One month later.
Konoha suddenly became lively.
Every household was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners.
Smiles filled the faces of every villager.
There was only one reason—
The wedding date of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was approaching.
That alone was enough to show how deeply loved Hashirama was.
"I'm only basking in Hashirama's light. If it were just me getting married, they probably wouldn't be this happy."
Uchiha Madara stood atop the Hokage Rock together with Uchiha Izuna, gazing down at the sea of people below. For the first time, a hint of envy surfaced in his eyes.
Izuna felt the same.
Being in charge of the ANBU certainly meant holding great power, but it also caused others to distance themselves.
After all, a force like the ANBU naturally inspired fear in ordinary people.
"Lord Madara, I don't quite agree. Teacher certainly deserves everyone's respect, but many of these voices are also blessing you."
"Rather than standing here aloof and watching, why not step into the crowd and listen for yourself?"
"I believe the result won't disappoint you."
Chu Yang appeared behind the brothers and smiled as he handed over a scroll. He didn't know its contents—Senju Tobirama had instructed him to deliver it to Madara.
"Kid, I heard you've already mastered the secret techniques of those four villages?"
Madara took the scroll from Chu Yang, smiling as he teased, "Those are techniques with completely different chakra natures. In just one month—even Tobirama would find that difficult."
Chu Yang replied sincerely, "I learned them under Teacher's guidance. Still, I have to thank you, Lord Madara. Without you, I wouldn't have had the chance to study those techniques."
Madara chuckled. "You praised your teacher and flattered me at the same time. For someone so young, you're remarkably smooth."
Chu Yang laughed sheepishly.
Izuna asked, "Did you come because of the wedding?"
Chu Yang nodded. "The wedding customs of the Senju and Uchiha clans are different. Since the two of you are holding the ceremony together, the details have to be discussed carefully, or it'll turn into a joke."
Madara frowned impatiently. "Didn't I say already? Do whatever's convenient. I don't care about those things."
Chu Yang scratched his head awkwardly. "The problem is… Teacher Hashirama said the exact same thing."
"Hashirama, that idiot!" Madara laughed in exasperation and shook his head. Then he nodded. "Fine. I'll go discuss it with him. I'll try not to make things difficult for you youngsters."
Chu Yang let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much, Lord Madara."
Madara's gaze suddenly fixed on Chu Yang. After a long moment, he said slowly, "From now on, don't call me 'Lord' anymore. Call me 'Teacher,' like you do with Hashirama."
Chu Yang froze.
What was this about?!
His hesitation made Madara's expression darken. He said coldly, "What? Is my strength inferior to Hashirama's, so I'm not qualified to be your teacher?"
A chilling pressure snapped Chu Yang back to his senses. He hurriedly waved his hands. "That's not what I meant at all! It's just… too sudden. I was a bit flustered."
"Brother, don't scare him," Izuna said with a laugh, smoothing things over. "This isn't something he can decide on his own. You should discuss it with Lord Hashirama later."
"That's true." Madara nodded, no longer pressing the issue.
Chu Yang couldn't shake the feeling that the two brothers were playing good cop and bad cop with him.
"Teacher Tobirama just received word—apparently the other four Kage will personally attend to offer their congratulations."
Chu Yang hurriedly brought up the main reason he'd come, eager to put some distance between himself and the brothers.
"Heh, congratulations?" Madara sneered. "Hashirama marrying Uzumaki Mito—a Nine-Tails jinchūriki—has made them uneasy."
"They just want to inspect Konoha for themselves. They haven't given up yet."
"Let them come! After this wedding, whatever ambition they have left will be crushed to dust!"
After Madara finished speaking, Chu Yang took the opportunity to excuse himself and leave.
Izuna watched his departing figure, then turned to Madara. "Brother, didn't we agree to take things slowly? Why did you suddenly rush him again?"
Madara shook his head. "I just wanted to test the kid's attitude. If he's already resistant to becoming my disciple, how could he ever marry into the Uchiha clan in the future?"
