"..."
Silence.
Heavy, pressing silence.
After stepping through the Senkaimon gate, the world around them shifted into a narrow, dark corridor. It felt like a cave—tight and claustrophobic—but also like a tunnel through space itself. A place that wasn't truly anywhere, only between places.
Byakuya Kuchiki, Abarai Renji, Rukia Kuchiki, and Nanaya—who had forced his way in—all fell into a deep, uncomfortable silence.
Time became meaningless.
Finally, Renji's lip twitched, unable to hold it in any longer.
"…You damn human. You chased us in here!?"
Nanaya slowly turned his head, a red gleam flickering in his eyes.
"What? Haven't had enough of getting beat down yet?"
Renji's expression darkened. He clenched his jaw but didn't retort. Not here—not in this unstable, dangerous space.
Meanwhile, Rukia's scalp prickled with anxiety. She grabbed Nanaya's arm tightly.
"Nanaya, you can't just barge into the gate! It's not meant for humans! Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
Nanaya shrugged lazily. "Relax. I knew the risks."
The moment he entered, he felt the repulsion from the Senkaimon itself—like space was trying to vomit him out. The spiritual fabric of this place rejected flesh and blood.
But it didn't matter. He had Hollow abilities. He could hide in Kamui space at any moment if things got dangerous.
Renji exhaled, now more bewildered than angry. "To think a human would invade the Seireitei just for Rukia… Damn, you're really in love with her, huh?"
Rukia's face turned bright red.
"RENNNNJI! Stop spouting nonsense! There's nothing between me and Nanaya. And I am definitely not pregnant with his—!"
"Aaaalright!" Renji waved her off, half-exasperated, half-convinced. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
Rukia's eye twitched. Nanaya, however, was expressionless.
Byakuya, finally speaking again, cut through the tension with his usual frost.
"Enough. We are already within the gate. Any more delays, and Jūto will come."
He glanced behind them. A faint rumble began to echo from the void.
Rukia paled.
"Nanaya, we need to move! There's no turning back after entering. If we stop now, we'll be devoured by Jūto!"
"The what-now?" Nanaya raised an eyebrow.
"Jūto—the Cleaner. It swallows everything that doesn't belong in the gate space!"
"And fighting here?" she added quickly, "Even a small clash could destabilize the dimension. It'd tear everyone apart!"
"Bonk!"
Nanaya lightly smacked Rukia on the head.
She staggered back, eyes tearing up. "W-Why'd you hit me!?"
Nanaya's face darkened.
"I was winning. I had your brother-in-law on the ground. Why the hell did you walk into the damn gate?"
Rukia bit her lip, looking away.
"…I always wanted to return to Soul Society," she muttered.
Nanaya just sighed and stretched as they ran. "Well, since we're here, might as well let you sit in jail for a bit. I'll bust you out later."
Even he knew better than to think he could take on the entire Seireitei alone.
This was just the beginning.
"I'm serious," Rukia said in a hushed voice. "You should escape. The captains of the Seireitei… they're monsters. Kisuke Urahara might be able to help—"
She shut up as soon as Nanaya casually raised a fist.
She fell in line quietly.
Byakuya, unable to watch this any longer, turned coldly.
"Nanaya, Rukia is a noble of the Kuchiki family. You, a mere human, dare—"
"Still yapping, loser?" Nanaya interrupted with a sneer.
"You want to fight here!?"
Byakuya's mouth twitched. His fists clenched at his side. He said nothing—and kept walking.
His pride burned, but he knew Nanaya wasn't bluffing. Not here.
They moved fast.
Before long, light appeared at the end of the dark tunnel.
Back in the Seireitei — Sixth Division Barracks.
Shinigami in black robes stood in formation, awaiting their captain's return.
"Captain Kuchiki is coming back!"
Everyone stood straighter, eyes focused on the glowing gate ahead.
Then—
A figure suddenly bolted out of the gate and ran right past them.
"Huh!?"
"Wait… who the hell is that!?"
They blinked in confusion. That wasn't their captain. That wasn't even a Shinigami!
Before anyone could react—
"Bankai—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
The very ground beneath their feet split as massive blades erupted, forming twin rows before shattering into countless Sakura petals.
The sky bloomed with deadly beauty.
Thousands of razor-sharp petals surged forward, surrounding the escaping figure like a death storm.
Byakuya stepped out of the gate, his eyes locked on his target.
"I won't let you escape, Nanaya."
Nanaya stopped, looking back over his shoulder, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"I've called you 'brother-in-law' how many times now?" he said, voice tinged with mock sorrow. "Still no sense of family, huh?"
He turned to face the wall of petals.
"Fine. Let's finish what we started."
"Amaterasu! Flame Control!"
The black immortal flames roared to life, devouring the sea of Sakura petals in an instant. The scorching inferno twisted and leapt, defying the laws of nature as it burned relentlessly—even against stone.
Yet Nanaya knew this terrifying blaze would not stop Byakuya Kuchiki.
Wherever Nanaya's scarlet eyes landed, fresh black flames erupted anew, igniting the very air.
"Ah! What kind of flame is this!?" the Shinigami gasped in horror.
"It burns even stone!"
"Quick! Bring water! Stop the flames from spreading!"
"Damn it! The fire's burning out of thin air and won't go out! Is the Sixth Division going to be reduced to ashes?!"
Their voices morphed from alarm into sheer terror as the flames clung like parasitic maggots, refusing to be extinguished.
Byakuya's cold gaze hardened as he halted his advance.
"This is Seireitei. You will not escape."
With a graceful yet devastating sweep, his Senbonzakura Kageyoshi blades, now wreathed in black fire, unleashed a tsunami of razor-sharp petals upon Nanaya.
Nanaya's lips curled, and the air shimmered around him.
"Susanoo!"
Out of nothingness emerged the upper body of his third-stage Susanoo, clad in gleaming armor, an impenetrable shield against the barrage of fiery sakura.
Byakuya eyed the mighty defense with grudging respect and stopped pursuing.
Turning swiftly, he barked orders:
"Do not panic! Use Bakudō spells—seal those black flames behind barriers!"
Around him, the Sixth Division scrambled to contain the inferno.
In the Sixth Division's quarters, Rukia Kuchiki pressed her hands to her chest, her gaze heavy with worry as she watched Nanaya's armored figure fade away.
A dark premonition gnawed at her heart, a whisper that something dreadful loomed over Seireitei.
Suddenly, elsewhere in Seireitei…
"Byakuya Kuchiki's Reiatsu!?"
Kyoraku Shunsui stirred from his recliner, eyes snapping open as Byakuya's presence flared brightly across the skies.
"Byakuya… unleashing captain-level Reiatsu? What's going on!?"
"Two captain-level Reiatsu clashed recently," another voice murmured.
"One Byakuya Kuchiki... the other unknown."
In the Second Division barracks, Sui-Feng frowned, irritated by the absence of Shihouin Yoruichi.
"Could this be related to Yoruichi?"
Kashimura Sajin's expression tightened with concern.
"Byakuya was supposed to be in the human world… Did something unexpected happen?"
In the Eleventh Division barracks, Zaraki Kenpachi, surrounded by defeated underlings, his eyes wild with excitement, fixated on the rising red Reiatsu.
"Yachiru, show me the way, quick! I want to fight that guy myself — no captain's taking him before me."
The drums of war echoed once more in Seireitei.
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