Yoruichi was completely confused as she flew through the air.
She had been watching the fight perfectly fine from the side, only to suddenly be flung away for no reason at all.
What kind of lunatic would not even spare a little black cat?
Watching the figure rapidly closing in on her, Yoruichi immediately grew wary.
She adjusted her combat posture in midair, preparing for the battle that was about to come.
However, after she came to an abrupt stop in the air, the person did not attack her.
Instead, he simply looked at her with a teasing expression.
Yoruichi frowned and asked doubtfully, "What's going on?"
She carefully studied the man in front of her.
Dark skin, yellow earrings hanging from his ears. The pattern on the earrings looked like the crest of the Shihōin Clan.
And that face…
Yoruichi suddenly felt that the man before her looked somewhat familiar, but she could not immediately remember where she had seen him before.
'Why does this guy look so familiar? Have I met him before?'
She tried hard to recall her past experiences, but the memories in her mind were a tangled mess, and she could not be certain whether she had ever crossed paths with him.
"You're Yoruichi Shihōin, right? First time meeting you, and I've missed you so damn much!"
Chika spoke through gritted teeth, his tone sounding as though he wanted to swallow Yoruichi alive.
Yoruichi looked at Chika in shock, her face full of confusion.
"You know me? Who exactly are you? Why do your earrings have the Shihōin Clan crest?"
"You refuse to stay in proper human form and insist on being a cat instead! You're really something, aren't you? Really something!"
Chika grew more and more agitated, and the anger in his heart burned hotter and hotter.
He had never imagined that with her own ancestor standing right in front of her, Yoruichi would actually fail to recognize him.
Did the Shihōin Clan ancestral hall not even have his portrait?
He was the head of the Shihōin Clan, for crying out loud!
The more Chika thought about it, the angrier he became, and he roared at Yoruichi.
"Who exactly are you? Are you from the Shihōin Clan? Why have I never seen you before?" Yoruichi pointed at Chika and demanded loudly.
However, Chika had already been overwhelmed by anger and had completely forgotten his original intention.
In an instant, he rushed in front of Yoruichi, grabbed her tail, and began swinging her around in circles with force.
As he swung her, Chika muttered, "I'll teach you not to know who I am! I'll teach you to turn into a cat!"
Yoruichi screamed in terror.
She struggled desperately, trying to break free from Chika's hand.
However, Chika's strength was far too great, and she could not resist him at all.
"Stop it! You lunatic!" Yoruichi shouted.
Hearing that only made Chika even crazier.
"Lunatic? Fine! I'm a lunatic!"
With that, he swung her even harder, turning Yoruichi into a spinning windmill.
Yoruichi was so dizzy from being swung around that she almost vomited.
She begged again, "Stop… I'm going to pass out!"
Whether it was because his anger had faded or because his arm had gotten tired, Chika finally stopped.
He held Yoruichi upside down and stared at her without saying a word.
Yoruichi felt deeply depressed and silently regretted everything.
'Why did I come here in cat form? Great. Now this guy has grabbed me, and I've completely lost the ability to fight back.'
"Take another good look at me. Who am I? If you still can't remember, I'll keep swinging you."
After a moment of silence, Chika finally spoke.
Yoruichi's head was still spinning, but she worked hard to remember.
She absolutely did not want to be swung around like a windmill again.
That feeling was horrible.
"Remember now?" Chika looked at Yoruichi, impatience flashing in his eyes.
"N-No…" Yoruichi stammered. Her mind was still a mess, and she could not recall anything clearly.
"Looks like your head still isn't clear. Let me help you clear it up a bit more."
As Chika spoke, he lifted Yoruichi again, looking as if he was about to start swinging her once more.
"No! No! No!" Yoruichi hurriedly shouted. "I'll think again."
Her voice was full of pleading.
Seeing this, Chika put Yoruichi down.
Yoruichi collapsed weakly onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"I'll give you some time to think properly."
Chika sat down nearby.
Yoruichi closed her eyes, trying hard to dig up any clue from the depths of her memory.
Then, a blurry figure gradually became clearer in her mind.
It seemed to be a familiar face she had seen before in a portrait inside the family ancestral hall.
She opened her eyes and looked seriously at Chika again.
Suddenly, her mind went blank, as if struck by lightning. Immediately afterward, an absurd thought surged into her heart.
"I remember now…"
Yoruichi widened her eyes and looked at Chika in disbelief.
"Are you… Chika Shihōin?"
Surprise flashed through Chika's eyes.
Clearly, he had not expected Yoruichi to actually remember who he was.
"Chika Shihōin? Is that how you address me?"
Chika frowned and made as if to stand up, ready to make a move on Yoruichi again.
"F-former clan head!"
Yoruichi was so frightened that she immediately changed her wording.
"Hmph. At least you have some sense."
Hearing that form of address, Chika showed a satisfied expression and sat back down.
Yoruichi's face was filled with disbelief, her eyes full of shock.
'How could this person be Chika Shihōin? He's the ancestor of our clan! And according to the family records, he died almost a thousand years ago. How could he suddenly appear here?'
"Ancestor, weren't you already dead?"
Yoruichi stared at the person before her with wide eyes, still stunned.
"I did die. But I came back from Hell."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Chika Shihōin's mouth, as though he did not care much about his own experience.
"What? You died and still came back from Hell?"
Yoruichi's voice trembled, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
"Ah, it's not that big a deal. I was living just fine in Hell, but that bastard Kazuma insisted on reviving us and bringing us back."
Chika Shihōin shook his head helplessly, his tone carrying a trace of complaint.
"Us? Does that mean many people came back to life? And Kazuma…"
Yoruichi's gaze sharpened, and her thoughts began turning rapidly.
"Not that many. Just some captains from our era. What were you going to say about Kazuma?"
Chika raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
"Didn't Kazuma lose his Shinigami powers? I personally tested him before," Yoruichi said with a frown.
Hearing Yoruichi say that, Chika nearly burst out laughing.
"You tested him? I'd believe it if Old Man Yamamoto tested him. But you people trying to test him? You're not qualified for that."
"And another thing—Kazuma isn't someone you should be addressing so casually. Show some manners! That guy is from the same generation as us."
"Huh? So he's an old monster just like all of you? I thought he was only a few hundred years old, just a little older than us."
Yoruichi looked shocked as she spoke.
Chika smacked Yoruichi on the head.
"What old monster? Do we look like old monsters to you?"
Yoruichi clutched her head and said, "But you are. You've all lived for so many years. If that doesn't make you old monsters, what does?"
Chika shook his head helplessly.
Then he looked at Yoruichi.
That statement did not seem entirely wrong.
Yoruichi suddenly thought of Urahara and the others, who were still getting beaten.
"Ancestor, then the one who attacked Urahara and the others just now is also a friend of yours?"
Chika nodded.
"That's right. The one who attacked is Entetsu Kumoi, the first-generation captain of the Ninth Division. He wants to test the strength of your generation's captains."
Yoruichi burst into laughter.
"No wonder he went straight after Kensei and beat him up the moment he made a move… So that's why."