"My name is Su Xiuyu. I came after receiving a distress call from Arisawa Tatsuki. You were attacked—can you recall what happened?"
Inoue Orihime's mind was a blur, but after Su Xiuyu repeated himself, clarity slowly returned.
"Thank you… Is Tatsuki okay?" Orihime asked, her voice trembling as she looked around.
"She's fine," Su Xiuyu replied calmly. "Your house, however... not so much. It's practically half-demolished. You might not be able to stay here for a while."
He glanced at the surrounding debris, the aftermath of the Hollow's rampage. Though the creature had seemed slightly different from ordinary Hollows, it wasn't strong enough to leave an impression on him.
Orihime spotted Tatsuki lying unconscious nearby and ran to her, embracing her tightly as she called out her name over and over.
Thanks to Su Xiuyu's healing, Tatsuki's injuries were stable, but mental trauma—that would take longer to heal.
"…Orihime? Are we still alive?"
"We're alive," Orihime said, relieved. "Su Xiuyu saved us. Did you manage to contact him?"
"I barely had time. I just opened Line and hit send. Honestly, I didn't think he'd show up."
When the two girls looked around to thank him, they realized Su Xiuyu had already left. Quietly, without a word.
He had no more business here—his job was done, and there was no need to linger around two high school girls.
"Su Xiuyu's gone," Orihime murmured, still replaying his face in her mind.
"Should we… call the police now?" Tatsuki asked, scanning the wreckage.
"Is your place insured?" she added, shifting to practical concerns.
"I think so. I buy accident insurance every year—just in case of earthquakes," Orihime replied, still dazed.
"Good. Otherwise, repairs would be expensive."
As they discussed the damage, Rukia and Ichigo finally arrived near the scene, both in their spirit forms.
"Rukia, are you sure a powerful Hollow was nearby? I can't sense anything. But this is Orihime's neighborhood, and I'm getting worried."
Even though Ichigo barely knew Orihime, she was still a classmate—and he couldn't just ignore the possibility of danger.
"Well, whose fault is it we're late? You were in the bathroom forever! What if something had happened? Would you live with that guilt?"
"My stomach was killing me! I didn't have a choice!" Ichigo retorted, exasperated.
Rukia frowned, scanning the scene. "We're close, but… the spiritual pressure is gone. Either the Hollow escaped, or someone already took care of it."
When they arrived at the wrecked apartment, Ichigo recognized the building immediately.
"Orihime's house... And there's Arisawa Tatsuki. They look okay, just a little dirty."
"Where's the Hollow, Rukia?"
"Don't ask me," Rukia said, kneeling and touching the ground. "There are residual spirit particles in the air. Someone already dealt with it."
Her expression darkened.
"And judging by the energy left behind, I'd say it was another Shinigami. No doubt about it—the Hollow was obliterated."
Ichigo frowned. "Another Shinigami?"
Rukia's gaze flicked toward Orihime. "And that mark on her—it matches her brother's spirit signature. That Hollow… it was her brother. Luckily, he didn't get the chance to kill her."
Ichigo looked solemn. "So… it's over, then? Everything's okay?"
He yawned. "It's late. Can we go home and sleep now?"
"You idiot!" Rukia shouted, bonking him on the head.
"A Shinigami showed up! Do you even understand how strange that is?"
"So what?" Ichigo rubbed his head.
"I told you before—a town like this usually only has one Shinigami. Hollows here aren't strong or numerous enough to need more. I lose my powers for a few days, and suddenly we've got a new guy in town? That's not normal!"
"Okay, okay… but still, why stress about it?"
Rukia stared at him, frustrated. He had no idea the risk she took by giving him her powers. No idea that what she did was a serious crime in Soul Society.
"Forget it," she huffed. "Let's just go find this mystery Shinigami and figure out what's going on."
"Ugh. More running around?" Ichigo groaned. "Fine, let's go already."
With no choice, Ichigo followed Rukia as they began tracking the unknown Shinigami. Luckily, their target wasn't trying to hide, and traces of spirit energy led them steadily forward.
The area grew quieter, more desolate, until finally—
"You two looking for me?"
Su Xiuyu stood atop a streetlight, calmly peering down at them. The moon cast long shadows, and the atmosphere tensed.
Ichigo squinted. "Hey… I've seen you before. At the school gate…"
Rukia's posture stiffened. The man's presence was... too composed. Too confident. He wasn't just a normal Shinigami.
"Did you deal with the Hollow near Orihime's house?" she asked.
"I did," Su Xiuyu answered simply.
"Are you… a Shinigami?" Ichigo asked the question Rukia had been holding back.
"I guess so," Su Xiuyu shrugged. "I became one recently."
"Was the Hollow powerful?"
"Not really," Su Xiuyu replied, unfazed.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty confident."
Most Hollows he'd fought were weak, sure. But some had been serious threats. Su Xiuyu didn't look much older than him—so how did he handle it so easily?
"You wanna spar sometime?" Ichigo asked suddenly.
Rukia blinked. "What?"
