XX-level Hokage

Held upside down like that, Yoruichi stared at her large eyes, seemingly never expecting Ichigo to dare treat her like this. "...Yoruichi-san, you saved me again this time?"

Ichigo, on the other hand, remained quite calm. He casually tossed Yoruichi aside. Yoruichi let out a disgruntled cry, but Ichigo ignored her.

The familiar touch swept across my fingers and body—the sensation of a therapeutic hot spring.

Ichigo never expected that he would be brought back and attacked again so soon after he crawled out of there. He could only hope that there wouldn't be a third wave.

He pressed his hand to his face, his mind replaying the battle with that guy named Kenpachi Zaraki. That was undoubtedly the strongest enemy Ichigo had ever faced. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, Ichigo would be dead by now. And what was most frustrating was that that bastard Ikkaku Madarame had lured him there!!

No, that's a slightly inaccurate statement. To be precise, the guy named Kenpachi Zaraki is Ikkaku Madarame's superior, his captain. After Ichigo separated from Madarame, he reunited with Kenpachi Zaraki. During their conversation, Kenpachi Zaraki learned that Ichigo had not only encountered Ikkaku, but...

And the fact that he defeated Madarame Ikkaku sparked his great interest in Ichigo.

After that, she found Ichigo as she wished and began a battle with him.

Even now, Ichigo can still recall the first thing that guy said when they met: "Hey! You're the strong guy Ikkaku was talking about, right? You look..."

"You don't seem that impressive. Fine, just give me a sharp cut first, and I'll see how much you weigh."

In that instant, Ichigo had no other thoughts but this: "If only I'd killed that bastard Madara and Ikkaku back then!" Ichigo's purpose was to find people and clues, not to challenge them to a duel. While he didn't dislike or resist fighting, it was best to avoid it.

Combat, especially combat that comes knocking on your door.

Now, this rule needs to be expanded to include another rule: it's best to avoid battles where you're immediately respawned after the fight ends. So, Yoruichi's true identity is actually the Nekocart!

Ichigo didn't know how much time had passed since then, nor did he care much.

When he lifted Yoruichi up and threw him, he already felt that his body had basically recovered, and he no longer felt much pain when he moved around.

"Don't worry, not much time has passed since then. And we don't have much time to waste anymore." As if she already knew what Ichigo was thinking, Yoruichi landed on the other side of the hot spring, and Tan, who was sitting there, said to Ichigo.

"Ok?"

"I stole some special medicine from Death and used it with this hot spring for you, so your recovery is incredibly fast!"

It's clearly just a cat's paw, but it's being made to look like a thumbs-up. So, you're just relying on your black cat appearance to avoid suspicion of cheating and swindling, aren't you? Doing all sorts of bad things will only get you killed in the end!

"Where are the others?" Ichigo looked around.

However, unlike the first time he woke up here, this time there were no reliable teammates waiting for him. Apart from Yoruichi in front of him, there was no one else.

"There is still no news about Shiba Iwagi and Namikaze Orihime who went to rescue Chad, but judging from the current situation, they should be hiding somewhere and haven't been caught yet."

"Oh, that's good."

Ichigo nodded, then casually added, "What about Uryu?"

...Ishida Uryu...is currently at the Fourth Division's general medical facility.

"Oh, so that's how it is... wait, huh? What did you say! Uryu is lying there too!?" If Ichigo remembers correctly, that... that should be the place where we went to rescue Chad, right?

How come Chad hasn't been saved yet, but Ishida Uryu has already passed out?

Ishida Uryu's situation... is a bit complicated, and besides, I don't know everything. It's different from Chad's situation. Perhaps leaving him there is the best option right now.

"The good news is that the captain of the 12th Division, one of the top fighters in the Gotei 13, was defeated by Ishida Uryu and will likely be unable to participate in battles for some time. This is an advantage for us."

"...There are thirteen captains, but we only have five. Uryu's one-for-one trade is hardly an advantage!!" The unexpected news cast a shadow over Ichigo's face.

