Ichigo looked down at the unconscious Tatsuki in his arms, his gaze full of gentleness.
"Carrying Tatsuki around is inconvenient, so I'll have to trouble you with her, Yoruichi-neesan."
Yoruichi sighed and carefully took Tatsuki from him. Curiously, she asked, "So, what exactly have you been up to these past few days? How haven't you been discovered yet?"
She had assumed Ichigo would be exposed almost immediately. Yet to her surprise, Ichigo had roamed the Seireitei like it was his own backyard without incident for days.
Ichigo then briefly recounted everything that had happened.
When he finished, Yoruichi's back was soaked in cold sweat.
"Captain Unohana? You mean the Squad Four captain, Unohana Retsu?!"
"That's right—Retsu-neesan!" Ichigo answered casually.
"You even call her neesan?!" Yoruichi's expression cracked.
"She told me to call her that, so I just went with it," Ichigo shrugged.
Yoruichi let out a long breath. "I don't know whether to call you lucky or what... to actually catch the attention of that captain! And she even covered for you, helped you meet Rukia?"
"You didn't know her beforehand, did you?"
Yoruichi stared suspiciously at Ichigo. After all, Unohana had been way too kind to him—it didn't feel like how she'd treat a stranger.
Especially since Yoruichi knew Unohana's real identity.
She wasn't just any captain—she was Yachirō Unohana, the very first Kenpachi, and one of the founding captains of the Gotei 13 alongside Yoruichi's ancestor.
That infamous blood-drenched demon of the past… showing favor to a man?!
Yoruichi's gaze toward Ichigo changed—there was a bit of admiration now. Clearly, no one else in all of Soul Society could've pulled this off.
"Of course I didn't know her before. But Retsu-neesan and I just hit it off. She even taught me swordsmanship!" Ichigo grinned.
Yoruichi was stunned. She even felt a little jealous. Both the Shihōin and Kuchiki clans had tried to request sword instruction from Unohana before.
But she'd refused every single one. For over a thousand years, she hadn't taken a single student.
Now she was giving Ichigo free sword lessons?
Seriously, comparing people really was a shortcut to feeling miserable.
"So are you heading back to continue your sword training?"
"No, I want to talk to Retsu-neesan about that zanpakutō nailed to the wall today."
"What zanpakutō?" Yoruichi clearly hadn't heard about Aizen's fake death.
Ichigo recounted what he and Unohana had seen.
Upon hearing it, Yoruichi's face changed dramatically. She warned Ichigo, "Don't tell anyone about this! Not even Urahara Kisuke! Not a word!"
Seeing how serious both Unohana and Yoruichi were, Ichigo nodded seriously. "I understand. I won't tell anyone else."
Yoruichi finally relaxed, smiling bitterly. "You've really given me too many surprises. I never expected you to be thriving like this in the Seireitei after just a few days."
"Anyway, enough talk. Yoruichi-neesan, I'll leave Tatsuki with you. I need to get going."
"Got it. If anything comes up, I'll contact you right away. You're still staying with Squad Four?"
"Yeah, I've been living at Retsu-neesan's house. If you need me, you can find me there."
Yoruichi had become almost numb to shock by this point. She smiled wryly. "Alright. If anything happens, I'll find you."
Ichigo nodded, gently ruffled Tatsuki's hair, and vanished with shunpo.
Watching him leave, Yoruichi thought to herself, Ichigo, just how many more surprises do you have in store for me?
It was clear that rescuing Rukia wasn't the end of Ichigo's mission.
True salvation meant resolving everything—that was what Ichigo had set out to do.
Yoruichi couldn't help but chuckle. If Ichigo ever finds out how old Unohana really is, or who she was… he'll probably be scared stiff.
Ichigo: Who says I'd mind? Maybe I've got a taste for the mature types, y'know?
Of course, Yoruichi wasn't thinking that far ahead. She hadn't expected Aizen's staged death either.
After all, mind games like these weren't her specialty.
The duel between Urahara Kisuke and Aizen Sōsuke?
Yoruichi knew better than to interfere. Just like Ichigo now—what he was doing was already beyond her reach.
This was a battle on another level entirely.
...
Squad Four – Unohana Retsu's residence.
"I thought you weren't coming back," Unohana said calmly, sipping her tea.
"How could I not come back, Retsu-neesan? I haven't even finished my sword training. Besides, there's still a lot we need to talk about after today's events," Ichigo said with a sheepish grin.
"Enough flattery. That spiritual pressure earlier—it was you, wasn't it?" Unohana asked, looking at him with growing curiosity.
"Yup. My opponent was the captain of Squad Eleven, Zaraki Kenpachi. I took him down with one strike—didn't even need Bankai!" Ichigo said proudly.
To his surprise, Unohana's hand trembled. She spilled her tea.
"Impossible…"
"Huh?" Ichigo blinked, confused by her sudden loss of composure.
Unohana quickly regained her composure and returned to her graceful demeanor, cleaning up the mess before continuing, "Who did you say your opponent was?"
"Zaraki Kenpachi. I beat him in one blow. Like I said, I didn't even need Bankai!" Ichigo repeated with a smile.
Unohana's heart was conflicted.
She knew full well Zaraki Kenpachi wasn't a weakling. But the facts were there—he had been defeated by this young man, and it was a clean, head-on defeat.
She instinctively touched the scar on her chest, feeling it ache faintly. Thinking about the current weakened Zaraki, she sighed.
"Can you guarantee you'll always be stronger than Zaraki Kenpachi? Even if one day he becomes an absolute monster?" Unohana asked.
Ichigo replied without hesitation. "Of course. I'll always be stronger. Anyone I defeat—I'll make sure I stay so far ahead, they'll never catch up."
(End of Chapter)
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