"Well, it looks like we managed to break in successfully."
Having landed safely in one of the streets of the Seireitei, Kukaku Shiba muttered to herself while scanning the surroundings with a wary eye.
The plan to launch the Spirit Orb Core using the Flower Crane Firing Technique and force their way into the Seireitei had somehow succeeded. Although the impact had caused Ichigo and the others to be scattered, that was a separate issue. Since the infiltration was a success, the end justified the means.
It had been a rather flashy entrance, but fortunately, there didn't seem to be any Soul Reapers in the immediate vicinity, so she breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Honestly, Ichigo, you really are useless. If I hadn't been here, you would've died from the impact of the fall..."
"Shut up!! I wasn't taught how to do that, so it can't be helped!!"
Next, she turned her attention to Ichigo Kurosaki, who had ended up moving with her. After all, the most Ichigo could do right now was swing his sword and fight. Even in battle, he wasn't capable of pulling off clever tricks like softening the impact of a fall.
In the original story, Ganju Shiba used a technique to turn the road into sand, allowing for a soft landing. Here, Kukaku used her own techniques to negate the shock of the fall. Thanks to that, the two landed safely without being covered in sand.
"Anyway, Kukaku, what's with that outfit...?"
"Huh? Does it suit me?"
"Well... I mean... it suits you, I guess."
As for Kukaku's current attire, it wasn't her usual skin-baring, provocative outfit that made it hard to know where to look. Perhaps because they were on an infiltration mission, she wore a rather plain, ninja-like outfit that minimized skin exposure. That said, the tight-fitting costume clearly outlined the body of a woman with a spectacular figure, so it was still quite distracting in its own way.
"That mask totally ruins it, though..."
"Hehehe, isn't it great?"
On her face, she wore a mask—or perhaps a faceplate—with a bizarre design that looked like some inexplicable objet d'art.
"I can't cause trouble for my brother. This is a precaution so my identity doesn't get out."
This was Kukaku's way of showing her resolve: 'I have nothing to do with the Shiba family. I have no connection to Kaien's career or Ganju's future. This is just me acting on my own.' It was her own form of consideration; she definitely wasn't hiding her identity just for the fun of it.
"Oh, right. From now on, my name is Shiba Mask! Don't you dare call me Kukaku by mistake, Ichigo!!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
Kukaku declared joyfully while pointing a finger sharply at Ichigo.
She definitely wasn't hiding her identity for fun... definitely...
In any case, it seemed that an adolescent like Ichigo traveling with such an unconventional older woman might lead to all sorts of bad influences.
"Alright, let's move."
"Move... where?! Do you even know where to go?! And what about Inoue, Chad, and the others!!"
"I already explained everything to them. Where Rukia Kuchiki is being held, and what to do if we got separated."
"...Huh?"
Ichigo couldn't help but reveal a stunned, blank expression at Kukaku's nonchalant answer.
"Wh-Why am I the only one who wasn't told!?"
"That's because you were the only one struggling so much with the Spirit Orb Core. While you were desperately doing extra practice, I told the others."
Kukaku's ties to the Seireitei were relatively thin. However, her brother was a current Lieutenant, her sister-in-law was a former Third Seat, and her younger brother was a student at the Spiritual Arts Academy. She had plenty of opportunities to gain internal information.
Therefore, finding out that Rukia was being held at the Repentance Palace was easy, and she had already shared that information with Orihime and the rest. Furthermore, since Kukaku—the one in charge of the launch—was coming along, they had already discussed the possibility of being separated upon impact and agreed to regroup by heading toward the Repentance Palace.
The protagonist was the only one kept in the dark.
"Wh-Why only me..."
"Hey, we don't have time to mope. Let's get moving and regroup—!?"
Kukaku cut herself off, her expression turning grim.
"Hmm? What's wrong all of a sudden—?"
"Shh! Be quiet!!"
Ichigo looked puzzled, but the reason for her reaction soon arrived from up ahead.
"Is it around here!?"
"Probably!! It should have fallen somewhere around here!!"
"Search! If we don't find them, the Captain and Lieutenant will kill us!!"
"""Yes, sir!!"""
The figures of Soul Reapers with noticeably deep voices and rough manners appeared.
"Are they...!?"
"Well, of course we'd be found. Even if we landed quietly thanks to me, the sight of us falling was clearly visible from the ground in the Seireitei."
"What are we gonna do!?"