Izuna sighed. "You really go to great lengths for the sake of the clan."
Madara smiled faintly. "The situation is already good enough. As for Yang… that's my personal greed. I've never envied Hashirama in my life—except when it comes to taking disciples."
The brothers chatted a bit more before heading together toward the Hokage's office, where Senju Tobirama was still handling village affairs.
Everything would return to normal only after the wedding.
The news that the four Kage would attend in person pushed the wedding back a few more days.
Several days later.
Convoys from the four great nations arrived at Konoha one after another.
The smaller nations came as an alliance led by the Land of Iron to celebrate the wedding.
Konoha's decision to allocate the Seven-Tails to them was an immense act of goodwill—it allowed those small countries to unite into a force capable of standing against the Five Great Nations.
That was the most practical path to peace.
If the Four Great Nations' attendance was a sign of submission, then the small-nation alliance's presence was one of genuine gratitude and blessing.
Chu Yang could tell just by their expressions.
The four Kage headed straight to the Hokage's reception room upon arrival.
When they passed by Chu Yang, their gazes were no longer as friendly as before.
A single Nine-Tails was enough to shatter all their sense of security.
As Hashirama's only direct disciple, Chu Yang was responsible for receiving and attending to these distinguished guests.
After they entered the room, he stood guard outside until Senju Tobirama arrived.
The Uchiha brothers were there as well.
These three were probably the three most untouchable people in all of Konoha.
Hashirama himself was absent.
Clearly, they considered him an unnecessary obstacle.
With his overly kind personality, he really would have affected how those three operated.
Chu Yang suddenly felt a bit sorry for the four Kage.
Because they were about to face a situation where—
They couldn't outtalk them.
They couldn't outfight them.
Senju Tobirama patted Chu Yang on the shoulder and then pushed the door open to enter.
Madara and Izuna followed closely behind.
The chilling aura made goosebumps rise all over Chu Yang's body.
He quickly shut the door.
At least this preserved the Kage's last shred of dignity.
Standing outside, Chu Yang couldn't hear a single sound.
The silence was terrifying.
Standing guard outside as well were the future Second Kage of the various villages.
They looked even more nervous than Chu Yang.
Time ticked by.
No one outside dared breathe too loudly.
Creak—
The door opened.
The guards immediately stepped forward.
Chu Yang turned his head and saw the four Kage walking out slowly.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but their faces looked a little pale.
They said nothing, leaving quickly under guard escort.
Chu Yang entered the room and saw Senju Tobirama and the two Uchiha brothers still sitting calmly.
He grinned. "Judging by their expressions, it seems Teacher said something pretty intense."
The corner of Tobirama's mouth lifted slightly.
Izuna said brightly, "Indeed. We said some harsh things. Scared them quite a bit."
"But they needed to recognize reality—otherwise, they'd only embarrass themselves later."
Madara stood up and said coldly, "Hmph! A bunch of fools. This peace exists only because we allow it. They can't even grasp something that simple, yet they still dare make demands of us!"
Chu Yang asked in surprise, "What demands did they make?"
A cold glint flashed in Tobirama's eyes. "They each wanted one member from the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyūga clans."
"Tch. So they set their sights on kekkei genkai…" Chu Yang shook his head helplessly. "They really are greedy."
Izuna sneered. "That's why we gave them a warning."
Chu Yang laughed maliciously. "Hopefully those esteemed Kage will still be in the mood to attend the wedding."
Tobirama stood up and said meaningfully, "They will."
Three days later.
The grand wedding was officially held.
Just as Tobirama said, the four Kage attended with broad smiles, showing not the slightest hint of reluctance.
They looked delighted—happier than if it were their own weddings.
The four newlyweds:
Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito.
Uchiha Madara and a woman named Uchiha Mai.
Under the witness of countless people, they were joined as husband and wife.
Chu Yang didn't know whether Madara truly liked this woman, but at the very least—
He didn't seem to dislike her.
