"So tired…"
Yoruichi Shihōin thought that as she sent Entetsu Kumoi flying with a single punch.
As someone who had once taken part in pulling Entetsu Kumoi back from Hell, she knew exactly how strong this body of his was now.
That Miyazaki Sakai Masato's Zanpakutō ability had an innate, overwhelming advantage when it came to creating these special reigai (spirit bodies).
If it weren't for the fundamental split in ideology between him and Urahara Kisuke, things wouldn't have spiraled to this point.
Or rather—if Miyazaki Sakai Masato could have let go of his obsession with Soul Society, they could've coexisted in peace.
But Miyazaki Sakai Masato had chosen, without hesitation, to throw in with the Tsunayashiro clan.
At that point, he couldn't blame Urahara Kisuke—or anyone else—for being ruthless.
Still, losing Miyazaki Sakai Masato meant Urahara Kisuke wouldn't be able to produce similarly powerful reigai (spirit bodies) in the future. Some traits… only Miyazaki Sakai Masato could bestow.
And that trait was exactly what Urahara Kisuke had been trying to understand all along.
So the primary goal of Yoruichi's trip was to capture Miyazaki Sakai Masato and bring him back. Her secondary goal was to locate the reigai (spirit body) of Sakahone Saizō—who had slipped away—and take that back as well.
But who could've imagined this outing would turn into such a mess?
First, she discovered Sakahone Saizō had already returned to Hell.
Then she got intercepted by Higashino Shuuichi—someone who seemed to have pledged himself to the Tsunayashiro clan.
And Higashino Shuuichi had even dragged in another first-generation captain—Entetsu Kumoi!
Yoruichi had no idea how Higashino Shuuichi had convinced Entetsu Kumoi, but she knew one thing for sure:
Entetsu Kumoi had been "released" here on purpose, thanks to deliberately outdated information from Urahara Kisuke.
The goal was to use a Soul Society captain's hands to send Entetsu Kumoi's uncooperative soul back to Hell.
So Yoruichi couldn't answer Entetsu Kumoi's questions—nor was she allowed to.
And she also couldn't kill Entetsu Kumoi herself.
Not that she necessarily had the ability.
Because behind Entetsu Kumoi, there was still a whole pack of Shinigami watching her like hawks.
That was why, from the very start of the fight, Yoruichi had been searching for a way to break the deadlock.
She absolutely could not get bogged down here with Entetsu Kumoi and Higashino Shuuichi's group.
Luckily, they seemed to want to keep her alive, so they never truly went for the kill.
And at last, Yoruichi found what might've been the only opening.
It was the Shinigami named Yushima Ōko.
Because among everyone present—aside from her and Entetsu Kumoi, the two actively clashing—only Yushima Ōko was intermittently outputting reiatsu.
In other words, Yushima Ōko was very likely the true creator of the space she was trapped in.
But…
"Placing Yushima Ōko behind you on purpose, never letting him stray more than two meters… this is another trap of yours, isn't it, Higashino Shuuichi?"
Yoruichi was convinced she'd seen through his setup.
Of course—who would ever put the maker of the space on display that blatantly?
If Higashino Shuuichi simply kept Yushima Ōko hidden, how could she possibly find a way out? In the end, she'd be forced into a death match against Higashino Shuuichi's side.
"Using that military theory from the Human World you're so fond of… this is called 'surrounding on three sides and leaving one path open,' right?"
Yoruichi remembered how Higashino Shuuichi, whenever he showed off tactics in front of the captains, always tossed out those kinds of terms.
One of them fit today's situation perfectly.
Clearly, Higashino Shuuichi wanted her to break through the "bait" that was Yushima Ōko, so he could defeat her at the lowest cost.
Without a doubt, the area around Higashino Shuuichi was already filled with traps he'd prepared in advance.
And yet, Yoruichi's lips curled upward.
"If you think this level of setup is enough to handle me, Yoruichi Shihōin… you're going to pay for it, Higashino Shuuichi~"
Today, she'd teach him a proper lesson—what the title of "Shunshin no Kami (Flash God)" was really worth.
Shunkō: Raijū Senkei (Thunder Beast Battle Form)!
