Chapter 46 Soul Society III
Somewhat unexpectedly, Kurosaki Utsuki actually finished the entire meal successfully.
After eating, she was not held accountable by the two for sneaking into the Soul Society. They didn't even care that she was a travel nuisance.
She vaguely felt that the latter point might be due to Gojo Satoru's favor, but in the final analysis it was probably because of what she had just said.
While she didn't think the two men believed her theory, she still felt compelled to be wary of her colleagues. Just the fact that the captain of Division 3 had intercepted her brother inside the White Gate gave her a vague feeling that those three might have some other plan. Perhaps Kuchiki Rukia didn't deserve the death penalty after all.
This is also combined with another thing to consider - I also heard it from Gojo Satoru. He said that since some time ago, all the senior members of his family in the Shinigami Organization, the old guys in the Central Forty-six Room, suddenly lost contact.
She didn't know what abilities those three people had, how they could easily cover up the situation and manipulate everything behind the scenes, so she could only follow the original plan and take one step at a time.
In fact, maybe Kuchiki Rukia's incident had nothing to do with the three of them, and Ichimaru Gin's previous appearance there was purely coincidental, but she just felt it was quite suspicious -
After all, if you're certain of a bad guy's existence, then whatever bad things happen around him will easily be linked to him. Regardless of whether there's evidence pointing to him, he's the most likely suspect, just like how the police prioritize suspecting ex-convicts and probationers.
·
Kurosaki Utsuki found Shihouin Yoruichi late at night. The stars were bright, the streets empty. This Edo-style street, devoid of nightlife, was naturally deserted at night. A black cat with golden eyes sat on the roof, its gaze fixed on the moon, or perhaps lost in thought or longing.
Kurosaki Utsuki quickly walked over to the black cat and sat down, then she hugged the cat into her arms and rested her chin on the cat's head: "Yoichi, I'm back."
Shihouin Yoruichi had noticed her approaching, so he didn't dodge when she got close. He was just a little surprised that she returned to the team so quickly: "Is it not going well?"
Kurosaki Utsuki shook her head. "It can't be said that it wasn't smooth. I met Geto's friends, got a pass to enter Seireitei, and even went in and had a look around without any problems."
Ye Yi understood: "Who did you meet?"
"Well, he's an old friend of my father's, not an enemy. He even treated me to dinner," she replied. "However, even though they're the captain and vice-captain, their tracking skills are nowhere near as good as yours, Yoruichi. It took me some time to shake him off."
The black cat in front of him chuckled.
"Unfortunately, they took the pass away. To prevent Gosho's friends from being held accountable by Seireitei, I had no choice but to cooperate with them... They said they would return the pass to the Gojo family, so I had no choice but to believe them."
In fact, Hitsugaya had asked her about the purpose of their "Traveling Beast" group, whether everyone came here for the "answers" she wanted, and what the relationship between these people and her father was. Her answer was very sincere, "I can't tell you, I can only promise that it is not to cause chaos or do bad things," and "Everyone has his own justice."
Yoruichi nodded slightly: "I see, no wonder the family crest on your clothes is from the Gojo family. Is the current head of the family that brat Wu?"
"Eh? Does Yoruichi know him?"
"Well, I met him once when he was still a brat." Yoruichi replied, "He was a completely different brat from Byakuya. He was always self-centered since he was a kid."
Indeed, she also felt that Gojo Satoru was completely different from Kuchiki Byakuya.
"I quite like Mr. Gojo's type." Kurosaki Utaha laughed, "I also asked Mr. Gojo something - just today, Rukia suddenly became the princess in the tower."
The cat in his arms immediately understood: "In the Palace of Confession?"
"It should be—isn't the difficulty a bit higher than the Sixth Division's prison?"
Yoruichi thought for a few seconds and said, "Not necessarily. The security around the Palace of Confession is not very tight. If the Shinigami don't know our purpose, it will be easier than invading the Sixth Division."
Kurosaki Utsuki rubbed his chin and said, "That's true, but now, it should be difficult for us to get in through the door, right?"
"Yes." The black cat gave an affirmative answer, "So, let's set out tomorrow morning to find a friend."
"Yoichi's friend?"
"It has something to do with you."
Kurosaki Utsuki understood instantly: "The Shiba family?" She reacted for a second, then suddenly had a thought, "Could they be launching us into the Soul Society like fireworks?"
"Oh? You seem to understand that quite well."
"..." She had no idea at all, she just said it casually, and she couldn't really imagine how it could take off like a firework.
But Ye Yi didn't explain much, as if he wanted to keep her in suspense. Instead, he jumped out of her arms and seemed ready to leave: "It's late, go to bed as soon as possible."
Kurosaki Utsuki responded but didn't stand up immediately: "Speaking of which, Yoruichi, I have a lifelong request."
