Unfortunately, Urahara Kisuke still let him down.
Urahara didn't even look at the seal on Kuchiki Byakuya, he just slowly shook his head. "No need to undo it. The seal that's binding your Spiritual Power will dissipate on its own in a month…"
"Remove it for me now."
"That's something I can't do…"
Urahara Kisuke lazily shook his head, a hint of regret flashing across his face. "The Uehara Race's Fuinjutsu isn't that simple… especially since the seal on you is a double-layered seal. It's already completely locked down the Spiritual Particles in your body."
Of course.
The most important thing was that Urahara Kisuke didn't want trouble.
At least for now, Urahara Kisuke didn't want to stir up any new conflict with the Uehara Race; he'd only just barely managed to ease relations with them.
Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the Urahara Shop.
A strange look flickered over the faces of Urahara Kisuke and the others. Clearly, they had already sensed who was outside the door. They exchanged glances, and a look of realization appeared in their eyes.
It was Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryu.
Two pieces that had delivered themselves right onto the board.
"Hurry and help, he's dying!"
Kurosaki Ichigo hurriedly unloaded the heavily injured Ishida Uryu from his back.
Kuchiki Byakuya glanced at the gravely wounded Ishida Uryu on Ichigo's back, his brows faintly furrowing. "Hmm. That man saved you… why didn't he save him?"
This was a little abnormal.
Going by Uehara Naraku's personality, even if he passed by an injured animal on the roadside, he'd lend a hand and treat it. How could he possibly leave the heavily injured Ishida Uryu alone?
"Uh…"
Kurosaki Ichigo's expression immediately turned strange, and he spoke in a low voice. "Ishida… was a little rude to that guy called Uehara Naraku…"
"Hm?"
Everyone present looked a bit stunned.
Every gaze unconsciously fell onto Ishida Uryu lying on the floor. Whether it was the Captain of the Kido Corps Tsukabishi Tessai, Kuchiki Byakuya, Shihoin Yoruichi, or Urahara Kisuke…
The look in their eyes clearly carried the same sentiment: this Ishida Uryu on the ground was honestly someone with guts—too gutsy for his own good.
"He actually survived?"
Shihoin Yoruichi's face was full of amazement.
"He actually survived?"
There was surprise in Urahara Kisuke's eyes as well.
"How is he still alive?"
Tsukabishi Tessai stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, hey! You guys!"
Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't help clenching his fists, a cross-shaped vein bulging on his forehead. "So just who the hell is that Uehara Naraku guy! And what about that one wearing the tiger-striped mask and the other man with tear troughs under his eyes—who are they?"
"You tell us first…"
Urahara Kisuke touched the brim of his hat and asked softly, "How could Ishida possibly still be alive… what exactly happened?"
"Hey!"
Kurosaki Ichigo glared irritably at them, his eyes sweeping across everyone one by one as he said in a deep voice, "First tell me who those people were… that group… they said Ishida didn't show enough respect to that Uehara Naraku, so they took Ishida Uryu's father away."
"What!!!!"
The shock on everyone's faces intensified!
What the hell was going on?
Why would Ishida Uryu's father be taken away by the Uehara Race!
This really made no sense at all. But compared to Ishida Uryu's father being taken, the fact that Ishida Uryu himself was still alive didn't seem all that bad.
Kurosaki Ichigo glanced at everyone present, slowly lowered his head, and told them what had happened after Kuchiki Byakuya left.
Two hours earlier.
Kuchiki Byakuya had just left.
Just as Uehara Naraku was about to depart, Kurosaki Ichigo sincerely asked Uehara Naraku to help treat Ishida Uryu. Something like that was, of course, something Uehara Naraku wouldn't refuse.
However…
Ishida Uryu woke up on his own.
"I don't need treatment from a Shinigami."
Ishida Uryu crawled up from the ground, clutching the wound on his shoulder, his face full of disgust as he glared at Uehara Naraku. "Especially from the filthy Uehara Race…"
Clearly, Ishida Uryu knew a bit about the Soul Society. He had heard of the Uehara Race, the number-one noble family of the Quiet Spirit Court, and also knew that the Uehara Race was a mortal enemy of the Quincy.
