BOOM!!
The once-clear sky was suddenly swallowed by dark clouds. In the next instant, countless fist-sized meteors came crashing down from the heavens, raining toward Kurosaki Ichigo's position with a deafening clatter—
"R-Run! Run for it! Tsunayashiro Third Seat has released his Zanpakutō again!!"
Seeing the meteors plummeting from the sky, the Eighth Division members hurriedly covered their heads and scattered in all directions.
"Damn it, you ignorant idiots! I'm on your side!!"
Tsunayashiro Tokio flushed red with anger, Zanpakutō in hand, charging straight toward Ichigo through the falling meteors.
"Damn it!"
Ichigo raised Zangetsu and lunged forward to meet him. Their weapons collided violently, and a white shockwave exploded outward—
RUMBLE!
Countless meteors slammed into the Eighth Division barracks. Buildings, walls, and the ground were smashed full of craters; blue bricks and rubble were scattered everywhere. In the blink of an eye, the once-quiet and elegant compound had been reduced to ruins.
"Oh dear, oh dear… I've told you before not to release your Zanpakutō near the barracks, you idiot."
Shunsui Kyōraku stood silently in one corner of the compound, gazing at the devastation as he let out a helpless sigh.
"Captain, please stop Third Seat Tsunayashiro! At this rate, the Ryoka won't go down—but we will!"
Fourth Seat Enjōji Tatsufusa clung to Shunsui's leg, crying in desperation.
"Alright, alright."
Shunsui shook his head. In the next moment, his figure flickered, and he appeared in front of Ichigo and the others, speaking in his usual lazy tone:
"That's enough, Ryoka. If you don't stop, I won't be nice to you."
"This one's strong… I'll take him on!" Chad activated his "Right Arm of the Giant," which shifted into its red shield-like form, and launched an attack at Shunsui.
"I told you to stop, idiot!"
Shunsui suddenly appeared in front of Chad, caught his right fist with one hand, and struck him in a single motion—knocking Chad unconscious on the spot.
"W-What?! Chad… Chad was defeated that easily?!"
Ishida Uryū muttered in disbelief, his face filled with shock.
"So it's you, Yoruichi-san…"
Shunsui lifted the brim of his straw hat slightly and said casually:
"Old Man Yama has already put Seireitei under full lockdown. This place is just a rather inconspicuous forward post.
If you're counting on that kid to rescue someone, you'd better give it up. With that level of strength… he probably won't even make it past the second checkpoint."
"Hmph. Shunsui, if you keep slacking off like this and Captain Commander Yamamoto finds out, he won't let you off so easily."
Clearly old acquaintances, Black Cat Yoruichi had no intention of continuing the standoff after a brief exchange and called Ichigo back.
"Yoruichi, we haven't even decided a winner yet—why stop me?!"
Ichigo complained, resting Zangetsu on his shoulder.
"Idiot! You were already being pressed to the point of suffocation by a mere Third Seat—don't even think about lieutenants or captains!"
Yoruichi deliberately referred to Tsunayashiro as "a mere Third Seat" to rein in Ichigo's arrogance.
Then she added reassuringly, "Forget it. Our goal of testing the waters has been achieved. Let's withdraw."
"Withdraw? Where to—?"
Before Ichigo could finish speaking, Yoruichi had already darted toward Mt. Sōkyoku, calling out:
"Follow me!"
"Tch… I'll settle this with you next time!"
Ichigo could only sheath Zangetsu and follow after Yoruichi along with Ishida and Inoue. In moments, they vanished from sight.
"Don't run, damn it!"
Tsunayashiro raised his Zanpakutō to chase after them, but Shunsui stopped him.
"Don't pursue them, Third Seat Tsunayashiro."
"What?!"
"Isn't this place chaotic enough already?"
Shunsui rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"The Ryoka will be dealt with by someone else. You'd better organize everyone and start repairs.
As for the expenses… same as usual, they'll be deducted from your salary. Also, send that big guy to the Fourth Division for treatment—tell them it's at my request."
"Yes, Captain! Understood!"
Tsunayashiro reluctantly sheathed his Zanpakutō and, together with the Eighth Division members, began mobilizing—clearing debris, sweeping rubble, and working at full tilt.
