XX-level Hokage

"So many years have passed and you still remember me, Captain Aizen, thank you so much." Yoruichi Shihouin raised her chin slightly and responded loudly and cheerfully, her tone carrying a hint of teasing and disdain.

Aizen's gaze then fell on the figure being held at the waist by Yoruichi Shihouin—it was the unconscious Rukia Kuchiki.

"After so many years, you've reappeared just to take Rukia Kuchiki from me? Has your mindset changed?" Aizen's voice was calm as usual, as if he were simply catching up with an old friend.

"Of course. No matter what, she's my niece." Yoruichi Shihouin looked directly at Aizen without any hesitation, her tone firm, "She's already suffered so much unnecessary hardship because of you, you bastard, and I've already promised to protect her. I can't let it all fall apart at the end."

Rukia Kuchiki, whom Ichigo Kurosaki, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Renji Abarai had been trying to save all this time, was so easily taken back by Yoruichi Shihouin. Not only that, she even delivered a series of unexpected attacks to Aizen.

However, although it is unknown when Yoruichi Shihouin arrived, the fact that she did not appear from the beginning but chose this moment to make a sudden move cannot negate the value of the previous efforts of Ichigo Kurosaki, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Renji Abarai.

It was their success in drawing Aizen's attention to themselves that gave Yoruichi Shihouin the perfect opportunity to succeed.

After successfully completing her mission, Yoruichi Shihouin did not seem to intend to continue chatting with Aizen or fight him with Rukia Kuchiki.

She glanced at Byakuya Kuchiki, whose face was etched with displeasure, as if she hadn't noticed his ugly expression, and said leisurely, "I'm taking Rukia with me, nephew. The rest is up to you."

Before the sound had even fully landed, Yoruichi Shihouin leaped back two steps, leaving ripples on the sea of ​​blood before disappearing instantly, her speed astonishing.

Kuchiki Byakuya did not give Yoruichi Shihouin any response, and it was impossible to know what Yoruichi thought about it.

The only thing that is certain is that... the instant Yoruichi Shihouin disappeared with Rukia Kuchiki, countless cherry blossom petals floating in mid-air crashed down like collapsing rocks.

They will cover everyone present.

As the countless collapsed cherry blossom petals fell, they coalesced into countless hanging pure white blades of power.

Unlike the previous barrage of white blades that shot out like arrows, this time countless white blades were neatly arranged together, forming layers of uniform circles, which then piled up and extended to the sky, completely sealing off the inside and outside, transforming into a closed barrier.

"Now—I can finally attack you without any scruples, Aizen." Byakuya Kuchiki pointed his blade at Aizen, his eyes filled with utter coldness. "Kageki Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, this is my stance—abandoning all defense, transforming everything into absolute attack. You have no chance to do evil anymore!"

"saliva!"

Yoruichi Shihouin intervened in the battle suddenly and without any reason or abruptness.

After successfully rescuing Rukia Kuchiki from Aizen, she showed no intention of lingering in battle and irresponsibly...

Aizen went to give the three of them, including Kuchimiji, and then immediately retreated.

She leaped onto the four tall, upturned stone pillars that were originally meant to separate the True Central Underground Prison from the outside world, but now resembled eaves.

She held Rukia Kuchiki, who remained unconscious, in her arms, and turned to look at a barrier formed by rows of pale white blades emitting a faint metallic sheen. It was a colosseum that completely isolated the inside from the outside, like a battle arena where only a victor could open the cage doors.

However, compared to the battle unfolding below, what Yoruichi Shihouin was more concerned about was something else entirely. She turned her gaze back to another spot on the "eaves".

So, what are you planning to do next?

In that spot, a man stood there nonchalantly, as if it were none of his business, a sly smile on his face. "Gin Ichimaru. Are you going to take Rukia back from me?"

