Ailin turned, surprised. "Well, well. Ichigo. Fancy meeting you here. Are you enjoying the amusement park?" He hadn't expected to encounter Ichigo. To conceal his reiatsu, he had been living as an ordinary human.
"Yeah. I'm here with my sisters," Ichigo replied, nodding. But upon seeing Ailin, he felt a tension building within him. He knew Ailin was a Gotei 13 captain, an important figure in the Soul Society. Such individuals didn't visit the World of the Living without a reason. Did this mean trouble was brewing?
Ailin bent down and smiled upon noticing the two girls beside Ichigo. "Hello there, young ladies."
"Hello, mister," Yuzu Kurosaki replied politely.
"Hi," Karin Kurosaki responded curtly.
"Hahaha. Such adorable young ladies." Ailin ruffled Yuzu's hair. "But you should call me 'uncle.' I'm much older than I appear."
"Yuzu, Karin, why don't you two go have some fun? I need to talk to… Uncle Ailin," Ichigo said, interrupting Yuzu, who seemed about to protest.
"Ichi-nii, is it about… that?" Karin asked with a hint of worry in her eyes.
As the children of a Shinigami and a Quincy, both Karin and Yuzu possessed spiritual pressure, though their potential wasn't as extraordinary as Ichigo's.
As twins, they had each inherited one parent's power. Karin, with her black hair, had inherited Isshin's Shinigami abilities. Like Ichigo, she had been able to see spirits since childhood. However, this ability had led to bullying, transforming her from a cheerful child into a reserved, almost cynical teenager. While she could see spirits, she outwardly denied their existence.
Yuzu, on the other hand, had inherited Masaki's Quincy powers. This ability would continue to grow until she reached fifteen, eventually allowing her to perceive spirits as well. However, without formal training, she couldn't be considered a true Quincy.
Seeing Ichigo's expression, Karin had guessed the topic of their conversation.
"Don't worry, Karin. It's nothing serious. I'll leave Yuzu to you."
"Okay."
Reassured, Karin took Yuzu's hand and led her away. She understood. Even if she knew more, she couldn't help Ichigo with matters related to the spirit world. Her role was to take care of Yuzu, allowing Ichigo to focus without distractions.
She also realized the man who had introduced himself as "Uncle Ailin" was no ordinary human. But if Ichi-nii had allowed him to touch Yuzu's hair, he clearly wasn't an enemy.
After his sisters were gone, Ichigo turned to Ailin. "Captain Ailin, I know you're not here without a reason. Is there some kind of danger?"
"You're right." Ailin saw no reason to hide the truth from Ichigo. Perhaps, by instilling a sense of urgency, he could motivate Ichigo to seek out Shinji Hirako and learn to control his Hollow powers.
"Remember those two Hollows who attacked you?"
"That was Aizen's way of provoking the Soul Society."
Ichigo looked up sharply. He couldn't forget those Hollows. He had been overconfident, his fear of his own inner Hollow exploited, leading to his defeat.
"Weren't they here to test me?" he asked, confused. From their words, they had seemed to be acting on Aizen's orders, sent to assess his strength. Why would Ailin call it a provocation?
"Ichigo, while your progress is impressive, you don't really believe they came all the way to the World of the Living just to test you, do you?"
Ailin then explained Aizen's plan and the Soul Society's countermeasures.
"Therefore, Ichigo, a major battle in Karakura Town is inevitable. Both Aizen and the Seireitei have agreed to settle their conflict here, minimizing damage to both the Soul Society and the World of the Living."
After all, a devastated world was undesirable for both Aizen and Head-Captain Yamamoto. While their ideologies clashed, they wouldn't intentionally harm the world.
Yhwach, however, was different. He sought to destroy the existing world and create a new one. To achieve his goals, even the Soul King's heart and left hand had sided with him. Some even speculated that Lille Barro, the leader of Yhwach's Schutzstaffel, was another fragment of the Soul King. This meant three parts of the Soul King had chosen Yhwach.
