In the southern district of Seireitei, outside Nagasaku Street, beside an eyeglass shop called "The Silver Dragonfly with Glasses," Shinigami Mizuki Kōnen was purchasing protective goggles when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure rushing toward the area.
The moment he recognized the man's face, he immediately drew his Zanpakutō and charged forward, shouting:
"Aha! Finally caught you, Fūjin Taichi!"
"Get the hell out of my way—"
Fūjin Taichi stepped directly onto Mizuki's face, then leapt onto the rooftop in one bound. Looking around at the Shinigami continuously swarming toward him, he muttered in confusion:
"At this time, shouldn't they be chasing Ichigo? Why are they all coming after me instead?"
As Taichi darted and vaulted across the rooftops, he had no idea that he had already been declared a criminal by Tōsen Kaname and was now wanted throughout the entire Soul Society.
"Everyone, over here! Fūjin Taichi is here!"
Mizuki, not even bothering to wipe the footprint off his face, shouted from the ground toward the nearby Shinigami.
"Charge! Move in—!"
More than four hundred Shinigami surged forward, faces flushed with excitement, Zanpakutō raised as they rushed toward Taichi.
"..."
Taichi faintly realized he had fallen into some kind of conspiracy.
Without hesitation, he drew his Zanpakutō Ichi, carved a cross in the air before him, and leapt straight into it.
When he reappeared, he had arrived in the northern district of Seireitei, beside a flower-arrangement shop. He cautiously scanned his surroundings. After confirming there were no Shinigami in sight, he let out a breath.
"Smash him, Gegetsuburi!"
Suddenly, a deep voice roared from above, and a massive spiked flail came crashing down from the sky—
BOOM!
The enormous iron ball slammed into the ground with a thunderous explosion. Dust and debris billowed outward, swallowing the entire street.
"Did I get him?"
Ōmaeda Marechiyo withdrew his flail, staring into the thick cloud of smoke, expecting to see Taichi reduced to a mangled pulp.
But as the dust cleared, the bloody scene he imagined never appeared. Aside from a massive crater, there was no trace of Taichi at all.
"Damn it! That guy—"
Before Ōmaeda could react, a sharp tearing sound suddenly split the air behind him.
In the next instant, the vanished Taichi appeared directly above his head. Extending his left arm, he grabbed Ōmaeda's large head and slammed it downward—
BOOM!!
Ōmaeda's massive body was smashed face-first into the ground, his entire fleshy face grinding violently against the pavement, producing an even louder crash than before.
"You fat bastard—who gave you the guts to ambush me?"
Taichi pressed Ōmaeda's head down firmly with one hand, glanced around disdainfully, and sneered:
"Come out, you trash. I can already see your captain's underwear."
Swish-swish-swish!
A dozen members of the Onmitsukidō, clad in their signature black uniforms with only their eyes exposed, surrounded Taichi. Their blades glinted with a cold, white light under the sun.
"Heh... plenty of people hiding behind screens have questioned my strength. Today, as you wish, I'll show a bit of what I can do."
The corner of Taichi's mouth curled upward. With a swift reverse grip, he drew Zanpakutō · Tsukumo, and shouted:
"Fūjin Style — Iaijutsu — Lion's Requiem!"
Shing—!
A streak of black light flashed.
In the next instant, the dozen-plus Onmitsukidō operatives surrounding him were blasted dozens of meters away, crashing violently to the ground, unable to rise again.
"Listen up, trash! This time I used only the sheath.
If you're stupid enough to keep chasing me, next time I'll be using the blade."
After saying that, Fūjin Taichi didn't even spare Ōmaeda Marechiyo another glance. He leapt toward the rooftop of the flower shop—but before he could land, a blade of light slashed straight down at him.
Clang!
Twisting his body midair, Taichi was just about to draw his sword and counterattack when he suddenly sensed something…
He immediately withdrew his Zanpakutō, shifted sharply to the side in midair, barely avoiding the slash. Using the momentum, he retreated several steps upon landing, widening the distance between himself and the attacker.
"Hmph… Your hand-to-hand skills are still as lousy as ever, Taichi! If I hadn't held back just now, you'd already be split in two!"
Renji Abarai rested his Zanpakutō on his shoulder, sneering.
"Heh, not bad yourself, Renji," Taichi sighed, shaking his head. "If I hadn't sensed your spiritual pressure ahead of time just now…"
"What?"
"Nothing."
Taichi suddenly smiled faintly. "At a time like this, I just didn't expect you to show up here… Seems like a lot of things have changed."
"They sure have changed fast, Taichi!" Renji frowned. "Helping the Ryoka invade the Seireitei… What the hell are you trying to do?!"
"Ha? So that's what this is about… I get it now!"
Taichi instantly understood why the Shinigami were hunting him. It seemed his secret assistance in smuggling Ichigo and the others into Seireitei had been discovered.
"Taichi! I don't know what really happened here! But the order from above is to bring you back to Seireitei for trial, so—"
"Cut the chatter, Renji! I'm in a hurry. If you want to fight, I'll fight!"
Taichi slowly drew his Zanpakutō, Tsukumo, and pointed it directly at Renji.
"Is that so… Then I won't hold back anymore. Roar, Zabimaru!"
Renji ran his left hand along the blade. A flash of blue light burst forth, and the sword transformed into a segmented, serrated snake-like blade.
Taichi knew Zabimaru could extend and contract at will—capable of both close-range and long-range attacks. It was a physical-type Zanpakutō that combined flexibility and hardness.
"Taichi… I'll say it one last time—I won't be holding back," Renji said in a low voice as he swung Zabimaru forward like a silver whip.
"Here it comes!"
Taichi's mind sharpened. Just as he was about to counter—
He was stunned to see Zabimaru's trajectory suddenly change mid-swing, curving around him and flying straight to the side instead.
"Ah!"
Ōmaeda Marechiyo, who had just climbed onto the rooftop, was smashed squarely in the chest by the blunt back of Zabimaru. He staggered, then fell flat on his back off the roof, completely knocked unconscious.
"You let your guard down, Taichi! The fat on that guy's body is basically natural damage reduction armor!"
Renji retracted Zabimaru and grinned. "You didn't seriously think I was aiming at you just now, did you?"
"Yeah! The way you came at me just now scared the hell out of me!" Taichi sighed deeply before continuing, "For a second there, I was thinking… if even you treated me like an enemy… that would've been truly hopeless."
"Taichi! I seriously don't know why you'd even worry about something like that."
Renji slung his Zanpakutō back over his shoulder, looking displeased. "But if you really think our friendship is worth less than some meaningless order… I wouldn't mind cutting you down right now and claiming the reward."
"Don't even joke about that, Renji! I was just being overly suspicious. Sorry…"
Taichi gave an awkward laugh. "Once this whole mess is cleared up, drinks are on me at Tōsei Tavern—for three straight days."
"Hmph. Now that's more like it." Renji nodded slightly.
Just as Taichi was about to leave, Renji suddenly called out:
"Hey, Taichi!"
"What?"
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto has ordered all vice-captains to pursue you without restriction. You… better be careful."
"I understand, Renji."
Taichi turned his gaze toward Hill of Penitence and said solemnly:
"Justice may be late—but it will never be absent. Just wait and see."