Just as Unohana was sighing, Uehara Shiroha's figure suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, he had already arrived in front of her, the ice blade in his hand piercing through her chest.
"How did you become so strong with your Zanpakutō?" Unohana Retsu looked down at the ice blade in her chest, still not planning to surrender.
She wanted to resist, but the countless Zanpakutō floating in the sky completely suppressed her power. In the face of this god-like ability, her Reiatsu, murderous aura, and will were all rendered powerless.
Only now did Unohana Retsu understand the feeling she'd had from the beginning. In duels between master swordsmen, one could feel the opponent's thoughts through their Reiatsu. When fighting with Uehara Shiroha, the emotion she sensed was pure calm. He seemed not to be fighting at all, but rather on a casual outing or a relaxed hunting trip.
Before, Unohana had been confused—why was he so confident? After all, in close combat, she feared no one and could threaten anyone. However, it was now proven that Uehara Shiroha had nothing to fear. His slashing technique was terrifying, displaying a kind of impeccable, flawless strength.
The Zanpakutō arsenal in the sky was the most powerful foundation anyone could possess.
She had lost her first battle after a thousand years. This time, she had lost more thoroughly, more quickly, and more helplessly than ever before.
She simply wondered how her opponent could be so overwhelmingly strong. This ability that surpassed Shinigami limits was definitely not something that could be explained by mere talent.
Uehara Shiroha released the ice sword and said calmly: "There is no woman in my heart who draws the sword naturally."
As his arm retreated, the ice sword quickly melted and disappeared. However, a lingering force of ice remained around the wound, freezing the blood. Because of this, Unohana Retsu did not collapse from her injury.
"Commander Uehara, are you still in need of a woman?" Unohana Retsu noticed that the place where the ice sword had struck was exactly where Kenpachi Zaraki had wounded her long ago. Only now, the old scar was covered by a fresh one. Her once unshakable faith and the meaning behind her old wounds began to waver.
"I just have women around me. That doesn't mean I have women in my heart." Uehara Shiroha had a clear mind. As the saying went, good women should not be let down, and bad women should not be wasted. He was simply enjoying life.
Before the two parted, Unohana Retsu left him with one sentence: "I will find you again!"
…
At the same time, in Karakura Town, Urahara Kisuke was making final preparations.
He first arranged a retreat plan for Kurosaki Ichigo, then made some special arrangements around the area where Uehara Shiroha would be positioned.
Ishida Ryūken, who stood nearby, was puzzled and asked with confusion: "Do we really have to go to this extent? Is it necessary?"
"Shiroha is very strong—there's no doubt about that. But regardless, one person alone cannot affect the outcome of the war. Moreover, Shiroha should be on the side of the Shinigami. There's no reason for him to sit back and watch Aizen fuse with the Hōgyoku and complete his final Hollowfication."
In Ryūken's opinion, Urahara Kisuke was being overly cautious. If he wasn't worried about his son Uryū's safety, he wouldn't even be helping.
Urahara Kisuke shook his head helplessly and replied: "Although I don't want to say this, the outcome of this war isn't decided by us. It's Ichigo Kurosaki and Uehara Shiroha who will determine everything."
On the surface, this was a battle between Shinigami and Arrancar. In reality, it was only a battle between the Shinigami and Aizen. However, these were just the first two levels.
The third level was the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and the Hōgyoku. Among all available combat forces, only that extraordinary boy had any real possibility of defeating Aizen after he fused with the Hōgyoku.
Anyone with interest could see the first two levels. But very few people knew about the third level. Ichigo Kurosaki's potential was just a theory, not a confirmed fact. Only Aizen and Urahara had taken this variable into consideration. Aizen had even deliberately stimulated Ichigo's potential, obviously planning something specific.
But there were yet more layers to this conflict—a fourth level involving Uehara Shiroha and the Zero Squad. The Zero Squad was hiding something or had other plans. For the time being, they wouldn't be a threat, but potentially a help.
Uehara Shiroha was the real complication. This man didn't openly participate in the fight between any parties on the surface. Yet all of their plans had to revolve around him. Uehara Shiroha was the biggest variable.
Shiba Isshin, who had not fully recovered his Shinigami powers, looked confused. "Really? I think Commander Uehara is a decent person!"
Even after all this time, he still had a very deep impression of Uehara Shiroha. After all, that Zanpakutō that seemed able to freeze the world was truly amazing. But apparently, this wasn't even the full extent of Uehara Shiroha's strength—it might not even be his true Zanpakutō ability. After learning this information, Shiba Isshin was quite surprised.
Considering the relationship between Uehara and Rukia, though, Isshin felt that Uehara Shiroha couldn't be a bad person. After all, his son seemed to have received guidance from him. How could someone who helped his son be a bad person?
Looking at the somewhat puzzled expressions of Ishida Ryūken and Shiba Isshin, Urahara Kisuke felt a bit helpless. One of them underestimated Uehara Shiroha's strength, while the other underestimated his destructive potential.
He explained with resignation: "Uehara Shiroha is a destroyer. He has no respect for concepts of bloodline or rank. Even the Soul King isn't taken seriously by him. If the rules are in his favor, he won't take action. If the rules aren't in his favor, he won't bother changing them—he'll directly eliminate whoever made those rules. The most terrifying thing is that he has unparalleled strength. That is Uehara Shiroha."
In fact, compared to Aizen, Uehara Shiroha was far more terrifying. After all, Aizen at least recognized the existence of the Soul King. The throne of God that Aizen pursued was where the Soul King should rightfully sit.
But these matters were meaningless to Uehara Shiroha. This man had no special interest in the Soul King or the throne, and he wouldn't actively pursue power. However, if whoever sat on that throne dared to act against him, they would definitely be removed by Uehara Shiroha—chair and all.
All Urahara Kisuke wanted now was to minimize casualties and reduce variables. As long as he still aimed to maintain the overall balance, he couldn't ignore Uehara Shiroha. After all, to some extent, this man was the balance itself.
If Aizen was provoked, he wouldn't destroy the world outright. But if Uehara Shiroha was antagonized, the end of the world might arrive sooner than anyone expected.
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