Bleach: Starting with Marrying Retsu Unohana

On the way forward, everyone was silent. Whether it was the members of the Visoreds or Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, their brows were furrowed. It seemed that everyone had various worries and anxieties deep in their hearts, and everyone seemed to be worried about something.

"..."

During this time, Hirako Shinji, adept at reading people's expressions, gradually slowed down after taking in everyone's reactions. He moved from his original leading position to stand beside Kurosaki Ichigo and the others, greeting them, "Oh, the weather's really nice today~ Don't you think so, Kurosaki Ichigo-kun~"

"what?!"

Perhaps it was because Hirako Shinji's greeting was so stiff and awkward that even the thick-skinned Kurosaki Ichigo was noticeably slow to react after hearing Hirako Shinji's words, and for a moment he didn't realize that Hirako Shinji was talking to him.

"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Hirako Shinji. Would you like to get to know me? You might not know me very well, but I can assure you that I'm a very loyal person. I love pure love stories and I absolutely hate NTR. You'll definitely be very happy with me~"

Before Ichigo could respond, Hirako bypassed Ichigo, Uryu, and Yasutora, and went to Orihime Inoue's side, smiling and greeting her.

"Huh?! We're not familiar with each other yet~"

Upon hearing this, Inoue Orihime gave an awkward and apologetic smile.

"It's okay, we might not be familiar with each other today, or tomorrow, but we'll be familiar the day after tomorrow~"

Hirako was not discouraged by Inoue's rejection! On the contrary, Orihime's rejection successfully aroused Hirako Shinji's desire to pursue her. He shamelessly continued to openly express his love to Inoue Orihime.

"that……"

Upon hearing this, Inoue gave an awkward smile.

"You rascal, don't you dare bother Orihime!"

Just as Inoue was at a loss for what to do, Kurosaki Ichigo, who was a beat slow to react, seemed to have finally come online. He grabbed Hirako Shinji by the neck, pulled Hirako away from Orihime's side and pulled him to his side, and said coldly.

"Hey, Ichigo Kurosaki, you finally noticed me?!"

"I thought you were not only deaf but also blind, an arrogant and conceited blind man!"

After realizing that Ichigo Kurosaki had finally spoken to him, Shinji Hirako smiled and said to Ichigo with a grin.

"You idiot, don't go and bother other people just because I'm ignoring you!"

After hearing Hirako's words, Kurosaki Ichigo realized that this seemingly unserious guy was actually incredibly meticulous and a smart person on par with Ishida Uryu.

"Hehehe..."

"Well then, now that you've all successfully noticed me, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Before we reach the Soul Society while we're still in the Dangai, I'll give a brief explanation of the structure of the Soul Society and the Gotei 13 for those of you who are unfamiliar with them."

Hirako Shinji chuckled lightly, then his expression gradually turned serious.

"Are you going to educate us about the enemy's power structure?"

"This is indeed an extremely important and necessary matter!"

"As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!' Only by understanding the enemy can you defeat them! So, I'll leave this task of introducing the enemy to you."

When Ishida Uryu heard that Hirako Shinji was going to introduce the power structure of the Shinigami to everyone, his expression immediately turned serious, and he respectfully asked Hirako Shinji for permission.

"Hehe, it seems there are some smart people among you~"

Upon hearing this, Pingzi smiled.

"First, you need to know the main structure of the Soul Society, which is divided into two parts! One part is the core of the Soul Society, and it is also where the Shinigami and nobles live. It is called the Seireitei."

"The other part is the most ordinary wandering spirits in the Soul Society. They are the souls that died naturally in the human world and were sent to the Soul Society by the Shinigami. It is called the 'Wandering Spirit Town'. Our goal this time is to enter the core area of ​​the Soul Society, which is the 'Seireitei'."

Hirako first introduced the regional structure of the 'Soul World'.

Where is Rukia?

Ichigo Kurosaki doesn't seem interested in the structure of Soul Society; he only wants to know where Rukia Kuchiki, who was taken away by Byakuya Kuchiki, is right now!

"If nothing unexpected happens, Rukia Kuchiki is currently in the core area of ​​the Soul Society, namely the Seireitei."

Upon hearing this, Pingzi explained.

"Then we must storm the Seireitei."

Ichigo Kurosaki nodded slightly, summarizing the situation.

"Hehe, Kurosaki Ichigo, things are not as simple as you think."

"You should know that the Seireitei is the core of a world and also the most important area. Its entire area is surrounded by high walls and shrouded in a huge barrier. It is impossible to enter the Seireitei from either the sky or the ground."