The black cat looked over and asked, "What is it?"
"——Can you step on my legs for a while? Without extending your claws, or if that's really not in your cat's nature, you can extend your claws."
A few seconds later, Kurosaki Utsuki lay down on the roof exhausted, feeling extremely regretful that the cat rejected her cute little request, and extremely grateful that she was very skilled in using the Static Blood Suit to protect herself from being scratched by the cat and leaving bloody marks.
Sunday, August 2
It was still dark when Kurosaki Utsuki woke up. She hadn't slept long, but she didn't feel very sleepy. The excitement of meeting the rest of the "Shiba family" filled her mind, completely overshadowing the confusion about the possibility of becoming a firework.
"Kurosaki-san?" A confused girl's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Kurosaki Utsuki turned her head and met the gaze of Inoue Orihime, who was rubbing her eyes and sitting up.
When she entered the room last night, Inoue Orihime was already asleep. Perhaps because she had used too much spiritual power during the day and was very tired, the noise she made when making the bed did not wake her up.
"Good morning." Kurosaki Utsuki glanced towards the window, figuring it was still early, "You can sleep in a little longer."
Inoue Orihime shook her head slightly: "I still want to go and see how Mr. Shidanfang is doing."
Kurosaki Utsuki was stunned for a moment: "Who is that?"
"It's the gatekeeper who fought Kurosaki-san yesterday."
The girl next to her then briefly explained what had happened since she'd left the previous day—roughly speaking, after her brother's victory, the guard had opened the door for him. However, the Shinigami within, Captain Gin Ichimaru of the Third Division, had wounded the guard and, after a brief exchange with her brother, had vanished through the closed door.
"You later treated his wounds... Then I'll go with you to see what's going on." said Kurosaki Utsuki.
She didn't expect that Inoue Orihime's ability could also heal. If she guessed correctly, the healing principle was probably different from Kaido... She really wanted to see it if she had the chance.
Of course, Inoue Orihime did not refuse. The two of them changed their clothes and made the bed together, then went to wash up together and walked to the room where the injured were resting.
Although they were not very familiar with each other, the girls could always chat naturally with each other. What's more, Orihime Inoue was very lively and cheerful, and even made Kurosaki Utsuki see a little bit of the shadow of her mother in her memory.
"Did Kurosaki-san visit a friend yesterday?"
"Did Yoruichi say that?" Kurosaki Utsuki nodded, "My brother and I are both Kurosaki, you can just call me by my name."
"Then Utahiki-san also calls me by my first name." The girl's eyes sparkled. "Yoichi-san also said he's visiting a friend today. I wonder what kind of cat he'll be... Does Utahiki-san know?"
"...No, this is my first time in Soul Society, so I don't know Yoruichi's friends very well."
But it definitely can’t be a cat!
"Ah! Did Utsuki-san change her clothes? She was wearing white, similar to Ishida-san's yesterday."
"Well, because my friend said that the clothes I wore before clearly showed that I was a travel disaster." Kurosaki Utsuki replied, "After entering the Soul Society, it's best to capture a few Shinigami and change into their clothes."
"I see!"
Looking at the cute gesture of the girl next to her clenching her fist and tapping her palm, Kurosaki Utsuki's thoughts wandered for a few seconds - was she also so cute from Hagiwara Kenji's perspective...?
"Utahiki-san? What's wrong?"
"No... nothing, because you are so cute that I am stunned."
The girl next to him blinked in surprise. "Huh? How could that be? Utahiki-san is obviously cuter."
The conversation quickly turned into a commercial exaggeration, but both of them were sincere.
Chad Taitora had joined the visiting team at some point. At first, he wanted to try to say hello, but his words were quickly cut off by Kurosaki Utsuki's words, "You are the kind of cute that I want to date."
...Ichigo, didn't your sister come here for Kuchiki and Inoue?
·
Before setting off, Ichigo Kurosaki delayed a little, and it was not until the group officially set off that Utsuki Kurosaki heard about her brother's fight with a monster riding a wild boar who seemed to particularly hate the Grim Reaper.
She didn't pay much attention to it at the time. After all, even in her cognition, the gods of death were very similar to humans, but as immortal gods, or those with spiritual powers, they were definitely more inclined to express their personalities in all aspects than humans.
Because he hates the Shinigami, he actively fights the other party regardless of their strength. His simple and straightforward personality is obvious at a glance. It is a bit troublesome, but there is no reason to keep a close eye on him.
She also had to deal with Ishida Uryu's questions about where she had gone when she left the team yesterday - she didn't intend to share her experience last night with anyone other than Yoruichi, so she only said that she went to inquire about Kuchiki Rukia's current situation, and learned that the other party was currently in the Palace of Confession.
But Ishida was even more curious about who her friend was than her brother. If he was a native of Soul Society, how did she know him? She stalled for time until the iconic Shiba family house came into view.
