Chapter 84: Kisuke Urahara Sent Away in a Package
"Is it… over?"
Several kilometers from the battlefield, in a district that used to serve as the Fifth Division supply depot, Rukia stood at the warehouse entrance with her back to the wall. She stared into the distance, fear tightening her chest.
She had passed out earlier and had been jolted awake by the violence of the fighting. Thanks to Nemu's emergency treatment, she could at least stand and stumble around.
As for helping… forget her, with her reiatsu still sealed by that collar. Even Hinamori, Shuhei, and Iba, three vice captains, were willing but helpless.
The one who moved instead was Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Even after retreating, he had shown no sign of letting the matter go.
"Since you refuse to obediently enter a cage so I can study you, then at least contribute something useful on the battlefield."
He had said those cold words right in front of everyone. Then, in a foul mood, he dragged Nemu back toward the Research and Development Institute, as if preparing to haul test subjects to the battlefield and run experiments on the enemy.
No one dared say a word after that. They stayed where they were, anxious, watching the battlefield while waiting for reinforcements.
None came.
The constant explosions, the quakes, the blinding flashes that tore through the sky made it feel like any stray shockwave could erase them at any moment. They were forced to retreat farther and farther until they ended up here, several kilometers away.
Coincidentally, not long after they arrived, the battle seemed to stop.
Still, the final pillar of light that speared the heavens, and the giant dragon that dragged the enemy straight into it, left everyone who witnessed it stunned to the bone.
No one had expected the fight to end in something that looked so… catastrophic.
"Shimiya…!" Hachihara burst into tears on the spot. "You died so horribly! I will remember you forever. Every year I will visit your grave, offer incense, buy you your favorite food, give you…"
"Hold it right there."
Rukia's mouth twitched as she cut her off.
"His reiatsu is extremely faint, but Inoue's reiatsu is right beside him. With her there, as long as he has even one breath left, he can be saved."
"Who is Inoue?" Hachihara asked, blinking as she wiped her tears.
"…"
Rukia had no words.
[Shimiya is not the kind of person who would drag his enemy to die with him.]
Rindo Yu calmly traced the sentence into the air.
"Hiss…"
For those who actually knew Takeru, that was more reassuring than "Ichigo can help with Bakudo healing."
"Is it not a little early to relax?"
Iba, sitting against the outer warehouse wall, finally spoke.
"Do not forget, the mastermind has not been caught yet. According to Vice Captain Kotetsu, Captain Ichimaru is behind all of this, and the enemy that was defeated just now was not him."
"Big Brother Iba is right."
Shuhei, sitting beside him, nodded with a grim expression.
"We cannot drop our guard. That escaped prisoner was only a pawn in Captain Ichimaru's plan."
"Captain Ichimaru…" Hinamori Momo's voice trembled. "Why would he do something like this?"
She had no right to condemn Gin Ichimaru for saving Rukia. It had been done with good intentions. Could it be that Gin had done the same thing, for the same reason?
"Ah ah… Why, indeed?"
A frivolous voice rolled over them like thunder.
"?!"
The six of them jolted and looked up at the rooftop across the street.
Gin Ichimaru sat on the eaves with one leg dangling in the air, relaxed and unhurried, nothing like a man whose scheme had just been exposed.
"Captain… Ichimaru?"
Hinamori's pupils shrank. Her voice came out so dry it startled even her.
There was nothing strange about that. Gin had always carried that kind of pressure.
Rukia's legs turned to water. She stumbled back, eyes fixed on him, terror pooling in her gaze.
The first time she had met him, fear had taken root in her heart. Every encounter after that had only deepened the shadow.
So when she learned all of this was his doing, she was not even surprised. In her mind, Gin Ichimaru was more frightening than any supposed mastermind.
Gin seemed to notice her fear and tilted his gaze toward her.
"Ah ah… Why could little Rukia not just die obediently? The Sokyoku cannot destroy the Hogyoku. It only forces the Hogyoku to show itself."
"If you had just died like you were told, I would not have needed to release a prisoner."
