XX-level Hokage

If Mashiro hadn't barged in now, the consequences would be unimaginable. Wait!!

Chapter 80: News

The moment she thought of this, an even greater terror struck Shiba Kukaku.

Her gaze slowly focused on Zhen Zi, whose expression remained calm, and her pupils flickered slightly.

Not long after the Central 46 was murdered, Mashiro burst in. "Mashiro-sama…you wouldn't have already…"

"Perhaps, Yoruichi. You probably already have some guesses, right? Anyway, let's go and keep Ichigo and the others calm first."

To put it nicely, it's called regrouping. To put it bluntly, it's called licking one's wounds.

Ishiyuuryu and Namikaze Orihime were lucky enough, or perhaps Ishiyuuryu was smart enough not to be reckless.

When they realized that the situation was beyond their control, they immediately chose to retreat. When they realized that their disguise was no longer effective, they quickly found a way to change their clothes and get away with it. That's why they were able to wait for Yoruichi to retrieve them before Guan Liang arrived.

Shiba Ganju and Ichigo were not so lucky.

Their clear objective and direct approach were thwarted; Shiba Ganju was instantly killed by the attack, his illustrious reputation ruined in an instant.

Ichigo and his opponent engaged in a fierce, head-to-head exchange of blows. Although Ichigo managed a narrow victory in the end, he was nearly dead. Had Yoruichi not intervened in time, he would indeed be dead.

Before Ichigo woke up, Ganju Shiba's injuries had almost completely healed.

Even after waking up, Ichigo still needs to soak in this magical healing hot spring, along with some of the "foolproof" medications that Yoruichi brought with him.

By the way, it was Ishida Uryu who applied the medicine to Ichigo, looking quite unwilling.

Despite being a boy, this guy is actually extremely skilled at needlework, making him perfectly suited for such delicate work. In contrast, Inoue Orihime, who is actually a girl, is somewhat carefree, which makes her less reliable.

Amidst the bickering and mutual animosity between Ishida Uryu, who looked utterly unwilling and wished he could strangle Ichigo, and Ichigo, equally unwilling and wishing he could commit suicide on the spot, Yoruichi once again left the hideout, saying she was going out to gather some information.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from afar.

Shiba Ganju looked in that direction and could see a ladder extending down from the sky above.

However, instead of climbing down the ladder, the small black figure nimbly landed on the ground. Yoruichi, he's back.

It is said that even if a feline is placed less than one centimeter off the ground and laid face down, it can accurately adjust its center of gravity and land on all fours.

Looking at it this way, it's clear he didn't need to use the ladder. "Oh, Mr. Yoruichi, you're back!"

Although he was a little slow, Ichigo was the second to greet him.

But as expected, his enthusiasm stemmed from his genuine concern for the situation outside. "How's it going out there?"

"Oh, you look pretty good." Yoruichi's bright eyes fell on Ichigo, and she said with some surprise, "You seem to be recovering quite well."

"We can play a match right now!"

Ichigo raised his arm, as if showing off his biceps.

Unfortunately, he had already changed into the same Shinigami uniform as the Grim Reaper, and even the bandages wrapped around his body were hidden under the uniform. With the relatively loose fit of the uniform, it was difficult to see the bulge in his upper arms.

The hot springs and special medicine were effective, and Ichigo recovered his body in a short period of time.

Just like he said, we could play a match right now.

However, this can also be attributed to the differences between the Grim Reaper state and the human state.

In a human body, besides replenishing the soul and spiritual pressure, the body also needs healing. The red and blue health bars are separate, but in a Shinigami state, they are connected. Depending on the situation, it depends on whether the red or blue bar is restored first. In any case, once one is fully restored, it will seamlessly fill the gap in the other. Of course, you can also choose to restore both health bars at the same time, but that would be relatively slower.

"So, what's the situation outside now!" Before Yoruichi could answer Ichigo, he eagerly pressed on again. Not only Ichigo, but the other three also focused their gazes on Yoruichi, their eyes conveying the same meaning. "Seriously, you guys can't handle the True Palm technique."