Lightning raged across the sky again—but this time, its convergence point was strange. It didn't strike toward Entetsu Kumoi at all. Instead, it poured down behind Yoruichi.
Can your tricks keep up with the speed of lightning?
Her gaze snapped onto Higashino Shuuichi for a split second—and then, in the heavens, only a streak of light remained.
When Yoruichi appeared again, there was now a figure in front of her:
Yushima Ōko, his entire body wrapped in crackling electricity, limbs numbed and paralyzed, unable to move.
"Looks like you still underestimated me, Higashino Shuuichi!"
She glanced back and saw that where Yushima Ōko had been standing, a significant fluctuation of reiatsu had indeed appeared—only to sink into silence again as Higashino Shuuichi turned.
He didn't speak.
But from the complexity in his eyes, Yoruichi had already read the answer she wanted.
"Sorry—this might be a bit unfair to your little friend here, but I don't have another choice!"
Before Entetsu Kumoi could close the distance, Yoruichi pressed her left palm to Yushima Ōko's chest.
Terrifying lightning pierced straight through his torso.
This time, Yushima Ōko didn't have Entetsu Kumoi's absurd luck. Physically, he was just an ordinary Shinigami.
And for him, Yoruichi's blow was either death—or a critical, near-fatal wound.
When she released her hand, Yushima Ōko went limp and fell from midair like a rag doll.
And as he lost consciousness, the entire space began to collapse—starting from the dim sky, peeling away layer by layer, until the original blue heavens beyond were revealed.
Yoruichi was still within the borders of the island nation—still within Yokohama City, in fact. She hadn't even reached the port, much less set sail.
"So when did it start, then? Don't tell me… the moment I entered Yokohama City?"
If that was true, didn't it mean she'd been under Higashino Shuuichi's surveillance this whole time?
Then her showers… her bathroom breaks…
In certain Human World "literature," this was exactly where the next line would come in:
"Yoruichi-taichō, you wouldn't want people to know what you look like when you bathe, would you?"
But thankfully—first, Higashino Shuuichi probably wasn't that kind of person. And second, Yoruichi didn't particularly care anyway.
"Hopefully, the next time we meet will be in a more formal setting."
As she left, Yoruichi looked down at Higashino Shuuichi, who was holding the electricity-wreathed Yushima Ōko and performing emergency kaidō (healing arts).
Still, she received no response.
Naturally. Higashino Shuuichi wasn't the type to talk during a fight. If he could use his hands, he wouldn't use his mouth—Yoruichi knew that very well.
In fact, if Higashino Shuuichi ever did start talking, Yoruichi would have to seriously consider what kind of scheme he was pulling.
So she was quite satisfied with his current reaction.
At the very least, it meant she'd seen through his plan, didn't it?
A flurry of slashes came at her—Entetsu Kumoi's attacks.
After realizing his Zanpakutō ability could be resisted by her, Entetsu Kumoi had fully shifted into swordsmanship, trying to defeat her with pure kenjutsu.
But it was pointless.
At least, in Yoruichi's eyes—without Yushima Ōko's space binding her, she was free as a bird in the sky, a fish in the sea.
Still, retrieving Sakahone Saizō's reigai (spirit body) now was clearly impossible.
Yoruichi glanced at the reigai (spirit body) Higashino Shuuichi protected in his grasp, feeling a sting of regret.
After all, she'd stolen that from Soul Society at tremendous risk.
And in the end, she'd just delivered it into Higashino Shuuichi's hands.
So Yoruichi decided she wasn't going to let him have an easy time of it.
If they were tearing off the mask anyway, then fine—no one gets to live comfortably from here on out~.
With continuous shunpo, Yoruichi surged forward in one burst—from inside Yokohama City, breaking through the reiatsu blockade Mayuri Kurotsuchi had set across the entire nation.
"If I remember right, you're a wanted criminal in Soul Society too now~.
Shuuichi-kun, you'd better run fast—don't let the captains catch you. Otherwise, that reigai (spirit body) in your hands, and that first-generation captain Entetsu Kumoi at your side… won't be so easy to explain to Soul Society, you know~?"