"Now the ready made enforcer is gone and the Hogyoku is lost. So I am going to kill you first to feel better, then go retrieve the lost Hogyoku."
"Try to lay a hand on her."
Before Rukia could collapse under the killing intent in Gin's words, a figure stepped in front of her, scarred, yet unmoving as a mountain.
An ancient long sword rested in his hand. His beard was slightly singed, but still swept with a heavy dignity.
His face was hidden, yet that voice alone carried the weight of a thousand years.
The air changed the instant he arrived.
Overwhelming reiatsu pressed down and wiped every emotion clean, leaving only shock.
"How dare you act so recklessly while this old man still stands."
Yamamoto Genryusai fixed Gin with a stare that was no different from looking at a corpse.
Gin's smile stayed, but his body stiffened. A thin sheen of cold sweat appeared at his temple.
"Is that…"
"Perhaps you should speak less right now."
Shunsui Kyoraku appeared behind Gin, his large black blade resting lightly against Gin's neck.
"Old Man Yama is not in a good mood. If you do not want to be slaughtered, shut your mouth. Whatever you want to say can be saved for Central Forty Six."
"No matter what else you have planned, it will not matter now. Ichimaru, you have nowhere left to run."
From the other side, Jushiro Ukitake set his blade against Gin's neck as well, his tone heavy.
"It certainly looks that way."
Gin's eyes drifted past them. On the street below, Sosuke Aizen and Kisuke Urahara were approaching at a steady pace.
Not only them.
Soi Fon and Retsu Unohana had arrived as well, each bringing their respective Onmitsukido and medical squads.
In an instant, the area turned busy.
Rukia and the others were escorted away by medics. The Onmitsukido established a perimeter, keeping all unrelated shinigami at a distance.
Bang.
Komamura's powerful frame dropped from above. He was heavily injured and blind in one eye, yet his fighting spirit still burned.
"Ichimaru! Where will you run now?!"
"Oh dear. Even you caught up."
From Gin's tone, it was obvious he and Komamura had crossed paths. Perhaps they had even traded blows.
"First Division, Second Division, Third Division, Fourth Division, Fifth Division, Seventh Division, Eighth Division, Ninth Division, Thirteenth Division…"
Gin looked around and sighed, raising both hands.
"Most of the Gotei Thirteen captains dragged their battered bodies here just to deal with me alone. If I do not die here, I will feel guilty."
"Captain Ichimaru."
Urahara narrowed his eyes.
"You are still the Third Division captain until you are sentenced, so including yourself makes sense. But the Ninth Division…"
He paused, faint curiosity sharpening into something colder.
"Captain Tosen does not appear to be here, does he?"
His question made the street fall silent.
A ripple of unease passed through the captains. The kind that felt like a bad memory rising up from deep water.
Then the feeling became real.
White strips fluttered through the air.
At the far end of the street, the blind, dark skinned man appeared. And behind him stood a group of men and women in assorted clothing, many of them elderly. Their reiatsu was not strong. They felt like fragile souls, almost weak.
But the moment everyone saw who they were… eyes widened across the line of captains.
Even Yamamoto's rage wavered, only for an even deeper fury to take its place.
The people behind Kaname Tosen were the sages of Central Forty Six.
All forty six of them. Not one missing.
In the next instant, Gin slipped out from between the blades with Shunpo and appeared beside Tosen. He opened his hands toward the captains as if presenting a simple trick.
"See? Did he not arrive?"
"My apologies, Old Man Yama. I was distracted for a moment."
Shunsui offered a wry smile, but Yamamoto had no time for that. His glare burned with wrath that was barely contained.
"Tosen Kaname. Have you betrayed us as well?"
"Betrayal?" Tosen's voice stayed soft. "I never considered myself a member of the Gotei Thirteen. My stance was decided long before I ever joined a division. There is no betrayal. My justice is flawless."
"This old man has no patience for word games." Yamamoto's voice rumbled. "State your purpose."
