swiftly dodged, evading the Reiatsu shockwave unleashed by Inaba Kagerōza.
But as the shockwave brushed past him, he couldn't help but glance at it with confusion.
Was it an illusion...? It didn't feel very powerful—barely at the level of third-class Reiatsu?
While Kyōraku was puzzled, Inaba Kagerōza, seeing his attack dodged, immediately showed displeasure.
With a roar, he released an even larger wave of Reiatsu.
Facing the oncoming assault, Kyōraku crossed his dual swords in front of his chest, preparing to test its strength.
How could he formulate a battle plan without gauging the enemy's power?
But just as the Reiatsu shockwave was about to make contact, a figure suddenly shot up from the ground, swooping in and grabbing him, flying away with him.
"Watch out, Senior Brother!!"
Satoru slammed into Shunsui Kyōraku's chest, pushing him out of the range of the Reiatsu blast.
Inaba Kagerōza's Reiatsu didn't do much, but Satoru's collision nearly cost Shunsui Kyōraku his life.
His eyes bulged, his face contorted, and he nearly dropped his dual swords.
Satoru came to a stop, glanced back at the avoided Reiatsu shockwave, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he flashed a bright smile and gave Kyōraku a thumbs-up:
"That was close, Uncle Kyōraku. You almost fell for it."
Kyōraku clutched his stomach, his face pale.
"Satoru, what are you doing... I just sensed it. While Inaba Kagerōza's power isn't bad—barely reaching captain-level—even ten of him couldn't force you into a difficult battle!"
"Let alone knocking you back with just Reiatsu impact."
"His meager Reiatsu probably feels like nothing more than a breeze against your face, right?"
Hearing this, the smile gradually faded from Mikami Satoru's face.
He glanced down at the captains battling the replicas on the ground, then looked back at Kyōraku.
From an angle no one else could see, he grinned, revealing a demonic smile.
"Senior brother, you don't want to see that old man truly getting away with this, staying away forever and dumping all the work on us two, do you?"
"Of course I don't, but what does that have to do with..."
Mid-sentence, Kyōraku suddenly understood, his eyes slowly widening.
He stared intently at his junior brother before him.
"You mean..."
"Heh heh heh..."
Satoru chuckled without answering.
Kyōraku thought for two seconds, then also broke into a smile.
"Heh heh heh..."
They exchanged a glance, everything understood without words.
On the ground, the Gotei 13 members were locked in fierce combat with the replicas.
Occasionally, they looked up to check the battle in the sky.
They saw Satoru and Kyōraku Shunsui seemingly discussing tactics before charging toward Inaba Kagerōza without hesitation!
With these two joining forces, victory was assured!
The Gotei 13 members all showed excited expressions.
Then they saw—just as the two reached Inaba Kagerōza—they suddenly cried out in unison and went flying back faster than they'd charged!
BOOM! BOOM!!
The two crashed into the nearby ground, sending up billowing clouds of dust.
Now the Gotei 13 side finally began to panic.
If only Satoru had pulled such a stunt, it might have been a prank, but with Kyōraku Shunsui reacting the same way...
It seemed Inaba Kagerōza truly had become invincible!
What should they do now?!
Among the replicas, many captains showed expressions of confusion.
Was Inaba Kagerōza... really this strong?
Before anyone could react, Satoru and Shunsui Kyōraku flipped themselves upright.
"Everyone! This opponent is tough! Retreat now!" Satoru shouted.
Retreat? To where?
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
They were already at the First Division headquarters. Where could they possibly retreat to?
Rukongai?
Wouldn't that make them all wandering fugitives?
As these thoughts crossed their minds, Shunsui Kyōraku spoke:
"Everyone, let's head to the Living World first! We can figure out our next move once we're there!"
What?!
This time, the Gotei 13 members were truly shocked.
Shinji Hirako was the first to angrily retort: "What kind of joke is this!"
"Captain Kyōraku, how can you say something like that? Are you worthy of the name Gotei 13?"
Ukitake also expressed surprise:
"Kyōraku, how could you... how could you suggest such a thing!"
Just as others were about to speak, Satoru cut in first:
"Before our teacher died... before he left, he said I should temporarily take over First Division duties!"
"Currently, Kagerōza's power is overwhelming and we can't defeat him. We must first go to the Living World!"
"This isn't retreat - it's a strategic advance to the rear!"
"Don't worry, although the replicas are just modified souls, their essential nature to protect Seireitei won't change. Seireitei will be safe in their hands!"
As soon as Satoru finished speaking, Unohana stated:
"Yes, we obey Captain Mikami's command!"
Komamura frowned, thinking for a few seconds.