"What else...? There's only one thing to do, right?"
As she spoke, Kukaku pulled something spherical from her robe. It was the kind of shape anyone who had seen a firework display would recognize—a large firework shell. Seeing that it even had a fuse carefully attached, Ichigo felt an intense surge of dread.
"N-No way, is that..."
"Of course! This is how you use it!!"
Using a technique to ignite the fuse in an instant, she threw it straight at the approaching Soul Reapers.
"Hmm? What's that? Something's fly—"
"Wait! That's...—"
The Soul Reapers reacted, but they didn't realize what it was in time. Just as they thought something had been thrown at them, it caused a massive explosion, blowing the Soul Reapers away.
"Yeah!! How's that for a taste of my fireworks!?"
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing!? If you throw fireworks like that, we're obviously going to be spotted!!"
"Huh? Man, you're loud... Who cares? It's fine..."
"It's not fine!! We're supposed to be infiltrating!! What's the point of purposefully letting the enemy know exactly where we are!?"
Ichigo's anger was perfectly justified. However, Kukaku's reasoning seemed to be a bit different.
"If I go wild and draw attention to our location, the guard around your friends will slacken that much more, right? That'll make the rescue go smoothly."
"That... I... well, even so..."
"And that's that! Here goes another one!!"
'By making myself stand out as a decoy, I'll draw the enemy in. That's why I'm being flashy.' Hearing that reason, Ichigo was almost convinced, but before he could swallow the feeling, Kukaku launched another firework into the sky. A flower made of fire, like a scene from a summer festival, was painted across the sky.
"Hahaha!! That's a magnificent explosion!! As expected of my special blend!!"
"..."
"While I'm at it, I'll set some up on this path too. I'll adjust the fuse lengths on these. That'll make them think there are other comrades around and cause confusion. Kihihi!"
'Maybe that's just an excuse and she just wanted to go wild...'
Ichigo desperately swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat. There was no point in saying them. And above all—
"What was that explosion!?"
"Over there!! It's that way!!"
"Look! There! Someone's there!!"
—because he realized that further argument was useless as more and more squad members, drawn by the commotion, began to swarm in.
"Oh, here they come. A big catch."
"Daaaah!! Dammit!! Let's do this!!"
Ichigo readied his Zanpakuto as if resigned to his fate. And so, the boy took another step toward becoming an adult.
"Take this!!"
"Gueh!"
"Blow them away!! Hado #31: Shakkaho!!"
"Gyaaaaaaa!!"
Through the efforts of Ichigo and Kukaku, the gathered squad members were being repelled one after another. However, no matter how many they defeated, they kept coming like a swarm of locusts. Despite that, the squad members didn't flinch or lose morale at the sight of their comrades being taken down.
"Th-They're strong...!!"
"Don't back down! If you get scared here... the Captain will..."
"No, before that, the Lieutenant will..."
"No, no, before that, Third Seat Madarame will kill us!!"
"U-Uoooooh!! I'd rather take my chances here than be killed by those people!!"
"Who cares about some Ryoka!!"
Yes.
As evident from the conversation, they were members of the 11th Division. It seemed that the area where Ichigo and the others had fallen was under the 11th Division's jurisdiction, and the low-ranking members of the division were pouring in after hearing the noise.
From their perspective, there were many people far scarier than Ichigo. If they showed cowardice and looked pathetic, they would face harsh punishment from Unohana and her group later. Compared to that, challenging Ichigo even if they couldn't win was hundreds of times better.
"Wh-What is with these guys...!?"
"Hehe, interesting. They don't get scared at all, even after we take down this many... The Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 have some guts. I underestimated them..."
"What are we going to do, Kukaku!? This is a battle of attrition!!"
"Idiot! I told you to call me Shiba Mask!!"
Ichigo and the others, unaware of the circumstances, were actually the ones being pressured by the sight of enemies who refused to flinch despite the losses. Whether they chose to run or fight, it looked like a struggle, and both were struggling to decide their next move.
"What about Third Seat Madarame!? Isn't he here yet!?"
"He went the opposite way! It'll take more time!!"
"Alright!! Then just a little longer, guys!! Show them the pride of the 11th Division!!"
"""""Yes, sir!!!!"""""
The low-ranking members surrounded Ichigo and the others, slowly closing in.
However, an intruder entered the situation.
"Wa—su... sorr... ow! Wa, ta, uwaah!! Auf!!"