"You specifically knocked out the sages and tied them up right in front of this old man. It cannot simply be to meet Ichimaru and show off."
Komamura shook with anger.
"Tosen… you said you were going to Central Forty Six to investigate Ichimaru's backup plan. Was that plan kidnapping them? Why? Why side with him? What do you want?"
"What I want…" Tosen raised his sword and set it against one sage's throat. His declaration struck like a blade.
"I want you to capture Kisuke Urahara, and use him to exchange for Central Forty Six."
Shock and disbelief surged through the captains.
All eyes turned to Urahara, who stared back blankly, stunned into stillness.
"I see."
Aizen adjusted his glasses, his tone grave.
"Your objective is the Hogyoku, and Kisuke Urahara."
"You used the execution to force him to appear, then spread chaos through Seireitei, repeatedly weakening the Gotei Thirteen."
"Then you lay in wait, searching for a chance to seize the Hogyoku."
"And because you lack the ability to capture Kisuke Urahara directly, you kidnapped Central Forty Six to force the Gotei Thirteen to do it for you."
He looked at them like he was weighing a puzzle piece.
"Is the Hogyoku not enough? You want to take its creator as well?"
"What do you plan to do?"
That last question was the one everyone wanted answered.
Gin shrugged, complaining as if he had been unfairly accused.
"Do not make us sound so evil."
"In the end, the Hogyoku was lost."
"So of course we have to get it back. Even if we cannot, we need a way to make a new one, and that requires the creator."
"Wishful thinking."
Soi Fon glared at him, reiatsu sharpening.
"Rather than hand Urahara over to two traitors and let you continue your crimes, it would be better to kill him and cut off your hope completely."
Her spiritual pressure surged as if she might move.
Unohana placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
"Do not be impulsive, Captain Soi Fon. They still have hostages."
They are only hostages. They are nothing compared to the danger these enemies pose.
Soi Fon wanted to spit those words out. But the silence around her made it clear how useless it would be.
Central Forty Six were the rulers of Soul Society.
Rukia's execution, the pursuit of the ryoka, all of it had been carried out under their orders.
If the Gotei Thirteen ignored their safety now and insisted on killing the traitors, it would be the same as severing their own foundation.
You could sacrifice an arm to survive. You could not behead yourself.
Still, the situation was not entirely without other options.
"Ukitake," Shunsui muttered, voice low, "do you think we could send word to the nobles and have a new Central Forty Six appointed to replace this group?"
"It will not work." Ukitake's frown deepened. "Even leaving time aside, we cannot set that precedent."
"Right…" Shunsui's tone turned ambiguous. "Sages being abandoned simply because they were kidnapped, without even attempting rescue. It sounds noble, but it is poison for the future."
"If Central Forty Six becomes nothing more than disposable mouths that issue orders, their prestige collapses. What happens after that? How does the Gotei Thirteen deal with them afterward?"
He sighed.
"Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Too many consequences. Let Old Man Yama decide."
In the end, only Yamamoto Genryusai could make that decision.
No one else had the right to interfere. They barely even had the right to suggest.
Yamamoto understood that, too. He did not hesitate long before turning to Urahara.
Urahara's mouth twitched, helpless.
"You do not need to say anything. I will cooperate unconditionally."
"Captain Commander?!"
Soi Fon's eyes widened. Was he really going to accept their terms? That did not feel like the Captain Commander's style.
No.
Wait.
Soi Fon noticed Shunsui and Ukitake exchanging a look of realization. Then she glanced at Unohana, who remained calm, observing like she already knew where this was going.
Soi Fon's expression cooled as she watched in silence.
"Captain Aizen," Gin said suddenly, eyes narrowing.
"What is it?" Aizen's expression hardened, vigilance obvious.
"Could I trouble you to restrain Mr. Urahara?" Gin asked lightly. "You know what I mean. I would not dare let a scientist capable of creating the Hogyoku stand beside me without restraints."
Urahara's eyes snapped wide. He looked between Gin and Aizen, disbelief turning into something sharper.
"Ichimaru… Aizen… you…!"