"If we really want to enter the Seireitei, then the only way is through the four gates that surround the high walls of the Seireitei: east, west, south, and north. However, these four gates are guarded by powerful heroes, and they are not as easy to breach as you imagine."

Looking at Kurosaki Ichigo, who seemed indifferent and didn't take the Seireitei seriously, Hirako thought to himself, "Ignorance is bliss! A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger," before continuing to explain to Kurosaki Ichigo and the others.

"Anyway, once we defeat the guards, we can enter the Seireitei, right?"

"Leave the guards to me; I'll take care of them all."

Kurosaki Ichigo didn't take Hirako's words about guards seriously at all.

"The key point isn't those four guards outside the Seireitei gates, but the Gotei 13 guarding the interior! Those guards responsible for watching over the Seireitei gates are less protecting the Seireitei itself and more protecting those who lack the strength but still intend to invade it..."

"Those gatekeepers are actually the captain of the 'Gotei 13'. Their mercy towards the enemy is a message to the world: if you can't even defeat the guards at the gate, don't even think about invading the 'Seireitei,' because entering the 'Seireitei' will only lead to your death, nothing more..."

Hirako Shinji sighed and continued.

"So, this so-called Captain-Commander of the 'Gotei 13' is actually quite reasonable. He sounds surprisingly kind. Maybe if we explain things to him about Rukia Kuchiki, he'll release her?!"

After listening to Hirako Shinji's words, Inoue Orihime pondered for a moment, then smiled and addressed the crowd.

“That’s a good idea!”

Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Ichigo gave Inoue Orihime a thumbs up.

"Heh, it's amazing you guys could come up with this method!"

Hirako Shinji's eye twitched slightly after hearing Kurosaki Ichigo's words.

"Isn't it possible?"

Kurosaki Ichigo looked at Hirako Shinji with a puzzled expression and asked.

"It's not a question of whether we can do it or not, but whether we can even see Captain-Commander Araki! I think I've already told you, there are a total of thirteen Shinigami divisions in the entire 'Seireitei,' collectively known as the 'Gotei 13'..."

"Among them, Captain-Commander Araki is not only the commander-in-chief of the thirteen Shinigami divisions, but also the captain of the 'First Division'. The 'First Division's' barracks are located in the very center of the entire 'Seireitei'! In other words, no matter which gate of the 'Seireitei' we enter from, we will have to overcome many obstacles before we can reach the 'First Division's' barracks. And once we reach the 'First Division', that's when everything begins."

Shinji Hirako looked at Ichigo Kurosaki as if he were an idiot.

"Then let's defeat all the enemies!"

Ichigo Kurosaki didn't seem to care; he appeared to be full of confidence in himself.

"You, should I say you're ignorant and fearless, or that you're overconfident? Do you really understand the fighting strength of the 'Gotei 13'?"

"Let me put it this way! The night Rukia Kuchiki left, you must have fought with that arrogant guy, right? That arrogant guy's name is Byakuya Kuchiki, and he's the captain of one of the divisions of the Gotei 13."

"And I can tell you definitively here that Byakuya is extremely young in terms of seniority among all the captains! As you have heard, there are twelve people in the Gotei 13 who are as strong as Byakuya, or even stronger than Byakuya, excluding Captain-Commander Araki's 'First Division'!"

Shinji Hirako said helplessly to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"There are twelve people as powerful as Byakuya?"

Kurosaki Ichigo naturally knew how powerful Kuchiki Byakuya was. After all, it was Kuchiki Byakuya who made him taste defeat for the first time after he obtained the power of the Shinigami and instantly killed him!

Ichigo Kurosaki originally thought that Byakuya Kuchiki was the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society, but he didn't expect that there were twelve Shinigami in the Gotei 13 who were just as strong as Byakuya, or even stronger than Byakuya.

"These are just the other divisions of the Gotei 13! Next, I'm going to introduce you to the 'First Division,' led by Captain-Commander Araki, which is also known as the strongest 'First Division' in history!"

"The entire 'First Division' is divided into nine divisions: Division 1 'Patrol Team', Division 2 'Report Team', Division 3 'Kido Clan', Division 4 'Hueco Mundo Expedition Team', Division 5 'Queens Special Forces', Division 6 'Reclamation Team of Human Ability Users', Division 7 'Internal Inspection Team', Division 8 'Special Equipment Management Team', and Division 9 'Emergency Medical Team'..."

