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Beside Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions stood a new arrival—Shiba Ganju, the younger brother of Shiba Kūkaku. After an overly enthusiastic "exchange" between him and Ichigo, the two "enemies" bonded through their clumsy brawling, their antics shaking the room with laughter and irritation in equal measure.
Soon after, KĹ«kaku led Ichigo and the others to a massive platform outside. From beneath the earth, the colossal structure of the Fireworks Stand rose with a thunderous rumble, unfolding until a giant cannon pointed into the sky. The group stared in awe, their faces pale with disbelief at the sheer scale of it.
"This," KĹ«kaku said proudly, her pipe balanced in her prosthetic hand, "is the masterpiece of the Shiba family."
"Flower Crane Cannon!" Ganju shouted prematurely.
A swift kick to the ribs sent him sprawling. "Who told you to say it before me?" KĹ«kaku snapped.
Ishida Uryū adjusted his glasses with a calm frown. "Pyrotechnics? Isn't this a little childish? Surely you don't intend to launch us into Seireitei with this contraption?"
"Boom!"
A small transparent sphere smacked into Ishida's face, hurled expertly by KĹ«kaku. "This is the spirit bead core," she explained coolly. "A hardened spirit wall generator. Once infused with reiryoku, it forms an unbreakable shield. When I fire you into Seireitei with the Crane Cannon, these cores will be the only things protecting you as you break through the Sekkiseki defenses."
Ichigo, Uryū, Orihime, and Chad examined the orbs, attempting to channel their power, but nothing responded.
KĹ«kaku arched a brow.
"They can't control it well," Yoruichi said from her black cat form. "Ichigo only recently became a Shinigami, and his spiritual control is crude at best."
KĹ«kaku exhaled sharply, covering her face with her hand. "Yoruichi, you're serious? You expect me to launch these brats into Seireitei to take on captains? Have you lost your mind?"
"There's no other way," Yoruichi replied evenly, licking her paw before speaking with a sudden severity. "Listen carefully, all of you. Once inside Seireitei, if you encounter a captain, you either flee immediately or surrender. Do not think you can resist. You saw what happened at Baidaomon—that was only a fraction of a captain's power."
"I… I have a question." Orihime raised her hand timidly. "I heard from Kurosaki and Ishida that the handsome man we met—the one who helped earlier—he's Rukia's brother, isn't he? He's a captain too. Can't he help us?"
The "handsome man" she meant was, of course, Shiraha.
Yoruichi leapt onto Orihime's head and rapped it with her paw. "Idiot girl! Don't even think about it. If you run into him, you'll die."
Orihime yelped, rubbing her head.
"Shiraha is a rare prodigy," Yoruichi continued, her voice calm but carrying weight. "A Shinigami the Soul Society sees once in a thousand years. Captain-Commander Yamamoto himself named him the successor candidate. He is Kuchiki Byakuya's younger brother, heir to the most powerful noble house, and the youngest captain in history—graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy in a single month. A genius without equal."
The room fell silent as her words sank in.
Even Kūkaku's eyes narrowed with a flicker of surprise. "So it's true… Kuchiki Shiraha. I've heard his name even out here in Rukongai."
"None of your business!" KĹ«kaku snapped, knocking Ganju flat with a punch before he could press further.
Orihime, still rubbing her head, frowned. "But if Rukia's brother is that powerful… why hasn't he saved her himself?"
Yoruichi's gaze darkened. "Because he is a Kuchiki. And the Kuchiki are the head of the Four Great Noble Houses. They are the living embodiment of law and order. For a Kuchiki to defy Soul Society's rules would destroy their clan's standing. To them, duty comes before blood."
The words baffled Ichigo and the others. As outsiders, they could not grasp the weight carried by noble duty.
Ichigo clenched his fists. "Then I'll save her. If her brother won't move, I will."
"Idiot! If you hadn't been so reckless, we wouldn't even be in this mess," Ishida snapped.
"What did you say, bastard?!"
"You heard me, fool!"
In moments, Ichigo and Uryū were brawling again.
"These idiots…" