XX-level Hokage

“You’re always like this, pushing things to the limit,” Retsu Unohana finally spoke, her voice tinged with a hint of helplessness. “But sometimes, being too radical can backfire.”

Qi Bai nodded slightly, seemingly understanding Luan Zhihua Lie's concerns.

“Perhaps,” she said softly, “but if we don’t try, we’ll never know what the outcome will be. Ichigo Kurosaki and his group’s actions may bring chaos, but they may also bring new hope.”

Retsu Unohana remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed softly.

“I hope so,” she said softly, “but I still hope you can be careful. After all, the rules of Seireitei are not so easy to break.” Mashiro smiled slightly, a hint of determination in her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” she said softly. “I have my own plan. Kurosaki Ichigo and the others’ actions are just part of it. The real drama is just beginning.”

And begin.

Unohana Retsu didn't say anything more, only nodded slightly. Her gaze returned to the window, as if she were staring into the depths of Seireitei. In the night, the lights of Seireitei gradually lit up, as if foreshadowing the coming storm.

"I hope your plan can really bring about change," Retsu Unohana said softly, a hint of expectation in her voice.

Mashiro didn't answer, but simply took a sip of tea. Her expression remained calm and composed, as if she had everything under control. Then she turned to look at Retsu Unohana and smiled.

"But I really didn't expect it. Although I knew you had calmed down, I didn't expect you to become so gentle. It really makes my heart tremble."

Unohana ignored Mashiro's teasing remark and instead answered the first part of her question.

"I never expected that, ever since I sank the Eight Thousand Streams into the depths of my heart, as the years have passed, my heart has gradually become calmer."

Although he couldn't completely let go of his resentment like Captain-Commander Yamamoto, he began to become more peaceful.

"Is that so? I actually think you're more peaceful than Lord Yamamoto. Although he's put aside that fiery temper, he's still incredibly passionate, yet cold..."

"It's scorching hot." Mashiro said softly.

Egg Flower didn't say anything more, as if she was thinking of something.

As night deepened, the clamor of Seireitei gradually faded away, leaving only the silence between the two. The steam from their teacups rose slowly, as if telling of the unspeakable emotions they felt.

"What do you plan to do next?" Retsu Unohana finally broke the silence, her voice tinged with inquiry. Mashiro gently put down her teacup, her gaze remaining calm.

“Wait,” she said softly. “Wait for Ichigo Kurosaki and the others to act, wait for the Seireitei to react, wait for the opportune moment to arrive.” Retsu Unohana frowned slightly, seemingly not entirely satisfied with Mashiro’s answer.

“Wait?” she repeated softly. “Aren’t you worried that things might get out of your control?” Mashiro smiled gently, a hint of confidence in her eyes.

Control? “Some things don’t need to be controlled,” she said softly. “True drama is often born out of control.”

Retsu Unohana remained silent, simply watching Mashiro. Her gaze held a complex emotion, seemingly both agreeing with Mashiro's point of view and worried about her actions.

"I hope you're right," she finally said softly, a hint of expectation in her voice. Mashiro didn't answer, only nodded slightly, her gaze remaining calm and serene.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Discovery

As the broadcast continued to echo.

Even outsiders like Ichigo could clearly sense the dramatic change in the atmosphere of the Seireitei.

A tense atmosphere instantly gripped the air, making it feel suffocating as if the atmosphere had solidified. "This...this reaction was way too fast! So the Grim Reapers are such an efficient organization?!"

This time, it wasn't Ichigo who showed a look of horror, but rather Ishida Uryu, who appeared to be the calmest on the surface; his expression was quite grim. Shinigami and Quincy are mortal enemies.

Of course, Ishida Uryu also knew that this was just a nice-sounding statement. The Quincy were almost extinct, and he could practically call himself a descendant of the Quincy.

Even so, Uryu Ishida had no intention of easing tensions with the Shinigami. Of course, Ichigo is Ichigo, and cannot be compared to the other Shinigami.

Uryu Ishida, a Quincy, risked his life to come to the Soul Society and enter the Shinigami's headquarters, perhaps because he wanted to see just how strong the Shinigami were and what the scale of his enemy was.

Unexpectedly, the Seireitei gave him a small shock as soon as he stepped into it.

It is said that several incidents had occurred at night in Seireitei before, so the Shinigami were particularly sensitive to this, and would conduct joint large-scale drills on nighttime reactions almost every so often.

