XX-level Hokage

The ground beneath Yumichika Segawa's feet suddenly collapsed, and he fell directly into the building.

Like a hunter stepping into a trap he himself had set. Sixty-three binding chains!

But if that's all you're saying you can make Yumichika Ayasegawa admit defeat, you're not quite there yet.

As his body fell uncontrollably, Yumichika Segawa still reached out to Yuryu Ishida, and a thick, python-like chain of Kido coiled towards Yuryu Ishida.

The Kido is at level 60 or higher, and it's even a Binding Path. This is a technique that ordinary Shinigami at the Seat Officer level can not use. Even a high-ranking Seat Officer cannot use it. At least a Vice Captain level or even a Shinigami with greater strength can use it at will with a wave of their hand.

Even so, the Ghost Chains failed to hit the enemy.

Strictly speaking, it was a reciprocal exchange. Yumichika Segawa tricked Uryu Ishida.

Ishida Uryu also outmaneuvered Ayasegawa Yumichika.

Chapter 93: Flowing Light

Ayasegawa Yumichika, who had fallen into the building, recovered in just a moment, broke through another part of the ceiling, and returned to the building.

But unlike when Ayasegawa Yumichika had the upper hand, when he returned to the building, Ishida Uryu had completely vanished. Even looking around, he couldn't find a similar figure.

Only Yumichika Segawa remained, standing alone atop the building. "...What an interesting fellow. I'll remember you."

It was as if he were talking to himself, yet also as if he were speaking to someone. Ayasegawa Yumichika chuckled softly before speaking.

"I already gave you my name, but you were very rude. Next time we meet, I'll have to make you introduce yourself first!!"

There was still no response, only the lonely sound of the wind blowing by.

Ayase Yumichika wasn't someone who cared about this, nor did she intend to repeatedly launch surprise attacks with feints and real attacks.

What's lost is lost. At this point, the Seireitei has completely become a cage. Even if one could escape from his grasp now, there's no way to escape from the Seireitei itself.

As long as they remain in Seireitei, there will always be a chance for them to meet again and fight seriously once more.

At that time, Ayasegawa Yumichika might draw his Zanpakuto and show Ishida Uryu the real reason why he doesn't draw his sword on ordinary people.

Yumichika Segawa's footsteps faded into the distance, and there was no sound of them returning for a long time. Or perhaps it was some other reaction.

With his body pressed tightly against the wall, Shi Youyulong, who had forcibly controlled his various physiological reactions, including spiritual pressure, breathing, and heartbeat, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He heard what Segawa Yumichika said, because he spoke right above him. That's right!

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

He fell into this unfortunate building, which had created a new crater.

If you launch that kind of attack without intending to kill Yumichika Kansegawa, all you can achieve is a deceptive effect, and the time you can buy is only a few seconds.

It's easy to imagine that Ayasegawa Yumichika would immediately return to the battlefield. In just a few seconds, even if he used the Flying Kick, he couldn't run very far. If he were noticed, it would just be a protracted tug-of-war.

Realizing this, Ishida Uryu took a risk, first jumping off the roof and reaching the door of the building. When Ayasegawa Yumichika returned to the roof, he immediately slipped inside and hid in a blind spot where he couldn't be seen through the two holes above.

No one could have imagined that the room they were in half a second ago would become the enemy's hiding place half a second later.

This was a blind spot in his mind; Ayasegawa Yumichika never imagined that the vanished Ishida Uryu was actually right under his feet.

Relieved, Ishida Uryu looked at his hands, or more precisely, the gloves he was wearing. If he fought with all his might, defeating Ayase Yumichika wouldn't be a problem.

But just as he couldn't sense any killing intent from Ayasegawa Yumichika, the other party was holding back for whatever reason.

Yuryu Ishigawa didn't seem to have any intention of defeating Yumichika Kanase at all costs. "That guy... went back to find Kurosaki, didn't he?"

