"Rukia!!!"
From within the dust came Abarai Renji's scream.
Because he wasn't at the center of the blast—and because Ayasegawa Yumichika reacted quickly enough—Renji, though in a sorry state, ultimately survived. The shockwave had torn open more than a dozen places on his skin, leaving him battered and bloody, but alive.
"Judging by your face, I can tell she means a lot to you… but you need to be prepared.
With an explosion at that level, the chances of her surviving aren't high."
Standing in front of Renji was Yumichika, his hair a mess and his clothes ripped in several places.
Compared to Renji, Yumichika looked a bit better—but only barely.
"That can't be true… how could it?!
Rukia, she—"
Renji staggered, trying to push himself up, but after several attempts he collapsed back onto the ground.
He still wasn't a Shinigami. He didn't have the strength to withstand injuries like this.
At the same time, Madarame Ikkaku limped over to Yumichika's side. With one hand, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then curled his lips into a grin that was hard to read.
"That explosion was kinda nasty, huh?
You alright, Yumichika?"
"I'm fine… but Ikkaku—did you feel it?"
Yumichika nodded, then looked forward again, worry heavy in his eyes.
"Heh, don't be stupid. That reiatsu was intense, and the malice was disgusting—how could I not feel it?
And from the looks of it… that thing's coming right for us~"
Ikkaku held his Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him. Blood kept streaming down from his forehead, forcing his right eye shut.
During the blast, Ikkaku had rushed in the closest—his temperament too hot, his feet too fast. By the time he sensed the danger, there was no time left to retreat. He could only grit his teeth and take it head-on with brute reiatsu and his own body.
Fortunately, years of being hammered into shape in the Eleventh Division had made his body tough enough to endure. Otherwise, a single explosion like that would've flattened him completely.
"Not necessarily…"
Yumichika was more inclined to believe that reiatsu belonged to someone aiming for the girl named Rukia—or for the masked, mysterious Shinigami.
But at this point, as members of the Gotei 13, they had no reason to stand aside and do nothing.
Yet as the dust gradually thinned, and Yumichika finally saw the figure approaching…
He froze in shock.
Because he remembered this "thing."
No—he shouldn't even call it a person or a Shinigami. Not long ago, Soul Society had released the final report about its construction.
This was a man-made high-grade puppet.
And it wore the face of the first-generation Thirteenth Division taichō.
Sakahone Saizō.
Yumichika was sure that was the name.
But… wasn't it supposed to be sealed in the Twelfth Division's restricted warehouse?
That same question didn't only appear in Yumichika's mind.
Far away, still observing without leaving, Higashino Shuuichi's expression darkened as well.
Up until today, he hadn't heard a single word from Yushima Ōko or Kurotsuchi Mayuri that anything had been stolen from the Twelfth Division's restricted warehouse.
And that place had been something Higashino Shuuichi specifically ordered Yushima Ōko to keep under special watch. Other than Mayuri and Ōko entering for experiments, anyone else going in—Higashino Shuuichi's side had to know their name.
He was certain of one thing:
Tokinada Tsunayashiro's people were not on that list.
"…You really are making me see you in a new light, Tokinada Tsunayashiro."
Hands in his pockets, Higashino Shuuichi let out a quiet, amused laugh.
If it was Sakahone Saizō, then yes—this puppet could absolutely be used as a trump card to stir up chaos across Soul Society. And with Sakahone Saizō as insurance, killing a Rukongai girl who wasn't even a Shinigami yet, like Rukia, would be absurdly easy.
From Tokinada Tsunayashiro's perspective, this was practically using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken.
It should've been a mission that couldn't possibly go wrong.
And yet—
Right in the middle of it, a completely impossible variable barged in. A presence that absolutely should not have been here, and that was outside everyone's plans.
"I'm guessing you're sitting in some dark room right now, spying on all of this, aren't you?
Then you can't possibly miss Shihōin Yoruichi's signature features, or that unmistakable Shunpō (Flash Step). You've been quietly watching this world for centuries—there's no way you didn't recognize her.
Even so… you still sent Sakahone Saizō over?"
Higashino Shuuichi didn't bother trying to piece together how Tokinada Tsunayashiro had obtained Sakahone Saizō. Instead, he turned his gaze even farther—toward the Eizō Hall.
