Chapter 49 Soul Society VI
"Yesterday morning, the body of Captain Aizen of the Fifth Division was discovered. He had been pierced through the heart by his own Zanpakutō."
Yesterday...wait a moment.
Kurosaki Utsuki gasped softly.
"How many days have I slept? What day in August is it today?"
"Today is August 5th, and it's already evening." Ukitake wasn't surprised by her asking about the time. "You were found by my men in the early morning of August 3rd, already unconscious. So—"
It is impossible that Aizen, who was killed in the early morning of the 4th, had anything to do with her.
"So long?!" Kurosaki Utsuki couldn't help but gasp again.
She was in a coma for two and a half days?!
"How are my companions?" She finally began to get nervous. "No one has died so far, right?"
"No, three have been imprisoned in the 9th Division's cell," Ukitake replied good-naturedly. "Don't worry, their injuries have already been treated."
Only then did Kurosaki Utsuki feel a little relieved.
However, the three of them... were caught in an explosion when they first broke into the Soul Society. The groups that were scattered by the explosion seemed to be Ishida Uryu and Inoue Orihime, Chatari Yasutora alone, her brother, and Shiba Ganju. Yoruichi also seemed to be alone, but she couldn't be caught.
Considering what Ukitake mentioned earlier, that she saw her brother yesterday, her brother should still be out there, the other person who hasn't been caught yet...
"Are there any girls among these three?" she asked.
"No."
Good, she knew who had been caught.
She was somewhat surprised that the seemingly fragile Inoue Orihime was among the survivors still outside. But that was fine; the punishments in prison would be borne by the less skilled men.
Back to the previous question, Kurosaki Utsuki, who had gradually calmed down, sneered: "Aizen's death has absolutely nothing to do with them."
"None of them would kill anyone. Not to mention that their combined strength wouldn't even match that of a captain. They're all 'humans'. They respect all life, even their enemies'. They wouldn't kill anyone without a fight, let alone stab someone in the heart with their Zanpakutō. Of course, most Hollows don't count as living beings."
She didn't dare to say all of it, but at least the evil deeds she had done in Rice Flower City didn't count.
Ukitake remained noncommittal. "As for the Quincy, are the Hollows truly something that must be eliminated?"
He asked this question because he probably recognized her Quincy.
The pendant on her wrist and the prop hidden in her kimono were out of sight, probably taken away as weapons.
But even though he knew she was a Quincy, his attitude was still so friendly... This made her respect him even more.
"Probably, but I'm only a half-baked Quincy." Kurosaki Utsuki shrugged. "When I kill a Hollow, I always use Kidō or Zanpakutō for the final blow, otherwise Getō will complain—damn it, Captain Ukitake, you're too approachable. It's too easy for people to let down their guard."
...and then they'll accidentally let something slip.
Fortunately, the other party didn't care: "You know Geto, no wonder you are on good terms with the head of the Gojo family."
"This can't be blamed on Geto. My city is far too busy for a garrisoned Shinigami. If he were the only one working, he wouldn't have any time to rest and would surely die from overwork."
The person opposite had a softer expression, but the words he spoke were dangerous in a certain sense: "Does your Death God power come from Geto?"
"Of course not," Kurosaki Utsuki laughed, "Geto-kun didn't break the rules. He just didn't take the initiative to report the existence of people like me in the world."
Ukitake thought for a moment and was about to speak when she interrupted him: "As for why I was able to become a Shinigami, based on the composition of our team, I think you should have some guesses."
But if the other party didn't even see Shiba Ganju, that's another matter.
Unfortunately, the other party didn't say whether he guessed it or not, and the topic returned to her injury: "It sounds like you don't know who seriously injured you. Why do you think it was Aizen-kun?"
He then added, "Indeed, you defeated a large number of Shinigami from the Fifth Division, including the vice-captain, at dawn on the 3rd. However, they were only spiritually drained and not seriously injured. Although most of them are still bedridden, they will fully recover in a few days."
"Therefore, given Aizen-kun's personality, he wouldn't have hurt you so badly with just one blow."
...Good, now she was sure that she was stabbed by Aizen.
Her luck was really good. On the day she set out on her adventure, she actually fell into the Demon King's Castle.
"Well, since Captain Ukitake said so." Kurosaki Utsuki shrugged, with no intention of explaining to the other party.
Although she had a deep dislike for Aizen Sosuke, it was entirely based on her trust in Urahara Kisuke. She had no evidence, and she could not force someone she met for the first time to believe in Urahara with her.
Realizing that she had objections but didn't express them, Ukitake Jushiro didn't say anything more. He stepped forward and ended this sincere conversation without any temptation or deception.
"As Kuchiki's captain, I'm very grateful for your willingness to come for her," the Shinigami captain, who should have been in opposition to her identity as a travel disaster, said sincerely, "But for now, I have no choice but to continue to keep you here."
He paused briefly before continuing, "When the execution comes, I'll open the cell door and remove everyone nearby. You can leave now."
