"Boy, I originally intended to use you as an experiment for a few more years… but since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's face twisted with irritation. He hadn't expected to be mocked—by a dying boy, no less.
"No, it's you who's going to die today."
Ishida Uryuu's voice was calm, resolute. "I didn't want to use this move... but I have no choice. I think Grandpa will forgive me."
He glanced down at the spirit-dispersing gloves on his arms and, without hesitation, tore them off.
In that instant, a wave of energy surged from Uryuu's body. His spiritual pressure rose dramatically. The surrounding walls and debris of the Seireitei began to dissolve into raw spirit particles, flowing straight into him like a torrent.
"Impossible!" Mayuri's eyes widened. "Yes, everything here is formed from spirit particles—but to manipulate them so freely? To forcibly absorb the structure of the Seireitei itself?! This level of control… it surpasses the limits of any human!"
Mayuri couldn't comprehend what was unfolding. But Uryuu understood all too well. The moment he removed those gloves, his Quincy powers would be temporarily pushed beyond their natural limit.
But it came at a cost.
The Soul-Dispersing Gloves granted immense power, but they also burned out a Quincy's spirit abilities. This was Uryuu's final stage. The flame would blaze brightly—then extinguish.
Still, he had no regrets. For the sake of his grandfather… Uryuu was willing to turn himself into a living arrow.
"Don't underestimate me, you little pest! Bankai—Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"
With no hesitation, Mayuri released his Bankai. From the smoke emerged a grotesque biological monster—his Zanpakutō transformed into a golden baby-faced doll fused with the centipede body of a nightmare.
Its gaping maw opened, releasing a creeping fog of purple gas. A deadly neurotoxin.
But Uryuu was already in motion. His bow drawn, an arrow formed from pure spirit particles crackled at full draw.
The moment the Bankai lunged to bite, Uryuu let go.
The massive arrow howled through the air and crashed into the monster's head like a thunderbolt. The golden doll's skull shattered instantly. The force didn't stop there—it tore through the street beyond, carving a massive path of destruction.
As the smoke cleared, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō lay in pieces—split cleanly down the middle.
Whether Mayuri's Bankai could regenerate… Uryuu didn't care. He'd done what he had to.
Behind the creature, Mayuri clutched his abdomen, pierced straight through by the same arrow. A gaping hole remained, his insides visible through the mess of his robes. But even with such a fatal wound, he didn't fall immediately.
"You… brat…" he muttered, breath ragged.
Then, with cold resolve, Mayuri stabbed his own torso. His body exploded into foam and gas, splattering across the area.
Uryuu watched in disbelief as the fluid began to pool, turning into a greenish liquid. It seeped into the walls.
Mayuri's voice echoed from the remnants.
"Don't bother chasing me. I'll return to my lab and recover within three days. Try not to die before then, Quincy."
With that, he was gone.
"Damn it…"
Uryuu's strength gave out. His knees buckled. As he collapsed, he saw a shadow—Mayuri's assistant, Nemu, pouring something into his mouth.
Then, everything faded to black.
---
When Uryuu awoke, he was lying on a cold metal bench in a cell. His body was covered in bandages, but someone had treated his wounds.
"You're awake."
He blinked, adjusting to the light. "Chad? Ganju?"
To his surprise, both Chad and Ganju were in the same cell—equally battered, equally bandaged.
"Ichigo… is he here?" Uryuu asked weakly.
"Don't worry," Chad replied. "He's okay."
Uryuu let out a breath. "I guess… we'll have to wait for him to come get us."
Oddly enough, once captured, a strange calm fell over them. They had done all they could. Now, it was Ichigo's turn.
---
Elsewhere, Su Xiuyu and his group followed Yoruichi's trail. Their pursuit finally led them to a hidden cave—spacious and secretive, much like the training grounds beneath Urahara's shop.
This was where Yoruichi planned to train Ichigo. To teach him the key to fighting on equal footing with captains—Bankai.
"You guys are back too? Ichigo's over there, resting. You alright?" Yoruichi asked casually.
Su Xiuyu shook his head. "Didn't even get to fight Kyoraku yet."
Yoruichi raised a brow. "You're insane."
Her tone was teasing, but she was clearly impressed. After all, Madara had fought Kenpachi and lived to tell the tale. That alone put them in a different league.
"I'm going for a soak in the hot spring. Orihime, Xiuyu, wanna join me?"
Yoruichi shot Xiuyu a playful glance, her golden eyes glinting mischievously.
Madara, sensing the mood, stood up. "I'm going out for some fresh air."
He didn't need to say it. As the older brother, he knew when to make himself scarce.
"I don't mind," Xiuyu replied, unphased by Yoruichi's antics. He couldn't tell if she was serious or just messing with him, but he didn't flinch.
"Good! Then it's settled~"
A few minutes later, Yoruichi returned—draped in a yukata, pulling a flustered Orihime along.
"Come on, don't be shy!"
She practically tossed Orihime into the hot spring. In the process, Orihime's yukata got caught and slipped off. She shrieked—already wearing a swimsuit, but completely caught off guard.
Xiuyu, also in his swim shorts, blinked at the sudden reveal. Orihime, for all her innocence, had a figure that left little to the imagination.
Still, Xiuyu remained calm.
But what happened next nearly made him choke.
Yoruichi, smirking, untied her own yukata.
There was nothing underneath.
"Whoa—hey, hey, hey, Yoruichi! What are you doing?!"
Xiuyu wasn't some blushing rookie, but still—this was beyond bold.
