"Whoa! I know what we're doing is audacious, but it shouldn't make the Captain Commander *that* angry, right?!"
Urahara Kisuke exclaimed loudly from the air.
"You're in a desperate situation, and you're still talking so much? Hurry up and release your Zanpakuto."
Yoruichi urged.
"Let me do it! It's time to show the results of my training! Santen Kesshun—!"
Orihime touched the hairpin in her hair, transforming it into a large blade in her hand, while her clothes also morphed into a Shinigami uniform.
She aimed the large blade at the monstrous, erupting inferno, which was more like a sea of fire than a pillar of flame, gushing from the ground. Powerful spiritual pressure burst forth, forming an indestructible triangular barrier in front of her.
The seemingly thin orange-yellow barrier possessed a special defensive mechanism, much like an "anti-membrane."
Like a reef by the sea, it stood unmoving, no matter how much the explosive flames washed over it.
"…"
Yamamoto Genryūsai, who witnessed this scene from the corridor of the First Division barracks, slightly opened his eyes, seemingly a little surprised, but then let out a soft hum.
"Naive."
Urahara Kisuke was the first to sense that something was wrong.
He looked back and saw that the Soul Concealing Membrane was reforming. Large amounts of flame were impacting the Soul Concealing Membrane, causing it to vibrate violently, and a significant amount of fire was flowing backward, coiling around.
So, he quickly deployed a "Blood Mist Shield" to block the flames coming from behind.
"Miss Yoruichi, Inoue is counting on you!"
"I understand!"
"Wh-…what?"
Orihime hadn't reacted yet.
A spiritual particle vortex erupted due to the clash of multiple forces.
It swept the three of them into its midst, blowing them askew and sending them plummeting in different directions.
To those on the ground, two streaks of light appeared in the sky.
One of them was Urahara Kisuke.
The other was Yoruichi, who had prepared in advance and grabbed Orihime.
Yamamoto Genryūsai witnessed this scene, raised his hand, and gave an order.
"Relay my command."
Tsubakabe appeared with a "whoosh," bowing and kneeling on the ground.
"All Divisions are to fully apprehend the ryoka within their respective jurisdictions, delay their progress, and under no circumstances allow them to approach the First District and disrupt tomorrow's execution."
"Understood!"
At the same time, in the corridor outside a nearby lounge.
Aizen pushed up his glasses, looking at the visually stunning sky, and softly said: "Those are the ryoka… Urahara's group, right? Although they didn't use their full power, they were able to withstand a blow from the Captain Commander, and it wasn't Urahara Kisuke or Shihōin Yoruichi who did it. It seems there are other experts present. What an impressive lineup."
"Yes, no wonder Captain Ichimaru wanted to keep them out. It seems he was worried that clever person Urahara would come and ruin his plan…"
Toushiro clenched his fists tightly.
"But I don't care about any of that. I just want to find out the cause of Hinamori's death, and then tear the murderer limb from limb."
"Does Captain Hitsugaya still believe Captain Ichimaru is the murderer?"
"Even if he isn't, he's definitely involved. He alone can't cause such a stir. If there's some grand conspiracy, there must be other accomplices behind the scenes… I will find them, one by one. No one will escape."
"I'd like to encourage you, but private executions will incur punishment from the Central 46. Please keep that in mind."
"I don't care."
Facing Aizen's seemingly kind reminder, Toushiro felt nothing in his heart.
"A Captain can only wield his blade for responsibility. Only then can it be called a battle."
"But what I'm about to do is seek revenge, to use despicable violence to get justice for Hinamori."
"So… I've made up my mind to abandon my position as Captain."
"Aizen, Hinamori wouldn't want anything to happen to you, so you just watch from here. Witness everything I do for her, on her behalf."
With that, he turned and left.
He didn't want to waste a single moment.
"…"
Aizen looked at the furious back and knew that this genius Captain would certainly not be present at tomorrow's execution.
"Witness… huh? What a pity, Hitsugaya. What I want to witness is by no means the kind of despicable violence you speak of, but a more transcendent power."
He murmured, his gaze directed towards the Spirit Arts Academy.
Spirit Arts Academy Dorms.
The doors to dorms 001 and 002 opened almost simultaneously.
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo walked out, subconsciously looking at each other.
"You look like a different person wearing a Shinigami uniform," Ichigo exclaimed first.
"I think you finally look normal wearing a Shinigami uniform," Shimiya Takeru joked.
"You make it sound like I usually like weird clothes… But after seeing others wear Shinigami uniforms for so long, putting one on myself feels surprisingly comfortable, like it's meant to be!"
Ichigo touched the hilt of the large blade on his back, grinning.
Shimiya Takeru also looked down at his own Shinigami uniform.
Because they were about to cause a big commotion, Aizen had specially custom-made these Shinigami uniforms for them.
He had originally planned to give them out when they graduated.
