XX-level Hokage

"Um, Mr. Shiba!! Are you alright? I'll treat you right away!"

Protected by Mashiro and freed from her shock, Orihime saw Shiba Ganju's severed arm and hurriedly spoke, then activated her ability to heal him. Soon, under Orihime's power, the paleness on Shiba Ganju's face faded, and the dripping blood congealed.

Gin Ichimaru looked on in surprise at what he saw. He leaned forward and made a startled sound.

But that's to be expected, isn't it? He was the one who launched the attack, so he naturally knew exactly what the effects would be. And the damage he caused was so easily healed... no, erased?

"It seems there's one more person to watch out for besides Kurosaki Ichigo. That must be why Mashiro-sama showed up to protect her." Shiba Ganju slightly shifted his position, using his body to block Orihime and Ichimaru Gin's line of sight.

"So, you were waiting for us here specifically?" Stop asking such obvious questions!

Gin Ichimaru said dismissively, "Never mind." He added somewhat displeasedly.

"But I actually have a question I want to ask you. If you can answer it, I might be in a good mood and let you off the hook." ...What?

"Where is Rukia Kuchiki now?"

At first glance, Shiba Ganju didn't quite grasp the strangeness.

But Gin Ichimaru didn't press him further, giving him time to think and realize where the strangeness lay. The answer was simple: what were their identities now?

He's a Ryouka, a Ryouka who trespassed on the Fourth Division's territory to retrieve his captured accomplices. What is Gin Ichimaru's identity?

It's Death. It's the captain.

His question may seem perfectly reasonable at first glance, but it actually contains a fallacy of sequence.

The two sides are adversaries. As a Grim Reaper and the captain, Gin Ichimaru should have taken them down without hesitation and arrested them first.

As for the whereabouts of Rukia Kuchiki, whom the Shinigami believed they had taken, they thought they should question her later. Just as Shiba Iwagaki and Chad were extremely tense, a melodious female voice suddenly came from behind.

"Alright, Gin, stop scaring them." "Yes, Mashiro-sama."

Gin Ichimaru responded in a low voice.

In an instant, Shiba Iwagi froze, and she turned to look at Mashiro.

She didn't know Mashiro, and when Mashiro saved Orihime, she only thought it was a coincidence.

His heart was like a raging storm. What is Gin Ichimaru's true identity?

It's Death. It's the captain.

And the person who could elicit such an attitude from a Grim Reaper and a Captain is quite obvious: another Captain, another even more powerful Captain.

And the captain named Mashiro has only been one since the Gotei 13 was established.

Chapter 95: May I Touch It? (Part 2)

Shiba Iwato approached Chad Yasutora and asked in a low voice, "Big guy, do you know this man?" Chad Yasutora was also a little disappointed. He and Mashiro were not familiar with each other; they were just acquaintances.

"I know her, but I'm not entirely clear on the situation. Mashiro is a friend of Ichigo and Orihime."

"I see," Shiba Iwato sighed inwardly, his tense emotions instantly relaxing. "Alright, that's all for now. You can go back to the team," Mashiro said softly to Ichimaru Gin.

“I don’t care, but aren’t you afraid he’ll suspect something if you show yourself like this, sir?” As he spoke, Gin Ichimaru glanced around.

"It doesn't matter. If nothing unexpected happens, he should already know about my existence. Perhaps he has already guessed that I'm just playing along with him," Mashiro said nonchalantly.

“Since you have made your decision, my lord, then I will say nothing more.” With that, Gin Ichimaru turned and left. After Gin Ichimaru left, Mashiro looked at Orihime beside her and asked with some concern, “How are you? Were you frightened?” Orihime, still not quite understanding the situation, nodded first, then shook her head.

At this moment, Mashiro scrutinized Orihime, especially her ample bosom. Two incredibly large mounds.

And a bottomless ditch.

"Um, may I touch it?" Mashiro suddenly asked with a smile. "Pancreas..."

Something doesn't seem right.

It wasn't that they were being chased and encountered one powerful enemy after another; something seemed amiss.