He put himself in Tokinada's shoes, thinking through what he would do.
One thing was certain: once Yoruichi had already taken Rukia away, the mission had failed in substance. So before more people noticed, Tokinada could've forcibly recalled Sakahone Saizō and preserved it for a bigger play later.
But Tokinada hadn't done that.
Was Tokinada furious—so furious he'd thrown caution aside?
No. That was a joke.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro wasn't the type to "break" that easily.
In some ways, Tokinada was even harder to crack than Aizen.
After all, the lower a man's bottom line, the stronger his "all-around defense" becomes.
So there was only one answer.
Rukia was probably never Tokinada Tsunayashiro's real objective.
For Tokinada, killing Rukia was simply an option—nice if it succeeded, irrelevant if it failed.
So what target could possibly be better than Rukia?
Higashino Shuuichi sucked in a sharp breath.
"…No way."
One name surfaced in his mind—someone whose death would provoke the Kuchiki clan far more reliably than Rukia's ever could.
No—Higashino Shuuichi's lips twisted into an awkward smile.
"This isn't even 'more reliable' anymore. This is guaranteed.
This would force the Kuchiki clan and the Tsunayashiro clan to tear into each other—no question.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro… did you really think about the consequences?"
Of course, that question would never reach Tokinada's ears—just as Tokinada would never come tell Higashino Shuuichi whether that name was truly his target.
Kuchiki Hisana.
A Rukongai commoner with no aptitude whatsoever to become a Shinigami. A woman who had once become the dream of countless Rukongai girls. A woman who, sooner or later, would likely weaken to death because she couldn't endure the constant pressure of the noble living environment's overwhelming reiatsu.
She was, in Tokinada Tsunayashiro's eyes, the perfect "replacement" for Rukia.
Higashino Shuuichi understood Tokinada's logic: killing a mere commoner like Rukia, with no blood ties to the Kuchiki clan, wouldn't necessarily enrage the Kuchiki clan.
But killing the wife of the current Kuchiki clan head?
How was that any different from the Tsunayashiro clan openly declaring war on the Kuchiki clan?
More importantly… doing that would be ripping away the last fig leaf these nobles wore.
No—the "last fig leaf," huh…
At that thought, Higashino Shuuichi suddenly felt a strange clarity.
If that was the case, then he could actually understand why Tokinada Tsunayashiro would do something like this.
Knowing the Five Great Noble Houses' past—feeling disgust at his ancestors' actions, rejecting his own identity, loathing the world as it was… all of it had shaped Tokinada Tsunayashiro into what he was now.
A man like that might want to tear away that fig leaf in front of everyone.
And Tokinada wanted even more than that. After this, he would likely plan to reveal the disgraceful historical truth of the Five Great Noble Houses to all Shinigami in Soul Society.
He wanted to drag the bloodiest, cruelest truth of this world into the open.
For Tokinada Tsunayashiro, what happened today…
Might only be a single step toward his "great ambition."
"…But hey. Doing it like this—did you ask my permission?"
Once Higashino Shuuichi reached that conclusion, he was completely sure:
Tokinada Tsunayashiro's real target was Kuchiki Hisana.
And Higashino Shuuichi would never allow that to happen.
For Higashino Shuuichi, Rukia could die.
In fact, he'd come today to ensure Tokinada could kill Rukia smoothly. If the person who interfered hadn't been Shihōin Yoruichi—if it had been almost anyone else, including Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika—then the moment Higashino Shuuichi sensed Rukia might be saved, he would've stepped in without hesitation and made sure she died.
But Kuchiki Hisana?
She could not die.
If the Kuchiki clan and the Tsunayashiro clan exploded into a direct, violent conflict right now, it would force Tsunayashiro Kamihara into desperate, cornered moves—and it could completely wreck Higashino Shuuichi's next plans.
So Higashino Shuuichi stayed in place for only half a second longer before turning and leaving.
The plan had gone off the rails again. Everything had to be redesigned.
As for this place—Sakahone Saizō.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro wanted to use a soulless puppet to stir up trouble across Soul Society, to ignite a major disturbance?
Higashino Shuuichi shook his head with genuine regret.
