"Forget it… No matter what that guy's intentions were in showing up here, the Seireitei Entry Passes will indeed make our plan to rescue Saitō much smoother.
So, Ichigo—everyone! Before the Gotei Thirteen arrive, let's get out of here first!"
As the black cat Yoruichi spoke, she dashed toward the Hakutōmon Gate.
"Oh, I see!"
Kurosaki Ichigo took the entry pass Ishida Uryū handed him and followed closely behind Yoruichi. But as soon as they reached the Hakutōmon Gate, massive stone walls suddenly descended from the sky, completely sealing them outside the Seireitei.
"Huh?! Yoruichi, what's going on?"
Ichigo asked in shock.
"Wasn't having this thing supposed to let us in?"
"That idiot did something stupid!"
Yoruichi snapped angrily.
"Every entry pass is engraved with the spiritual power of its legitimate holder—that's why it allows free passage in and out of the Seireitei!
Illegal holders like us can't use them even if we have the passes! Looks like we'll have to think of another way—Ichigo, what are you doing?!"
Yoruichi's eyes widened like saucers as Ichigo shouldered his massive blade and walked straight toward a giant.
Ikkanzaka Jidanbō, a legendary strongman of the Soul Society, stood nearly ten meters tall, looking like a small mountain.. He lowered his head slightly and glanced at Ichigo.
"It's been a long time since I've seen anyone without an entry pass—eh? Aren't those entry passes you're holding? Then why isn't the Seireitei gate reacting?!"
"Ahaha…"
The black cat Yoruichi jumped onto Ichigo's back and shouted up at Jidanbō:
"We're newly appointed Shinigami from Rukongai! We haven't had time to register our spiritual power yet!"
"Oh? Is that so…"
Jidanbō looked down at Ichigo. The clothes he was wearing were indeed the standard Shinigami uniform—but what was with that silver armor on the outside?!
"Of course that's the case! These entry passes were given to us by a Shinigami named Fūjin Taichi!"
Holding up the passes, Ishida Uryū shouted loudly to Jidanbō. A glint of cunning flashed beneath his polished lenses.
"Oh? Lord Fūjin of the First Division?"
Jidanbō pondered briefly, then turned around and lifted the Hakutōmon Gate with both hands.
"Very well. You may pass."
"Thanks, big guy!"
Ichigo and the black cat Yoruichi were the first to cross the gate. But before they could fully enter the Seireitei, Jidanbō suddenly let out a muffled groan.
Blood sprayed from his left arm, and the entire Hakutōmon Gate came crashing down—
BOOM!
Jidanbō dropped to his knees, bracing the massive gate on his shoulders. Pain and shock filled his face as he stared straight ahead—
Standing there proudly was a Shinigami with perpetually narrowed eyes.
"Ah… that won't do."
The squint-eyed Shinigami said indifferently,
"The Seireitei didn't assign you as a gatekeeper so you could open the gate for strangers."
"But—but they have entry passes, Captain Ichimaru Gin—"
Jidanbō gritted out through the pain.
"Even with entry passes, it's not allowed."
The squint-eyed Shinigami named Ichimaru Gin smiled pleasantly.
"The Seireitei is under lockdown. No one enters, no one leaves. For those who try... Shoot him to death, Shinsō!!"
Shhk!
The short blade in Ichimaru Gin's hand suddenly extended dozens of meters, shooting straight toward Jidanbō. Just as it was about to pierce his chest, Kurosaki Ichigo leapt forward, Zangetsu in hand, barely managing to block Shinsō!
BOOM!
Under the terrifying force of Shinsō, Ichigo—along with Jidanbō behind him—was blasted backward dozens of meters, crashing hard onto the street outside the Seireitei!
"Bye-bye~" Ichimaru Gin bent over with a smile, waving at Ichigo and the others. Then the Hakutōmon Gate slammed shut again with another thunderous crash.
"Ichigo! Yoruichi!"
Ishida Uryū and the others cried out and rushed over, quickly pulling Ichigo up off the black cat Yoruichi.
"Damn it, Ichigo—you idiot!!"
The black cat Yoruichi, who had nearly been crushed into paste, leapt onto Ichigo's face and scratched him wildly, only calming down after venting her anger.