Ultimately, it's really troublesome if they keep getting spotted by small fry, which only shows that their stealth ability is so poor it's almost unbelievable.

Because they carefully avoided all the miscellaneous soldiers along the way, only powerful enemies could detect and discover them. From the moment they entered Seireitei...

No, it was from the moment he entered the Soul Society that Uryu Ishida vaguely sensed that something was amiss, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp that inspiration.

Like a mischievous little imp, it kept darting around in front of him, yet he could never catch it.

Now, forced to separate from Ichigo Kurosaki and operate alone in the Seireitei in an attempt to find a breakthrough, Yuuryu finally caught the mischievous little imp and realized what was wrong.

Ishida Uryuu hid himself in the canopy of a tall tree by the roadside, using the dense foliage to conceal himself.

It might sound absurd to think that the two Grim Reapers below, who were exchanging words, were leaving without noticing from such a precarious position, but it was actually quite normal.

How many trees like these are there in the Seireitei? Do we need to check every single one of them? There was no one in the tree an hour ago, but what about an hour later?

Or is it necessary to remove all the greenery in Seireitei in order to eliminate potential hazards?

If there were enough patrolling soldiers, there might be room to keep an eye on these areas, but now most of the soldiers have been transferred to the edge of Seireitei to guard the border.

This has led to a search method where one must first detect something amiss or sense suspicious spiritual pressure before immediately investigating. And for Quincy, who are skilled at controlling spiritual particles, this is precisely what they fear least.

To find Shi Youyulong hiding here, you'd have to happen to look up and yawn while walking down below, making eye contact with him.

But by then, Ishida Uryu would have something to say: Who am I, and who are you? What good is it for you to find me? There's no one else around, and I can take you two small fry down in no time.

Do you even know what a perfect infiltration is?

Uryu Ishida parted the leaves in front of him, his eyes, hidden in the dense forest, leaping from a high position to look at the center of Seireitei, a place said to be called the Central Ward, which is also the First Ward.

Uryu Ishida realized that they had been led around from the moment they entered Soul Society.

That's right, they used the method of that suspicious wooden clog hat to get to the Soul Society, and then, led by Yoruichi the Black Cat, they found the Shiba family and got their help. Then, naturally, they infiltrated the Seireitei.

Although various things happened after that, the initial goal of entering the Seireitei was indeed achieved steadily and successfully.

What happened afterward can all be considered accidents. But is it really okay to just relax like that?

Yoruichi the Black Cat has been frequently disappearing since entering Seireitei. Is it because they can't contact them, or is it because acting alone is indeed more advantageous for him?

Or perhaps it's simply a matter of reducing the frequency of his appearances to lessen the feeling that he's guiding everyone in a certain direction? Thinking back, even though Yoruichi the Black Cat didn't appear often after arriving at Seireitei, wasn't it him who provided crucial information each time?

Their actions were also based on the information provided by Yoruichi the Black Cat.

In other words, it can be predicted and guided.

Uryu Ishida did not make a hasty judgment, saying that Yoruichi Kuroneko had ulterior motives.

But after looking at their actions from a different perspective, he truly felt this strong sense of unease. Perhaps he was just overthinking it, or perhaps it was all just an illusion.

But Shi Youyulong sometimes feels that going back to the starting point and starting over is not a bad thing.

From the time they arrived in the Soul Society until now, almost all the information they have received has been provided by Yoruichi the Black Cat, or is related to him.

From the very beginning, they did not have control over or the interpretation of intelligence. It is only natural that they would feel like they were being led around.

"...In other words, I might now need information from a different source than Yoruichi Kuroko." Especially now that a mysterious third party has appeared.

The information provided by just one cat, Yoruichi, was gradually becoming inadequate.

Regardless of the circumstances, the essence of war is always a war of intelligence. Intelligence is king; only by possessing complete intelligence can one seize the initiative.

To escape the plans and limitations set by Yoruichi the Black Cat, they need to obtain supplementary external intelligence. That is...

"Information about the Grim Reaper."

