Ichigo's strike didn't follow any orthodox swordsmanship. It was simple. Direct. Brutally effective.
Unohana Retsu looked at him with a touch of surprise—she hadn't seen such a pure killing technique in a long, long time.
It wasn't something you could learn from training. This was instinct.
But just as she was momentarily distracted, Ichigo's wooden sword lunged straight toward her chest.
Unohana smiled faintly. "That's all?"
Her left hand moved.
In it appeared a short wooden blade that blocked Ichigo's thrust with precision and grace.
Ichigo stepped back a few paces and frowned. "Dual wielding?"
"You're impressive, Ichigo. To think you forced me to use my second blade so quickly," Unohana said, admiration clear in her eyes.
If only he were a little stronger… A thought whispered in the back of her mind.
Clearly, Ichigo had stirred the long-dormant desire within her.
"I want to learn swordsmanship," Ichigo suddenly said.
Unohana raised an eyebrow. "Your swordplay already has its own form. You don't need to learn anything more from me."
After all, Ichigo's natural combat style was born of instinct. To impose rigid forms on it would be counterproductive—like mistaking the branches for the roots.
But Ichigo shook his head. "I don't want to learn to become stronger. I want to learn… to become weaker."
Unohana's eyes lit up. "Ichigo, you really are like me."
She interpreted his words as a desire to savor battle more—to make it last.
Ichigo, however, was simply trying to play the long game: hide his fangs, and strike when it mattered most.
"Alright. Since you want to save Rukia, I'll teach you swordsmanship until the day she's sent to the Senzaikyū. But until then, you'll be staying here with me."
Unohana had made up her mind.
Ichigo reminded her of someone she once knew.
"But if you're going to stay here, you'll need a cover. We'll say you're my apprentice—and temporarily… the Fourth Seat of Squad Four."
She was meticulous. "If anyone asks, say you're from Rukongai. District 80, West. It's chaos there. No one will bother checking."
"Got it. Thanks, Rei-neesan," Ichigo nodded.
Having met Captain Ukitake, Ichigo could tell—there was no way he could break through all of Seireitei alone and rescue Rukia.
Better to lie low and wait for the right time.
—
That Night – Above Seireitei
A sharp crack split the air!
A transparent sphere struck Seireitei's Sekkiseki barrier like a meteor.
Alarms blared across the 12th Division.
"Captain! Bad news! Ryoka have invaded Seireitei!" Akon shouted to Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
And it wasn't just the 12th Division. Everyone in Seireitei had seen the blast and the glowing sphere crash against the barrier.
After impact, it split into four streaks of light that scattered in different directions.
Ichigo sensed them at once—those familiar spiritual pressures!
"Chad… Orihime… Uryuu… Tatsuki! They're here too! But… wasn't that way too loud?"
Unohana appeared silently beside him, smiling as always. "Relax. Didn't you say Yoruichi also returned to the Soul Society?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"She had a title once. Everyone here knew her by it."
"What was it?"
"Shunshin Yoruichi—Yoruichi the Flash. If she wants to run, no one can catch her. With her looking after your friends, they'll be fine."
Ichigo finally relaxed.
Though neither of them expected… that the first thing Yoruichi would do upon returning was… go home.
The others—Tatsuki, Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu—had been split into three teams and dispersed across Seireitei.
They needed to gather information about Rukia's condition—and locate Ichigo.
No one would ever guess that Ichigo was boldly living in the captain's home of Squad Four.
Then again, very few knew just how terrifying Unohana Retsu had once been—except perhaps Yamamoto Genryūsai and Zaraki Kenpachi.
—
Elsewhere in Seireitei
The response from the Gotei 13 was immediate.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai issued the order: Capture the Ryoka alive.
Under Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, Squad Eleven scoured Seireitei.
And as fate would have it, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa stumbled upon Tatsuki and Orihime.
A fierce battle broke out.
Tatsuki gave it her all and ultimately defeated Ikkaku, escaping with Orihime in tow.
More importantly—they now had confirmation that Rukia's execution would happen in twenty days.
Still, the day of searching yielded no Ryoka captures.
Yamamoto was furious and called for another captain's meeting to be held the next morning to discuss how to deal with the intruders.
After all, this was the first time in history that Ryoka had successfully infiltrated Seireitei.
And yet… Ichigo remained utterly uninvolved.
He spent all his time with Unohana, learning how to "weaken himself."
But deep down, he had a feeling.
The power he was hiding?
He'd be using it very soon.
—
The Next Morning
Unohana was preparing to attend the captain's meeting.
Ichigo was about to go scout key locations on the map she'd given him to figure out the best place to rescue Rukia.
But—
"You're coming to the meeting with me, Ichigo," Unohana suddenly said.
"Me?" Ichigo pointed at himself, stunned.
"Only captains attend the main meeting, but the lieutenants wait nearby. You said you wanted intel, right? This is your chance."
"But Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Renji have seen me before! If I show up, won't I blow my cover immediately?!"
"Don't worry," Unohana reassured him. "Today, Rukia is being transferred to the Senzaikyū. And because of yesterday's invasion, the ones escorting her… are Byakuya and Renji."
"After all, Ichigo, you did defeat Renji in the human world, didn't you?"
(End of Chapter)
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