As the trio continued charging toward the Kasumioji estate, they were suddenly blocked by Rangiku.
Rukia acted decisively, "I'll hold her off. Ichigo, you and Senna keep going! Find Rurichiyo!"
Ichigo and Senna didn't hesitate and rushed past Rangiku.
But Rangiku's fighting spirit wasn't particularly intense. If not for the clash outside between Hitsugaya Tōshirō and Tenbai Shūsuke, she wouldn't have even drawn her Zanpakutō.
"Rukia, what exactly are you all trying to do?" Rangiku asked, not in any rush to attack.
Rukia quickly explained the situation. Rangiku listened, sighed, and said, "Alright. Then let's just pretend to fight. Based on what you said, the Head-Captain will probably issue a formal order to investigate the Kasumioji soon anyway."
The two women put on a convincing act, but the battle outside was real—Hitsugaya and Tenbai were fighting fiercely.
Tenbai had initially underestimated Hitsugaya, thinking someone so young couldn't possibly be powerful. He thought he'd win quickly.
But even after releasing his Shikai, he was still neck-and-neck with Hitsugaya.
Frankly, Tenbai was lucky. Among the Gotei 13, Hitsugaya was one of the weaker Captains without his full Bankai. He was about on the same level as Komamura Sajin.
Perhaps Soifon could be added to that "weak Captain" tier, but the rest were monsters in their own right.
Mayuri might have weak spiritual pressure, but he was a scientist—he fought with brains. Who needs spirit power when you can outsmart your enemies?
Even Kenpachi, who got thrashed by Ichigo before, had since unlocked one of his seals and was now at mid-level Captain strength.
Yes, Tenbai was lucky. If he had gone up against someone like Unohana, he'd be toast.
Meanwhile, Renji arrived before Head-Captain Yamamoto with the Bakkōtō in hand and explained everything he had seen.
Yamamoto's reaction was uncharacteristically swift and stern.
"Shunsui!" he commanded.
"Yes, Head-Captain!" Shunsui's lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō, responded immediately.
"Send word to all Divisions—cancel the order to hunt Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions. Effective immediately, under the leadership of the Sixth Division Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya, we will launch a full-scale assault on the Kasumioji estate. Investigate everything and uncover the truth!"
"Yes, Head-Captain!"
Sasakibe rushed off to inform all the Divisions.
Yamamoto turned to Renji. "Vice-Captain Abarai, well done. Return to your Division and prepare for the assault."
"Thank you, sir!" Renji said with a smile, then turned and left, proud of the Head-Captain's praise.
Once alone, Sasakibe returned and found Yamamoto with a rare smile.
"You were planning to take down the Kasumioji Clan all along, weren't you, Head-Captain?" he asked.
Yamamoto looked at him and replied, "I can never hide anything from you, can I, Sasakibe?"
Sasakibe's voice turned low. "You still can't forget... him, can you?"
The mention of that name made Yamamoto grip his cane tightly, rage stirring even in his normally composed heart.
"The Kasumioji... I finally have the proof I need!"
His reason for assigning Byakuya as commander was obvious. The Kuchiki were the highest of the Four Great Noble Houses. Since this involved a noble clan, it was only fitting that another noble house punish them.
Byakuya had been itching to act. Had it not been for lack of evidence, he would've stormed the Kasumioji estate and personally questioned Kumoi long ago.
Now, with the Head-Captain's orders, all the squads halted their current battles and redirected toward the Kasumioji Clan.
Upon hearing the Gotei 13 was launching a full assault, Kumoi panicked. He fled with Rurichiyo and began distributing mass-produced Bakkōtō to arm every assassin in the estate.
Hitsugaya and Rangiku joined the battle. Tenbai, however, had disappeared from the battlefield.
"Whisper, Haineko!" Rangiku released her Zanpakutō and joined the fight.
Rukia followed suit—at some point, her Zanpakutō had already been released.
"Second Dance, White Ripple!"
A massive icy pillar froze a wave of assassins.
But there were too many. No matter how many they defeated, more appeared.
Just as Rukia and Rangiku began to feel overwhelmed, backup arrived.
"Rangiku! We're here!" Ikkaku shouted as he charged in.
Yumichika also appeared, silently defending Rukia's flank.
More Vice-Captains followed one after another, launching a brutal counterattack.
The only Captain present was Byakuya—he had to be there as commander. Everyone else believed Ichigo could handle this without needing the full force of the Captains.