The footsteps faded in the direction they had come from. "Kurosaki, you'd better wish yourself good luck!"

Having finally disappeared, if he goes back to find Ichigo and then runs into Yumichika Segawa, it won't just be a second chance; it will be a complete farce.

Since that's the case, why not use Ichigo, who's caused such a commotion—he'll make a lot of noise no matter what—as bait, and use that opportunity to investigate other places?

Even though they said the search efforts had weakened, they were still ambushed shortly after leaving home. This shows that the search efforts are still quite intense, just shifting from quantity to quality.

If we could gather all these forces guarding various locations into one place, it would be much easier for the others to act. However, this would be a bit unfair to Ichigo...

But Ichigo isn't a Quincy, so a mere Shinigami can just die...right?

Meanwhile, back near the Third Division's prison, Ayasegawa Yumichika thought Madarame Ikkaku was still fighting Ichigo, but unexpectedly, what appeared before him was...

Orihime's abilities differ from those of Ichigo, Uryu Ishida, and Chad. Her abilities are not suited for attacking; they are better suited for supporting roles such as defense and even healing.

Her Three-Day Shield is a defensive technique, and it's impossible to completely defend against such overwhelming power. After all, when facing that level of power, let alone Orihime being just a human.

Even genuine Shinigami or Hollows would perish on the spot. In everyday life, this ability is more than enough for self-defense.

However, neither Orihime nor anyone else had ever anticipated such a scene.

It does not possess excessively powerful destructive or explosive force, but rather concentrates all its power into a single point, silently focusing on breaking through that one point. If this light were to strike Orihime, she would definitely die on the spot.

However, Mashiro appeared before Orihime, even faster than the streak of light. Then, just as the light was about to strike Mashiro, it instantly changed direction and disappeared. "M-Mashiro..." Orihime murmured, startled.

“This outfit suits you very well, Orihime,” Mashiro said with a light laugh. On the other side, Shiba Iwagi and Chad Yasutora were both startled.

The beam of light passed directly through Shiba Ganju and shot towards Orihime. At that moment, one of Shiba Ganju's arms had already been severed by the beam of light.

This is why Shiba Ganju is so shocked and furious. "Who is it?!"

At the same time, Shiba Ganju realized that he had made a decision-making error.

Having finally escaped, his first thought was to "get the two of them out immediately," rather than "first pinpoint the enemy's location and be wary of any potential further attacks."

If a plan and contingency measures are prepared in advance, Shiba Ganju can execute them well. However, when faced with sudden situations, he finds it difficult to react immediately and make the right decision.

This is his biggest flaw right now.

With his other hand covering the severed part of his arm, Shiba Iwagi no longer turned his back to the attacker; instead, he warily looked in the direction from which the attack had come.

That was a terrifying enemy, like an assassin lurking in the shadows, delivering a fatal blow. Launching two attacks simultaneously from the same spot must have been the limit for that person.

It's not that the opponent can only launch two attacks, but launching another attack from a position that has already been exposed is very illogical for assassination.

Even after asking, Shiba Ganji didn't expect a response. But the reality surprised him once again.

"I knew that if there was bait here, there would definitely be fish biting!"

Does it give the impression of a cunning fox, a sinister snake, or both?

From the dark corner of the jungle ahead, a figure gradually became clear.

Before one could clearly see what that slender, thin figure actually looked like, what sent chills down one's spine and made one's hair stand on end was the short knife that danced in the sunlight, which shone silver as it absorbed the sunlight through the gaps in the forest.

It was illogical to realize that the one who had launched two terrifying attacks in succession was actually that short sword, almost as short as a wakizashi!

"It's a shame that we only caught small fry, not big fish. Maybe it would be better to stay at home and wait? But I really didn't expect you to show up like this, Mashiro-sama." Even though it was broad daylight with the sun shining brightly, that sly smile appeared from the darkness.

Chapter 94: Captain

What does it mean when an assassin who should be hiding in the shadows, striking with hidden arrows, abandons their greatest advantage and swaggers out in front of the enemy?

