Urahara's Petty Revenge

As Ichigo, Rukia, and Senna pushed deeper into the Kasumioji estate, Rangiku Matsumoto appeared in their path.

Rukia decided at once.

"I will stop her. Ichigo, Senna, keep going and find Rurichiyo."

Ichigo and Senna did not hesitate. They moved past Rangiku and continued inward.

Rangiku's will to fight was not particularly strong. If Hitsugaya and Amagai had not started fighting outside, she might not have drawn her Zanpakuto at all.

"Rukia, what are you all trying to do?"

Rukia gave her the shortest explanation she could.

Rangiku listened, sighed, and lowered her shoulders.

"Fine. Then we pretend to fight. If what you said is true, the Head Captain should order a full strike on the Kasumioji Clan soon enough."

The two women began acting out a fight, perfectly in sync.

Outside, Hitsugaya and Amagai's battle was far more serious.

Amagai had assumed that Hitsugaya's age meant he could defeat him quickly. Instead, even after releasing Shikai, he could only fight the young captain evenly.

He had underestimated him.

...

At the same time, Renji arrived before Yamamoto with the broken Bakkoto.

He explained what he had seen.

This time, Yamamoto's response changed completely.

"Chojiro."

Chojiro Sasakibe stepped forward.

"Lord Genryusai."

"Cancel the pursuit of Kurosaki Ichigo and the others. Assemble the divisions immediately. With Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad Six in command, launch a full operation against the Kasumioji Clan. Find every truth they are hiding."

"Yes, Lord Genryusai."

Chojiro left to send the orders.

Yamamoto looked at Renji.

"Lieutenant Abarai, you did well. Return to Squad Six and prepare for the operation."

"Yes. Thank you, Head Captain."

Renji left in high spirits.

When Chojiro returned, he looked at Yamamoto's faint smile and sighed.

"Lord Genryusai, you intended to move against the Kasumioji Clan from the beginning, did you not?"

Yamamoto glanced at him.

"Nothing escapes you, Chojiro."

Chojiro's expression grew heavier.

"You still have not forgotten him?"

At that question, Yamamoto's grip tightened around his cane.

"Kasumioji Clan. At last, you have given me evidence."

He looked toward the sky and forced down his anger.

The reason for making Byakuya the commander was simple. The Kuchiki Clan stood at the head of the nobility. If a noble house had committed crimes, then the highest noble house should be the one to correct it.

Byakuya had been waiting for this. Without evidence, he could not openly bring forces to the Kasumioji estate and question Kumoi.

Now he could.

Across the Gotei 13, captains and lieutenants received Yamamoto's order. The scattered confrontations stopped at once, and the divisions began moving toward the Kasumioji estate.

Kumoi heard that the Gotei 13 was attacking in force and lost all composure.

He took Rurichiyo and hid, but he still ordered resistance. The mass-produced Bakkoto were distributed, arming every Kasumioji assassin in the estate.

Hitsugaya and Rangiku received the new order and joined the battle against the Kasumioji forces.

Amagai disappeared from the battlefield.

"Growl, Haineko."

Rangiku released her Zanpakuto and began cutting through the assassins.

Rukia no longer held back either.

"Second Dance, Hakuren."

A massive pillar of ice surged forward and froze a group of deathsworn in place.

The Kasumioji assassins kept coming, as if there were no end to them.

Rukia and Rangiku stood back to back, both troubled by the sheer number.

Then the Gotei 13 reinforcements arrived.

"Rangiku! We are here to help!"

Ikkaku Madarame charged into the enemy group with a shout.

Shuhei Hisagi appeared more quietly in front of Rukia, cutting down the deathsworn who rushed toward her.

Other lieutenant-class fighters followed. Against them, the Kasumioji assassins became little more than targets.

Most captains did not appear personally. Aside from Byakuya, who served as the overall commander, they trusted Ichigo to handle the center of the problem.

None of them believed the current Kasumioji Clan could still be hiding a high-captain-class Soul Reaper.

If the clan had someone like that, its status would have been far higher already.

...

At Squad Thirteen, Yoruichi arrived with new information from Kisuke Urahara.

Ukitake looked up in surprise.

"Yoruichi? What brings you here?"

"There is no time. I will explain quickly. Go to Squad One. Someone is going to target the Head Captain."

Ukitake stood immediately.

"What?"

"Go."

"Understood."

He used Shunpo and rushed toward Squad One.

Yoruichi vanished as well. She originally intended to find Soi Fon, only to discover that Soi Fon was not at Squad Two.