After all, no one believed the Kasumioji Clan could be hiding a powerhouse on par with high-ranking Captains. If they had, they'd already be one of the Four Great Noble Houses themselves.
Meanwhile, in Squad 13, Yoruichi arrived with new intel from Urahara Kisuke.
"Captain Ukitake, I need to speak with you urgently," Yoruichi said.
Ukitake looked surprised. "Captain Yoruichi? What brings you here?"
"There's no time. I need to brief you immediately. Someone is planning to harm the Head-Captain!"
"What!?" Ukitake shot to his feet.
"Understood. I'll go at once!" Without even informing his old friend Kyōraku, Ukitake flash-stepped toward Squad 1.
Yoruichi vanished again as well, only to find that Soifon wasn't at the Second Division.
With no other choice, she went alone.
Meanwhile, beneath the Kasumioji estate, the workshop that produced the Bakkōtō lay hidden behind a powerful barrier—a replica of the one used to seal the Soul King. No one but royalty should have been able to break it.
But one stingy genius did.
That stingy genius was Urahara Kisuke.
Recently, the Kasumioji's monopoly on raw reishi materials had slashed his income significantly.
And as everyone knows, what do scientists need most?
Funding.
Cut off someone's money, and it's as bad as killing their parents.
Of course Urahara wouldn't tolerate that. He asked Yoruichi to give the already-collapsing Kasumioji Clan one final kick.
For this job, they needed Kyōraku.
Since she couldn't find Soifon, Yoruichi went straight to him and asked him to break the barrier.
Kyōraku sighed as he completed the task. "You really had to ask me, huh? Couldn't you pick someone else?"
Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "Ukitake and Soifon are both busy."
Once the barrier broke, Ichigo, Senna, and Rukia charged inside and eventually reached the top level—where they found Rurichiyo and Kumoi standing before her.
"Rurichiyo!" Ichigo shouted as he raised Zangetsu, but he didn't act recklessly.
Kumoi had his blade pressed against her throat.
"Give up, Kumoi," Rukia said. "You're surrounded. Even with Rurichiyo as a hostage, you can't escape!"
But Kumoi remained calm—as if waiting for someone.
And that someone arrived.
Tenbai Shūsuke crashed in through the window, landing between Kumoi and Ichigo's group.
Senna and Rukia's eyes narrowed. They had already guessed: if Kumoi was waiting for help, it could only be Tenbai.
Sure enough, the moment Kumoi saw him, he froze with terror, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
His blade trembled and lowered on its own.
Rurichiyo seized the moment and tried to run to Ichigo—but Tenbai blocked her path with his Zanpakutō.
"I knew it... Captain Tenbai—no, Shūsuke, you've shown your true colors," Ichigo said coldly.
Still, he didn't rush in. Rurichiyo was still in danger.
But then something unexpected happened.
Tenbai didn't attack Rurichiyo.
Instead, he struck Kumoi down with a single slash.
Senna clapped. "Bravo. That was beautiful. So what, Tenbai? You think killing the so-called mastermind Kumoi will bury the truth forever?"
Tenbai sheathed his sword and collected four Bakkōtō eye cores. Then he looked at the others and said, "Now that you've realized something's wrong with me... why did you keep playing along?"
Rukia replied coldly, "To figure out what you really wanted. Do you plan to kill Rurichiyo?"
Tenbai glanced at her. "No. I never intended to kill the girl. It's just... she's the only remaining heir of the Kasumioji Clan."
"Then what do you want?" Ichigo asked.
Tenbai said nothing.
Instead, he pulled out a paper charm from inside his robe and tossed it into the air.
The charm glowed green, blinding them.
A green portal formed behind him.
Without another word, he took Rurichiyo and stepped inside.
Ichigo and the others stood still—but another shadow darted in after them.
It was Soifon.
She'd been waiting for this exact moment.
As the light faded, Tenbai and Rurichiyo were gone.
Rukia and Senna examined the fallen paper charm.
"Special kidō parchment," Rukia explained. "It opens a temporary passage and conceals the user's spiritual pressure."
Ichigo shook his head. "Give it a second. Soifon followed them. She'll give us a location."
Meanwhile, Tenbai stood with Rurichiyo inside the Squad 1 Captain's chamber.
He looked at Yamamoto and said calmly, "Yamamoto Genryūsai... I'm here to kill you."
Yamamoto turned around, puzzled. "You're here to kill me? Why?"
"For Kisaragi Taigen. I've come to avenge him."
(End of Chapter)
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