"This is bad!"
Ishida Uryū turned to look at the Hakutōmon Gate and said gravely,
"If I'm not mistaken, this gate is completely sealed now."
"Damn it!"
Ichigo bared his teeth as he stood up, then glanced at the towering stone walls around them and said bitterly:
"Sorry… the gate got shut again because of me."
"It's fine, Ichigo."
Yoruichi sighed.
"The fact that you survived unharmed after facing that guy already makes you incredibly lucky. After all, that was Captain Ichimaru Gin of the Third Division."
"Captain of the Third Division?"
While healing Jidanbō, Inoue Orihime asked,
"Is he… that strong?"
"Strong doesn't even begin to cover it!"
Yoruichi replied seriously.
"He's a once-in-a-century genius. What's even scarier is that I only know that much about him…"
As she spoke, her mind flashed back to a scene from 110 years ago—a smiling child calmly killing the Third Seat of the Fifth Division. She couldn't help but feel a chill.
"Hey, hey—forget all that for now!"
Ichigo shouted irritably.
"What do we do now?! The gate's closed, the big guy's injured—we can't get in!"
"Ichigo, look—"
Ishida Uryū suddenly pointed toward the Rukongai across from the Seireitei.
"What?"
Ichigo turned to look, only to see that the previously deserted streets of Rukongai were suddenly filling with crowds of wandering souls.
They stood far outside the boundary of the Seireitei, constantly peering over from a distance. It seemed as though they had something they wanted to say to Kurosaki Ichigo and the others, yet out of fear of the Shinigami, they dared not take a single step into the Seireitei.
"They're all residents of Rukongai."
The black cat Yoruichi explained softly.
"Because of what just happened… they probably think we're Ryoka, which is why they're looking at us like that."
"Ryoka? What's a Ryoka?"
Although Ishida Uryū asked the question, he already had a vague answer in his heart. A Ryoka refers to—
"Souls who arrive in Soul Society without being guided by a Shinigami are called Ryoka. They are also regarded as the root cause of all disasters in Soul Society!!"
As a clear, familiar voice finished speaking, Fūjin Taichi appeared in front of Ichigo and the others, holding a book titled 100 Things You Didn't Know About Soul Society.
"It's you again! Bastard—if you want to fight, then fight! Stop playing tricks!"
The moment Ichigo saw Fūjin Taichi, his anger flared. He raised Zangetsu and challenged him outright.
"Huh? Am I really that recognizable? You figured me out too?"
Fūjin Taichi was wearing a cat-faced mask, and the vice-captain's badge on his left arm had already been removed—yet Ichigo still saw through him.
"Idiot! You didn't even change that mask—do you think I'm blind?!"
Ichigo roared angrily.
"Eh… alright!"
Fūjin Taichi scratched his head.
"Ichigo, I forgot to factor in Ichimaru Gin messing things up earlier. As compensation—"
He raised his hand and tore open a cross-shaped dimensional rift beside him, then asked Ichigo and the others:
"Shall I personally escort you into the city?"
"Wait!"
The black cat Yoruichi raised a forepaw, her amber eyes locked tightly onto the cross-shaped portal as she shouted:
"I know who you are now, kid!
You're the one who's been sneaking around stealing goods from Urahara Kisuke all this time—aren't you, Fūjin Taichi?!"
"Yoruichi, how can you slander me without evidence?"
"Tch. As far as I know, you're the only one with a Zanpakutō that can tear space open in a cross shape!"
Yoruichi said coldly.
"And the way you deliberately got close to Ichigo—wasn't it all to trick us into trusting you, then use your spatial transfer ability to send us straight to the Captain-Commander?"
"Why would I do something like that?"
Fūjin Taichi asked in genuine surprise.
"Hmph. A young thief who knows so many of Soul Society's secrets… don't you think that's suspicious?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, Yoruichi?!"
Fūjin Taichi waved the book in his hand.
"I learned all of that from this book!"
He smiled and said,
"100 Things You Didn't Know About Soul Society. The author is Mr. Gafuji—a niche novelist who writes purely as a hobby. Want to take a look?"