On the streets of Rukongai, there were no pedestrians, no onlookers—only the warm sun hanging high overhead, and a pair of "master and servant" meeting again after a long separation.
As a member of the lower noble Fēng clan, which had served the Shihōin clan for generations, calling Soifon the Shihōin clan's servant wasn't wrong in the slightest.
"Yoruichi-sama… have you truly betrayed Soul Society?"
Soifon panted, half-kneeling on the ground, her Reiatsu releasing in a restrained, controlled manner.
She had never imagined that her reunion with Shihōin Yoruichi would happen like this.
Before today, Soifon had fantasized about this kind of scene countless times. And every single time, her first words were always a demand—why did Yoruichi-sama leave without a word that day?
But now, Soifon—who had nearly been killed in a single move by Yoruichi-sama—couldn't understand what, exactly, had turned the Yoruichi-sama of the past into what she had just seen.
Had the Captain-Commander and the others not wronged Urahara Kisuke back then?
But Shuuichi-sama wasn't—
In any case, Soifon's small brain was already completely unable to untangle the logic of it all.
"If I told you I didn't mean it just now—that I only mistook you for someone else—would you still be willing to believe me, Shaoling?"
Shihōin Yoruichi looked at Soifon's gaze—shaken, yet stubborn—and directly reined in her Reiatsu, dispersing the lightning that had been coiling around her body.
Not just Soifon—even Yoruichi herself had been completely unprepared to meet Soifon under circumstances like this.
By Yoruichi's original plan, this return to Soul Society was supposed to be entirely secret. No one in Soul Society was to know she had slipped back in.
Because she had only come to scout the current state of Soul Society for Urahara Kisuke.
Yet, to Yoruichi's misery, she discovered that in less than fifty years away, Soul Society had changed so much she could barely recognize it.
Aside from the Gotei 13 not changing much, Higashino Shuuichi's return, the formation of the Katana-gari-shū, the Tsunayashiro clan pressing forward step by step, and even Baraggan's earlier offensive in Hueco Mundo—every single one of these developments had shattered Yoruichi's expectations.
It was hard to believe all of that had happened in just a few short decades.
Especially now—Azashiro Kenpachi, the former Eleventh Division Captain who'd been sealed away in obscurity, seemingly had secretly joined the Tsunayashiro side. That alone made the current Soul Society even harder for Yoruichi to comprehend.
Originally, Yoruichi thought she would probably have to disappoint this "little sister" of hers again—find an opening, use Shunpō (Flash Step), and force her way out.
But Soifon's answer made Yoruichi's eyes widen.
"I believe you. Then… Yoruichi-sama, are you willing to believe me as well?"
Soifon answered almost without hesitation. And to show sincerity, she also drew back her Reiatsu, even canceling her Zanpakutō release, letting it return to the form of an Asauchi.
"Of course I believe you, Shaoling~"
Yoruichi understood Soifon far too well, and trusted her deeply—otherwise she wouldn't have been calm enough to lower her guard and talk to Soifon in a place like this.
But this wasn't the scene Higashino Shuuichi had wanted to watch.
In his impression, Soifon's reaction shouldn't have been this mild, this steady.
"From your face, you look… disappointed?"
Still pressed against Higashino Shuuichi's back, Urozakuro breathed against his ear.
"That's totally normal, you know~ Because in that little one's heart, there's another person whose place is about the same as that little kitty's. All the excitement and anger and questioning she 'should' have had—she already gave it to that other person. And that other person already gave her an answer, didn't they?"
Higashino Shuuichi didn't respond.
But the way he turned away spoke louder than words.
He had, in fact, forgotten—at their core, in Soifon's eyes, he and Shihōin Yoruichi weren't all that different. They were both "victims" of that incident.
In the original course of events, Shihōin Yoruichi never once appeared before Soifon after her "defection," and no one ever explained anything to Soifon, so the misunderstanding and resentment only deepened with time.