Ishida Uryu's gaze fell on a female Grim Reaper who seemed to be rushing towards them from the other side of the street. Although she was female, her physique was unexpectedly large, almost like a man's. Her appearance also had a touch of elegant masculinity. However, her figure was very slender and well-proportioned, and her breasts were quite large!

Her short, silver-gray hair was slightly messy, styled with several thin braids, and she wore a pair of red striped earrings.

A woman, acting alone, and clearly anxious—this perfectly matched Ishida Uryu's requirements. Acting alone meant she had no teammates to support her.

Her anxiety meant she didn't have much energy to pay attention to her surroundings, but was focused on what she was doing. Who else could they target if not her!

Ishida Uryu tensed his body like a cheetah, slightly lowering himself in preparation. The instant the female Grim Reaper ran unsuspectingly past the tree...

Chapter 96: A Bizarre Scene

Shi Youyulong has moved!

He pounced on her like a bolt of lightning.

The female Grim Reaper only let out a scream, "Ah—!" before falling silent. Shi Youyulong had covered her mouth.

Although she was relatively large, she was still a girl after all—soft, weak, and fragrant... ah, no, she was very easy to control!! Ishida Uryu dragged her to a corner with lightning speed, conjured a spirit arrow, and held it against her neck.

He whispered a threat in her ear: "Don't scream!! I have something to ask you, and I'll let you go after I'm done. But if you scream, I'll kill you before anyone else gets here!! Believe me, even if I suffer, you'll die!!"

The female Shinigami, who was being controlled by Ishida Uryu, nodded weakly, her body trembling slightly. Ishida Uryu tentatively released his grip, but was prepared to immediately put it back on if anything went wrong.

Fortunately, she was quite sensible and didn't hoarse. "You...what do you want to do? Are you a traveler's nemesis?!" "I have something to ask you."

Uryū Ishida repeated it again.

But suddenly, he realized something was wrong.

He glanced sharply at the left shoulder of the female Shinigami's uniform and saw a badge there—the badge of a vice-captain. Wait!

Ishida Uryu was momentarily confused. Wait, wait, this woman is the vice-captain?

Are you sure you're the vice-captain? Really the vice-captain?!

Ayasegawa Yumichika has never been worried about Madarame Ikkaku.

Not to mention assisting him in battle, if anyone tries to intervene in the battle, like Ishida Uryu just now, he will even take the initiative to interfere and prevent anyone from affecting Madarame Ikkaku's battle.

Madarame Ikkaku likes to eat alone... well, no, that's not exactly eating alone, he prefers one-on-one combat. Although he doesn't rule out fighting multiple opponents, the prerequisite is that he has to be the one in the fight.

He also prefers a fair one-on-one battle against a worthy opponent.

Therefore, it doesn't matter if we don't manage to defeat Ishida Uryu, as long as Ishida Uryu doesn't interfere with the battle between Madarame Ikkaku and Kurosaki Ichigo, that's a victory.

As for whether Madara or Ikkaku will lose or not.

Ha, ha, ha ha, that's Madarajiro! He's the strongest Madarajiro in the Eleventh Division besides Kenpachi Zaraki! His hidden power goes without saying, but his overt power and fighting instincts are already formidable opponents. Based on past experience, Ayasegawa Yumichika's judgment is perfectly accurate.

Realistically speaking, although he made some misjudgments, that was only because the other side was cheating. What's the point of arguing with cheaters? If they could report it to the Spirit Master and get their accounts banned, you'd see if they didn't report it and that would be the end of it.

This caused Ayasegawa Yumichika to widen his eyes, even the usually most refined and elegant man to show an expression of disbelief. It was clear that there was no other possibility but a rare and extraordinary sight.

Right in front of Ayasegawa Yumichika, amidst ruins that clearly witnessed a fierce battle.

Madarame Ikkaku and Kurosaki Ichigo sat side by side on a rock that was originally unidentifiable, both of them covered in wounds and blood.

Madarame Ikkaku held the severed end of his Hozukimaru and pointed the very end at Kurosaki Ichigo, who was standing right next to him.

He wasn't trying to put into practice the idea that "who says a gun can't kill without a muzzle!" He was simply sharing something.