…
Bleach World
A long time had passed since the incident involving Motokawa Yosuke.
Karakura First High School had just finished its midterm exams.
Chu Yang, without any suspense, took first place in the class.
Kurosaki Ichigo ranked third in the class.
As for the overall school rankings, Chu Yang was still first, while Kurosaki Ichigo dropped to fifteenth.
Excellent academic performance, outstanding athletic ability, aloof personality, always keeping to himself—
The two, with their similar styles, were often compared by their classmates.
In a certain sense, Kurosaki Ichigo had become Chu Yang's background foil.
Whenever others brought it up, Ichigo claimed he didn't care, but in truth, his curiosity about Chu Yang was stronger than that of anyone else in the class.
Because no one else had witnessed Chu Yang fighting a Hollow barehanded.
Ichigo remembered that scene vividly.
Why was this person so strong?
What exactly was that "Fullbring" the Shinigami mentioned that day? Did I have a similar power too?
Questions like these had been troubling Kurosaki Ichigo for quite some time.
Originally, he had no interest in power at all.
But because of Chu Yang, a faint sense of competitiveness had begun to take root in his heart.
Just as Ichigo was secretly measuring himself against Chu Yang—
He once again encountered Kuchiki Rukia by chance.
Rukia was chasing a Hollow.
Ichigo originally had no intention of getting involved, but when Chu Yang's face flashed through his mind, he followed her almost unconsciously.
What he didn't expect was that the Hollow was attacking his family.
Fortunately, Ichigo's appearance caused the Hollow to change targets.
Ichigo tried to fight back, but he was instantly sent flying.
He was completely outmatched.
"So this is what it feels like to fight a Hollow?"
Kurosaki Ichigo was covered in blood, yet his consciousness was crystal clear. His mind was filled with images of Chu Yang battling a Hollow.
Why?
Why could he do something like that—
But I can't?
Just as Ichigo was about to be killed, Rukia blocked the fatal blow at the very last moment.
"Idiot! If you keep spacing out like that, you'll never be able to protect your family!"
Ichigo finally snapped back to his senses and hurriedly asked Rukia what he should do now.
Rukia plunged her Zanpakutō straight into Ichigo's body.
All of her Shinigami powers were forcibly drawn into him.
Kurosaki Ichigo became a Shinigami.
Facing the onrushing Hollow, Ichigo raised his Zanpakutō high. Terrifying spiritual pressure poured out like mercury spilling across the ground.
With a single slash, he cleaved the Hollow clean in two.
Before he could even celebrate, darkness suddenly overtook his vision.
When he woke up again, it was already the next morning.
Strangely enough, neither his father nor his two sisters remembered anything about the previous night.
"Was it all just a dream?"
Looking at the house, which looked as though it had been ravaged by a tornado, Ichigo dismissed that thought.
What happened last night was real.
On the way to school, Ichigo would occasionally lower his head and stare at his hands, still unable to believe that these hands had slain a Hollow the night before.
"I wonder… in my Shinigami state, who's stronger—me or Yang?"
With that question in mind, Ichigo pushed open the classroom door.
His gaze instinctively drifted toward Chu Yang's seat—
But instead, he saw a completely unexpected figure.
Ichigo froze on the spot.
Kuchiki Rukia was standing beside Chu Yang, chatting and laughing with him.
She was even wearing the school's uniform!
"What's going on here?"
Lunch Break
The three gathered on the school rooftop.
Rukia explained her current situation to Ichigo and Chu Yang.
Only then did Ichigo realize that he had absorbed all of Rukia's powers.
Chu Yang casually dug at his ear—he already knew the whole story.
"Until I recover my powers, I'll be staying here for a while. I hope you can keep this a secret for me."
Rukia looked at Chu Yang, feeling a little uneasy. In her impression, Chu Yang didn't seem like someone easy to talk to.
"I know. If there's nothing else, I'm heading back."