"Lying down. Sun"

Even Ishida Uryu, after much restraint, finally couldn't help but swear. The sheer number and intensity of these things is terrifying just to think about.

"Although Mr. Shiba said he hadn't been to Seireitei in a long time, he seems quite familiar with the situation inside." "Ichigo and the others haven't been discovered yet, which is truly thanks to Shiba Ganju."

Shiba Iwato seemed to know the layout of the Seireitei very well. He not only knew many paths and shortcuts, but he also knew exactly which gaps between two buildings could be used to hide people.

It was under the leadership of Shiba Iwato that they were able to narrowly evade the Grim Reapers who were patrolling the streets time and time again.

You could even say that Shiba Ganju is like a mole in Bleach. Without this mole, Kurosaki Ichigo and the others would have been discovered countless times already.

However, this was something that Shiba Ganju couldn't do. Although theoretically, it was strange for Shiba Ganju, a member of the Shiba family, to be wandering the streets during this sensitive period, he was not in any trouble. The Shiba family could not possibly rebel against Tokishiro and Seireitei.

To prevent anything from happening to this nobleman, we might have to protect him.

However, you can't hide forever. Once Ichigo and the others are caught, and their entry into the Seireitei is investigated, the Shiba family will be exposed.

The Shiba family, already in a delicate situation, will face even greater difficulties this time. It's not as simple as just withdrawing from Seireitei and being allowed to retain their noble titles.

Therefore, Shiba Ganju can only act with Ichigo and the others for now. What will happen next is still unknown, but at least they should get through the current difficulties first.

"...Because some members of our Shiba family used to live in Seireitei, we are very familiar with the environment of Seireitei in order to prevent Fang Yi from entering."

Why did they investigate these unknown shortcuts, alleyways, and blind spots in Seireitei so thoroughly? To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Shiba Iwagi didn't reveal these details.

However, those who were focused on Ichigo and the others, who were concerned about why Shiba Ganju was familiar with the roads, overlooked this detail in the tense situation. "But it's pretty impressive that the old investigation is still usable."

"That's because the layout and environment inside the Seireitei generally don't change, shh—"

Shiba Iwagi, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped and gestured to the others to be quiet.

They huddled close to the wall, hiding themselves in the dark gap between the two buildings.

Accompanied by hurried footsteps, a team of about twelve Deaths sped past on the side of the road.

Perhaps because they were moving so fast, they didn't notice them hiding in the crevice. They narrowly escaped another obstacle.

"Damn it, Yoruichi-san has abandoned us and disappeared somewhere!!"

Sometime after Ichigo Kurosaki was scolded, Yoruichi, the black cat who had been sitting on Ichigo's head as if she was going to make a nest on his head, disappeared.

What's most terrifying is that even Ichigo himself didn't realize when he disappeared.

It wasn't until halfway through their escape, when they instinctively tried to ask Yoruichi for her opinion but received no response, that they realized he had been missing for quite some time. No wonder from that moment on, it was Shiba Ganju who answered Ichigo and the others' questions.

"At this point, we don't need to worry about him. As long as he doesn't speak, even if he's right in front of those Shinigami, they won't think there's anything wrong with Yoruichi." If it were Yoruichi, let alone being in various corners, she could jump onto a rooftop, or even gracefully walk past the Shinigami without anyone noticing.

something wrong.

However, Ichigo and his companions cannot even jump onto the roof to move around, because the Shinigami are not the type who need to climb stairs to get to the roof, nor are they the type who patrol the ground without looking at the roof.

Even the act of hiding in a blind spot to avoid being discovered is based on the premise of constant movement. If they had thought that they could just hide in one place and wait for the storm to pass, they would probably have been arrested by now.

"Okay, let's go."

After carefully observing the area and confirming that the street had been patrolled and no one would be coming anytime soon, Shiba Iwagi gave the signal. They were to cross the street and take the alleyway on the other side.

In a short period of time, Ichigo and his friends became very familiar with this kind of petty theft.

Led by Shiba Iwaka, they proceeded methodically and skillfully, opening up the gap on one side and moving towards the alley on the other. But this time...

They had barely stepped into the crevice when a gentle, innocent yet chilling voice reached their ears.

"I've been thinking, everyone has been working so hard to investigate for so long, but we still haven't found the Traveler's Curse. Is it because the Traveler's Curse chose places that we easily overlook? There are some places that are not overlooked during the day, but are hard to notice at night because of the darkness. Now it seems that's indeed the case."