Eh—this is really unexpected.
Although the man before her was upright and generous, he was also within the scope allowed by the rules of the Shinigami. But he was willing to violate the rules of the Soul Society and let her go. Does this mean that she can push her a little further?
"Captain Ukitake, I just turned sixteen last month. To a Shinigami, I'm probably only as old as a baby."
Fuzhu was stunned for a moment, not understanding what she was trying to say. Indeed, to him, who was already a thousand years old, a teenage girl was like a baby.
"I'm hungry," the sixteen-year-old "baby" said bluntly, completely oblivious to the fact that he was incarcerated. "I haven't eaten in three days. Captain Ukitake, you're such a kind person. You wouldn't let me starve to death in prison, would you?"
·
Half an hour later, Kurosaki Utsuki finally received her prison meal.
The meal looked ordinary and nothing special, but the person who brought her the meal was quite special. It was Yoruichi Shihouin, who was dressed in formal attire.
Looking at the purple-haired woman outside the railing, Kurosaki Utsuki's pupils trembled. The last time she saw Yoruichi in human form was several years ago, and her memory was almost blurred. She didn't expect to see them again in the 13th Division's cell - of course, she was inside and Yoruichi was outside.
Compared to her, who was speechless with shock, Yoruichi was naturally at ease, as if she were in her own territory. She opened the cell door with her key and placed the tray she was holding in one hand on the ground inside. "Let's go after we finish eating."
Kurosaki Utsuki, however, continued to stare at her blankly: "Yoichi...did Captain Ukitake ask you to come?"
Since she chose to get the key instead of breaking the cell door open by force, she must have obtained the consent of the person in charge. Otherwise, she would not have needed to go out of her way to get the key. It would obviously be more convenient and quicker to blow up the wall.
"I happened to be looking for Ukitake for something, and he said that you would sneak away if I left you alone anyway, so why not let me take you away."
Yoruichi Shihouin opened the cloth bag in her other hand and took out a set of Shinigami suits and another plastic storage bag. The latter was confiscated from her and contained the Quincy tools she brought from the human world.
"Is that so? Captain Ukitake is such a good man."
Kurosaki Utsuki sat down next to the tray without any hesitation, picked up the bowl and stuffed a big mouthful of rice into her mouth. Then she put the bowl down, opened the storage bag while chewing, counted the things inside, and after confirming, took the Quincy Cross bracelet from Yoruichi and put it on.
Yoruichi also sat down cross-legged beside her. "How are your injuries? I heard from Ukitake that you were attacked from behind, and you don't know who that person was?"
Kurosaki Utsuki swallowed the food in her mouth and spoke with resentment, "Yes, that guy easily penetrated my Static Blood Suit, and before piercing me, I didn't feel a trace of spiritual pressure. I'm not sure about the current injury. It still hurts, but it's barely bearable."
Her description seemed to resonate with the person on the other end, and the conversation ended there. She quickly finished her meal, changed into her sabatsu uniform, and stuffed her storage bag, thus ending her brief imprisonment.
"Where are we going?"
The destination is double death.
Because of the chaotic situation of the Soul Society's wartime special order and the fact that it was getting late, as well as the injuries on Kurosaki Utsuki's body, the two did not choose to use Shunpo all the way, but instead chose a route with fewer people, hiding their spiritual pressure and avoiding the gods of death.
Because the speed is not fast, you can chat leisurely on the way.
"Eh? Really? Brother defeated the vice-captain and then defeated another captain? Could it be that brother has realized Bankai on his own?"
She really had missed a lot! It was all Aizen's fault. She really wanted to see how her brother had surpassed everyone else in just three days of actual combat!
"Not yet." Yoruichi shook his head. "He is currently training in Bankai. He started yesterday and still has some time."
Kurosaki Utsuki was stunned for a moment, then thought of how she had practiced Bankai back then, and then it became clear: "Transformation into a divine body? You also want your brother to learn Bankai in three days?"
Although the time limit was short, she was not worried about the outcome of this training: "It's okay. If I can do it, my brother can definitely do it too."
"I hope so."
Seeing that the people around him were still worried, Kurosaki Utsuki spoke to comfort them, "There's still time. If brother really can't make it, I can lend him some of my Bankai experience. With that experience as a foundation, he can practice for a few days and he'll definitely be able to adapt."
There are still about ten days left in Kuchiki Rukia's sentence, which is plenty of time no matter how you look at it.
But this time, it was the person opposite who showed a surprised expression: "Didn't you hear about it from Ukitake?"
"Eh? What did you hear?"
Kurosaki Utsuki paused, and a very bad premonition arose in her heart. The pain from the wounds she had endured along the way suddenly became more intense.
"It seems to be the notice from this morning," Shihouin Yoruichi looked at her, his voice a little heavy, "Kuchiki Rukia's sentence has been brought forward again. This time, the higher-ups have decided on the date of tomorrow at noon, which is about sixteen hours from now."
“Ah? …Ah?!”
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