In a remote corner of the Noble District, in a rarely visited alley—
Shihōin Kureji stood there trembling, white hair hanging over his brow, his wrinkled face streaked with blood. He stared in utter humiliation at Naraku Sora, who had suddenly appeared before him.
Even though the blazing aura from earlier had faded, in his eyes this boy was no different from a demon.
Just moments ago he'd been dreaming of a radiant future. Even the view outside his window had looked beautiful.
And in the blink of an eye, everything was gone.
Those lofty Shihōin elders had died like dogs in the rubble—no better than common residents of Rukongai.
Apparently, nobles didn't look any different from "those people" once they were dead.
As Naraku drew closer, Kureji could smell death itself. Terrified, he clenched his jaw and forced his voice through his throat:
"You have no idea what you're doing!"
"As a member of a Seireitei institution, you've murdered nobles. The Gotei 13 will declare you wanted across Soul Society. Kill me and you'll never escape!"
Right now, Kureji was badly regretting his earlier decisions.
Why on earth had he ordered an assassination on someone like this?
He was dealing with a lunatic who didn't care about rules at all.
He'd sent people to kill the boy during the day—so at night, the boy had simply shown up at his house with a sword, slaughtered everyone without a word,
And clearly hadn't bothered to check if anyone inside was "innocent."
"You're the weird one here," Naraku frowned. "People are trying to kill me and I'm supposed to lie down and offer my neck?"
At that moment, someone approached from the mouth of the alley. Heavy Reiatsu washed over the area, blanketing both of them.
Kureji lit up with joy and immediately shouted:
"I'm here! A lower-ranked Shinigami has attacked a member of the Five Great Houses!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the air trembled. Thunder-like sound rolled overhead, a bright light flashed at the edge of his vision and rushed toward them.
A figure dropped from the sky, slamming into the ground with a roar and a gust of wind.
Deep green eyes, shoulder-length black hair, handsome features, a noble's kenseikan worn on one side of his head, and a red scarf fluttering at his neck.
Seeing him, Naraku raised an eyebrow and casually shifted his Zanpakutō slightly behind him.
He recognized this man.
The rising star whose name had spread through Soul Society years ago—a Shinigami who, on the battlefield, had wiped out wave after wave of rebel Shinigami. One of the brightest lights in Seireitei.
Kuchiki Kōga.
He hadn't expected him to be the first responder, but considering this was the Noble District and the Kuchiki estate was nearby, it did make sense.
"As a Central Court Shinigami, to offend the nobles is a crime punishable by death. Will you surrender quietly, or shall I break your limbs myself and hand you to the Central 46 for judgment?"
Kuchiki Kōga was a stickler for the rules.
Ever since marrying into the Kuchiki family, he'd taken its prestige as his pride. All day he'd been burning to earn military merit and win the clan head's approval.
"Well, that won't be necessary, Lord Kōga."
A clear, crisp voice drifted down from above the narrow alley.
Everyone looked up.
A petite figure stood on the wall, hands on hips, black cloak snapping in the wind. She looked down on them from above.
As Yoruichi hopped down from the wall, more Shinigami arrived one after another, crowding the quiet alley until it was packed.
The commotion at the Shihōin estate had been huge—but thanks to a certain someone's speed and decisiveness, plus allies pulling patrol squads away from the area, by the time reinforcements arrived they'd only found a smoking ruin.
Now they'd finally cornered the "culprit"… but judging by the scene, things had changed again.
Drama in a Great Noble house, huh?
The patrol Shinigami formed a perimeter at the alley's mouth, faces stern—but their ears were pricked, and their eyes kept darting sideways toward the group.
Kōga's brows furrowed even deeper. Displeasure flickered in his eyes.
The facts were already obvious. What was there left to talk about?
A no-name Central Court Shinigami, drunk on his own talent, rampaging in the Noble District—shouldn't someone like that be cut down on the spot?
Though impatience simmered in his chest, he followed his training and said gravely:
"Yoruichi-sama, are you intending to shield this criminal?"
Yoruichi bared her teeth in a grin, completely ignoring Kureji's desperate, pleading look.
"First of all," she said, "there is no 'criminal' here like the one you're talking about."
"Second, everything that happened tonight is nothing more than an internal matter of the Shihōin family. It got a little loud, sure, but it's all still under control."
Internal matter?
Ears perked even higher. Night patrols were rough, but getting to hear noble house gossip like this? Worth every hour.
Kōga's frown deepened.
"What 'family matter'? All I see is a low-ranking Shinigami overstepping and—"
He didn't finish.
Yoruichi cut him off with a wave, stepped to Naraku's side, and casually slipped an arm around his shoulders. The movement was so smooth and practiced it looked like they'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
"Naraku isn't just some Shinigami," she said. "He's my future husband—and a member of the Shihōin family as well."
The alley erupted.
The patrol Shinigami forgot about decorum entirely, staring wide-eyed at Naraku with pure envy plastered all over their faces.
They were one step away from shouting, "Why him?!"
They were all Shinigami serving Seireitei. Most of them were still patrolling the streets in the middle of the night—
Meanwhile this guy had skipped a few rungs of the ladder and landed at the very top of Soul Society.
Kōga's expression froze. He opened his mouth, closed it.
He looked at Naraku again, and now his gaze held a strange understanding.
So… you're a son-in-law too.
With that shared identity, his demeanor softened noticeably.
"I see."
"In that case, we won't pry further. But Yoruichi-sama, you will need to attend the next Noble Council to explain this."
Yoruichi nodded lightly.
Kōga glanced at Kureji with an apologetic look, then turned and led the other Shinigami away.
Judging by their excited faces, the story would be all over Seireitei by tomorrow at the latest.
Kureji watched his last hope walk away, his old face drained of all color.
He would never have imagined that the head of the Shihōin family would recognize a nobody like this boy as one of their own.
Nearly a century of scheming fell apart in a single night, with no hope of recovery.
His dull eyes stared at the pair in front of him.
"Is there… any room to negotiate?"