The more cheerful Kazuma's side was, the more miserable Kisuke Urahara's side became.
Kisuke Urahara returned to his little shop with a sorrowful expression.
The moment he stepped through the door, he shouted loudly, "Tessai-san! Has Yoruichi-san still not come back?"
Tessai Tsukabishi shook his head.
"Shopkeeper, Lady Yoruichi has not returned since yesterday."
Urahara instantly felt as though the world were spinning, as if everything around him was about to collapse.
He murmured to himself, "How is that possible… Yoruichi-san actually hasn't come back…"
He could not accept this fact, and his heart filled with anxiety.
He could not help letting his imagination run wild!
Had Yoruichi-san really abandoned them?
Or had she been kidnapped by that mysterious group?
The more Urahara thought about it, the more absurd his thoughts became.
He could not help but spoke to Tessai, "Tessai-san! Yoruichi-san must have been taken away by those people, right? She wouldn't leave us on her own, would she? Right?"
Tessai sighed helplessly.
"Shopkeeper, please calm down first. Perhaps Lady Yoruichi only went to handle something and will return in a few days."
However, Urahara could not listen at all. He paced back and forth anxiously, constantly muttering Yoruichi's name.
At that moment, Jinta Hanakari could not stand watching anymore.
He mischievously made a face at Urahara and said with a grin, "Lady Yoruichi doesn't want to be with you anymore. She doesn't want you."
Hearing that, Urahara's face turned livid with anger.
He pointed at Jinta and roared, "You brat, shut your mouth!"
Jinta did not care at all and continued grinning as he provoked Urahara.
Urahara finally could not bear it anymore.
He turned to Ururu Tsumugiya and said, "Ururu! Beat him up for me and make him shut up!"
Without hesitation, Ururu swung her fist and sent Jinta flying.
Jinta crashed heavily to the ground, but he quickly crawled back up, rubbing his backside and muttering, "Hmph, Ururu, you actually dared to hit me! When I grow up, I'll definitely get revenge!"
Urahara was too distracted and irritated to care about Jinta's complaints.
His brows were tightly furrowed, and his mind was filled entirely with the question of why Yoruichi still had not returned.
Seeing this, Tessai pushed up his glasses and comforted him.
"Shopkeeper, please don't worry too much. Even if Lady Yoruichi was taken away by that mysterious group, they likely won't harm her. Besides, it is also possible that Lady Yoruichi has gone somewhere else to play. Perhaps she will return in a few days."
Urahara sighed.
"I hope so…"
...
Meanwhile, after Kazuma and his group enjoyed themselves for an entire day, they finally moved on to the real matter at hand.
After all, Kazuma had not brought the first-generation captains back just so they could eat, drink, and have fun.
He had brought them back for Yhwach, who would come after Aizen.
Inside a manor in Karakura Town, a group of people sat around a long conference table with a distinctly medieval style, discussing something.
The man sitting at the head of the table was drinking wine while petting a cat.
That's right.
The cat was Yoruichi.
But the person petting her was not Chika Shihōin!
It was Kazuma.
After all, who did not like petting cats?
As for whether Chika agreed or not, well, he would first have to consider whether he could withstand Kazuma's sandbag-sized fists.
"Everyone, for the time being, we cannot return to Soul Society. This is not only because of me. More importantly, Yhwach is currently in Soul Society."
The moment Kazuma said this, Batsu'unsai and Saitō were both startled, shock appearing on their faces.
They had always thought Kazuma had brought the first-generation captains back to deal with Aizen's problem.
They had not expected him to have another plan.
Hiyori, on the other hand, looked completely blank when she heard Yhwach's name.
Clearly, this topic was beyond her knowledge.
Yoruichi, who was in Kazuma's arms, also had a completely confused cat face.
What was this about Yhwach?
Weren't they supposed to be dealing with Aizen?
This left her deeply puzzled.
Sitting below, Nobutsuna Shigyō frowned and asked in a serious tone, "Yhwach is in Soul Society? You didn't mention this back in Hell. What exactly is going on?"
Kazuma explained, "After Yhwach awakened, he established the Wandenreich. The Wandenreich is hidden in the shadows of Soul Society, which is why it has never been discovered all these years. So the moment we return to Soul Society, he will notice us."
Saitō had lived in the World of the Living for many years and had some understanding of various human ideas.
She casually said a classic line.
"The most dangerous place is actually the safest?"
That sentence not only accurately described the Wandenreich's strategy, but also showed Saitō's sharp understanding of the situation.
Uhin Zenjōji, who did not speak much, had no interest in roundabout matters like this.
He said bluntly, "Judging from the strength you showed in Hell, Yhwach is clearly not as powerful as you are now. What else is there to discuss? We can just kill him directly."
Kazuma gently shook his head, denying it.
"According to what I know, Yhwach has already regained the power of The Almighty."
"What? The Almighty?"
The people below grew even more shocked upon hearing this.
Kazuma explained further, "The Yhwach we defeated a thousand years ago was not in his peak state. When we fought him back then, his Almighty ability had already been sealed. Against such a troublesome power, I have no way to deal with him."
Only now did the captains finally understand why Kazuma did not want them returning to Soul Society, and why they were not simply going to cut Yhwach down directly.
Because they could not win.
Seeing Kazuma and the others begin discussing Yhwach so intensely, Yoruichi finally could not help interrupting.
"I don't know how important Yhwach is, but shouldn't we be focusing on Aizen right now?"
Nobutsuna Shigyō followed up. "Aizen? You mean that Fifth Division captain who was rumored to have killed Kazuma? What exactly is going on with him?"
Yoruichi quickly explained the conflict between Urahara's group and Aizen.
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, looking as though she wanted to go and cut Aizen down at any moment.
"Is this Aizen really that powerful?"
The captains seated below all turned their eyes toward Kazuma, whose expression remained calm.
Kazuma coughed lightly twice, then slowly said, "Ahem. Actually, Aizen's problem is not that serious. His existence is meant to sharpen you captains who haven't worked hard enough, along with the current captains, so that your strength can improve and you'll be better prepared to face the Quincy in the future. That is why the Captain-Commander and I allowed him to reach this point step by step."
Kazuma's words struck Yoruichi and Hiyori like a bolt from the blue.
They had always regarded Aizen as their greatest enemy.
Yet now they were being told that the reason Aizen had been able to develop to his current state was because the higher-ups had deliberately let him do as he please.
In that instant, it felt as though their inner worlds had collapsed.
Then what had all the suffering and torment they had endured meant?
Had it all merely been some kind of farce?