Chu Yang yawned and walked toward the stairwell.
"That's it? You're just agreeing like that?"
Rukia stared at him blankly.
"Then what else was I supposed to do?"
Chu Yang glanced back at her in confusion, then left without another word.
Rukia turned to Ichigo and said, "I thought he'd demand something from me. I mean, I am a Shinigami."
"He's not that kind of person."
Ichigo shook his head and started walking toward the stairs. "Alright, I'm heading back too—"
Before he could finish, he felt a heavy blow land on the back of his head.
"You jerk! You actually attacked me from behind?!"
Kurosaki Ichigo spun around angrily—
Only to see his own body collapsed on the ground.
Looking down, he realized he was now in spirit form.
"You just became a Shinigami. There's a lot you don't know yet. I need to give you some lessons."
Meanwhile, having realized that the plot had officially begun, Chu Yang was considering whether he should intervene.
He was very interested in the powers of Zanpakutō and Kidō.
The other versions of "himself" in different worlds also needed this kind of power.
And the best way to obtain Zanpakutō and Kidō was to follow Kurosaki Ichigo into the Soul Society.
Lost in thought, Chu Yang failed to notice someone approaching and collided with a student while heading downstairs.
Strangely enough, neither of them was hurt.
It was like two walls crashing into each other.
Chu Yang looked up at the boy, who was much taller than him.
Chad Yasutora.
Chad had been extremely troubled lately.
Ever since he obtained a parrot from a friend, his luck had taken a drastic turn for the worse.
It wasn't just minor mishaps—
He was either nearly crushed by falling objects or narrowly avoided being run over by cars.
Every incident was life-threatening.
Distracted by his worries, Chad decided to head up to the rooftop for some air—only to collide with Chu Yang.
"Sorry."
Chad instinctively reached out to steady Chu Yang by the shoulder as he apologized.
Only to find that Chu Yang was standing perfectly firm.
"I'm fine."
Chu Yang waved it off, then looked at Chad's haggard face. "But you look pretty rough. Haven't been resting well lately?"
Chad hesitated, then shook his head, saying he was fine.
Chu Yang smiled. "I heard the parrot you brought to school today is that 'cursed parrot' everyone's been talking about."
Chad asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
"I heard about it, obviously."
Chu Yang patted Chad on the shoulder and reminded him, "If anything feels off, talk to Kurosaki Ichigo. He can handle it."
"Ichigo?"
Chad wanted to ask why, but Chu Yang had already walked away.
After school, Chad took his usual route home, but with an additional item in hand—a delicate birdcage containing a parrot.
The parrot was eerily quiet, its eyes occasionally revealing an unsettlingly human expression.
Neither Chad nor the parrot noticed that Chu Yang was silently following behind them.
Inside the parrot was the soul of a human child named Yuichi.
Yuichi's soul had been forcibly stuffed into the parrot's body by a Hollow.
It was done as an act of revenge.
When that Hollow had still been human, it was a heinous serial killer.
During one crime, it targeted Yuichi and his mother.
Yuichi's mother was killed while protecting him.
In the chaos, Yuichi grabbed the killer's leg, causing him to fall from the balcony to his death.
Consumed by resentment, the murderer turned into a Hollow and began taking revenge on Yuichi.
A monster rotten to the core, both in life and after death.
In Rukia's words, it deserved to be sent to Hell to suffer eternal punishment.
Chu Yang intended to deal with this Hollow personally.
And conduct a small experiment along the way.
He had no choice—
Recently, he hadn't encountered a single Hollow to experiment on.
Which, honestly, spoke volumes about the efficiency of the Shinigami.
Chad lived far from the school. Taking the bus would've been faster, but he chose to walk.
He knew that if he went somewhere crowded, he might end up dragging innocent people into danger.
After all, the number of accidents surrounding him lately had been far too high.
After walking for a while, Chad suddenly felt his heart tighten.
That ominous sensation always appeared whenever disaster was imminent.