Yoruichi let out a helpless sound, his raised tail swaying from side to side. Under everyone's gaze, he went to a higher spot and sat down.

Then he continued, "Let's put it this way, there's bad news and good news. Which do you want to hear first?"

As it spoke, its tail, which was behind its back, continued to sway nimbly from side to side, so that it could be seen from the front appearing from the left and then from the right, repeating this motion over and over.

"Uh... this is how it works?"

It's so classic that I don't even know how to criticize it anymore.

Ichigo pursed his lips in slight disgust, feeling like he'd be a fool to actually choose. "Uryū, you choose!"

"Why do I have to choose? You asked that, didn't you?"

"Stop talking nonsense. You care about this too, right? Don't pretend it's none of your business! Good news!"

Seeing that Ichigo and Yuuryu were about to start bickering, and with Orihime looking at him with curious eyes, Yoruichi gave her answer without hesitation.

"Yes, yes, good boy, good boy."

Even though he was the cat, he stroked Inoue Orihime's head with his front paws as if petting a cat. Inoue Orihime cooperated by closing her eyes and showing a happy smile.

On the other hand, being petted on the head by a cat like a cat... not many people can have that experience, right?

"Alright, let's start with the bad news." "You didn't even have a choice, you jerk!!"

Ichigo and Uryu Ishida simultaneously yelled angrily at Yoruichi, "Stop talking nonsense! Someone who hasn't even made a choice has no right to throw a tantrum."

Yoruichi retorted without hesitation, glaring fiercely at the two of them.

"The bad news is that something big seems to have happened on the Shinigami side. The entire Central 46, which holds the highest power, has been killed, making the whole situation even more tense. The entire Seireitei has been completely sealed off, and there is no way to enter from the outside. It has also become almost impossible for us to leave Seireitei."

Ichigo and Uryu Ishida exchanged a glance.

Uryu Ishida's expression was serious, seemingly having grasped the problem, while Ichigo was a step behind. This wasn't because Ichigo was stupid compared to Uryu Ishida.

Don't let Ichigo's appearance fool you; despite looking like a delinquent, he's actually a top student. He's the kind of student who can rank at the top of his class without studying or reviewing before exams, just by focusing on fighting and saving the world.

The difference between the two is that Ishida Uryu subconsciously considers things from a holistic perspective, while Ichigo focuses on the immediate goal without wavering. Therefore, when Ishida Uryu was pondering something, Ichigo spoke without thinking.

Chapter 81: The Third Party

"It doesn't matter, does it? We haven't even saved Rukia yet, so we don't need to worry about how to leave for now." This is why Ichigo kept asking Yoruichi about the situation outside as soon as he returned.

He didn't really care what the outside world was like; what he really wanted to know was whether there was any news about Kuchiki Rukia.

Now, Ichigo's thought process is also consistent with this. He doesn't know much about the Soul Society, and he doesn't know anyone in Bleach except for Rukia Kuchiki.

Therefore, he didn't care about what happened to the Central 46, and he didn't even care that they might have a hard time escaping the Seireitei.

In Ichigo's mind, escaping the Soul Society required rescuing Rukia Kuchiki, and now even that prerequisite hadn't been met. Whatever happened after that was irrelevant.

Let's worry about what to do then. "No, Kurosaki-san, that's not how it is."

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes slightly, but it was Ishida Uryu, with a stern expression, who denied her. "Let me put it this way."

Uryu Ishida picked up a few pebbles from the ground. He first dropped one pebble.

"These are the Shinigami who brought Kuchiki-kun back and are going to do something to him."

Ichigo watched Ishida Uryu do this inexplicable thing, completely bewildered. Ishida Uryu continued to drop another pebble.

"This is us, here to save Kuchiki-kun. In other words, in our understanding, things are simply divided into us, who are taking action, and the Shinigami who will become our obstacles."

"Otherwise what?"

"As expected, Kurosaki-kun, could you please take your eyes off Kuchiki-kun and observe the current situation?" Ishida Uryu said with a headache, pointing to the stone that represented the Grim Reaper.