"Wh-What was that?"
Tumbling out in front of Ichigo and the others while making pathetic noises was a single Soul Reaper, short in stature and with a face that looked quite unlucky.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... h-huh?"
"...!! Hey, Ichigo, I just thought of a great plan. You in?"
"I don't like it, but I guess I have no choice..."
"U-Um... where is this...? And you guys are, perhaps..."
Ichigo and Kukaku. The two nodded as if they had planned it all along. As expected of relatives, their breathing was perfectly in sync at a time like this.
"Everyone, get back!! You want this guy to get slaughtered!?"
"Clear the way!! Otherwise, he's gonna get hurt, you hear me!?"
They grabbed the Soul Reaper who had tumbled out and used him as a shield. Their actions were completely villainous—behavior unbecoming of a protagonist.
"Ha! A hostage!? What are you talking about!! We don't care about something like—!?"
Mid-sentence, the speaker went silent.
"H-Hey... that guy. Haven't we seen him somewhere...?"
"Huh? He's just some pathetic Soul Reaper the Ryoka caught, right?"
"N-No!! I've seen him too!! I'm sure he's a Soul Reaper from the 4th Division!!"
"""""Whaaaaaaaaat!?!?"""""
The words '4th Division Soul Reaper.' As soon as they heard that, everyone in the vicinity let out a cry of shock.
"Ah!! Now that you mention it, that's definitely true!! He was actually quite good at healing!!"
"I think his name was Yamada... Taro!!"
"No, wasn't it Yamada Hanako!?"
"Y-Yes! I'm from the 4th Division and came for medical relief work! ...Also, my name is Yamada—"
"Why are you at the front lines when you're in the 4th Division!? Do you want to die!?"
"—Eep! I'm sorry!! It's just, I got lost and before I knew it..."
"What the hell have you done to us!?"
The 11th Division members were so visibly terrified, frantic, and screaming that Ichigo and Kukaku, who had initiated the hostage plan, were the ones left taken aback.
"...Hey, Kuka—I mean, Shiba Mask. This is our chance, right?"
"I don't really get it, but... Alright, you lot!! If you don't want this guy killed, clear a path!!"
"Urgh..."
"S-Stop!! Fine! We'll give way!! So let him go!! Please!?"
To the members of the 11th Division, the name of the 4th Division was, in a sense, a bad omen. After all, they had been thrashed by Unohana-san, who belonged to the 4th Division, in the past. Even the younger members who hadn't experienced that raid personally had been thrashed by her at the academy or heard firsthand accounts from their seniors, so it was etched into their very bones.
'If you underestimate the 4th Division, you'll regret it.'
Normally, giving work to the 4th Division wasn't an issue. They were a squad primarily responsible for medical relief, supplies, and other rear-line support. Throwing menial tasks their way was perfectly fine.
The problem arose when someone treated the 4th Division lightly or was disrespectful. In those cases, it was rumored that Unohana-san herself would thrash them, treat them perfectly, and then finish them off again.
If they abandoned a 4th Division member for their own convenience, what would happen...?
Because they could easily imagine the aftermath—better than any other squad in the Gotei 13. Furthermore, the current Captain of the 11th Division was the former Captain of the 4th Division. If she found out they had abandoned one of her old comrades, what would happen?
Imagining the consequences, they naturally chose to let the hostage be released.
"Look, the path is open!! Is that enough!? If it is, hurry up and take your hands off Yamada Hanako!!"
"U-Um, my name is—"
"Yeah!! Let's go, Ichigo!!"
"Right!! Hey, you! Don't try anything funny!! Not if you value this Yamada Hanako's life!!"
"Darn it... after we cornered them this far... dammit!!"
Passing through the path that had opened like the Red Sea before Moses, Ichigo and Kukaku made their escape at leisure.
"—It's Hanataro Yamada..."
No one heard the weakly muttered words.
Meanwhile.
"Hmm? What's wrong... WHAAAAAAAAAT!?!?"
As soon as he heard the words coming from his Denreishinki, he let out a cry of surprise. Because of his sudden reaction, the surrounding squad members turned back to see what was happening.
"I see, thanks, Miyako. Alright, I'm hanging up."
After confirming the call was disconnected, the man—Kaien Shiba—lightly scratched the back of his head and turned his gaze toward the distance.
"...Seriously. You've really done it now, Kukaku..."
It seemed it would be a little longer before a big brother could scold his little sister.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]