The Soul King's right hand, residing within Jūshirō Ukitake, had remained neutral during the Thousand-Year Blood War. While it had eventually manifested, it hadn't fought Yhwach. Instead, it had temporarily become the world's linchpin, maintaining its stability.
"How could this be?" Ichigo was horrified after hearing Ailin's explanation. From a broader perspective, Karakura Town, as a spiritually dense location, was indeed the ideal battleground, minimizing damage to the world.
But this was his home, where he had lived for sixteen years. His family, his friends, his classmates… were all here. How many would survive a battle between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo? And if the Soul Society lost, Aizen planned to sacrifice over one hundred thousand souls to create the Ōken.
"No. This can't happen! Karakura Town cannot become a battlefield!" While his thoughts were selfish, this was his decision. He looked at Ailin. "Is there any way to change this?"
"I'm sorry, Ichigo. I can't help you with this. While it may seem cruel, Karakura Town is the best option. The only way to change this is to become stronger, strong enough to defeat Aizen before he completes the Hōgyoku's fusion."
"Stronger…" Ichigo fell silent, an image flashing through his mind. Shinji Hirako. Should he seek him out?
"Thank you, Captain Ailin."
"You're welcome. I'll be… very interested to see if you can reach that level, Ichigo."
Ailin turned and began searching for Hinamori, who had wandered off. She had been enjoying herself a little too much lately. He had to keep an eye on her.
…
That night, Ichigo wearing his Shinigami's suit slipped out of his bedroom window.
"Ichigo? What brings you here so late?"
Urahara was surprised.
Ichigo had been unusually quiet since his defeat against the Hollow. He knew the reason. Ichigo, in a sense, was one of his experiments. Jinta and Ururu were artificial souls he had created based on Ichigo's unique lineage.
But compared to Ichigo, they were… inferior. Still, this difference didn't change their fundamental nature. In times of crisis, with the Hōgyoku's influence, they could temporarily become the world's linchpin, maintaining its stability. They were his last resort, a safeguard against the world's destruction.
"Mr. Urahara, I have some questions. Has the Soul Society decided to use Karakura Town as the battleground against Aizen?"
Urahara looked up, surprised. How did Ichigo know? He himself had only deduced it based on the available information.
The Soul Society couldn't fight Aizen in Hueco Mundo unless they sent a small team of captains to assassinate him. Hueco Mundo was teeming with Hollows. If they sensed Shinigami reiatsu, they would swarm them, attempting to devour their souls. This would force the Shinigami to retaliate, creating an imbalance in the three worlds. To restore balance, they would have to kill an equal number of souls in the Soul Society. This was unacceptable.
Therefore, Karakura Town, in the World of the Living, was the ideal location. Even with casualties, their souls would either be devoured by Hollows or sent to the Soul Society, maintaining the balance.
"Ichigo, where did you hear this?"
"So it's true?" Although he hadn't answered directly, Urahara's question confirmed it.
"I have another question, Mr. Urahara…"
…
Later that night, Ichigo jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Urahara's words were echoing in his mind.
"Ichigo, Shinji Hirako was the captain of the Fifth Division a century ago. He can be trusted. Due to… certain circumstances, he and his subordinates were attacked and infused with Hollow reiatsu. They know more about controlling Hollow powers than I do."
"Of course, if you can find Captain Ailin, he might be able to help you. He's the best teacher in the Soul Society. Anyone he trains improves rapidly. If you want to become stronger quickly, either learn to control your Hollow powers from Hirako, or seek Ailin's guidance."
Both Urahara and Ailin had given him the same advice. To protect Karakura Town, he needed strength, enough to make both sides listen to him. Otherwise, he could only watch as his home was destroyed.
He had two options.
Now, he had to decide. Hirako or Ailin?
"Hirako said we were… alike. He'll train me whenever I'm ready."
"I'm not sure if Captain Ailin will agree."
"But…" Remembering the presence within him, the Hollow's overwhelming power and its… bloodlust, he made his decision.
"I'll ask Captain Ailin first. If he can help me control the Hollow, that's the best option. If not… I'll go to Hirako."