"The Central 46, we don't need to care what kind of organization they are, or whether they have the highest power. They belong to the Grim Reaper, right? But now they've been killed. If this wasn't orchestrated by the Grim Reaper, then in their opinion, who did it?"

Ichigo's expression gradually faded. "You mean someone is framing us?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out. From the beginning, I've been puzzled by one thing: with Mr. Shiba's assistance, we had no problems whatsoever."

We managed to infiltrate the Seireitei, but why were we discovered so soon after entering?

"Come to think of it, that incident is indeed very strange." Namikaze Orihime nodded in deep agreement.

Yoruichi simply sat there quietly listening to Ishida Uryu's analysis without interrupting, her tail still swaying from side to side as Ishida Uryu continued his analysis.

Let's make an assumption here: ...besides us, at almost the same time, from another location, another force or group of people infiltrated the Seireitei for their own purposes, were discovered, and thus implicated us.

Shi Youyulong put down the third pebble, his face unusually grim.

"This force took Kuchiki away before we even clashed with the Seireitei. They also killed members of the Central 46. It's hard to say... their goal from the very beginning was to destroy this highest power group in the Soul Society. That's what political struggle is all about. And by taking Kuchiki away first, they wanted to link the two events together and pin the blame on us."

If a third-party force truly exists, it's unknown whether it has been discovered over there, but here we've already encountered the Grim Reapers one after another.

Ichigo was immediately identified as someone who came for Rukia Kuchiki before he even spoke. Rukia's disappearance naturally led to suspicion that they were responsible.

Now that the Central 46th Bureau has been murdered, the blame naturally falls on their heads.

The crux of the problem is that even if Ichigo and the others know they have nothing to do with these things, it's very difficult for them to convey their innocence to the Shinigami.

Even if they actually open up and explain, will the other side believe them?

Or should we first gain their allies' control before considering whether to believe them?

The key question is, would they be willing to do that? The answer is naturally no.

Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, it's still unclear, but the situation is overwhelmingly unfavorable to us.

At this point, Ishida Uryu lowered his eyes slightly and looked at Yoruichi, who seemed harmless and had a "I'm just a cat, what bad intentions could I possibly have?" expression.

However, Yoruichi continued wagging her tail happily and easily, seemingly oblivious to Ishida Uryu's gaze. Ishida Uryu let out a somewhat heavy sigh.

"And this isn't even the worst of the situation. We can't be 100% certain that this so-called third party exists. If they do exist, what is their real purpose? Do they have other motives? If they haven't achieved their goals, that's fine; we still have room to maneuver. But if erasing Central Room 46 is their own doing, then what about Kuchiki-kun, whom they specifically kidnapped to frame us..."

Ichigo couldn't help but hold his breath.

He grasped the deeper meaning behind Ishida Uryu's words. "They're completely useless to them now."

In other words, the key issue is not about the Soul Society or the fact that their escape route is blocked.

Rather, it lies in the murder of the Central 46, which seems unrelated to them, leading to this terrifying conclusion. In normal reasoning, there is only a binary opposition between Shinigami and Ichigo and others, which would make many contradictions and doubts untenable.

However, if a third party is introduced to muddy the waters and cleverly exploit both the Shinigami and Ichigo to secretly achieve their own goals, then everything can be explained.

"Damn it! We can't stay here any longer!" Ichigo reached out and grabbed Zangetsu, which was lying to the side, without thinking.

Compared to what is right before their eyes, the terrifying and insurmountable force of death is like a mountain.

This seemingly insidious and ruthless third-party force, quietly infiltrating the murky waters to achieve its goals, is what truly terrifies Ichigo.

Even though there are no more clues about Rukia Kuchiki right now, this anxiety is such that every second they wait here only intensifies their unease.

Because they had absolutely no way of predicting what the person who kidnapped Rukia Kuchiki would do to her. "Kurosaki-kun?!"

"Don't rush, I have some good news to announce."

Ichigo stopped, his brows furrowed, and looked impatiently at Yoruichi, as if urging him to hurry up and say what he had to say, as he didn't have time to joke around with him anymore.

Yoruichi, despite being just a cat, showed a human-like smile.