What appeared before Ichigo and the others wasn't walking down the street, but rather falling from the building above.

She has her hair tied up in a bun, is petite, has a pair of cute big eyes, and looks quite delicate.

On her left shoulder, she wore a badge bearing the number five and an image of a horse's foot (a type of tree). "I spotted them."

Chapter Sixty-Five: Encounter

"Girl, a girl?"

Although she was spotted, the girl who fell from the top of the building was so petite that it was hard to say she posed a threat.

Rather, even though she tried her best to appear serious and earnest, she looked exactly like a girl worried about her companion. The initial anxiety that had settled upon her being discovered eased.

Ichigo was about to say something when he was interrupted by Ganju Shiba, whose face was serious, even somewhat terrified. "That's...that's the vice-captain of the Gotei 13!"

The fact that wearing a team badge on the shoulder signifies a vice-captain was something Ichigo and the other three were unaware of. Although Shiba Ganju hadn't been to Seireitei for a long time, he wouldn't be so ignorant as to misunderstand such basic common sense.

Ishida Uryu's pupils suddenly contracted as an image of a gloomy, lifeless man appeared in his mind.

That man... was also a vice-captain, yet he had swiftly and decisively defeated him before that. Indeed, Ishida Uryu wasn't at full strength at that time; he was injured.

Moreover, he was completely different from the Quincy who had already trained to the point of almost reaching the highest level. However, Ishida Uryu was not the kind of person who would belittle the strength of his past enemies just because he had improved. He still acknowledged that the Shinigami named Kira Izuru was a very powerful opponent.

If this petite girl in front of me is the same vice-captain as Kira Izuru, then underestimating her will come at a price. "Kurosaki."

"Bloom, plum blossoms!!"

Almost without any order, the Zanpakuto, with its oval-shaped guard engraved with plum blossom patterns and a pink hilt, was drawn from its waist the moment it landed. Pink light enveloped the entire sword, and at the same time, many pink plum blossom petals fluttered and danced in the air.

Bathed in pink light, three more blades extended out like newly sprouted side branches. This type of sword is called the Seven-Branched Sword. The Seven-Branched Sword—Flying Plum—radiating pink light, left pink slash marks on the night streets.

No, it can't be called a slash. To be precise, it was a sword swing aimed at Ichigo, and from the pink slash mark flew towards them a basketball-sized, equally pink energy burst.

A basketball-sized ball of energy surged restlessly, an unsettling white emanating from within. "I'll defend."

Orihime instinctively placed her hand on her hair clip.

However, before that, Shiba Ganju shouted without even thinking, "Idiot, get out of the way!"

Chad, standing right next to Orihime Inoue, silently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backward, her reactions often slow to react. Ichigo, Uryu Ishida, and Ganju Shiba had already dodged before that.

The energy ball flying towards them landed in empty space. The next instant, accompanied by a deafening explosion, a hurricane surged forth, and a massive fireball erupted at close range. The shockwave slammed into their faces like a wall, hurling them backward!

Ichigo's back slammed against the wall with a thud, the air forced out of his lungs, and he nearly fainted. His reaction had nothing to do with whether he had been directly attacked; it was simply a matter of poor defense.

In contrast, Ishida Uryu was clearly much more skilled. He nimbly leaped backward to assist, and did not suffer any unnecessary damage from the shockwave that came crashing down on him.

As for Chad, he held his right arm like a shield in front of him. His right arm had changed color, turning completely black, with red markings creeping across it. From his shoulder upwards, a section resembling the restraints of some giant robot extended outwards.

"Such astonishing destructive power"

Uryu Ishida looked toward the site of the explosion, where a huge crater had appeared.

An uninformed person would surely think that a bomb had been detonated there... No, what difference is there between that attack and a bomb exploding right in front of you?

Seemingly having heard the loud explosion, they could sense the surroundings becoming noisy, especially those who had just patrolled the area.

That Death Squad from a long time ago must have already started heading back.

"Yanlu, you take them and go first. I'll hold them off here!"

Ichigo, having recovered, also realized the situation. If they continued to delay and were eventually surrounded, they would all perish here. So Ichigo's choice was to let Shiba Ganju lead the others away first, while he stayed behind to draw attention.

As long as he causes a ruckus, the people who come here will naturally focus their attention on him, and will not care about the whereabouts of others.