Rukia rushed back to Ichigo's house in a hurry.
As expected, Ichigo was exactly as she had imagined, sitting quietly at his desk in a daze.
"Ichigo, what happened? Why do you look so miserable?" Rukia asked with concern.
"After school, I ran into Ishida on the way home," Ichigo answered weakly.
"He attacked you?" Rukia asked nervously.
"Honestly, if he had attacked me, that would've been better. At least then I could've fought him properly," Ichigo sighed helplessly.
"So he just ran his mouth at you?" Rukia asked curiously.
"Pretty much. He challenged me. He wants to decide the winner by seeing who can kill more Hollows," Ichigo said honestly.
"Oh? I didn't expect Uryū Ishida to have such a strange sense of sportsmanship."
Rukia teased Ishida's bizarre method of issuing a challenge.
After that, the plot developed without any deviation.
Orihime and Chad awakened their Fullbring abilities, while Uryū Ishida drew out a large number of Hollows for the sake of his wager.
Unsurprisingly, the situation soon spiraled out of control and attracted a powerful Gillian.
During the fierce battle against the Gillian, the hostile positions between Ichigo and Ishida gradually blurred.
In the end, they somehow became comrades fighting side by side.
The shift came so suddenly that no one could have expected it, as if fate itself had arranged for them to stand together and forge a bond that would last through the entire story.
After all, people who survive a battlefield together end up becoming brothers.
...
A few days later, while Rukia was resting at home, she suddenly sensed an unusual reiatsu.
After carefully distinguishing it, she was shocked to realize that it belonged to her brother-in-law, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Renji Abarai.
At the same time, in a certain corner of Karakura Town, a mysterious Senkaimon suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Two beautiful Hell Butterflies fluttered through the air as two figures stepped out from the gate.
They were Sixth Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and his lieutenant, Renji Abarai.
The undercover Shinigami Keijirō, who had appeared last time, had once tried to help Rukia cover up the truth. However, a secret like this could never be hidden for long.
Now, the matter had finally been exposed, and Byakuya Kuchiki had personally come to bring Rukia back to Soul Society to face judgment.
Originally, the task of arresting Rukia should have fallen under the Second Division's jurisdiction. However, due to the special circumstances, Byakuya decided to handle it himself.
During the captains' meeting, Byakuya had raised a different opinion.
His reason was simple: Rukia was his sister-in-law, and what she had done was a disgrace to the Kuchiki Clan.
As the head of the Kuchiki family, he should personally deal with the matter.
Thus, Byakuya brought Renji with him to Karakura Town.
The moment Rukia sensed that familiar reiatsu, she made her decision.
She quickly left Ichigo a farewell letter, then left his house without hesitation.
That night, when Ichigo returned home, he finally discovered, with Kon's assistance, that Rukia had left a letter on the desk.
Ichigo opened the letter, only to find writing that looked almost like encrypted text.
The rough meaning was that she was leaving, that Ichigo should not come looking for her, and that he should preferably find somewhere to hide in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.
After reading that nearly unreadable letter, Ichigo insisted on going out to search for Rukia no matter what, but Kon refused to hand over the Soul Candy under any circumstances.
Just then, Kisuke Urahara appeared outside the window like a ghost.
Watching Ichigo desperately trying to pry the Soul Candy out of Kon's mouth, he could not help smiling.
"Yo, young man. Did you run into some trouble?" Urahara asked with a smile.
Ichigo hurriedly explained that Rukia was in danger, that he needed to become a Shinigami to find her, and that he needed Urahara's help.
Urahara did not hesitate at all.
He raised the cane in his hand and struck Ichigo hard on the head.
In the blink of an eye, Ichigo's spirit body successfully separated from his physical body.
...
On Rukia's side, Byakuya and Renji had already blocked her path.
Unlike the original timeline, Hisana was still alive, so Byakuya was actually quite fond of Rukia.
This time, he only intended to bring her back and have her confined for a few years.
Byakuya stared at Rukia for a long while before suddenly noticing something wrong.
"Rukia, didn't the intelligence say you had completely lost your Shinigami powers? Then what is this reiatsu? You are nearly at the threshold of lieutenant level."
"Brother-in-law, that is my secret. I don't want to tell you."
Rukia raised her proud little head.
She knew her strength had increased in an unusual way, but she had no intention of explaining too much to Byakuya.
After all, this involved the secret that Kazuma was still alive.
Byakuya frowned, doubt flashing through his eyes.
He understood Rukia's personality and knew she would not reveal the truth easily.
But he also understood that her current reiatsu had indeed exceeded their expectations.
"Rukia, no matter what secret you have, I will bring you back to Soul Society," Byakuya said in a tone that allowed no refusal.
Rukia's heart sank.
She knew there was no avoiding this.
Even so, she was determined to protect her secret.
Even against her powerful brother-in-law, she would not yield easily.
Byakuya looked at Rukia, disappointment and anger filling his face.
He shook his head and said sternly, "Rukia, you are far too willful! You privately gave Shinigami powers to an ordinary human in the World of the Living. Do you know how serious that crime is?
According to Soul Society's laws, the boy who received your power must be executed. Once you return to Soul Society, you will also be placed under strict supervision."
Hearing this, Rukia froze.
Her eyes widened, and she muttered in disbelief, "No… impossible. Sensei clearly told me this wasn't a big deal… Why would Ichigo have to be executed?"
Renji, standing nearby, also tried hard to persuade her.
"Rukia, hurry and take us to the brat who received your Shinigami powers. If you personally deal with him, you might still be able to make up for your crime."
Naturally, Rukia refused.
She straightened her body and took a fighting stance.
Just as both sides were about to clash, Uryū Ishida suddenly appeared from nowhere.
He asked with concern, "Kuchiki-san, are you all right?"
"Ishida-kun, why are you here? Hurry and leave. This has nothing to do with you! There's no need for you to get involved," Rukia urged anxiously.
However, Uryū Ishida merely pushed up his glasses.
"Kuchiki-san, I just happened to be out buying a late-night snack. Since I ran into this by chance, of course I'll back you up. After all, I absolutely despise Shinigami!"
After saying that, he deliberately cast a provocative look at Byakuya and Renji.
Byakuya and Renji looked at this bespectacled man who had suddenly jumped out.
Both of them felt that this person was rather baffling, and even somewhat childish.
He actually dared to say he despised Shinigami?
Was he tired of living?
Renji curiously looked Uryū Ishida up and down, silently wondering, 'This guy looks like an ordinary human. Why can he see me and the captain? Is he some special human with spiritual power?'
"Hey, brat. Who exactly are you?"
"I already said it. I am Kuchiki-san's classmate, Uryū Ishida. As long as I'm here today, you can forget about forcing Kuchiki-san to do anything against her will."
Uryū Ishida answered without fear.
Before Renji could make a move, Uryū Ishida impatiently struck first.
He charged fiercely toward Renji and shouted, "Remember this! The one who defeats you today is Uryū Ishida!"
However, facing Uryū Ishida's initiative to attack, a cruel smile appeared on Renji's face.
Originally, he had not intended to make things too difficult for this boy.
Now, he had changed his mind.
Renji swung his blade with astonishing speed.
Before Uryū Ishida could even reach him, he crashed heavily to the ground, blood flowing continuously from his body.
Renji raised his Zanpakutō toward Rukia, then glanced at Uryū Ishida lying flat on the ground.
"Is he always this brave? Does he not know who I am?"