A man's attention was finite. Even with two bug-level tools like the Great Spirit Book Corridor and the Eizō Hall, Tokinada Tsunayashiro could only focus on the most important threads.
Why would he spend time paying attention to "small fry" like Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and Iba Tetsuzaemon?
And yet—
From among those "small fry," a real monster had already emerged.
"Hahahaha, Tetsuzaemon! If you can't hold out, then stop trying to tank it—leave it to me!"
One eye shut, his upper body bare, Madarame Ikkaku came crashing down from above, his Zanpakuto already released—Hōzukimaru—charging straight into the battlefield between Iba Tetsuzaemon and Sakahone Saizō.
"Ikkaku, you bastard…"
Iba Tetsuzaemon watched Ikkaku perfectly intercept one of Sakahone Saizō's thrusts, emotion flickering across his face—then hardening into ferocity.
As the one originally positioned farther back to support, Tetsuzaemon had been in better shape than Yumichika, who'd forced himself into rescuing Abarai Renji.
So Tetsuzaemon had taken it upon himself to be the first to engage Sakahone Saizō.
But Sakahone Saizō truly lived up to the name of a first-generation taichō.
Even if this puppet was only a hollow imitation—nothing but a borrowed "template," lacking Saizō's spirit—
It still wasn't something a Shinigami like Tetsuzaemon, who was only barely at fukutaichō-level, could handle.
Just a few simple strikes—without even using any other abilities—had already forced Tetsuzaemon back again and again.
If not for Ikkaku's timely support, there would already be a bloody hole in Tetsuzaemon's body.
"I know!
This guy's that first-gen taichō thing, right? You can't beat him—so leave it to me!"
Ikkaku swung forward, baring his teeth in excitement.
"Don't play tough at a time like this!
He's a first-generation taichō!
The two of us—plus Yumichika—might have a chance to stall until the taichō-tachi arrive!"
Tetsuzaemon dragged his palm along his blade, then spoke his release.
"Slip past the reefs and rapids—become the master at the helm… Nishikigoi Kaiyūduri!"
"Shinkai (Deep Sea)!"
Tetsuzaemon slashed. His reiatsu extended along the blade, and with the swing of his Zanpakuto, countless tiny droplets sprayed outward. In only moments, the wide area became a "deep sea" where no one's figure could be seen—and all reiatsu sensing was blocked completely.
Any Shinigami inside it felt as though they were trapped in a silent, lightless abyss.
And within that profound darkness, only the angler could find the right direction.
"Ikkaku! Follow the guidance I give you!
He's right there!"
Tetsuzaemon's voice sounded at Ikkaku's ear. Then, in the void before Ikkaku, a faint white line appeared—like a fishing line drifting with the ocean's current—pointing him straight to the prey.
"I don't like you doing this… but fine. Special circumstances. I'll let it slide this time!"
Having sparred with Tetsuzaemon countless times, Ikkaku naturally knew his Shikai ability.
Sure, Ikkaku wanted to one-on-one Sakahone Saizō himself—but after being in the Gotei 13 this long, he knew sometimes you had to put the bigger picture first.
Besides—so long as they won, it didn't matter how many abilities they had to borrow along the way.
Like Shuuichi-sama always said: being able to make others help you win… is also your own ability.
A real fight was never just "charge in headfirst" and nothing else!
And "one-on-one" could also mean…
The enemy alone, against your whole group.
"DIE, YOU OLD BASTARD!"
Ikkaku roared, following that pale line through the pitch-black "sea," launching a surprise attack at Sakahone Saizō.
The good news was: Ikkaku landed the hit.
The spear tip pierced straight through the bones of Sakahone Saizō's left hand.
The bad news was: it was deliberate.
Or rather—
It was Tokinada Tsunayashiro's deliberate choice, from wherever he was remotely controlling the puppet.
"What an interesting ability… and interesting coordination.
But I don't understand where you got the courage.
Did you forget?
This is a first-generation taichō~"
In a dark room, facing a black screen, Tokinada Tsunayashiro kept his eyes closed and laughed coldly.
Then, inside that "deep sea," Sakahone Saizō's mechanical voice recited his release:
"Those who wail, those who rejoice—after bitterness comes sweetness… Gokumei: Hikotsu!"
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