Chad scanned his surroundings warily—
Suddenly, the blaring of a horn rang out behind him.
A runaway truck was barreling straight toward him.
Another traffic accident!
Reacting instantly, Chad dove toward the open space on his right.
Even as he tumbled, he clutched the birdcage tightly in his arms.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The shrill blare of the horn mixed with the howling wind as the truck tore past Chad at lightning speed.
Boom!!!
The truck slammed straight into a roadside utility pole, and over half of the cab collapsed instantly.
"Phew—"
Sitting on the concrete, Chad let out a long breath. "That was way too close…"
"It wasn't 'too close.' It was coming straight for you."
Chad looked up and saw Chu Yang walking toward him, startled. "Yang? Why are you here?"
Chu Yang didn't answer. Instead, he walked step by step toward the wrecked truck.
"What do you mean it was coming for me?" Chad asked nervously as he stood up, clutching the birdcage and following after him.
When they reached the truck, Chu Yang pointed at the cab. "See for yourself."
Chad looked inside—and his face changed instantly.
The cab was empty.
There was no driver.
This was a driverless truck!
"You should leave now," Chu Yang said, pointing toward the mouth of the alley. "Otherwise, you might get caught in the crossfire."
"What do you mean?" Chad asked, his voice tense.
Chu Yang shook his head. At the far end of the street, a humanoid Hollow with greenish skin had already appeared.
He stopped paying attention to Chad and walked forward alone.
Chu Yang condensed a wooden blade in his hand using Wood Release, then wrapped it in Armament Haki.
Then—
He drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
His breath transformed into flowing ribbons of light, dazzling like a galaxy.
This was the pinnacle of breathing techniques.
Source Breathing.
A terrifying presence spread out from Chu Yang, surging outward like a tidal wave.
The Hollow froze mid-step, its body trembling slightly.
This human wasn't a Shinigami.
It couldn't sense even the slightest trace of Shinigami power from him.
And yet—
Death loomed over it like a shadow.
That horrifying pressure wasn't spiritual pressure at all—it was pure killing intent.
Just how many battles had this human experienced?
How many enemies had he killed to accumulate such an overwhelming presence?
For the first time, the Hollow felt fear toward an ordinary human.
Chu Yang picked up speed.
His figure dragged out a streak of afterimage beneath the evening sun.
Empowered by Source Breathing, the wooden blade in his hand seemed to come alive.
One slash.
Chu Yang was already behind the Hollow.
Sword energy wrapped around its body, radiant and shimmering, as if submerging it in a sea of stars.
"AAAAAAH!!!"
The Hollow screamed—not from pain, but from terror.
It could feel the parts of its body wrapped in light collapsing and disintegrating. At this rate, it would be completely destroyed in at most ten seconds.
Chu Yang reversed his grip and plunged the wooden blade into the ground, resting his hand on the hilt as he calmly observed the process.
"Source Breathing has broken through its current bottleneck and ascended to a higher-dimensional power. Judging by the effect, it's already very close to the level of damage a Zanpakutō can deal to spiritual beings."
"If used together with a Zanpakutō, it would form an extremely terrifying force."
"And most importantly, Source Breathing improves every single day. I still can't sense its upper limit at all. If it keeps developing like this…"
As the thought trailed off, the screaming abruptly ceased.
Chu Yang looked up and saw a grotesque, terrifying gate hanging in midair.
The Gates of Hell had opened, dragging the murderer's soul down into Hell.
Chu Yang froze.
He had thought Source Breathing would completely erase the Hollow, but the result seemed to be something else entirely.
"Next time, I need to find a stronger Hollow for experiments. This one couldn't even last."
With a sigh of mild regret, Chu Yang turned and left the alley.
A short while later.
Drawn by the intense surge of spiritual pressure, Rukia and Ichigo arrived nearby—and saw the Gates of Hell in the sky.
They just happened to witness the murderer's soul being dragged inside.
Rukia was stunned.
