"That's a relief," Ichigo said bluntly.
"Huh? So you're looking down on me now?" Zaraki growled, clearly irritated. Those dismissive words had sparked a fire of anger within him.
On a nearby rooftop, Yachiru watched with concern.
"Ken-chan…"
It was obvious to her—even though Ichigo and Zaraki seemed evenly matched, Ichigo was far more composed and in control.
Zaraki, on the other hand, was truly at the limit of his current strength.
Just then, Ichigo's expression twisted into a cocky grin. He raised three fingers and declared, "Three strikes. Just three. If I can't take you down in three hits, I'll admit defeat and let you do whatever you want with me."
Clearly, Tatsuki's injuries had ignited Ichigo's fury. And since Zaraki had claimed he wouldn't get any stronger, Ichigo felt completely confident.
"You brat… What did you just say? You've got some nerve!" Zaraki barked out a laugh, equal parts enraged and amused.
But Ichigo had turned deadly serious.
His spiritual pressure no longer burst outward—it condensed entirely into Zangetsu.
Zaraki's gaze toward the blade grew sharp and dangerous.
A weapon like that… if it touches me, it'll be over instantly.
He was stunned.
But Ichigo wasn't done. He surged his spiritual pressure again, and Zangetsu took on a glowing, enchanted appearance—the blade's original color was completely swallowed by a searing blue.
A killer blue.
"I'm ready. Here I come!" Ichigo shouted, then vanished with an accelerated shunpo.
This time, Zaraki reacted.
"Haaah!" He sensed the danger—every hair on his body stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine.
He released his spiritual energy wildly, trying to shield himself.
Crack!
That was the sound of Zaraki's zanpakutō shattering.
Zangetsu, infused with Ichigo's compressed spiritual energy, cleaved through Zaraki's blade like tofu, then continued on to strike Zaraki's chest.
It crossed over the earlier wound—forming a bloody X.
The dual wounds sent blood gushing out, and this time, Zaraki didn't have the spiritual pressure left to stop the bleeding.
"So strong…"
Zaraki stood, barely managing to stay on his feet. He looked at Ichigo and asked, "What's your name? At least let me die knowing it."
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo replied coldly, Zangetsu still glowing blue. He was ready—for a desperate counterattack.
But Zaraki just stared at him and said, "I'm Zaraki Kenpachi." Then his chest wound split open further, and with a groan, he collapsed.
(At this point, it's no surprise Ichigo could one-shot Kenpachi. He's already mastered Hollowfication and Bankai, placing him far beyond Zaraki, who was still sealed and restricted.)
(Zaraki's current spiritual pressure was only third-class. That so-called overwhelming pressure was an exaggeration.)
(After all, later on, Ichigo's pressure was just barely on par with un-released Byakuya. And no one would call Byakuya a first-class spiritual force when unreleased.)
Ichigo didn't deliver a finishing blow. He was angry, sure—but Tatsuki's injuries were only surface wounds. It was clear Zaraki had held back.
Of course, what Ichigo didn't know was that Zaraki wasn't trying to hold back—his entire fighting style was built around restraint, worried that if he went all-out, he'd kill his opponents too quickly and ruin the fun.
Still, word of Ichigo's battle with Kenpachi spread across the Soul Society almost instantly.
That kind of immense spiritual pressure? Only an idiot wouldn't recognize a captain-level fight!
From the rooftop, Yachiru saw Ichigo lower his blade and quickly shunpoed to Zaraki's side.
She bowed to Ichigo.
"Thank you. I know you held back. That's the only reason Ken-chan isn't dead. We owe you one."
Ichigo scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed. "Mm."
Yachiru then hoisted Kenpachi onto her back, picked up his broken zanpakutō, and vanished with a swift shunpo.
Ichigo didn't chase. He now had to decide whether to take Tatsuki with him or hide her somewhere. After all, he still had undercover work to do.
But before he could decide, a blur of motion answered the question for him.
"How'd it go, Ichigo? You run into trouble?" the newcomer asked.
It was Yoruichi.
There was no one else in Soul Society who could reach this battlefield so quickly.
"It's over, Yoruichi-neesan," Ichigo said, slightly exasperated.
"Over? Who was it?"
Yoruichi blinked.
She had only sensed that Ichigo's opponent was captain-level, not who exactly it was.
"Think his name was… Zaraki Kenpachi?" Ichigo replied, thinking.
Yoruichi paused. "Zaraki Kenpachi? You actually beat him?!"
She looked at Ichigo in shock.
"Huh? Is that supposed to be a big deal?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"In the Gotei 13, the title of 'Kenpachi' is only given to the strongest Shinigami. The one you just fought was the eleventh Kenpachi—Zaraki Kenpachi," Yoruichi explained.
Ichigo blinked, then scoffed, "Well, if that's the strongest, the bar must not be that high. I've already sensed at least three people in Seireitei with higher spiritual pressure than him."
(He's talking about Unohana, Ukitake, and Gin—each of whom had greater spiritual pressure than Zaraki at this point.)
Yoruichi nodded slightly—she knew full well that the title of 'Kenpachi' came with a lot of nuance.
"Anyway, Ichigo, why were you even fighting a captain?" she asked.
Ichigo immediately shunpoed back to the rooftop where he left Tatsuki and picked her up.
Looking at her unconscious form, Yoruichi guessed, "Don't tell me… You jumped in because she ran into Zaraki?"
Ichigo sighed. "Yeah. I was laying low, and then I sensed her in trouble. You think I'd come out just to brawl for fun?"
Yoruichi shook her head. "For them, it's still too early to take part in battles like this."
"Yoruichi-neesan, can you take care of Tatsuki for me? I've still got things to do."
(End of Chapter)
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