No one had expected it — that Kisaragi Kinue, who'd once been exposed as an undercover agent and subsequently captured by Kumo'i Yōkaku, only to have his mind corroded by a Bakuyō Blade — was still alive.
Or perhaps, the very fact that he had once entered the First Division, been chosen by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and embedded within the Kamoji as a spy — spoke enough of his natural talent.
As his son, Kisaragi Shūsuke had always looked up to his father. Idolized him.
But now…
Why?
Why had his father become… this?
"It's me! Shūsuke! Father!"
His voice wavered — helpless, desperate.
Perhaps it was that lingering father-son bond that had drawn Kisaragi Kinue here, away from the more prominent targets — away from official Shinigami — and straight to this place.
But he no longer possessed reason. And the Bakuyō Blade in his hand… showed no hesitation.
"Shūsuke!"
Seeing Shūsuke frozen, eyes wide, unable to move — the first and only person to have shown him kindness since entering Seireitei — Ichimaru Gin moved on pure instinct.
In that moment, he achieved what would take most Shinigami decades, even centuries.
Resonance.
"Shoot to kill — Shinso!"
With a whisper, the blade elongated — silver light streaked through the air and collided against the Bakuyō Blade poised above Shūsuke's head, knocking Kisaragi Kinue high into the air.
FWOOSH—
Gin staggered, vision swimming. The surge of reiatsu that had poured into his zanpakutō left his body momentarily numb.
"Why…?"
Shūsuke stared up at the sky, disbelief etched into every line of his face.
If Gin hadn't interfered just now…
He might have been killed by his own father.
The man he admired most in the world.
"We have to go, Shūsuke. We can't win against him."
Gin's voice was urgent.
That strike had only worked because it caught Kisaragi off-guard.
Right now, neither of them — not even together — stood a chance.
Even if the enemy was Shūsuke's father.
BOOM!
A searing beam of energy grazed Gin's hair, and the road ahead exploded into a smoldering crater.
Cero.
Gin knew that power all too well.
Why… would a Shinigami have Hollow abilities?!
But this was no time for questions.
He couldn't afford to die here!
In a flash, Gin turned back, raising his zanpakutō once more.
"Shoot to kill!"
The blade launched forward, dragging a gleaming arc across the sky.
But this time, Kisaragi Kinue was ready.
Even though Gin was a once-in-a-century prodigy, he had only just bonded with his Asauchi — not even a full-fledged Shinigami yet.
Their difference in spiritual pressure was still a chasm.
"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen!"
Pure muscle memory alone summoned a reishi shield — the attack deflected harmlessly.
And then, from above — Kisaragi Kinue fell like a meteor, blade-first toward the frozen Shūsuke.
That's when Shūsuke understood.
This man was no longer his father.
He was an enemy.
"O lordly one! Mask of blood and flesh! All creation, fluttering wings, that which bears man's name! Incandescence…"
Shūsuke began chanting the full incantation for Hadō #31: Shakkahō — the most powerful kidō he'd learned, thanks to private tutoring at home long before entering the Academy.
But reality wasn't an anime.
No opponent gives you time for a full chant mid-battle.
And Shūsuke's incantation speed… was slow.
That overwhelming blade of black despair — the Bakuyō Blade — was already closing in.
Only half the incantation had left his lips.
"Shoot to kill, Shinso!"
From afar, Gin attacked again — a desperate bid to buy time.
But it was no use.
Kisaragi's reishi shield remained untouched.
Am I going to die...? Killed by my own father...?
Shūsuke's eyes went wide.
He thought — just for a second — that he saw tears, trailing beneath his father's lifeless eyes.
So… you didn't want this either, huh?
A broken smile twisted Shūsuke's lips.
He stopped chanting.
But then — a surge of crackling lightning split the air.
"Didn't your teachers ever tell you…"
A single finger appeared in Shūsuke's vision, glowing faintly.
It tapped to the left — and the once-impenetrable Enkōsen popped like a soap bubble.
"…students shouldn't sneak out at night?"
A tall figure stepped into view.
Short black hair. Black shihakushō.
And in his hand — a deep green zanpakutō gleamed like emerald under the moon.
"Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!"
The flickering lightning transformed into rods of white ice — as dozens of glowing bars slammed into Kisaragi Kinue's body, pinning him mid-air.
The Bakuyō Blade, inches from Shūsuke's throat, stopped.
"Sh-Shinigami-sama…"
Shūsuke stared at the man who had saved him.
Farther away, Gin's heart pounded.
He recognized this Shinigami.
Ten years ago, this was the man who had saved Matsumoto Rangiku.
The Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division.
Higashi Shuuichi.
"Bones of beasts scattered wide. Tower. Crimson crystal. Wheel of steel…"
Facing the restrained Kisaragi, Shuuichi began a Hadō incantation — deliberately loud, deliberately slow.
Predictably—
"No! Please, Shinigami-sama! That's my father!"
Shūsuke rushed forward, arms outstretched.
"He was a member of the First Division! If he became like this, it must've been against his will! Please… save him!"
"Your father…?"
Shuuichi's voice wavered — bitter.
But truthfully, he had already known.
His Reishi constructs had detected the situation moments earlier.
And comparing it to the original timeline, Shuuichi had a guess:
This Kisaragi Shūsuke… might very well be the one who would eventually adopt a new name and rise through the ranks — becoming Captain Amagai Shūsuke of the Third Division, driven by revenge.
Coincidentally, Shuuichi needed someone like that.
A loyal tool to help maintain and wield Raika — his Bakuyō Blade.
He could've intervened earlier.
Could've saved Shūsuke when Gin first used Shinso.
But no.
He waited.
Waited until both Gin and Shūsuke were at their limits.
And then made his entrance.
The payoff?
Gin and Shūsuke were visibly relieved and looked at him with gratefulness.
All according to plan.