"Captain Aizen has already retrieved the Hogyoku, right? Then Rukia Kuchiki is useless now." Gin Ichimaru, who met Yoruichi Shihouin's gaze, showed no fear. He shrugged casually and said in a tone that was none of his business.

"Captain Aizen wants to kill Rukia Kuchiki, that's his personal interest, maybe even a bit of an obsession. But please don't equate me with Captain Aizen. I'm quite kind to Rukia, and I could never do something so violent."

If someone didn't know Gin Ichimaru, they might actually believe him if they heard his words sound so sincere.

Yoruichi Shihouin merely twitched the corners of her mouth slightly, not even bothering to utter a sarcastic sound, clearly dismissing Gin Ichimaru's words with disdain.

"As for Captain Shihouin... oh, I mean, former Captain Shihouin, after rescuing Rukia from Captain Aizen, you're standing right there in front of me now. What are you planning to do?"

Strictly speaking, Gin Ichimaru belongs to the same era as Yoruichi Shihouin and Aizen in the history of Seireitei.

During those years when they reigned supreme, Gin Ichimaru merely possessed the title of genius and was only the third seat closest to the captain's rank. His becoming the captain of the Third Division, along with Yoruichi Shihouin, Aizen, and others, either disappeared or lived in anonymity—all happened many years later.

However, his current statements, whether he still refers to Aizen as "Captain Aizen," even though Aizen was once very close to that position but ultimately missed it, or he refers to Yoruichi Shihouin as "Captain Shihouin," all have a certain feeling that he is deliberately trying to let the cold wind that harbored murderous intent a hundred years ago cross time and blow to this moment.

No, rather, what is happening right now is a continuation of the calamity that was not ended a hundred years ago. "Should we just leave with Rukia like this, or..."

Gin Ichimaru raised his right hand, and the wide sleeve naturally slid down to his elbow as he raised his hand, revealing the short sword that Gin had been holding in his hand the whole time, even though he acted as if nothing was wrong, he had never actually let go of it for a moment.

"Fight me?"

"Oh? You mean I'm going to take you, the traitor, under my wing on behalf of the Seireitei?"

Upon hearing this, Yoruichi Shihouin nonchalantly curled the corners of her mouth, revealing the same indifferent smile as Gin Ichimaru.

Have you forgotten, kid? I'm a major sinner of the Soul Society. Working for the Soul Society is ancient history; what the Soul Society is like now is none of my business. However...

At this point, Yoruichi Shihouin paused slightly, a hint of amusement appearing on her lips: "Whether it involves other people, I don't know."

Chapter 144: Teacher

A loud "BOOM!"

Behind Gin Ichimaru, accompanied by the howling wind, some terrifying energy was sweeping towards him at a chilling speed. Without thinking, Gin Ichimaru quickly moved away from his spot to dodge, while looking behind him.

What appeared before him was a tornado composed of enormous wind blades created by the vacuum channel. These intertwined wind blades rushed towards him, and he didn't even need to use his body to measure their power; just looking at them was enough to make him realize that each strike was a sure kill.

Although Gin Ichimaru dodged in time, a corner of his shihaka and haori was still silently sliced ​​off by the wind blade.

This force swept in like a scythe-weasel, cutting through the wind, but as it passed, it was as silent as a ghost.

With a deafening roar like being hit by a cannonball, the ground where Gin Ichimaru had been standing was torn open with more than a dozen crisscrossing cracks. This merciless attack left even Gin Ichimaru speechless.

"Seriously, Miss Yoruichi, don't give hints when others are attacking. It's not fun that way."

Above Gin Ichimaru, a slightly disgruntled voice came from the direction the tornado blades were coming from. The person whose clothes and hair were being blown about by the strong wind was Shunsui Kyoraku, who was wearing a hat over his captain's haori and a kasa. In his hands were two unique large swords, one large and one small, with a curved angle.

Although he was speaking to Yoruichi Shihouin, his gaze was fixed on Gin Ichimaru.