"I mean, since we've met a real Shinigami, might as well compare strength. I want to know where I stand."
Su Xiuyu chuckled, eyes narrowing in amusement. He hadn't expected Ichigo to challenge him.
"That's bold," he said. "You sure?"
"What's there to be unsure about?" Ichigo said, cracking his knuckles. "We'll keep it friendly. No killing."
-------------
"Ichigo, be careful," Rukia warned, her tone unusually serious. "I can't read his strength at all. That spiritual pressure… it's suppressed. He might be hiding his real power."
She stared at Su Xiuyu with narrowed eyes. As a member of the prestigious Kuchiki clan, Rukia was confident she knew every Shinigami in Soul Society. But Su Xiuyu? She'd never seen him before—and someone with a presence like his, she'd never forget.
The concept of a 'wild' Shinigami was baffling. How had someone outside the system become so powerful?
"We should change locations, right?" Ichigo glanced around, trying to assess the battlefield.
"No need," Su Xiuyu replied bluntly. "Honestly, this will be over in an instant. The setting doesn't matter."
Ichigo blinked, momentarily stunned by the casual arrogance.
He wasn't offended, though. As a brand-new Shinigami, Ichigo knew his place. His opponent's lack of manners didn't feel insulting—just factual.
"I guess that's fine," Ichigo muttered, steadying his stance. "Let's start."
Su Xiuyu jumped down from the streetlight, landing without ceremony. He didn't bother using Shunpo or even drawing a weapon. Agreeing to spar with Ichigo at all was more than generous in his eyes.
"Here I come!" Ichigo shouted, charging forward with a full-force slash.
But Su Xiuyu didn't even flinch. He caught Ichigo's blade between two fingers.
No matter how much Ichigo pushed or twisted, he couldn't move the sword an inch.
The fight ended in a single move—utterly one-sided.
Even Ichigo, always the optimist, felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. This wasn't just a loss. It was a reminder of the vast chasm between him and true strength.
"Ichigo, give it up. You're too green. But it's fine—you're still young. You've got time to grow."
With a snap of his fingers, Su Xiuyu shattered Ichigo's blade. The blade flew from his grip and landed in the nearby sand, humming with residual energy.
Su Xiuyu, who stood a head taller than Ichigo, patted him on the shoulder.
"Drink more milk. Sleep more. You've got room to grow, so don't stress."
With that, he leapt back onto the streetlamp, disappearing into the night without another word.
Ichigo stared at the broken sword in silence. He had expected defeat, but not like this. The whole spar had felt... anticlimactic.
"Don't take it too hard," Rukia said gently. "You've only been a Shinigami for a few days. What he said wasn't wrong."
Ichigo wasn't brooding. If anything, he was contemplative.
"Rukia… where do I stand, in terms of strength?"
"You're talented," she said sincerely. "Some recruits in the Gotei 13 weren't even as strong as you at the start. But you're still nowhere near those who've trained for centuries."
Even Rukia couldn't pretend she could beat Su Xiuyu. All she could offer Ichigo now was reassurance.
"Actually," she added, "this is a good time to teach you about Soul Society's structure."
"There are thirteen divisions. They protect the Seireitei and maintain order. Each is led by a captain—some of the strongest Shinigami in existence…"
Rukia continued her lesson, hoping the information would give Ichigo some sense of orientation.
But Ichigo didn't notice her expression—the slight frown, the flicker of fear.
Her body still hadn't recovered. Her powers were gone, drained into Ichigo. And they weren't returning.
She hadn't been back to Soul Society in some time. She didn't know how long she could hide her condition—or her crime.
Transferring her powers to a human was one of the most severe violations in Soul Society law.
If she was discovered, the punishment would be death.
She couldn't even reach out to her brother, Byakuya. He would never forgive her for this. The Kuchiki clan, proud among the four noble families, had always been strict enforcers of law and tradition.
If Byakuya found out… he might kill her himself.
---
The next day, Orihime Inoue and Tatsuki Arisawa went to school as usual. Though they couldn't remember exactly what attacked them, they clearly remembered who had saved them.
Su Xiuyu.
Until their home was repaired and insurance processed, Orihime stayed at Tatsuki's place.
Out of gratitude, Tatsuki messaged Su Xiuyu via Line and invited him to dinner. He declined politely—he had no time to play house with two curious high schoolers.
But fate had other plans.
While shopping for groceries, they ran into a wooden clone of Su Xiuyu.
The real Su Xiuyu, meanwhile, was immersed in something far more profound—experimenting with the idea of casting ninjutsu using spiritual energy.
If it worked, Kido would become secondary. Compared to Kido, the depth and variety of ninjutsu was staggering.
True, most ninjutsu weren't as purely destructive as Hado #90—but many were just as effective in combat.
If chakra could be used to release spells in the Marvel Universe, there was no reason spiritual power couldn't be used the same way in the world of the dead.
As for his bloodline abilities? They remained unaffected.
Even in his spirit form, Su Xiuyu could access Mangekyō powers... and even the Rinnegan.
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