Chapter 106: Aizen's Reclining Sousuke

Although they disliked each other and often bickered, Ichigo probably realized something when he heard Ishida Uryu say that it would be best for him to stay in the hospital.

...You just said we don't have time to waste, what do you mean? Is that 12th Division Captain strong enough to sway the battle?

"No, that's not the case. If you insist on finding such a person, then besides the Captain-Commander, it would probably only be me... the Second Division Captain. The reason I say this is because I have already found a clue about where Rukia Kuchiki is."

"What!!"

Ichigo's eyes widened suddenly.

He was so fast that even Yoruichi didn't have time to react before he grabbed her and lifted her up. "Let, let me go!!"

Yoruichi struggled in Ichigo's grasp. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Ichigo quickly put Yoruichi down.

I was carefully stroking his fur when I forgot that I was still soaking in a hot spring and was wet.

They got Yoruichi's fur all wet, causing her to distance herself from Ichigo, looking at him with disgust and wariness.

This greatly injured Ichigo.

"If my investigation is correct, then the real culprit who kidnapped Rukia Kuchiki is... But thankfully, Yoruichi didn't deliberately keep us in suspense."

"It's probably that guy named Aizen Yusuke." ...Aizen, you're Yusuke?

Ichigo solemnly repeated the name that Yoruichi had uttered.

A glint appeared in his eyes. "Who is it?"

Yoruichi, who was still licking her fur, was caught off guard by Ichigo's soul-searching question, leaving Ichigo momentarily speechless.

However, Ichigo also had something to say: Who are you people, and who am I? I'm just an ordinary high school student you could find anywhere. I know you used that solemn and mysterious tone when you said that name to imply that this person is very strong and powerful.

But I really do know nothing about you guys, okay?

Putting everything else aside, just look at the Seireitei itself, the Gotei 13. There must be at least twenty-six people, including captains and vice-captains, right? That's a full twenty-six people! Even just reciting the menu would take them a while!

How could I possibly memorize all of this at once?! And now, out of nowhere, the name Aizen Sousuke pops up. How could I possibly feel nervous?

...Well, speaking of which... um, it does seem to be true.

Clearly, Ichigo's smug expression made Yoruichi, who was deliberately trying to appear serious, realize the problem. He coughed awkwardly and admitted his mistake.

Yoruichi also has something to say. He rarely wanted to lighten the mood, but he ended up picking the wrong person, so he was quite helpless. "Then let's talk about Aizen Sousuke."

Yoruichi carefully observed the distance between herself and Ichigo, as if afraid of being grabbed by Ichigo's wet hand again. Feeling uneasy, she moved slightly further away before stopping on a protruding rock to continue speaking.

For the Gotei 13, Aizen's assessment of Sousuke was that he was an unparalleled villain with extraordinary abilities. In the past, eight captains, including both captains and vice-captains, had fallen victim to his cruelty, and the number of lower-ranking officers, squad members, and even ordinary souls who suffered at his hands was countless.

"Ah, what a classic scene. In an organization like yours, there always have to be some similar characters, right?" Ichigo blurted out without thinking.

"So, since you know this person exists, why don't you find a way to capture him? Or execute him, or use that... classic sealing technique?"

Yoruichi, who was shaking his head and swaying his body with obvious amusement, giving the impression of telling a story, suddenly stopped. He glared fiercely at Ichigo. "Shut your mouth! Nobody thinks you're mute!"

"On the other hand, Aizen, your brother, is also extremely skilled at concealing his true self; almost no one can see through him." "Then what are you talking about now?"

"I already told you to shut up! I haven't gotten to the really important part yet, stop interrupting me!" Yoruichi raised her paw and slapped a small pebble at Ichigo. Ichigo tried to dodge but failed, as she had anticipated his move.

A small pebble hit him squarely on the forehead, causing him to scream "Ahhh!!" and nearly sink into the hot spring.

"However, according to the official records of the Seireitei, Aizen Kakeru has actually died in battle, because nearly a hundred years ago, his true identity was revealed to the present day."

The captain of the second division discovered this and, in order to prevent him from continuing his misdeeds, devised a plan to secretly kill him.