But now, because Higashino Shuuichi had been recalled early by Tsunayashiro Kamihara, and because he had maintained a fairly decent private relationship with the Shihōin clan's current head, Shihōin Yūshirō Sakimune—
And because, over these decades, Higashino Shuuichi had never stopped insisting he'd been framed back then—
That led Soifon to practically accept one "fact" by default: Urahara Kisuke had also been one of the people wronged alongside Higashino Shuuichi.
And since Shihōin Yoruichi was Urahara Kisuke's close friend, she had every reason to flee with him.
With that foundation, Soifon would still resent Yoruichi's silent departure—but that level of anger was no longer enough to override Soifon's judgment.
"Eh? Why are you leaving?"
Urozakuro blinked in confusion as Higashino Shuuichi shook her off and headed in another direction.
"Aren't you going to keep watching?"
"This isn't necessary anymore. I can already guess how the rest will go."
Higashino Shuuichi sounded bored.
"Better to go check on Rukia. You said you temporarily placed her at Sakura Avenue No. 41 inside Seireitei, right?"
A reunion without conflict lost a certain thrilling edge.
But Higashino Shuuichi had still underestimated a young girl's stubbornness—or rather, he hadn't realized what the recent chain of events in Soul Society had done to Soifon.
He thought Soifon asking Yoruichi to believe her meant she wanted to "clear" Yoruichi's name or something. From Soifon's standpoint, that would indeed be the most normal thing to do.
However, Soifon looked at Shihōin Yoruichi with deadly seriousness and said:
"Since Yoruichi-sama is willing to believe me… then please come back with me. I guarantee I will personally keep watch over you until you are proven innocent!"
"Hahahaha…"
Shihōin Yoruichi laughed—genuinely.
Because this Soifon was… a little different from before. At least, based on Yoruichi's old impression, the Soifon of the past would never have said something like this to her.
And yet, this Soifon also made Yoruichi feel a little warmth.
This simple, stubborn Soifon—compared to the one from before—also felt like she hadn't changed much at all.
"Shaoling… no. I should call you the Second Division Captain of the Gotei 13, Soifon."
Yoruichi stood perfectly straight, with only half a street separating them.
Rukongai's streets weren't like Seireitei's—narrow, cramped. Narrow enough that, for Yoruichi, she could cross it with just a few casual steps.
But the street between Yoruichi and Soifon was also long—so long that Soifon knew this was a distance she couldn't simply "walk across" today.
If she wanted to reach the other side, there was only one way.
"Jinteki Shakusatsu. Suzumebachi."
The cold Shikai release command was Soifon's answer.
"Come on, Shaoling. Let me see whether you've improved over these decades!"
Facing Soifon's Shikai, Yoruichi wasn't the type to hesitate. She accepted the outcome openly, and in her heart, she was also thankful—
Before she charged back, she had first found somewhere to put down that girl's "corpse."
Otherwise, standing before Soifon right now, she truly would have had no way to explain herself—even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
"I'll surprise you, Yoruichi-sama!"
Soifon's voice was frosty.
Once she entered combat, her eyes gradually sharpened—clear, cold, and steady.
That was a trait Higashino Shuuichi had hammered into her through countless private training sessions.
Because Higashino Shuuichi always taught Soifon: if you don't enter a fight with the intent to kill your opponent, then you will never win a true victory.
And this time, Soifon wanted to bring Shihōin Yoruichi back—no matter what.
She believed that even Shuuichi-sama—who, during his "defection," had overturned multiple Captain-class Shinigami by himself and humiliated all of Soul Society—could be accepted by today's Soul Society.
So there was no reason that someone like Yoruichi-sama—who had committed no real wrongdoing, had not undergone Hollowfication, and had only "accidentally" run off to the Human World with Urahara Kisuke—couldn't be forgiven.
After all, wasn't there another case similar to Yoruichi-sama's—Kabuma Sayako, head of one of the Five Great Noble Clans?
When she returned, wasn't everything simply forgiven and forgotten?
She was still the lofty Kabuma clan head, unchanged in the slightest.
Unfortunately, Soifon's thinking couldn't reach Higashino Shuuichi—otherwise he would've rapped her on the forehead and told her:
People are different.
Clan heads are different too.
What standing did the Kabuma clan have in Soul Society?