"There's no Shinigami around here!"
"What in the world happened?"
As Rukia panicked, Ichigo noticed Chad standing at the end of the street.
He rushed over immediately.
"Chad, what are you doing here?"
As Ichigo approached, his attention was drawn to the parrot in Chad's arms. He sensed a human soul hidden inside.
Chad explained everything that had just happened, then took Ichigo to see the driverless truck.
"It was a Hollow," Rukia said, appearing silently behind them and startling them both.
"Your classmate killed a Hollow."
"With his abilities, that's not surprising, but…"
Rukia stopped mid-sentence.
She frowned, standing in place, worry and confusion in her eyes.
"Yang told me you could handle it…"
Chad solemnly handed the parrot to Ichigo.
While guiding Yuichi's soul to rest, they finally learned the full truth behind the incident.
The next day.
At school, Rukia sought out Chu Yang and asked him about the details of his fight with the Hollow.
Chu Yang only said it was similar to last time.
Although she hadn't witnessed it herself, Rukia's intuition told her that Chu Yang was lying.
She didn't pursue it further.
Their relationship wasn't close enough, and she couldn't be sure Chu Yang wouldn't get angry if she pressed on.
Moreover, whenever she faced Chu Yang, she felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
It had nothing to do with romantic feelings—it was instinctive fear.
Rukia didn't want to admit it, but that fear was undeniably real.
As a Shinigami, she was extremely sensitive to matters of the soul.
The source of her fear lay in Chu Yang's soul.
She suspected that his soul concealed an enormous secret.
After school.
For the first time, Rukia didn't return to Ichigo's house. Instead, she went to an unremarkable little shop.
The shop owner was a middle-aged man wearing a fisherman's hat, always smiling warmly at everyone.
The moment he saw Rukia, he enthusiastically began promoting the items in his store.
"You know my current condition. Don't make such boring jokes, Mr. Urahara."
Rukia rolled her eyes at him.
"Alright, alright, my apologies."
Urahara Kisuke raised his hands in surrender. "How's the gigai? Getting used to it?"
Rukia stretched a bit and nodded. "So far, it's fine."
"Of course it is. Everything in my shop is top quality."
Urahara Kisuke stood up and shouted into the store, "Ururu, go fetch the Soul Candy from the warehouse."
"Okay, Mr. Urahara!"
A very soft, mushy voice came from inside—so quiet that you'd miss it if you weren't listening carefully.
After a short while, a little girl with twin ponytails walked out holding a piece of Soul Candy and handed it to Rukia, who was waiting nearby.
"This is the Soul Candy you asked me for. You already know what to watch out for, so I don't need to say much, right?"
Although Urahara Kisuke said he wouldn't say much, he still couldn't help nagging Rukia with reminders.
Rukia finally couldn't take it anymore and hurriedly cut him off."Mr. Urahara, I actually came this time to tell you something else."
Urahara Kisuke looked at her in surprise."What is it?"
"It's about a human," Rukia said, recounting everything that had happened since meeting Chu Yang, specifically mentioning the inexplicable sense of dread she felt toward him.
Urahara Kisuke fell silent for a moment, then smiled."Actually, humans like him are rare in the living world, but they're not nonexistent."
"Time always gives birth to a few extraordinarily gifted individuals—people who possess power even Shinigami can hardly imagine."
"For example, the one currently carrying out Shinigami duties in your place—Kurosaki Ichigo. He also has quite remarkable potential."
Rukia seemed convinced by Urahara's explanation and nodded quietly.
"As for that sense of dread…" Urahara spread his hands helplessly."I've been single for thousands of years—how would I understand the sparks of love that accidentally collide between young people like you?"
"You're really asking the impossible of me."
Rukia exploded like a cat whose fur had been brushed the wrong way. She jumped in place and shouted angrily,"I already told you it's not like that!"
"Oh? Not that…" Urahara stroked his chin, his gaze suddenly turning deep.