"Bakudo Number Sixty One: Rikujokoro."
The Captain Commander raised his hand and fired the binding spell. Urahara was caught completely off guard.
"Bakudo Number Sixty Three: Sajo Sabaku."
Aizen followed immediately, still wearing a troubled look, thick chains winding around Urahara like a tightly wrapped dumpling, not even sparing his head.
Then Aizen continued, voice steady.
"Bakudo Number Seventy Nine: Kuyo Shibari."
Nine jets of black reiatsu pinned Urahara from eight directions and the center, fixing him in place.
"Captain Unohana," Gin added, still not satisfied, "could I trouble you for a favor?"
He did not have to explain.
If there was one division that specialized in controlling bodies, it was the Fourth Division.
Unohana glanced at Urahara with a hint of pity.
Then she injected the highest grade Break Point into his body.
"We can begin the exchange now, can we not?" Unohana asked, indifferent.
"Mhm." Gin smiled. "Now we can safely take him away without worrying about him escaping."
As his words ended, the sky tore open.
Two orange yellow beams dropped from the rift. One swallowed Urahara. The other engulfed Gin, Tosen, and the bound sages of Central Forty Six.
The beams carried a violent suction. The ground beneath them cracked and rose, floating upward with the bodies inside.
"What?!"
"This is…!"
Everyone's expressions changed as they stared at the torn sky.
Beyond the rift was pure black. At the opening, Gillian crowded together like beasts at a feeding trough. Far deeper, a massive presence watched with cold menace. And at the end of that darkness, a star like light guided the traitors' retreat path.
"They defected to Hueco Mundo…" Ukitake's voice tightened as connections snapped into place. "And allied with Menos Grande. So releasing Arturo Plateado was connected to this as well."
"The Negación," Yamamoto said, his voice like iron.
"A barrier that separates dimensions, a technique used by Menos Grande to retrieve allies."
He stared upward, furious.
"So you never intended to exchange hostages from the beginning."
Gin ascended within the beam, smiling.
"I cannot help it."
"Urahara intended to cooperate with you to rescue them. But after I exposed him, you abandoned him immediately, and then you moved decisively because you feared he would escape."
"This is because you planned to act the moment Central Forty Six was saved, eliminating us along with Kisuke Urahara, the dangerous source who can create the Hogyoku, right?"
"Since that is the case, this hostage cannot be handed over."
"If you want to save them, come to Hueco Mundo."
"Tosen!" Komamura roared upward, fury twisting his features into something feral. "Get down here! Explain yourself! Where is your justice? I refuse to believe you are this kind of person! Tosen!"
"Komamura…"
For a brief moment, emotion flickered across Tosen's face. Then it vanished, replaced by cold resolve.
"Whether you believe it or not, everything I do is to save this world."
"What did you say?!"
"My justice, my righteousness, they are not empty words."
He spoke like a verdict.
"I will prove through my actions that the existence of shinigami is a massive mistake for this world."
"…Have you lost your mind, Tosen? You are a shinigami too!"
"Not for long."
With those resolute words, the beams vanished and the sky healed, as if nothing had ever happened.
Business as usual.
For the captains standing below, it was the opposite.
People were gone.
The mess left behind, and the chain reaction it would cause, could not be ignored.
The trouble was only beginning.
And even so, those troubles meant nothing compared to the enemies who had escaped.
"Ukitake," Shunsui asked quietly, "what do you think Old Man Yama is thinking right now?"
"The selection of new captains and a new Central Forty Six?"
"If only it were that simple…" Shunsui gave a bitter smile. "I think he wants to strike before Ichimaru and the others can properly establish themselves. Lead the captains into Hueco Mundo, rescue Central Forty Six, and annihilate the enemy force."
"…Sensei would not be that impulsive." Ukitake looked toward the distant direction of the earlier battlefield, as if seeing an orange haired boy standing there. "But what you said… it is bound to happen sooner or later. There are too many reasons we must fight."
He exhaled slowly.
"That being said, I wish we could wait a little longer."
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