"You don't need to look forward to our next meeting, Aizen. I've got a parting gift for you!"
Ichigo fixed his gaze on Aizen, both hands gripping his Zanpakutō tightly as black and white reiatsu swirled around them.
Then, with one slash horizontal from the left and another vertical from the right, Ichigo struck toward the Negación surrounding Aizen!
"Getsuga Jūji Shō!!" (Moon Fang Cross Charge)
Two massive, spiraling black-and-white crescent slashes spun forward, hurtling directly at Aizen encased within the Negación!
Aside from Unohana Retsu, no one present understood why Ichigo dared to do this.
"So fast… He already grasped the spatial force technique in such a short time? Ichigo's talent really is terrifying…" Even Unohana couldn't help but be surprised.
Aizen had full confidence in the defense of the Negación.
But he hadn't counted on Kurosaki Ichigo.
This child—no, this hero he'd crafted within his own grand tale—had grown far beyond anything Aizen had envisioned!
The swirling black-and-white crescent cross slammed against the Negación.
There was a pause—perhaps only a second—before the attack pierced straight through it as if it were nothing and surged toward Aizen inside!
Aizen, his face darkening, raised Kyōka Suigetsu in haste to block, but—
In that moment of panic, he failed to fully deflect Ichigo's gift!
Blood dripped steadily from his hand.
But by then, the stunned Shinigami watching below could no longer see Aizen's grim face, as he and the others had already vanished into the darkness of the Garganta.
Yamamoto Genryūsai looked at Ichigo.
"This is the boy from the human world, I presume?"
Seeing Ichigo's power firsthand, the old man tactfully avoided using the term ryoka at all.
As expected of a thousand-year-old Commander—his political instincts were still razor-sharp.
Before Ichigo could respond, Unohana stepped forward.
"This is Kurosaki Ichigo. He's my disciple and currently serves as the Fourth Seat of Squad Four."
At her words, Yamamoto's gaze grew even warmer. Ah, with such ties, the boy was family now.
Meanwhile, Byakuya had pulled Rukia aside and explained everything about himself and his late wife, Hisana.
At the end of it, he bowed his head and sincerely said, "I'm sorry, Rukia. As your brother, I should have trusted you."
Hearing his apology, Rukia finally smiled. The siblings had reconciled at last.
As for Renji…
Poor Renji had taken a serious hit from Aizen.
Since it had been Ichigo treating him earlier instead of Unohana like in the original story, the healing wasn't complete.
He took another hit from Aizen and was still unconscious, completely missing the chance to make peace with Rukia…
Let us observe a brief moment of silence for this poor bastard.
…Three seconds, that's enough.
But not everyone was feeling so joyful. Shiba Kūkaku and Shiba Ganju stared at Rukia with heavy expressions.
Neither of them had expected the Shinigami Orihime and the others had been trying to rescue… was the very one who killed their brother.
(Note: In this version of the story, Ganju never encountered Rukia before. He and Orihime had been knocked out by Kenpachi's reiatsu and sent straight to Squad Four.)
And the moment they saw Ichigo—both Ganju and Kūkaku were stunned.
Ichigo looked so much like Kaien Shiba. With black hair, he was practically his twin.
It's hard to believe Rukia hadn't subconsciously stayed at Ichigo's house that day because of that resemblance.
"Kurosaki Ichigo…" Kūkaku murmured. "Is he Uncle Isshin's son? Uncle Isshin… is really still alive?"
But things were messy enough already, and Kūkaku didn't press the matter.
After exchanging a quick word with Yoruichi, she led Ganju back to the Rukongai.
Why could Kūkaku freely enter and exit Seireitei?
Same old reason: the Shiba clan was still one of the Four Great Noble Houses in the Rukongai.
As long as the other three hadn't been destroyed, the Shiba name still held weight.
The Soul Society isn't just about fighting—it's also about connections.
In the days that followed, Ichigo continued staying at Unohana Retsu's residence.
As for Tatsuki and the others, they were accommodated by Squad Thirteen.
After all, Unohana's home wasn't the kind of place just anyone could crash in.
Not that anyone had complaints—certainly not Tatsuki.
Especially not after the moment Unohana had flashed a disturbingly dark smile at her when she saw Tatsuki clinging to Ichigo's arm…
Even if it was probably a misunderstanding, Tatsuki had no desire to experience that feeling ever again.
Renji, upon waking up, did go to apologize to Rukia.
The result?
Rukia said he didn't need to apologize. He hadn't done anything wrong. Back then, she was simply too young to understand his feelings.
She even thanked him.
After all that, Renji left with a look on his face that could only be described as a smile more painful than tears.
As for the Shinigami who wanted to get to know Ichigo?
Unohana personally blocked them all.
No kidding—Ichigo still had family back in the human world. There was no way she'd let him get tangled up with Soul Society politics.
Ichigo had to return eventually, and of course, he was waiting for Rukia to recover so he could bring her with him.
At the Kuchiki estate—
Ichigo walked in just like that.
And when the elders of the family saw him… their smiles nearly split their wrinkled faces in half.
Especially after they learned Ichigo had come to visit Rukia—they were practically beaming with joy.
Feeling a bit awkward, Ichigo was led to the courtyard where Rukia was staying.
She was seated under the eaves in a formal kimono, looking more serene than Ichigo had ever seen her.
When she heard his footsteps, she turned.
The servants, knowing their place, immediately left, giving the two plenty of space.
As soon as they were gone, Rukia slouched, her refined demeanor vanishing in an instant and returning to her usual self.
"Yo, Ichigo. You're here, huh?"
Seeing the familiar Rukia, Ichigo exhaled in relief and sat down across from her without hesitation.
"You scared the hell out of me. I really thought you were one of those noble-lady types just now."
Rukia stretched her aching waist. "Ugh, I've had to pretend like that all day. It's exhausting."
"By the way, why did everyone disappear the moment I showed up?" Ichigo asked curiously.
At that, Rukia's cheeks turned red. She remembered the Kuchiki family meeting from the night before…
(End of Chapter)
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