"I had no idea this thing was so powerful. If it were to blow up my Eighth Division's base, I'm not confident I could save as many people as Old Man Yama. Captain Ichimaru, don't you think this joke went a bit too far?"

Kyoraku Shunsui's eyes were shrouded in the shadow cast by the straw raincoat, but even so, he could still clearly feel the cold and sharp gaze piercing through from below. Even though Kyoraku Shunsui still called Ichimaru Gin "Captain Ichimaru," the usual intimacy and care in his words were gone.

"Captain Ichimaru! Surrender! You have no way to escape."

From the ground in the same direction as Kyoraku Shunsui, a call filled with a sense of persuasion to surrender came. It was Ukitake Jushiro, who was also wielding two swords. Following Shihouin Yoruichi, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro also rushed to this place.

Even disregarding the various reasons, there are very few captains left who can take action. There's nothing wrong with the two of them going out at the same time and fighting side by side.

Unlike Yoruichi Shihouin, who claimed to be a sinner and therefore had nothing to do with the events in the Seireitei, Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake were both serious. They would never let Gin Ichimaru and Aizen, who was being besieged below, go.

Kyoraku Shunsui is above, Ukitake Jushiro is below. The two are in front, Shihouin Yoruichi is behind.

Even if Yoruichi Shihouin says she won't interfere, no one knows for sure whether she really won't take action. Maybe when she does, she'll argue, "I have no interest in helping the Seireitei. I just couldn't resist taking action because I saw that Sora was perfect for a sneak attack."

Even though Gin Ichimaru's abilities are among the best of the captains, he is not as formidable as opponents like Sajin Hitsugaya or Toshiro Hitsugaya. When surrounded by these three, Gin Ichimaru would find it difficult to deal with them all at once.

"What's wrong? Captain Ichimaru usually loves to joke around, why is he suddenly silent?" Kyoraku Shunsui held up the longer sword in his hand.

Dali pointed at Gin Ichimaru and said, "If Captain Ichimaru is determined not to say anything, then I will have no choice but to continue."

But just then, something suddenly flashed in the sky above the two of them.

Instinctively, he looked up at the sky, where a silver flame, like a giant laser beam, flashed past. The air above Gin Ichimaru's head was torn apart; the straight, materialized flame slash was faster than Shunsui Kyoraku's wind blade, and even more silent.

Rather, its only weakness might be that its overly flashy nature makes it easily noticeable. If it were an ordinary opponent, they would probably be too shocked to move when they noticed the slash coming towards them.

But Gin Ichimaru was no ordinary being. Upon sensing the slash coming towards him, he instinctively dodged backward once more. The light blade struck the ground in front of him, but instead of tearing a large crack in the ground, it silently disappeared into it.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that I realized that the corner, which had been torn up by gravity like a flying eave, had been quietly cut off like cream.

The section where Gin Ichimaru was located was pulled by gravity and quietly fell into the sea of ​​blood below.

The severed section, so neatly cut, seemed almost unreal against the edge of the cliff, where a beautiful figure gracefully and leisurely descended. Following Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro, she too appeared here.

Former captain of the 10th Division, Mashiro.

Seeing Mashiro appear, Gin Ichimaru's smile deepened.

"You've rushed back to the First Division from the Twelfth Division in such a short time. You're truly worthy of being called Captain Mashiro." Whether it was a joke or a reminder, he emphasized the word "Captain Mashiro."

The 12th Division's base is located near the edge of Seireitei, which could even be considered the suburbs, while the 1st Division is in the Shin-Uchi Ward, which is within the inner ring. Given the vast size of Seireitei, it would take a considerable amount of time to cross it. The strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain sounds simple, but its success lies precisely in this.

"come yet?"

The response to Gin Ichimaru was not from Mashiro, nor from Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro, nor from Shihouin Yoruichi; the calm and composed voice came from behind Gin Ichimaru.