Although Mikami-aniki often acted impulsively, Vice-Captain Aizen was reliable.
For something this important, Mikami-aniki must have discussed it with Vice-Captain Aizen.
His own wisdom was far inferior to Vice-Captain Aizen's, so he shouldn't interfere thoughtlessly.
After some consideration, he nodded: "I agree too!"
As the captains expressed their positions one after another, Satoru nodded with satisfaction.
He thrust his Zanpakutō into the air, directly opening a Senkaimon.
That old man Yamamoto was really too naive.
Thinking he could escape responsibility and leave this mess for me to handle?
Fine, since you've entrusted the Gotei 13 to me, I'll just take everyone and run away, handing Seireitei over to Inaba Kagerōza.
Let's see if you can still sit back and do nothing!
Thinking this, he grinned and prepared to step through the Senkaimon.
But just as the gate opened, before he could enter, a hairy leg came flying out—
"You damn brat!!!!!"
"Oof!!!"
To everyone's astonishment, Yamamoto appeared out of nowhere, kicking Satoru in the face and sending him flying.
The two tumbled out through the Senkaimon, grappling with each other as they rolled and crashed across the ground, traveling over a thousand meters and raising clouds of dust along the way.
For a moment, everyone including the replicas wore utterly bewildered expressions.
"Was that... Captain-Commander Yamamoto?"
"The Captain-Commander is still alive?"
"?"
"Ahem, I mean... the Captain-Commander has returned, how wonderful!"
"..."
"Bastard! You damn bastard! You infuriate me!"
Amid the ruins, Yamamoto gritted his teeth, glaring at his troublesome disciple, wishing he could eliminate him immediately.
Not only had this brat wrecked his First Division barracks, but he actually planned to take all his subordinates and flee, handing Seireitei over to the enemy?
He absolutely had to slice this kid up and turn him into barbecue!!
Meanwhile, Satoru looked at Yamamoto and burst into loud laughter.
"Oh my, teacher, when did you get back?"
"Perfect timing, I've saved up quite a few squad documents for you. Please handle them right away!"
"Handle documents?! Handle my ass! Weren't they all blown up by you just now?!"
Yamamoto said furiously.
Earlier, the battle between Satoru and the replicated Sasakibe had directly blown up his study, reducing all the squad documents inside to ashes.
The documents were minor issues, but mainly his accumulated calligraphy works and various ancient texts were all gone!
Watching from the Dangai, he was so enraged he almost tore through space to charge out.
However, considering that the items were already lost and if he held on a little longer until Satoru defeated Inaba Kagerōza, he could use this opportunity to firmly establish this kid and pass on his responsibilities, he endured it.
Who would have thought this bastard would pull such a stunt!
A guy weaker than your toe, and you want to run away?
Seeing Yamamoto's furious expression, Satoru spread his hands.
A shadow emerged in his palm, from which several files and scrolls dropped out.
"Don't panic, Teacher. Before the fight, I already moved everything from your study away... Of course, the squad documents are all here too. You'll have plenty to keep busy with!"
Yamamoto was slightly stunned.
Damn, he had it all figured out.
Just as Yamamoto was conflicted over whether to feel pleased that this kid had outsmarted him or to be angry, Inaba Kagerōza suddenly spoke up from the sky:
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I never expected you to have been lying in ambush for me in the Dangai all along?"
"What a pity that your plan was personally ruined by your incompetent disciple!"
"However, there's no need for you to be too angry... After all, I am now an invincible existence!"
"Even if you had successfully ambushed me, it would have changed nothing!"
"This pitiful Soul Society will be completely conquered by me... and then, destroyed!!"
Hearing this, Satoru was taken aback.
Shocked, so this guy's plan really was to destroy the Soul Society?
I just randomly guessed and complained, do you have to be so cooperative?
Looking from afar at Inaba Kagerōza in the sky, Yamamoto snorted coldly.
"Annoying chatter."
"Boy, go deal with him."
"Osu!"
Satoru snapped to attention with a salute.
Then, he turned around, soared into the air, and charged toward Inaba Kagerōza.
Covering over a thousand meters in an instant, he appeared right in front of Kagerōza, pulling back his arm and clenching his fist!
Watching Satoru charge at him, Inaba Kagerōza sneered.
"Have you already forgotten the pain from before? Then let me remind you!"
He spread his hand and released a Reiatsu shockwave toward Satoru.
However, the expected scene of Satoru screaming in pain and being sent flying into the ground did not occur.
His Reiatsu shockwave struck Satoru and was instantly shattered by the counter-shockwave from Satoru's own Reiatsu.
Before Inaba Kagerōza could process what was happening, a fist rushed forward, instantly filling his field of vision—
BOOM!!!!