Floating over the sea, Yoruichi looked back toward Yokohama, muttering under her breath.
Then she continued on toward the West Administration.
But though the route should've taken at least a few days, before she'd even made it halfway, Yoruichi stopped on an unnamed small island.
Because there, she saw Hirako Shinji, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, and Muguruma Kensei.
"Why are you here?" Yoruichi asked, confused.
"It's all Kisuke's fault," Muguruma Kensei said first, boldly as always. "He said he couldn't stop worrying about you, thought something might go wrong on your end—so he had us come meet you and provide backup!"
"I remember you messaged saying you'd already gotten Sakahone Saizō's reigai (spirit body) back from Soul Society," Hirako Shinji said, scanning Yoruichi from head to toe. "But it doesn't look like you brought it."
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, then spread both hands.
"Can't be helped. I did get it at first—who would've thought Higashino Shuuichi would suddenly jump out, team up with a first-generation captain like Entetsu Kumoi, and ambush me? I'm lucky I even made it out alive, okay?"
"What? Higashino Shuuichi?" Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō said in shock. "Didn't he go missing for over ten years?"
"Missing for over ten years? Please—that was just misdirection. Higashino Shuuichi now is working for the Tsunayashiro clan. For all we know, even him fleeing to the Human World with us back then was something he arranged long in advance!"
Yoruichi said it as if casually.
"What?! Something like that?!" Muguruma Kensei immediately condemned him. "To think a Shinigami who looks so gentle, refined, generous, kind—and strong, too—was actually a real traitor!"
The content of that praise was… a little too—
"Raiōken (Thunder King Fist)!"
The instant Muguruma Kensei finished speaking, Yoruichi suddenly attacked him. A lightning-crackling, ultra-high-speed punch smashed into his body, twisting him grotesquely.
"What are you doing, Yoruichi?!" Hirako Shinji shouted, drawing his Zanpakutō at once.
What he got in return was an equally merciless Raiōken (Thunder King Fist).
Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō suffered the same fate.
In the blink of an eye, on the entire island, only Yoruichi was still standing.
"Only five words? Praising yourself—five can't be enough, right, Higashino Shuuichi~?"
Yoruichi chuckled as she looked at the barely-living Muguruma Kensei sprawled on the ground.
Just then, "Muguruma Kensei" sat up—while the figures of "Hirako Shinji" and "Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō" vanished at the same time.
"As expected," he said. "I knew it was risky to add Hirako Shinji and the others into the illusion before understanding your side's situation. And sure enough—you still saw through it."
"So this is still a space you created? But that shouldn't be possible. It's extremely difficult for the same person to stack a new space on top of one they've already created! A space like that is almost impossible to keep stable—at least not like this, or like before! With that Yushima Ōko guy's reiatsu, there's no way he could do it!"
The moment Higashino Shuuichi admitted who he was, disbelief flooded Yoruichi's mind.
"I was going to compliment you, Yoruichi-taichō, for knowing so much," Higashino Shuuichi said with a smile, "but then I remembered—Urahara Kisuke did research spatial theory pretty deeply for a while. So it's not surprising you'd know these things."
He smiled as he shed the disguise of Muguruma Kensei.
"But, Yoruichi-taichō… you aren't expecting me to answer that, are you?"
As he spoke, Higashino Shuuichi swung a casual horizontal slash.
Yoruichi dodged—yet the lightning she'd left behind, still crackling in the air, was split cleanly in two by that seemingly ordinary blade.
"…You're kind of strong now," Yoruichi said, her expression sour as she stared at the altered space where she'd been a moment ago.
"Be more confident, Yoruichi-taichō," Higashino Shuuichi said, smiling. "You can drop the 'kind of' and the 'now.'"
"With strength like this, you could've teamed up with Entetsu Kumoi earlier—"
Yoruichi frowned. She wanted to say "and subdued me," but that felt like conceding too much.
"I could have," Higashino Shuuichi agreed cheerfully. "But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to confirm whether you still had companions hidden around the East Administration side, would I?"
Higashino Shuuichi's smile was bright.
And all Yoruichi could think was—right now, Higashino Shuuichi looked exactly like a wicked villain.
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