From the barrier composed of countless white blades not far behind Gin Ichimaru—no, to be precise, from the barrier that had already been broken.

Amidst the falling cherry blossom petals, only Aizen Sosuke calmly and composedly sheathed his Zanpakuto at his waist.

Behind him were Ichigo Kurosaki, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Renji Abarai, all covered in blood and falling helplessly, floating on a sea of ​​blood.

What exactly happened inside the sealed barrier is unknown to outsiders except for them; all they can see is the reality right before their eyes, nothing more.

Aizen, having sheathed his Zanpakuto, looked up at Mashiro, just like Gin Ichimaru. A smile appeared on Mashiro's face, which was once honest and simple but now exuded a domineering confidence. After a century apart, he said to his long-lost "teacher," "I regret that I may not be able to see you one last time before I leave, so I plan to leave you with a special gift."

Considering Aizen's previous actions, it's not hard to guess what this unique gift he was referring to.

"Although there were quite a few troublemakers who popped up at the last minute, preventing me from completing my plan, it's still a pleasure to see you here. It's been so long, and I've been looking forward to seeing you again, Mashiro-sama..."

Chapter 145: Mediocre Man

"Aizen Yosuke?"

Standing high above, seemingly overlooking everything below, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro appeared on either side of Mashiro. At this moment, they had no time to ask Mashiro why she was in Tokami World.

Ukitake Jushiro stared at Aizen below, who was completely different from the one in his memory. His expression suddenly changed, and he whispered in shock, "You... you're not dead? Then who was the one who took over before...?"

"it's useless."

Compared to Ukitake Jushiro's confusion and grief, Kyoraku Shunsui's attitude was more resolute, and his words were more decisive.

"The Seireitei is now completely sealed off. A protective barrier covers the entire Seireitei. No matter how you fake your death to escape, no matter what you want to do, you have nowhere to run." Kyoraku Shunsui's voice was filled with unwavering determination.

"Is that so? Captain Kyoraku, it's wonderful to see you so confident." Aizen didn't get the direct response he wanted, but he wasn't disappointed at all. He simply looked away and smiled gently.

“Because only in this way, when such things happen before your eyes, will you try to question the world instead of yourselves.” He had barely finished speaking when… Suddenly!

Two dazzling beams of light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping Aizen and Gin Ichimaru.

Without warning, two beams of light crashed down, engulfing and swallowing Aizen and Gin Ichimaru.

Perhaps due to the lack of reference points, it wasn't very clear, but upon closer observation, one could notice that Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, enveloped in the pillar of light, were being pulled by an invisible force, slowly and steadily floating upwards from the sea of ​​blood below.

Looking upwards along the beam of light, one could see... a pitch-black rift torn open in the sky, as if ripped open by sharp claws. The rift was shrouded in darkness, but within it, one could vaguely make out eerie white masks. This meant that what lay within that rift were... "Hollow Gods!"

"The power of Hollows is completely different from that of Shinigami. Compared to Shinigami, Hollows can more easily access the power of space," Kyoraku Shunsui said with a hint of solemnity.

Shinigami need to use the Transcendental Gate to open a passage from Soul Society to the Human World, but Hollows can directly tear through space itself to go to the Human World or even to Soul Society.

Similarly, Shinigami's Shunpo is a high-speed movement technique, while Hollow's Soten is a spatial movement technique.

Therefore, although the Soul-Sheltering Membrane completely protects, or even seals off, the protection is only effective for movement inside and outside in the conventional sense. It is powerless against spatial gaps that are torn open directly inside the Soul-Sheltering Membrane.

However, this does not mean that the Soul-Sealing Membrane is useless to Hollows. The most crucial point is that Hollows cannot obtain the specific spatial coordinates of the Seireitei.

But now this ironclad rule has been broken, and no one but Aizen could have done this! This is... an anti-membrane? Kyoraku Shunsui stared at the pillar of light, and said it in a low voice, somewhat unwilling to believe it.