Rukia Kuchiki, shortly thereafter, traversed the Senkaimon and arrived in Karakura Town, officially commencing her purification duties in th
Rukia Kuchiki, shortly thereafter, traversed the Senkaimon and arrived in Karakura Town, officially commencing her purification duties in the Human World.
She found everything in the Human World utterly novel and fascinating. Each day, she ventured out alone, searching for stray Hollows or spirits, taking the opportunity to explore the diverse landscapes and scenery.
As a Shinigami, her body was entirely composed of spiritual particles, rendering her invisible to ordinary humans, granting her unimpeded access to any location.
One ordinary day, while casually strolling through Karakura Town, Rukia Kuchiki suddenly perceived the spiritual pressure fluctuations indicative of Hollow activity and immediately proceeded to the source.
Upon reaching her destination, Rukia Kuchiki witnessed a human boy with orange short hair and a young female spirit with brown twintails fleeing in the same direction, pursued by a large, insect-like Hollow.
"Hmm? This must be a coincidence," she mused to herself.
Ordinary humans, after all, should be unable to perceive Hollows or spirits. Therefore, Rukia Kuchiki reasoned that the fleeing boy had likely sensed danger instinctively, coincidentally aligning his escape route with that of the female spirit.
Seeing the Hollow endangering both a human and a lost spirit, Rukia Kuchiki, without hesitation, drew her Zanpakutō and charged forward.
With a nimble backflip, she cleared the Hollow's massive body, delivering a swift horizontal slash that cleanly severed its head. She landed gracefully before the human boy and the spirit.
Sheathing her Zanpakutō, Rukia Kuchiki turned her attention to the spirit, preparing to perform a Konsō to guide it to Soul Society.
"Hey, who are you?" The orange-haired boy spoke, his voice laced with curiosity and a hint of challenge.
Rukia Kuchiki ignored the boy, focusing on the spirit. She assumed the boy, who clearly couldn't see her, wasn't addressing her directly. She was focused on her duties.
"Hey, why aren't you answering me?!" the orange-haired boy exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration.
'Is this boy some kind of lunatic, talking to thin air?' Rukia Kuchiki thought to herself, a slight degree of bewilderment entering her mind. She was confused.
The boy was, in fact, Ichigo Kurosaki. His naturally high spiritual energy allowed him to clearly see Rukia Kuchiki, a Shinigami, and he was deeply dissatisfied with her dismissive attitude.
In a fit of anger, unleashing his signature kicking technique, Ichigo Kurosaki unexpectedly sent Rukia Kuchiki flying with a powerful kick. "You jerk, why aren't you answering me?!"
Though startled by the unexpected kick, Rukia Kuchiki wasn't overly concerned. Pointing at herself, she asked in astonishment, "You can see me?"
Ichigo Kurosaki scoffed. "Duh, someone's standing right here; how could I not see you?!" His tone was dismissive and slightly arrogant.
Thus, these two individuals, destined to cross paths, met. Unbeknownst to them, several pairs of eyes were watching their encounter. Their meeting was not accidental.
Later, during a Hollow attack, Rukia Kuchiki suffered an injury. To defeat the Hollow, she transferred her Shinigami powers to Ichigo Kurosaki, who possessed considerable latent spiritual power, temporarily losing her own abilities in the process. She had made a significant sacrifice.
Kisuke Urahara appeared opportunely, emerging from the shadows.
He then approached Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki, offering Rukia Kuchiki a modified Gigai (substitute body) of his own creation, allowing her to live as a human.
Upon entering the Gigai provided by Kisuke Urahara, the Hōgyoku concealed within the Gigai subtly integrated itself into Rukia Kuchiki's soul. It was a clandestine act.
Unknown to Rukia Kuchiki, this Gigai possessed a fatal flaw: it gradually depleted her spiritual energy, weakening her soul until it was indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human. It was a slow, insidious process.
Kisuke Urahara's timely appearance was no coincidence; he had chosen Rukia Kuchiki as his vessel for the Hōgyoku, intending to keep her permanently in the Human World. His plan was carefully orchestrated.
Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki were completely unaware of Kisuke Urahara's plan. Rukia Kuchiki, in fact, found the experience of living as a human quite enjoyable and intriguing. She embraced this new phase of her life.
She subsequently moved into Ichigo Kurosaki's home and enrolled in his school, befriending Uryū Ishida, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and others, forging new relationships.
Rukia Kuchiki's actions in awakening Ichigo Kurosaki's powers and transforming him into a Shinigami were a clear violation of Seireitei law. It was a serious transgression.
According to Seireitei law, the punishment for such a violation was the death penalty. It was a serious offense.
However, Rukia Kuchiki wasn't overly concerned. Firstly, the situation had been critical, leaving her little choice but to act decisively. The urgency of the situation justified her actions.
Secondly, this particular law was often overlooked; as long as no one pursued the matter, there would be no consequences. It was a commonly ignored rule.
What Rukia Kuchiki failed to anticipate, however, was the intense scrutiny she and Ichigo Kurosaki were now under, a scrutiny that would have far-reaching consequences.
Among those observing them with the keenest interest was Aizen, who had long coveted the Hōgyoku in Kisuke Urahara's possession. He was completely surprised by Kisuke Urahara's decision to conceal the Hōgyoku within Rukia Kuchiki.
However, concealing a foreign object within a soul was an extremely advanced technique, and Aizen currently lacked the means to directly extract the Hōgyoku from Rukia Kuchiki. He needed a different approach.
After considerable research, he discovered the simplest method: utilizing the Seireitei's Sōkyoku execution to completely dissolve Rukia Kuchiki's spiritual body, separating the Hōgyoku from her soul. It was a ruthless plan.
Coincidentally, the crime of awakening a human's Shinigami powers was punishable by the Seireitei's ultimate punishment: the Sōkyoku execution! A cruel twist of fate.
To obtain the Hōgyoku, Aizen instructed his subordinates to report Rukia Kuchiki's actions to Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai. Upon learning of the situation, Yamamoto Genryūsai immediately convened a meeting of all the captains to discuss Rukia Kuchiki's punishment.
Within the Captain's meeting hall, all the captains except Yusuke, who was still in the Human World, were assembled. However, the atmosphere was far less serious than usual Captain's meetings.
In the captains' view, Rukia Kuchiki's actions were indeed a violation of regulations, but the resulting harm was negligible, hardly a significant matter. It was a minor infraction.
The issue had simply been escalated to the Captain-Commander, necessitating a formal response. A formality.
The Seireitei's original prohibition against arbitrarily awakening human Shinigami powers in the Human World was intended to maintain the balance of souls among the three realms—Soul Society, the Human World, and Hueco Mundo. The corresponding punishment for this crime was severe: the Sōkyoku execution.
However, to actually disrupt the balance of the three realms would require the large-scale awakening of humans into Shinigami. Rukia Kuchiki's action of awakening only one human had a negligible impact. It was a minor infraction.
Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia Kuchiki's older brother and a devoted older brother, wore a serious expression, prepared to argue his case forcefully. He was determined to protect his beloved younger sister.
"All captains are aware of the purpose of this meeting. Fourth Seat Rukia Kuchiki of the Thirteenth Division violated regulations by awakening a human's Shinigami powers in the Human World. What are your thoughts?" Yamamoto Genryūsai inquired slowly, his tone measured.
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