But unexpectedly, they were put to use before they even graduated early.
The Shinigami uniform, created by Shutara Senjumaru, could change in response to Shinigami power. Its most basic function was to inject spiritual pressure to enhance defense.
This alone was enough for Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo to specifically get and put on these uniforms before the major battle.
The two left the dorms and arrived at the back gate of the Spirit Arts Academy.
Two people were already waiting there.
It was Hachihara and Rindo Yu.
"Is it starting?"
Hachihara was not at all surprised by their arrival, including their Shinigami uniforms.
If you ask why.
It was because he and Rindo Yu had already gotten involved.
"The ryoka have invaded, and the Seireitei is in chaos. We need to take advantage of the Divisions being busy apprehending people everywhere and ambush Sōkyoku Hill ahead of time."
Shimiya Takeru casually explained, as if he were saying he was too busy to eat dinner that night.
"Oh, I really wish I could act with you guys," Hachihara said with a hint of regret.
"You two have already done more than enough."
"Hachihara secretly bribed the Twelfth Division to purchase a Gigai, and Rindo used his Zanpakuto to make it look like Vice-Captain Hinamori. Combined with the teacher's disguise, it's simply flawless."
"Although Captain Unohana will still notice something is off after a thorough examination, at that point, she'll discover our deliberately fabricated second layer of deception, which looks exactly like Captain Hitsugaya's handiwork, and then attribute her uneasy feeling to that reason."
"Then she'll take action against Captain Hitsugaya… Now another Captain won't be able to attend tomorrow's execution, and it's one of the more difficult ones to deal with."
Shimiya Takeru couldn't help but exclaim.
This was the wisdom of the group.
It's worth mentioning that the suicide note was written by Ichigo with all his might, under the guidance of Hinamori Momo herself, and received the unanimous approval of him and Aizen.
The fake corpse, on the other hand, was secretly transported by Shimiya Takeru himself to the Great Eastern Wall.
"But we still don't know what the truth is," Ichigo's brow furrowed.
"Even though the teacher said the Third Division Captain has some kind of conspiracy, and it seems to be related to the Central 46, and our actions might actually be saving the Soul Society, but if something goes wrong, we won't be able to stay in the Seireitei."
"Don't worry, Rindo and I won't be impulsive," Hachihara patted the deaf-mute boy's shoulder.
The latter nodded slightly.
"As we discussed beforehand… we'll be on the outskirts of the battlefield, patiently observing the situation through Rindo's animal friends, waiting for an opportunity to provide support. We'll be a backup force ambushing in the shadows, lending a hand when needed."
"Honestly, I'm quite satisfied with this mission, because it's easy to make a grand entrance at the climax. By then, the overall situation will likely be decided, and the truth will be clear, so I can confidently make a dazzling appearance!"
"I'll tentatively look forward to it… provided you even get a chance to appear."
"Same here."
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo each made a sarcastic remark, then passed by the two, like two drops of ink merging into the sunlight of the Seireitei. Instead of dissolving, they stood out even more, their presence even surpassing the unchanging sunlight of a million years.
…
Boom!
A sound like a meteor falling to earth.
In fact, it wasn't far off.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch… Where did I land?"
Urahara Kisuke rubbed his messy hair and crawled out of the pit.
Immediately, he was surrounded by a group of people.
"We found the ryoka… Wait! He's…!"
The Shinigami who found him first were initially high-spirited and eager for merit, but their faces changed drastically when they saw his appearance.
It was as if Urahara Kisuke had surrounded them alone.
"It's Urahara Kisuke! Quickly notify the Captains!"
"Oh my, you see it's me and you're not running?"
Urahara Kisuke looked at the dozen or so Shinigami around him, deliberately showing a mischievous expression to try and scare them.
"Quiet! We are from the Eighth Division! How can we be scared into running away by a ryoka in our own jurisdiction?!"
The leading seated officer gripped his Zanpakuto, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and showed no weakness.
"Eighth Division… No wonder this place looks so familiar."
Urahara Kisuke looked around, suddenly realizing.
"I have a pretty good relationship with your Captain, so I'll let you off the hook here. Don't come chasing after me again, okay?"
"Thank you for looking out for my subordinates for old times' sake, so I won't secretly stab you in the back… although I suspect you probably sensed my spiritual pressure and said that on purpose."
The sudden voice made Urahara Kisuke sigh silently, slowly turning to look behind him.
The Shinigami had parted to make a path.
Kyoraku Shunsui and his Vice-Captain, Nanao Ise, arrived together.
"Isn't this Captain Kyōraku? What a coincidence, to be caught by you so quickly," Urahara Kisuke said with a smile, slightly tightening his grip on his Zanpakuto.
"Hey, hey~ Don't praise me so much. If others find out I caught you without even touching you, they'll suspect I'm your accomplice. That's too big a crime, I can't bear it."