Chapter 41

After hearing that, Ichigo finally relaxed. As long as Byakuya and Renji weren't around, there was no risk of being exposed.

"Don't worry. I sent my vice-captain, Kotetsu Isane, out on an errand. You'll temporarily fill in for her. No one will question it," Unohana reassured him.

With things said so clearly, Ichigo had no reason to refuse. "Alright. I'll be in your care then, Retsu-neesan."

"Come with me," Retsu said with a gentle smile and led Ichigo in the direction of Squad One.

On the other side, Byakuya and Renji were escorting Rukia, who was bound by red threads, toward the Senzaikyū.

Throughout the journey, Byakuya kept his eyes closed and remained silent.

Rukia had no intention of speaking to them either, which made Renji extremely uncomfortable.

Byakuya treated everything with a purely businesslike attitude. He didn't even glance at Rukia and instructed Renji to send her into the Senzaikyū while he went to handle the formalities.

Seeing Rukia so downcast, and with no one else around, Renji couldn't help but say, "Last night, some intruders came into the Seireitei! Among them were a short-haired woman and an orange-haired woman. There are also a few others still hiding—they haven't been discovered yet!"

After speaking, Renji didn't wait to see Rukia's reaction. He turned around and walked away.

Rukia was stunned. Ichigo… you came to rescue me?

She pressed her face to the narrow gaps in the Senzaikyū doors, trying to see beyond. But all she could glimpse was Sokyoku Hill. Nothing else was visible.

Still, her heart sank into despair once again. No one knew better than her just how powerful the Soul Society—and the Gotei 13—really were.

"So boring," Ichigo muttered as he and Unohana walked along the long path toward Squad One.

"Retsu-neesan, do you always walk this far when going to Squad One?" Ichigo asked curiously.

Unohana gave him a look like he was an idiot. "Of course not. I use shunpo."

"Then why aren't we using it now?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"To help you learn the layout. Honestly, Ichigo, you're so slow," Unohana said with a sigh.

"Uh…" Ichigo was at a loss for words and could only fall silent.

They hadn't walked much further when a sudden scream rang out!

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Unohana's eyes sharpened. "That's the voice of Hinamori Momo, vice-captain of Squad Five. Something's happened. Let's go!"

Ichigo nodded, and the two of them used shunpo, racing toward the source of the scream.

When they arrived, they found a crowd gathered in front of a building.

A young girl, face full of tears, was pointing at a fox-faced man not far away and shouting, "It's you! It must be you!"

Then, she drew her zanpakutō and charged at the fox-like man.

Ichigo had no idea what was going on and turned to Unohana in confusion.

Unohana calmly explained who the people present were, but Ichigo still didn't understand.

"What's wrong with Vice-Captain Hinamori? Why is she attacking a captain?"

Unohana frowned slightly. "Let's watch for now."

However, Hinamori's blade didn't reach Gin Ichimaru.

"Hinamori! What are you doing?!" cried Kira Izuru, vice-captain of Squad Three, who quickly drew his sword and blocked Hinamori's attack.

"It's him! He killed Captain Aizen!" Hinamori's reason was consumed by hatred. Seeing her attack blocked only made her hatred for Gin burn stronger.

"What are you talking about?" Izuru was stunned. Why was his friend attacking their captain like a madwoman?

"Oh? This is getting interesting," Gin said, completely unbothered, with that ever-infuriating smile on his face.

Seeing his expression only pushed Hinamori further into madness.

"Bloom, Tobiume!"

To everyone's shock, Hinamori released her zanpakutō right there in the middle of the Seireitei!

"Hinamori, are you crazy?! Releasing your zanpakutō in the Seireitei is a serious crime!" Matsumoto Rangiku, vice-captain of Squad Ten, shouted in alarm.

But Hinamori no longer cared. She swung her zanpakutō, launching fireball-like attacks at Gin and Izuru.

Gin still didn't make a move, but Izuru also released his zanpakutō to block Hinamori's attacks and tried to push back.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky!

Boom!

The newcomer stomped on Hinamori's zanpakutō and simultaneously blocked Izuru's attack with his own sword. The white haori on his back bore a shining number ten.

"Enough! How long are you planning to keep this up? Take them both away!" shouted Hitsugaya Tōshirō, the captain of Squad Ten.

Hisagi Shūhei and Rangiku rushed forward to restrain Izuru and Hinamori.

The crowd remained in place, all of them staring at the wall opposite.

Ichigo, confused, turned to Unohana and asked, "Retsu-neesan, I've been wondering… Why are they all staring at that sword stuck in the wall? What's so special about it?"

Unohana's expression froze. "Ichigo… Are you sure all you see is a sword?"

"Yeah, just a sword. What else would be there?" Ichigo rubbed his eyes and looked again.

Yep, still just a sword.

Unohana fell silent. In her eyes, what was pinned to that wall… was Aizen Sōsuke's corpse.

In that instant, Unohana sensed a dark conspiracy.

It was obvious now—everyone except Ichigo was seeing the same thing.

Aizen would have never imagined Ichigo would appear at the site of his fake death!

What once seemed like a flawless plan now had a massive flaw—Ichigo's presence.

"Listen carefully, Ichigo. Don't tell anyone what you just told me. If anyone asks what you saw, say you saw a corpse," Unohana instructed seriously.

Sensing the danger, Ichigo nodded immediately. "Got it, Retsu-neesan."

"Come on, let's go take a closer look," Unohana said after making sure he understood.

"Yeah." Ichigo quickly followed her.

As they walked over, they saw Hitsugaya glaring at Gin with deep suspicion.

Clearly, he also considered Gin the prime suspect.

(End of Chapter)

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