Every sentence Yoruichi utters is packed with information, especially this one, which Ichigo finds quite amusing. For example, if Aizen Sousuke is already dead, why is he suddenly appearing and causing trouble?

And that Second Division Captain, what a ruthless person he was! The moment his true colors were discovered, he plotted to kill him. That's much more ruthless than execution or sealing.

Finally, how did he escape when he had already been killed and the official records confirmed that he had died in battle?

But after interrupting Yoruichi repeatedly, he was clearly starting to get angry and embarrassed. Ichigo was a little afraid that if he interrupted him again, Yoruichi would reveal her true nature and pounce on him, scratching his face wildly, leaving three scratches on the left and three on the right, like a fox spirit ninja.

Not to brag, but while Ichigo's hair color is somewhat questionable, his face is undeniably handsome! There's no way around it; his mother is a great beauty, and his genes are simply too good for him.

Fortunately, Yoruichi wasn't entirely focused on ignoring the issue; she continued.

"In short, how he escaped being killed is unknown. The only thing we know is that his ambition did not end there. In the following decades, he went from overt to covert, secretly plotting something. Now it seems that he felt the time was finally ripe to take action."

Ichigo endured it for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back. However, this time he didn't intervene without permission.

Instead of speaking, he made a gesture befitting a student—he raised his hand!

"Okay, go ahead and ask!"

Yoruichi was quite pleased with Ichigo's sensible behavior.

His wagging tail pointed at Ichigo, like a teacher calling roll in class.

"Wait a minute, since you describe Aizen as both an unprecedentedly evil villain and a scheming scheming woman, then what about Aizen's..."

How did you learn about Yosuke Ranko and his current actions? This isn't information you can just get by asking around, is it?

It's not unusual for a new character to suddenly appear in the current situation, since both Soul Society and Seireitei are new maps for Ichigo, and everyone here is a new character.

The key issue is the sense of disconnect in Yoruichi's narration regarding Aizen Sousuke's mission.

While Yoruichi emphasized the terrifying aspects of Aizen Kyousuke, she also described his movements and actions in a relaxed, even understated, tone.

So, is Aizen Sosuke scary or not?

Or is Yoruichi actually more terrifying than Aizen and Sosuke?

Recalling certain doubts that had been lingering in his mind, Ichigo finally asked the question, which could be seen as a small test of Yoruichi's feelings.

However, to Ichigo's surprise, Yoruichi gave him a strange look that said, "You're hopeless," when he asked that question.

Chapter 107: Solution

Ichigo was completely confused.

Yoruichi's confident expression made him feel insecure instead.

Wait a minute! It's just a cat, and a completely black cat at that, how can it have such expressive features, and be so precise in conveying them to you?

"If we didn't know Aizen's true identity as a sosuke, how would we know that he's the one causing trouble now?" Yoruichi said helplessly after letting out a soft sigh.

"Besides, I never said I knew a lot about his current actions, did I? His thoughts, actions, and even his motives are completely unknown to us. Just like you said, this isn't information you can just ask around for."

To put it simply, to give an analogy, it's like transforming into a demon.

Before the mystery and the method were known, it seemed as magical as magic.

But once you know those details, the fun diminishes significantly, and watching the same magic show becomes a boring competition of trying to spot the flaws.

Just like Aizen Kyousuke, he set up various disguises to create different Aizen Kyousuke in front of different people, but few people know his true face.

But once a breakthrough is found, once his true nature is recognized, all his pretense will immediately become ineffective.

In Yoruichi's account, the detailed information almost all comes from decades or even centuries ago, specifically the events surrounding Aizen Sosuke's apparent execution.

Regardless of where Yoruichi obtained this information—whether it was because the information wasn't destroyed in time, or because she knew someone who was aware of it—this part is perfectly fine.

Regarding the events currently unfolding, aside from revealing Aizen's name, Yoruichi hasn't provided any truly valuable information.

The reason he heard so much at first glance was simply because he was filling in the information with old, outdated information. Yoruichi's question left Ichigo speechless; he wanted to speak several times but didn't know how.