The exaggerated shape of the pillar at the door left her speechless for a moment, but what made her even more speechless was yet to come - her brother and the younger brother of the Shiba family had a fight.
At that time, they had already entered the house and met Shiba Kūkaku, the head of the Shiba family. The other party also expressed his willingness to help send them into Soul Society. It was so smooth that it was unbelievable.
Kurosaki Utsuki was planning to find an opportunity to have a private chat with the other party and say hello on behalf of her father, but the door on the side was pulled open, and the younger brother of the Shiba family named Ganju appeared outside the door... and then the two men started fighting.
"Brother is really energetic." The orange-haired girl sighed from the bottom of her heart.
It seemed that this younger brother was the weirdo who had fought with her brother last night. Although the two seemed to be fighting, they were not serious, so she was not worried at all.
A few minutes later, the fighting duo who were beaten up for stepping on Shiba Kūkaku's pipe followed the main group with a wronged look on their face. Under the leadership of Shiba Kūkaku, they headed to the device that was said to be able to send them to Soul Society.
...It really is a cannon barrel.
Kurosaki Utsuki twitched her lips and moved closer to Yoruichi: "Are we going to be launched by this thing later?"
Although she was not afraid at all, she always felt that this would be an unforgettable experience.
Ye Yi nodded. Although there was no expression on the cat's face, she could see a sense of excitement... It must be an illusion.
Earlier, Shiba Kūkaku had already explained the nature of the walls surrounding Seireitei—thick walls constructed of murderous stones that blocked all spiritual energy, making it impossible to penetrate. Furthermore, the presence of these murderous stones formed a spherical soul-blocking membrane above and on the ground of Seireitei, which disintegrated upon contact with spiritual energy.
This "soul-blocking membrane" is the weak point they want to break through.
By using the tool "Spiritual Pearl Core" invented by Shiba Kūkaku and injecting spiritual energy into it, a protective shield strong enough to penetrate the soul-blocking membrane can be formed - it sounds quite easy, at least for Kurosaki Utsuki.
"Next," Shiba Kūkaku ordered after explaining all the background conditions, "you will go to the underground training ground to practice concentrating your spiritual energy."
·
Five minutes later, in front of everyone's astonished gazes, Kurosaki Utsuki, who had completed the "injection of spiritual power into the spirit pearl core" operation in one go and constructed a perfect circular protective shield, left the underground training ground and found Shiba Kūkaku, who had not yet left, under the cannon barrel.
Shiba Ganju, who had been here earlier and demonstrated the use of the Spirit Pearl Core, had already left. Shiba Kūkaku, whose final message was "If any of you fail, I'll launch them into the sky right here," looked at her impatiently. "What are you doing here? Don't you need to practice?"
"My practice is over."
Kurosaki Utsuki stretched out her right hand with her palm facing up, and spiritual power quickly condensed above her palm, forming a stably burning ball of fire - that was the "Red Fire Cannon" of Hadō No. 31, which could most intuitively show the other party her ability to control spiritual power.
Shiba Kūkaku's expression changed slightly, and his tone became a little more polite when he spoke: "Then you can go and rest, or teach that orange-headed Shinigami a lesson."
"Well, I will lend my experience to my brother." Kurosaki Utsuki withdrew the spiritual power in his palm, took a deep breath, and then bowed deeply to the person opposite.
Shiba Kūkaku was initially puzzled by her "lending it to my brother," but was then startled by her actions. After a moment, he spoke, "If you want to thank me, wait until we successfully rescue him."
"No, I wanted to apologize."
Kurosaki Utsuki stood up, looked at the person opposite her, and shook her head slightly.
"On behalf of my father, who retired from the world twenty years ago under the guise of martyrdom, I apologize for not being able to tell you the truth in a timely manner."
As soon as she finished speaking, the air around her seemed to freeze.
Kurosaki Utsuki swallowed carefully.
…She started to get nervous.
Would Shiba Kūkaku not understand what she was trying to say? Thinking carefully, her statement was indeed a bit obscure and even a bit of a riddle. Would the other party feel that her act of apology, which was actually a recognition of her relationship, was not sincere enough?
...She felt a little regretful. She should have spent some time preparing her words before coming here.
But when Kurosaki Utsuki was about to speak again and try to save the current atmosphere, the person opposite her suddenly smiled. It was the kind of smile that came from someone who suddenly understood everything and felt relieved from the bottom of their heart.
"So that's how it is. You are my uncle's children. No wonder that kid..."
Shiba Kūkaku, the current head of the Shiba family, said this as his hand landed on the top of the orange-haired girl's head.
"That's not something to apologize for," the man opposite smiled and ruffled her short hair, not too gently. "I'm very happy to see you and hear about your uncle again."
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