"..."
Uehara Naraku awkwardly withdrew his hand.
The next moment, he slowly shook his head and let out a soft sigh. "Is that so? The grudge between Quincy and Shinigami isn't something we can just resolve…"
Back during that war between the Shinigami and the Quincy, Uehara Naraku chose to stand on the side of the Shinigami, because the Quincy had never left him with a good impression…
To put it plainly…
The Quincy were a bit like the Uchiha Clan.
Even though Uehara Naraku had once wanted to bring that clan under his control, those guys acted even more arrogant than Uchiha Sasuke. No matter how overwhelming the power the Uehara Race displayed, very few Quincy were willing to submit…
That clan was really beyond saving.
Of course, the biggest issue was that Uehara Naraku didn't want to expose any information about himself and let Yhwach obtain intel on him when he initiated Auswahlen.
Ishida Uryu was so weak yet so arrogant; Uehara Naraku didn't even feel like arguing with him. He had Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito appear to scare the little brat a bit, while he himself put on the act of a good guy…
Right then, Ishida Ryuken, who had come looking for his son, saw this scene and decisively activated his Quincy powers, intending to kill them outright…
And then…
Ishida Ryuken was captured.
This was the punishment for Ishida Uryu being disrespectful toward Uehara Naraku.
The expressions of everyone present grew faintly odd. Clearly none of them had expected the Ishida father and son to have such nerve—they had actually dared to attack the Uehara Race!
Tsukabishi Tessai adjusted his small glasses and slowly commented, "That brat Ishida Uryu… and his father, Mr. Ishida Ryuken… both have pretty good luck…"
At least they were still alive.
There was nothing strange about that.
Because wherever Uehara Naraku was, the Deadguard Seat Officers of the Uehara Race, constrained by their Patriarch's bleeding-heart nature, very rarely killed weaklings right in front of him.
"Then why did they take Ishida's father?"
Kurosaki Ichigo looked at them in surprise. "That group is way too weird! And who exactly are they?"
"As for their identity…"
Urahara Kisuke adjusted his glasses and spoke in a low voice. "In short, they're people you absolutely must not provoke… Even I wouldn't dare rashly cross them anymore."
After saying that, Urahara Kisuke suddenly raised his head again and added softly, "But if possible, that person called Uehara Naraku might become your friend… he's a kind young Patriarch."
They didn't dwell on the topic for long.
After helping to treat Ishida Uryu, Urahara Kisuke asked Ichigo and Ishida whether they wanted to rescue Kuchiki Rukia. If they did, they would have to undergo special training from him and Shihoin Yoruichi.
Kurosaki Ichigo agreed.
Ishida Uryu was forced to agree.
The two of them were taken by Tsukabishi Tessai into the underground training area beneath the Urahara Shop. As for Kuchiki Byakuya, Urahara Kisuke, and Shihoin Yoruichi, they still needed to continue discussing how to rescue Rukia.
"Speaking of which, why did they take Mr. Ishida Ryuken away?"
"No idea."
Urahara Kisuke shook his head, then continued in a low voice, "Maybe the Uehara Race needs the power of a Quincy… Let's get back to the situation in the Quiet Spirit Court!"
Urahara Kisuke looked at Kuchiki Byakuya, then at Shihoin Yoruichi, and said in a low tone, "Right now the defenses inside the Quiet Spirit Court are weak. That's an advantage for us, but it's also a huge problem.
There's one thing we all know now: an enemy from a thousand years ago has revived. Old man Yamamoto and the Deadguard Seat Officers of the Uehara Race have all mobilized to search for his whereabouts.
At present, there probably aren't any Shinigami left in the Quiet Spirit Court as strong as Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. That means once the Hogyoku is exposed, there will be no one in the Quiet Spirit Court capable of stopping Aizen Sousuke."
"So…"
Kuchiki Byakuya clenched his fist, a note of resolve entering his voice. "We must find a way to rescue Rukia before the execution."