"Ah? Oops, my bad~ I forget sometimes. You know, with all the time I spend in cat form, clothes just… slip my mind."
She spun, flaunting her flawless figure without the slightest shame.
"So? Not bad, huh?"
Xiuyu stared for a moment before nodding, deadpan.
"...Yeah. Not bad at all."
-------------
"I thought you were just an innocent little boy," Yoruichi teased, arching a brow as she leaned closer, "but I didn't expect you to be into girls too."
Though known for her openness and playful charm, Yoruichi was mildly surprised by Su Xiuyu's calm composure. She had expected her graceful figure to fluster the young man.
Su Xiuyu remained unfazed, meeting her gaze with a faint smirk. "Yoruichi, you can't exactly blame me when you're the one flaunting that beautiful body in front of me."
With a flash step, Yoruichi instantly vanished and reappeared behind Su Xiuyu, her smooth skin pressing softly against his back like a panther curling around its prey.
"I win this time," she purred smugly, wrapping her legs around his and locking him in place. "See? You've been caught."
Su Xiuyu didn't even blink. "Childish trick, Yoruichi. You really thought you had me?"
A second later, another Su Xiuyu appeared behind her, a kunai shimmering with cold light pressed against her neck.
Yoruichi froze. Her hand was still on the neck of the Su Xiuyu in front of her—only now realizing she'd fallen into a perfect pincer trap.
"How…?" she murmured, eyes narrowing. "The Shinigami don't have cloning techniques. At most, we use gigai—like Urahara's—but those are crude compared to this."
What startled her most wasn't just the visual duplication. The spiritual pressure—Su Xiuyu's reiatsu—felt identical in both versions. No fluctuations, no breaks. Perfect synchronization.
Su Xiuyu chuckled, enjoying the rare sight of Yoruichi caught off guard. "Let's just call it... my secret technique."
"Hmph. Fine," she said with mock irritation, standing up and slipping into her clothes. "If you won't tell me, I won't ask." With that, she disappeared in a flash step, leaving Su Xiuyu and Orihime alone in the hot spring.
"Orihime, aren't you overheating? Your head's almost underwater," Su Xiuyu asked with amusement.
"Eh? I-I'm fine!" Orihime spluttered, cheeks as red as a ripe watermelon. "Totally fine~!"
---
After cleaning up, Yoruichi marched straight into Ichigo's room and dumped a full bucket of hot spring water onto his face.
"Hot! Hot! HOT!" Ichigo bolted upright, sputtering. "What the hell?!"
"Good, you're awake," Yoruichi said briskly. Su Xiuyu stood nearby, arms crossed, with a faint smile.
"Ichigo," Yoruichi began, her tone suddenly serious. "Your next task won't be easy. You probably already know your Zanpakutō can be released twice. You've achieved the first stage—Shikai. Now, it's time to aim for Bankai."
"Bankai…?" Ichigo blinked, confused. "There's a second stage?"
Su Xiuyu snorted. "You really charged into the Seireitei without knowing that?"
"Hey, I didn't exactly get a handbook!" Ichigo protested.
Yoruichi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Unbelievable. Well, listen up. A Zanpakutō's second release—Bankai—is its true, final form. Achieving it can boost your power five to tenfold, depending on your aptitude."
She paused to let that sink in.
"Only a handful of Shinigami in every generation ever reach Bankai. Those who do are remembered in Soul Society's history."
Ichigo's face grew tense. "And I'm supposed to do this… in three days?"
"You have no choice. Time's running out," Yoruichi said sternly. "But Urahara's divine body training method gives you a fighting chance."
Ichigo turned to Su Xiuyu and Madara. "You two already know all this, right?"
Su Xiuyu shook his head. "Not exactly. We're outsiders. We don't even know our Zanpakutō names—so Shikai, let alone Bankai, is out of reach."
"Zanpakutō are born from the soul," Su Xiuyu explained. "For Shinigami, they're manifestations of self. For us, our weapons are from another world—crafted artifacts. They don't carry sword spirits like your Asauchi do."
Madara nodded. "We've been wondering if time and resonance might eventually awaken something... but so far, nothing."
Yoruichi crossed her arms. "Then just observe for now."
She placed a strange, mannequin-like figure on the ground. "This is the Tenshintai, developed by Urahara. It forces the spirit of the Zanpakutō to manifest. Input your spiritual pressure, and defeat the manifested spirit to attain Bankai."
Ichigo hesitated, then placed his hands on the device. With a surge of reiryoku, the mannequin twisted, shimmered, and began to transform.
From the light emerged a man clad in black—the spirit of Zangetsu.
"…Ichigo. I didn't think we'd meet like this," Zangetsu said, gazing calmly at the boy.
But then, his eyes subtly drifted toward Su Xiuyu and Madara. He frowned, as though trying to peer through mist.
Zangetsu had seen countless souls, yet those two… were unreadable.
Su Xiuyu met the spirit's gaze with a curious smile.
"Xiuyu," Madara whispered, catching his subtle shift in demeanor. "What is it?"
"That Zanpakutō spirit… Zangetsu. He's not just Ichigo's weapon," Su Xiuyu said quietly. "He's one of the hidden monsters of this world. One of the four strongest beings."
Madara raised an eyebrow. "You mean—?"
Su Xiuyu nodded. "Yamamoto's flames, Aizen's mind, Yhwach's omniscience… and Ichigo's existence. They each bend the rules of reality."
Madara smirked, eyes glittering with anticipation. "Now I'm itching to fight."
Su Xiuyu chuckled. "We'll get our chance. For now, let's see how far Ichigo can go."
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