This can only mean one thing.

That is, in the assassin's view, the gap between the two sides was so large that there was no need to continue hiding. Even if they showed themselves openly and gave up their greatest advantage, they could completely annihilate the enemy!

"Third Division Captain... Gin Ichimaru?!"

Rather than pointing out the other party's identity, it's more accurate to say that if we don't say something here, we'll lose even the courage to resist.

Unlike outsiders like Chad and Orihime Inoue, the Shiba family has intricate connections with the Seireitei and the Gotei 13.

At least they know that among the current thirteen captains, this captain named Gin Ichimaru is one of the strongest and among the top.

Even though he had mastered the Shiba family's secret techniques, Shiba Ganju was not so arrogant as to say things like, "After decades of training, I can already defeat the captain."

Oh, do you recognize me?

Gin Ichimaru, who had emerged from the darkness, stopped and spoke in a lazy and casual tone.

Not only his voice, but even his posture was lazy. His hand holding the short knife was loose and slouching, making him look less like a warrior and more like a young disciple.

Even Shiba Ganju could see countless flaws in him from head to toe, but Shiba Ganju dared not believe that these flaws were real, and...

It is a trap designed to lure unsuspecting enemies into making the first move.

Gin Ichimaru's eyes, which were always half-closed and whose pupils were not visible, fell on Ganju Shiba, and Ganju Shiba felt a chill run down his spine as if an invisible snake was slithering across his skin.

"I heard that someone from that noble family outside infiltrated the Travelers' Guild and was guiding them. Does that mean it was you?" Gin Ichimaru's smile deepened.

"So, in other words, even if I kill you here, it's perfectly legitimate and there won't be any trouble, right? Just kidding~"

No... this guy is definitely not joking. The killing intent emanating from him is genuine.

Thinking about it carefully, Orihime was right when she said, "It feels a little too easy." Indeed, the process of rescuing Chad was far too smooth.

Apart from the two guards standing at the entrance, there were no other obstacles.

I originally thought this was because it was the Fourth Division. The Fourth Division itself doesn't have much combat power, so it's weak in defense and other aspects. It's normal that someone could sneak in without being noticed.

However, from another perspective, not from the perspective of the Fourth Division, Chad is the only Ryoka (a type of adventurer) captured so far, even if we get information from him...

His capture, without any prior intelligence, was significant in itself. Would he really be simply left there like that?

Or did someone deliberately clear the road, leaving only the bare minimum of security to allay the suspicions of those who came to take away the Thai tiger?

This trap was not only aimed at Ichigo Kurosaki and his group who had little understanding of the situation of the Gotei 13, but it also fooled Shiba Ganju, who knew the situation!

Ultimately, when the person you're trying to save is right in front of you, and you've already successfully rescued them, with only one step left to escape, who wouldn't let their guard down?

And Gin Ichimaru has been waiting for this moment!

In his words, Inoue Orihime and Shiba Ganju were merely small fry. So who was the big fish he wanted to catch?

Is it Ishida Uryu, that Quincy? Or...?

It's Ichigo Kurosaki?!

"I never expected... it would be you."

"Anyway, someone will have to make a move against you. If I don't use this bait, someone else will, so why can't I be the one to use it? You're really joking, Shiba family."

No one can see through Gin Ichimaru; no one knows what he will do next.

But at least he was now behaving in a friendly manner, so Shiba Iwagi tried to extract some information from him. At the same time, he also shifted some of his attention to the rear, quietly observing the situation of Chad and Inoue Orihime, especially Mashiro.

According to the original plan, this person shouldn't be here. How strange, could it be because of this girl?

Thinking this through, Gin Ichimaru gave Orihime a special look. It seems he really did choose the wrong person.

At that moment, Mashiro glanced at Gin Ichimaru with a light laugh.

Gin Ichimaru instantly averted his gaze. How terrifying, Mashiro-sama.