Karakura Town, High School Rooftop
"What the hell?! Did I just get killed by those cherry blossom blades?!"
Ichigo's desperate cry echoed as the screen went black.
Sweat poured down his face, nearly collapsing in panic.
The excitement and anticipation were gone, replaced by raw fear.
Sensing something wrong, Sado swallowed hard. "Ichigo, you okay?"
"You think?!" Ichigo snapped, rolling his eyes. "Didn't you see? Future me got taken out right after showing up!"
He was speechless.
He'd thought he was the protagonist, with Byakuya as a foil.
But the final scene—buried by cherry blossoms—proved he was the expendable one.
"No way! This has to be fake! I'm not a side character!"
Fuming, Ichigo's teeth ground together.
If he could've smashed the screen, he would've.
Sado and Orihime were silent, unsure how to console him.
Who wouldn't break down seeing their own death?
---
Urahara Shop
The atmosphere was equally grim.
"Store Manager…" Tessai swallowed hard, uneasy. "The video cut off, but Isshin's son… he got taken out, didn't he?"
Urahara, under his green hat, stayed silent, his expression no longer calm.
Just half an hour ago, he'd spoken to Isshin, who was likely en route.
Now, Ichigo's apparent death loomed.
Isshin would probably faint hearing this.
Sighing heavily, Urahara said, "I hate to admit it, but I'm certain these scenes are real."
"So, one day, Ichigo Kurosaki will awaken Shinigami powers, fight Byakuya on Sōkyoku Hill, and be killed."
His tone was heavy with complex emotions.
If the first ranking was viewed with curiosity, this battle confirmed his suspicion—these were future events.
"I figured," Tessai said, still reeling.
Despite expecting it, Urahara's confirmation was hard to accept.
"If that's true, does it mean Ichigo will invade the Soul Society?"
A high schooler invading the Shinigami's stronghold?
Without the video, Tessai would've called it absurd.
"Seems so," Urahara squinted. "Maybe a future event in the Soul Society forces Ichigo to act."
Though lacking evidence, his intellect pieced together a theory.
"An event?" Tessai's frown deepened. "Could it involve Aizen?"
Aizen, the ever-disguised schemer, could manipulate the entire Gotei 13.
"Unlikely," Urahara shook his head. "This screen doesn't fit Aizen's style. He's subtle, not flashy like this."
Jokingly, he added, "But… what if Aizen's watching a screen like us right now?"
---
5th Division, Underground Base
Urahara was right.
Before the snow-filled screen, Aizen's trio reacted differently.
"Well, well," Gin Ichimaru smirked. "Even Ichigo Kurosaki's here. Things are getting interesting."
Though he'd never met Ichigo, Gin knew him well.
Years ago, Aizen's machinations sent a modified Hollow, White, to attack the living world, clashing with Isshin.
Masaki Kurosaki's intervention caused White to self-destruct, its remnants infecting her.
Thus, Ichigo inherited Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers, becoming Aizen's target, monitored ever since.
"You're right, Gin. Things are veering into unpredictable territory," Aizen said, his calm eyes flickering with rare excitement.
Like Urahara, his intellect deduced these were future scenes—Ichigo's Shinigami transformation, Tensa Zangetsu's Bankai, and the Sōkyoku Hill battle.
They rekindled his interest, reinforcing his plans.
Sending Rukia Kuchiki to the living world was to awaken Ichigo's powers.
Clearly, the plan succeeded.
"Pity, though. Ichigo got taken out easily," Gin said with mock regret.
The final frame showed Ichigo buried by Senkei, suggesting his death.
"No matter," Aizen said coldly. "He's just an experiment. If he dies, his value ends there."
To Aizen, Ichigo was a test subject, not human.
More concerning was Byakuya's ranking—his second-stage Bankai wasn't enough for top 15.