"Sigh… why are all my subordinates such a handful? Right, Nanao?" Shunsui asked with a mournful expression.
"It can only be explained as 'like captain, like subordinates.'"
Ise Nanao adjusted her glasses, then looked away as she said calmly:
"Captain, it won't be long before everyone learns that the Ryoka appeared in our division.
You let them go just like that—aren't you afraid Captain Commander Yamamoto will hold you accountable afterward?"
"Don't worry about me, Nanao."
Shunsui lay down on the spot, resting his head on his hands as he gazed at the sky.
"No matter how beautiful Soul Society's sky is, you get tired of it if you stare too long. So… I'm actually looking forward to seeing the clouds blown across it by the wind~"
"What nonsense are you talking about now, Captain…"
"Hahaha… we're not mortal enemies. Why must everything end in killing?"
Shunsui lifted his straw hat, revealing one eye as he looked sideways at Nanao.
"Besides, I already 'captured' one Ryoka just now. That's enough to report upstairs."
"…"
Nanao said nothing more. Hugging her poetry book, she stared at the colorful clouds in the distance, lost in thought.
...
Elsewhere—
"Reporting, Captain! First Division strength totals 300 personnel. All 300 accounted for and currently detained in the First Division barracks!"
Ninth Division officer Itō Jungo reported loudly to Tōsen Kaname.
No," Tōsen shook his head without hesitation. "We are still missing one non-registered personnel: Fūjin Taichi. What? He isn't at the barracks?"
"Report… negative. No such person found!"
"As expected."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Tōsen's mouth as he said gravely:
"Itō, immediately relay orders to all divisions:
Former First Division Vice-Captain Fūjin Taichi is confirmed guilty of secretly assisting the Ryoka in invading Soul Society. All divisions are hereby ordered to commence a manhunt at once!"
"What?!"
Hisagi Shūhei, who was in the middle of individually checking the First Division members, was startled and said urgently:
"Captain, there's currently no evidence that Taichi colluded with the Ryoka—"
"Shūhei!"
Tōsen Kaname cut him off.
"In fact, you should have realized it long ago, shouldn't you?"
"What?"
"To take unregistered Entry Passes from the First Division vault and then deliver it into the hands of the Ryoka—
Looking across the entirety of Soul Society, only the First Division Vice-Captain, Fūjin Taichi, is capable of such a feat.
So then, as a Shinigami, why would he help a Ryoka he had never even met?"
"..."
"Because Fūjin Taichi intended to use the Ryoka's invasion of Seireitei as an opportunity to rescue Saitō Tsukiyomi, who had committed a grave crime!"
"I know, but…"
"There is no 'but,' Shūhei."
Within Tōsen Kaname's pitch-black field of vision, it was as though that graceful figure appeared once more, and he spoke each word slowly and deliberately:
"The discipline of Soul Society does not permit anyone to trample upon it, does it?
Even if a close friend commits a crime, one must still turn blade against blade, isn't that right?!"
"Captain… what's wrong with you?"
Sensing the violent fluctuation in Tōsen's emotions, Hisagi Shūhei couldn't help but ask.
"I'm fine, Shūhei."
Though he said so, Tōsen's mind had already been flooded with those unbearable scenes from the past—
It was early summer, on a night filled with bright stars.
A gentle breeze brushed past his ears,
And she—her name was Kakyō.
A kind woman filled with wisdom and a sense of justice,
Her long hair loose and flowing,
Dressed in a pale yellow gown,
Amid the cheerful chirping of insects,
She slowly walked across a hillside covered in lush green grass…
The image gradually blurred—
Beneath a blood-red moon,
The woman named Kakyō
Was brutally slain by that man's blade,
Reduced to a pile of ashes,
Slowly dispersing into the boundless night.
From that moment on,
My world was left with nothing but darkness—
Until the day
Lord Aizen once again granted me that ray of light known as "hope"…
"If justice no longer exists in this world, then I am willing to use my life to become 'justice' itself, and wipe away all the evil in this world—along with that man—like clouds swept from the sky…"
As this thought reached its end, Tōsen Kaname clenched the hilt of his Zanpakutō Suzumushi tightly and said in a low voice:
"If the target resists, execute on the spot!"