Just when Rukia thought he was about to say something serious, he suddenly added,"Then it's probably because the gigai hasn't been serviced in a long time."
"Forget it." Rukia didn't want to hear his nonsense anymore. After thanking him, she turned and left the shop without looking back.
Watching Rukia's retreating figure, Urahara Kisuke's expression gradually became serious.
He knew very well that the cause of Rukia's dread had nothing to do with romance or a malfunctioning gigai.
For a Shinigami to feel instinctive fear—to feel dread—meant that the gap between their souls was one of absolute domination.
And such a gap could never exist in an ordinary human.
"Interesting… truly interesting," Urahara murmured with a low chuckle as he half-lay back on the tatami and stretched."I thought dealing with Kurosaki Ichigo alone would be troublesome enough. Who would've thought there'd be another one?"
"Are you not going to take a look yourself?"
A tall man with glasses and a trimmed mustache suddenly appeared behind him.
Tessai Tsukabishi—former Commander of the Kido Corps in Soul Society, the man people once called the Great Kido Master.
And the seemingly carefree, unserious Urahara Kisuke was once the Captain of the Twelfth Division of the Gotei 13, as well as the head of the Research and Development Institute.
Both of them had been falsely accused in the "Hollowfication Experiment" a hundred years ago and were forced to flee Soul Society, eventually opening this general store known as the Urahara Shop in the living world.
"Something this interesting? Of course I have to see it with my own eyes."
Urahara slapped his thigh, the smile on his face vanishing as his expression turned grave.
"Who knows… maybe it's another experiment cooked up by that bastard Aizen."
1:00 a.m.
Chu Yang, already asleep in bed, suddenly opened his eyes.
A figure stood on the windowsill, smiling as he looked at him.
Seeing the man in the fisherman's hat, Chu Yang didn't seem surprised at all.
He quietly sat up, leaning against the headboard, and frowned."I hate being disturbed while I'm sleeping. Second only to being disturbed while I'm eating."
Chu Yang's calm composure only deepened Urahara Kisuke's interest."Most people would scream or get angry in a situation like this. Wouldn't they at least do something?"
"I was just about to." Chu Yang grinned."Do you think I'm chatting with you?"
"No!""I'm just letting you know in advance—"
"Why you're about to get beaten."
When Chu Yang released his killing intent, Urahara Kisuke finally understood what Rukia had meant by that sense of dread.
It felt as if his neck were being squeezed by invisible hands.
A suffocating sensation.
And it came from the level of the soul itself.
If even he felt this way, one could imagine what Rukia must have experienced.
In the briefest moment of distraction—
A cold blade was already pressed close to Urahara Kisuke's face.
Bone-chilling cold.
It was a wooden sword—yet Urahara felt as though it could tear him apart.
Clang!!!
The wooden blade was blocked by the cane in Urahara Kisuke's hand.
But the wall behind him exploded violently, as if struck by an invisible force.
A massive hole was blown open in Chu Yang's room.
As the wind rushed in, the temperature plummeted.
"Your morning temper is even worse than I imagined," Urahara said casually, still joking despite the tension.
"A guy who sneaks in at midnight to ruin someone's sleep doesn't get to say that," Chu Yang replied coldly. His aura changed again, searing heat pouring from his breath.
Urahara Kisuke's expression sharpened, his smile finally disappearing.
What kind of power was this?
He had never seen anything like it before—he couldn't even be sure it was Fullbring.
As Source Breathing surged, the force transmitted through the wooden blade multiplied, instantly exceeding Urahara's expectations.
The floor beneath his feet cracked. Even he could barely withstand the pressure and had to step back to unload it.
But the moment he moved, the pressure on his cane surged like a tsunami—
Layer upon layer, wave after wave, threatening to drown him.
BOOM!!!
In the end, he was slammed straight into the middle of the street. The ground collapsed several meters deep, cracks spreading outward into a massive spiderweb of fractures.
