Everyone present felt the weight of that reiatsu immediately. Even Byakuya, known for his unshakable composure, slightly raised his eyebrows in a rare sign of surprise.
Ichigo came down from the sky, his feet hitting the bridge and his Zangetsu strapped to his back. He stopped beside Rukia, who watched with wide eyes, stunned as she felt the intense reiatsu pouring off Ichigo.
For an ordinary shinigami, being near Ichigo at that moment would be enough to knock them down.
Keiji couldn't help a sigh.
It was hard to believe that the kid who had barely reached a lieutenant's level the last time he saw him was now releasing a reiatsu comparable to a captain's.
'Does he also have some kind of "trick" like the chat system?'
Ichigo took a step forward, facing Rukia with steady eyes. His voice rang out clear, full of conviction.
"I came here to save you, Rukia! I don't care what anyone says, I don't care who tries to stop me, I'm not listening to any objections!"
The words hit Rukia like a shock. She felt her face heat up as her heart pounded even faster, and she almost stumbled when she stepped forward.
"You… you idiot! Do you think you can just decide for me?! What do you think you're doing, coming here alone like this?!"
The sound of the two of them arguing spread across the bridge. Ichigo, stubborn as always, didn't back down an inch. Rukia kept yelling more out of desperation than anger, still unable to accept that Ichigo had put his own life on the line just for her.
But behind all that shouting, as she stared into the boy's brown eyes, she realized something.
He might be stronger, he might have a reiatsu that made even captains knit their brows, but deep down he was still the same Ichigo. The same fool who never knew how to back off, who always carried other people's burdens on his shoulders, and who refused to abandon anyone.
A tightness gripped her chest.
"You haven't changed at all… you're still the same fool as before."
Byakuya had remained motionless until then, but when he chose to move, his reiatsu crashed over the bridge like a crushing weight, strong enough to make the stones vibrate and the air tremble.
His voice echoed with the same icy tone, with no emotion except contempt.
"Kurosaki Ichigo… you threw away the chance to live peacefully in the Human World. You came here only to die like a fool."
In the next instant, he vanished in a shunpo. His speed was such that even trained eyes would struggle to keep up. Byakuya's blade rose in a perfect arc, coming down on Ichigo with the precision of an execution.
But Ichigo didn't retreat. At the right moment, he raised Zangetsu with both hands. The impact exploded on the bridge, opening cracks in the stones, scattering sparks, and sending shockwaves in every direction.
Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly... a minimal reaction, but one that gave away his surprise. He vanished again, the sword carving the air in even faster, fiercer, and more elegant motions. But Ichigo kept up. Step by step, strike for strike, as if he had trained his whole life for that moment.
The boy who could barely stay on his feet in front of Renji was now blocking the Captain of the Sixth Division, matching him in speed and strength.
It was something that, until very recently, would have been unthinkable.
For the first time, Byakuya seemed stunned.
He slid back already lifting his zanpakutō, ready to release Senbonzakura and end it in a single move.
But before he could move his lips, something flashed. A white sash wrapped around his blade like a serpent, locking his movements and blocking the command before it could be completed.
The wind swept across the bridge, bringing with it the presence of someone even more unexpected. A figure appeared with the grace of a feline, movements so fluid they seemed natural.
"That's enough, Byakuya."
The female voice echoed, and Shihōin Yoruichi's slim figure appeared before everyone. Her body moved lightly, and the confident smile on her face contrasted with the suffocating tension on the bridge.
Ichigo turned immediately, eyes wide and his usual scowl painted across his face.
"Stay out of this, Yoruichi! This fight is mine!"
He raised his voice, but before he could finish the sentence, Yoruichi moved too fast for Ichigo to even react.
Her hand slid straight to the wound on Ichigo's stomach. With surgical precision, Yoruichi pressed deep. The boy lost his breath on the spot, his eyes going wide, his breathing failing as if all the air had been torn out of his lungs.
"H-hey… what… did you… do…?"
His legs buckled and his body collapsed without resistance, falling into Yoruichi's arms like a light burden.
Off to the side, Ukitake narrowed his eyes, calmly analyzing the scene.
"… Direct anesthesia to the organs. Only someone with Yoruichi's control over her body could do that without killing him."
Byakuya watched with the same coldness as always. His voice sounded like polished steel.
"You will not escape this place."
Yoruichi lifted her eyes to him, settling the unconscious Ichigo over her shoulder as if the weight meant nothing. A calm smile appeared on her face.
"Is that so, Byakuya? You believe you can catch me now?"
She barely finished the sentence before disappearing. Byakuya's shunpo answered at the same instant, his speed so high the air actually cracked. But what he found was only an empty trail.
Yoruichi's body unraveled before his eyes, revealing itself to be only an afterimage left by using Utsusemi.
Byakuya narrowed his eyes, a flicker of frustration crossing his expression.
Far ahead, standing on a pillar of the bridge, Yoruichi reappeared, Ichigo still unconscious on her shoulder.
"I'm going to train this boy. In three days, Byakuya… just three days. In that time, I'll make him strong enough to defeat you."