"These nine squads report directly to Captain-Commander Araki and are not governed by the rules of the Gotei 13! Moreover, there are rumors that each of the squad leaders under the 'First Division' possesses combat power comparable to, or even exceeding, that of a Gotei 13 captain! Add to that the invincible Captain-Commander Araki, and it means that the combat power of just the 'First Division' surpasses the combined combat power of all the other divisions!"

Hirako Shinji told Kurosaki Ichigo about the information Urahara Kisuke had gathered about the 'First Division'. As for the true situation of the 'First Division', even Urahara Kisuke didn't know much. Urahara Kisuke only told him that the squad leaders of the 'First Division' were all monsters, and if they were to fight one-on-one, even Urahara Kisuke might not be able to win.

"A Quincy Special Forces?!"

When Ishida Uryu heard the name of the 5th Division of the 'First Division', his eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes hidden behind his glasses.

"So, in the worst-case scenario, we have a total of twenty-two enemies who are comparable to, or even superior to, Kuchiki Byakuya?!"

As for Ichigo Kurosaki, his mind was filled with Byakuya Kuchiki at that moment.

Countless fine beads of sweat appeared on Ichigo's forehead. From Shinji Hirako's words, he felt for the first time the immense power of the Soul Society!

The thought of facing more than twenty Byakuya-level powerhouses simultaneously after arriving in the Soul Society made Ichigo feel like his head was about to explode. Even if he burned all his brain cells, he couldn't think of a way to deal with twenty Byakuyas at the same time.

However, to Kurosaki Ichigo's surprise, Hirako Shinji's words were still a bit conservative! After Kurosaki Ichigo arrived in the Soul Society, he discovered that the Gotei 13 was a place where hidden talents were everywhere! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that 'third-rank spirits' were commonplace and vice-captains were as rare as dogs.

At this moment, Ichigo Kurosaki's confidence wavered slightly. He closed his mouth and fell into deep thought. As for Uryu Ishida beside Ichigo, he was constantly analyzing the meaning of the words "Queens Force" in his mind. As for Orihime Inoue and Chad Yasutora, after seeing the silent Ichigo and Ishida, although they did not know what had happened, they did not say much, but quietly accompanied Ichigo and Ishida on both sides.

"Ugh……"

Yoruichi Shihouin, who had been running ahead, sighed slightly after noticing that Ichigo Kurosaki's confidence seemed to have been somewhat shaken. No one understood the current strength of the Seireitei better than her, the current Captain-Commander's disciple! Rather than letting Ichigo encounter an invincible opponent in Soul Society and feel despair, it was better to prepare him mentally for defeat beforehand, which would also help Ichigo's growth.

"arrive……"

After a long silence, they finally reached the end of the barrier, which was also the end of their journey: the Soul Society!

"boom!!"

After passing through the shimmering gate, a world of blue skies and white clouds appeared before them—undoubtedly a world incredibly similar to their own! As for Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, they immediately found themselves suspended in mid-air…

"That damned crooked businessman! I knew he was unreliable!"

"Damn it, is it really in mid-air?!"

"Look ahead! It looks like a city!"

Because everyone present was no ordinary person, they felt no fear despite the height they were facing! After casually cursing Urahara Kisuke a few times, they were utterly stunned by what they saw! It was a city enveloped by massive white walls, exuding an ancient and rustic atmosphere.

"This is too exaggerated! A city like this is simply a miracle!"

Despite everyone being mentally prepared, when Ichigo Kurosaki, Chad, Orihime Inoue, and others were seeing the Seireitei for the first time and were struck by the enormous castle before them, they couldn't help but exclaim in praise of it!

In the eyes of Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions, the city before them was something that even the most abundant human resources in the 'real world' could not create! After all, it was a city even larger than some countries in the 'real world'! Ichigo Kurosaki and his group couldn't imagine how long it would take, or how much manpower it would require, to build such a city!

It was precisely at this moment, when everyone was awestruck by the magnificence of the city, that they successfully landed on the land of the 'Soul Society,' stirring up countless floating dust particles.

“So beautiful~”

After standing on the ground, Inoue Orihime looked at the vast, white city wall in front of her and couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Look closely, that city that appears before you, encased in massive white walls, is our destination—'Seireitei'!"

Yoruichi Shihouin gracefully landed on the land of 'Soul Society' and explained softly.

"So these houses behind us are 'Haunted Street'?!"

Ishida Uryu turned to the side and looked at the city that was completely opposite to the huge city in front of him. It lacked some of the grandeur and magnificence. Although it looked clean and tidy, it was obviously not as good as the plain and simple ancient streets built within the white city walls. He said softly.