"Cough… cough…"
Lying in the crater, Urahara Kisuke pushed aside the rubble. He looked disheveled but hadn't suffered serious injuries.
"No Zanpakutō. No Shikai. No Bankai. And yet this much power with just a Fullbring?"
"And he's still holding back. Ordinary Shinigami wouldn't stand a chance—at the very least, he's lieutenant-level."
"As for whether he's captain-level… hard to tell."
After muttering to himself for a while, Urahara let out a long sigh, as if relieved."No sign of Hollowfication at all. That rules out Aizen. Even I couldn't create something like this—he certainly couldn't."
Urahara shouted loudly,"Hey, kid! I apologize for tonight—let's end it here!"
Chu Yang appeared silently right in front of him.
He raised the wooden blade and stabbed downward viciously!
Urahara Kisuke's pupils shrank.
"Holy shit!"
In a flash, Urahara used Shunpo.
The tip of the blade pinned his fisherman's hat firmly into the rubble!
The crater collapsed several meters deeper.
The surrounding area shook violently, like an earthquake. Countless people were awakened in the middle of the night.
Panicked shouts from adults, crying from children—chaos erupted.
Urahara flashed backward, retreating to a distance, rubbing his head in frustration."This guy's temper is really awful. If this keeps up, the whole street will be affected."
"I really shouldn't have provoked him so recklessly…"
Just as Urahara was thinking about how to deal with Chu Yang next, Chu Yang didn't attack again.
He simply stood there, staring at him coldly.
Urahara was baffled.
What was he doing?
Taking a break?
"Restore everything to how it was."
Chu Yang pointed at the devastated street, then calmly went back home through the hole in the wall.
He went home.
Urahara Kisuke was dumbfounded.
"…What a truly unconventional young man."
After complaining, Urahara actually lowered his head and began repairing the road. If anyone came out to look, he erased their memories.
Before long, even the hole in Chu Yang's house was fixed.
"Mr. Urahara, what are you doing here?"
Urahara turned around and saw Rukia and Kurosaki Ichigo standing nearby, staring at him.
"Haha…" Urahara laughed awkwardly and scratched his head."Nothing, really. Just taking a walk because I was bored."
Absolutely cannot let them know I got beaten into the ground.
Rukia asked suspiciously,"I sensed two extremely powerful spiritual pressures colliding just now. I thought a powerful Hollow appeared in this area, but only found you here."
"Did a battle happen here?"
Avoiding their gazes, Urahara tilted his head away."Nope. Nothing happened here."
Ichigo said,"I think I saw you fixing a house earlier. Did you break someone else's place?"
"Who said that?!" Urahara denied vehemently."I just noticed the building was old and decided to do a good deed by repairing it."
"That's very suspicious, Mr. Urahara." Rukia walked straight up to him, scrutinizing his face.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going!" Urahara just wanted to escape.
Click—
Chu Yang's front door opened.
He stood in the doorway, staring coldly at Urahara Kisuke."You forgot to say you're sorry."
Urahara Kisuke: "..."
Rukia finally realized this was Chu Yang's house. She stared at him in shock, then connected the dots regarding why Urahara had come here.
Rukia widened her eyes at Urahara."Mr. Urahara, don't tell me—"
Urahara scratched his head awkwardly."I was just curious and came to take a look. I didn't expect this kid's temper to be so bad."
Chu Yang narrowed his eyes, glaring at Urahara.
"I'm sorry." Urahara immediately turned back and bowed slightly."Please forgive my rudeness tonight."
Hearing the apology, Chu Yang nodded in satisfaction and closed the door.
Seeing Chu Yang's reaction, Rukia wore an "I knew it" expression."So the disturbance earlier really was you two fighting."
"Mr. Urahara, can you explain in detail?"
Urahara shook his head without hesitation."No."
Rukia grew anxious."Why not?"
Urahara pouted."He's just an ordinary human. Nothing worth talking about."
Ichigo said,"You look really guilty…"
"Shut up!"
(End of Chapter)