The wind stirred her hair, and the confident shine in her eyes made it clear she had no doubts. The words echoed like a promise and also a threat.
But Yoruichi's eyes shifted for an instant before leaving, landing on Keiji, who until then had only been watching. If she hadn't been mistaken… he had really followed each one of her movements, even the ones Byakuya failed to track.
A small detail, but one Yoruichi did not ignore.
With one more step, Yoruichi vanished again in shunpo, her presence disappearing from the bridge as if she had never been there.
'That was Shihōin Yoruichi? She's strong too.'
Keiji thought as he turned his eyes away from the direction Yoruichi had gone.
Byakuya remained still for a few seconds, his eyes fixed on the emptiness left by Yoruichi's disappearance. Then he let out a light sigh and spoke with the same coldness as always.
"I've lost interest in this situation."
He put away his zanpakutō with precise movements, and turned to leave as if nothing had happened.
Beside him, Ukitake shifted his gaze to the two Third Seats of his division, who were hurrying onto the bridge after feeling the reiatsu that had stirred the whole area.
Kotsubaki Sentarō and Kotetsu Kiyone arrived out of breath, eager for instructions.
"Sentarō, Kiyone, take Rukia back to her cell and get in touch with the Fourth Division so they can treat the injured ryoka."
Both nodded at the same time, almost tripping over each other in their rush. They ran to Rukia, who only lowered her eyes without resisting as she was led back to her cell.
Meanwhile, Ukitake turned his attention to Yamada, who was still trembling with wide eyes and a rigid body as if he could barely believe he was alive.
The Captain softened his tone, his voice carrying an almost paternal calm.
"You will not be hurt for helping my subordinate. You can return to your division without worry, Yamada-kun."
Yamada froze for an instant, unsure if he could believe it. Then his eyes filled with surprise and relief. He nodded over and over, stumbling as he took his first steps back, still dazed.
With only Ukitake and Keiji left on the bridge, the Captain set aside his usual serenity for a moment and took on a more serious look.
"Keiji-kun… you know your situation is complicated. Do I need to act to capture you as well?"
Keiji let out a resigned sigh, his hand going to the back of his neck as if this were just another annoying problem to add to the list.
"No need to worry, Ukitake-san. The person responsible for this is already on the way. It would be better for you to go as well."
From high above the Seireitei, an ancient and unmistakable reiatsu was approaching. A calm pressure, yet so heavy it felt as if it were suffocating the space itself.
The clouds parted like a curtain, revealing Unohana's figure. She was riding lightly on the back of her own Shikai, flying through the sky as if she were nothing more than a silent gust of wind.
Her dark hair swayed gently, and her calm blue eyes fixed on Keiji the instant they found him.
"As expected…"
Keiji raised his eyes, and his expression mixed irritation with resignation.
"Here comes the scolding."
The entire Senzaikyū seemed to hold its breath at the approach of the woman called both "the oldest" and, at the same time, "the most dangerous" among all the Captains.
And now, all of her attention was focused solely on Keiji.
Unohana's Shikai hovered in the air for a moment, motionless like a soft shadow. Keiji took a short shunpo and landed beside Unohana, leaving Ukitake behind looking worried between them but not intervening.
Without exchanging any words, Unohana made the creature fly again.
Keiji noticed that their direction was not toward the Fourth Division nor the First. They were heading toward the outskirts of the Rukongai, where houses were low, streets were poorly watched, and patrol vigilance was slack.
'So I was right.'
{She can contain it as much as she wants, but her desire is obvious in her reiatsu.}
Sora said in his mind with her usual sarcastic tone.
Even without any notable fluctuation, the desire contained in Unohana's reiatsu was obvious. It was the kind of desire for confrontation that could not be hidden.
The Shikai led them through winding alleys to a deserted area of the Rukongai. The houses were low, made of old wood; a few lanterns were lit and only rare souls walked about. The wind ran between the rooftops, and even the sound of footsteps seemed muffled there.
Unohana had the creature descend slowly so they could land. Then the creature melted away, folding into itself and sheathing as the blade returned to the form of a nodachi.
"We can have our conversation peacefully here."
She spoke in the same serene voice Keiji was used to hearing.
"I did not think I would have to go so far just to have a talk."
Keiji commented as he looked around. The feeling of isolation suited both of them; a smaller audience meant they could be direct.
Even though this district would not last long if Unohana and Keiji fought seriously here.
"Shinigami only have honest conversations through battle."
Unohana answered without hurry. She turned the nodachi slowly in her hand, the scabbard reflecting the little sun that slipped through the clouds.
"In any case, I hope you are ready, Keiji-kun."
Unohana drew the nodachi with a slow motion, cutting the ribbon that tied her hair, and the strands fell loose in long sections down her back.
Naturally, the scar she had been hiding was exposed. A long scar beginning at the clavicle and running almost down to the chest.
"Because if you are not, you will die."
Keiji left his hand resting on the hilt of his own zanpakutō, feeling the texture of the leather.
{Hah! A mere spectator! What arrogance!}
"Well… let's have a fun moment together, shall we~?"