With no other option, she went herself.

...

Inside the Kasumioji estate, the Bakkoto workshop was hidden beneath a special barrier. The barrier had been modeled after seals connected to the royal family, making it difficult for ordinary Soul Reapers to break.

Kisuke Urahara had found it anyway.

His motivation was not entirely noble.

Recently, the Kasumioji Clan's monopoly on certain reishi materials had cut sharply into his income.

For a scientist, funding was life.

Cutting off his money was close enough to declaring war.

The generous and forgiving Kisuke Urahara therefore asked Yoruichi to kick the already falling Kasumioji Clan a few more times.

This particular kick required Shunsui Kyoraku.

Unable to find Soi Fon, Yoruichi went directly to Shunsui and asked him to break the barrier.

Once it was done, Shunsui sighed.

"Give me a break, would you? You could have asked someone else."

Yoruichi gave him a flat look.

"Ukitake is busy. Soi Fon is missing. You were available."

...

With the barrier broken, Ichigo, Senna, and Rukia fought their way upward.

At the top of the estate, they finally found Rurichiyo.

Kumoi stood beside her with a blade at her throat.

"Rurichiyo!"

Ichigo rushed in with Zangetsu in hand but stopped when he saw the blade.

Rukia tried to reason with Kumoi.

"Give up, Kumoi. You are surrounded. Even if you take Rurichiyo hostage, you cannot escape."

Kumoi did not move.

He seemed to be waiting for someone who could reverse the situation.

Then that person arrived.

Shusuke Amagai crashed through a window and landed between Kumoi and Ichigo's group.

Senna and Rukia immediately became alert.

If Kumoi had been waiting for anyone, it had to be Amagai.

Kumoi's face filled with cold sweat the moment he saw him. The blade in his hand lowered without his permission.

Rurichiyo seized the chance to run toward Ichigo.

Amagai blocked her path with his Zanpakuto.

Senna clapped slowly.

"Wonderful. Truly wonderful. Captain Amagai, are you planning to kill Kumoi and bury the truth with him?"

Ichigo did not move forward. Rurichiyo's life was still in Amagai's hands.

To his surprise, Amagai did not strike Rurichiyo.

Instead, he cut Kumoi down.

Kumoi collapsed before he could say anything useful.

Amagai put away his Zanpakuto, stepped forward, and collected the eye-like cores from the four special Bakkoto.

Then he looked at Ichigo and the others.

"Since you already suspected me, why continue acting with me?"

He glanced at the bound Rurichiyo and shook his head.

"I did not want to kill this girl. Unfortunately, she is the last legitimate heir of the Kasumioji Clan."

"What are you trying to do?" Ichigo asked.

Amagai did not answer.

He took the strip of paper pinned near his chest and threw it into the air.

Green light flared from it, blocking Ichigo's sight.

The light gathered behind Amagai and formed a temporary green passage.

Without another word, Amagai dragged Rurichiyo into it.

Ichigo's group stayed where they were, but a black shadow shot into the passage at the same moment.

Soi Fon.

She had been hiding for this exact moment.

When the light faded, Amagai and Rurichiyo were gone.

Rukia and Senna looked at the fallen paper, then exchanged a glance.

Rukia explained, "Ichigo, that was paper made with special Kido. It opens a temporary passage, and it also hides the user's reiatsu so they cannot be tracked."

Ichigo shook his head, confident.

"Wait a little. Soi Fon followed him. She will give us coordinates."

...

Amagai appeared in the captain's office of Squad One with Rurichiyo.

Yamamoto stood there, looking toward the sky.

Amagai faced him.

"Genryusai Yamamoto. I came to kill you."

Yamamoto turned.

"You came to kill me? Why?"

"For Shin'etsu Kisaragi. I came to avenge him."

The name struck Yamamoto like a bell.

Before he could answer, others arrived first.

Kenryu and Enryu.

No one could say how they had made it to the Squad One captain's office, but they had.

Kenryu released Benishidare and scattered pollen to obstruct Amagai's vision.

Caught off guard, Amagai's sight was briefly blocked.

"Now!"

Kenryu swung his Zanpakuto, and petals at the blade's tip became pink cutting edges that shot toward Amagai.

The attack resembled a poor man's Senbonzakura, but it still bought a moment.

Rurichiyo used that moment to run toward Kenryu.

Amagai swept the blades away and moved to seize her again.

Enryu acted before he could.

"Shake, Daichimaru."

A huge fist formed beside Enryu and slammed into the ground, launching an attack toward Amagai.

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