A hollow name—worse even than the Shiba clan. Aside from a title that sounded good, they held no real power.
And what standing did the Shihōin clan have?
Forget the small nobles who still supported the Shihōin clan—just you, the current Second Division Captain, being a fanatically loyal retainer, was already enough to make people wary.
So Kabuma Sayako could be forgiven easily… but could Shihōin Yoruichi?
Not in a Soul Society where the Kuchiki clan had yet to truly harden its resolve, and the Tsunayashiro clan was blazing like the sun at noon.
Even if the Tsunayashiro clan had not been behind the scenes pushing Yoruichi to flee with Urahara back then, as the beneficiaries, as long as Tsunayashiro Kamihara wasn't an idiot, he would never allow the former Shihōin clan head—a top-tier Captain-class powerhouse—to return so simply.
Soifon, who had never stood at that height to consider matters, might not understand this reality—
But Shihōin Yoruichi understood it perfectly.
Even though she had only just come back and hadn't gathered much information yet, just from the fragmented clues she already had, and everything she had seen and heard so far, she could already guess how far the Tsunayashiro clan had swollen.
In that situation, there was no way she could return to Soul Society under the label of "criminal."
Therefore, for this battle, Yoruichi also brought out eighty percent of her seriousness.
In midair, shadows, lightning, and fierce winds interwove without pause.
As the sole spectator, Urozakuro clapped happily on the spot, wanting to find someone to share her feelings with—
But Higashino Shuuichi had already left long ago to go check on Rukia.
"Ah!
It hurts, it hurts so much!
Wait—got it!
I can do this!"
As Soifon and Shihōin Yoruichi ahead of her fully fought their way into a frenzy—the scene growing more explosive by the second, the surrounding space even starting to show faint signs of collapse—Urozakuro smacked her forehead and then molded a replica at her side that looked exactly like Higashino Shuuichi.
"The little one used Hadō #67: Raimei San (Thunderclap Scatter) to temporarily seal off the little kitty's vision, then slipped behind her for a sneak attack!"
"So close—she almost succeeded!"
"If she can leave a Hōmonka (Hornet Crest) on the little kitty, the little kitty's in danger!"
"Mm, you're right!"
"Waa~! The little one used Bakudō #73: Tozanshō (Falling Mountain Crystal) to defend against the little kitty's Flash Kick technique—perfect timing!"
"But the little kitty probably won't realize this is just a feint. On the surface, it looks like the little one got protected inside Tozanshō, but in truth, at the instant Tozanshō was about to close, she darted out from another direction!"
"She's trying to ambush the little kitty from below again!"
"Will she succeed?"
"Of course not!"
"Ahh! What a pity… but isn't there only one Shihōin clan divine bandage? How can the little kitty use it on the little one?"
"Too dangerous—good thing the little one dodged it. Otherwise this fight would've been over already!"
"You forgot? The bandage Shihōin Yūshirō Sakimune gave my Zanpakutō last time was fake."
"As the Shihōin clan head, if he doesn't have the genuine one… then the genuine one must be in the little kitty's hands~"
In this private space, Urozakuro completely sank into a one-woman carnival, "enjoying the fight" together with the "Higashino Shuuichi" she had molded—though it was purely Urozakuro talking to herself.
And she loved every second of it.
Far away, Shihōin Yoruichi and Soifon had no idea that in another space, a Zanpakutō was peeping on their battle… and possibly even reaching a suspicious peak of excitement.
For both of them, they had already realized one thing:
If they kept grinding like this, there would be no result.
Soifon's Zankensōki (Four Shinigami Arts) owed a great deal to Yoruichi—but because of Higashino Shuuichi's involvement and constant optimization, Soifon, on this timeline, had thoroughly walked onto a practical, Higashino-style path.
Once Soifon discarded the useless flourishes and redundant motions, that fully streamlined combat style gave her an enormous margin of error in close-quarters exchanges.
With that margin of error, plus the threat of Suzumebachi's "two-strike kill," even the seasoned Yoruichi couldn't take much advantage in their clashes.
So—
It was time to turn up the intensity.
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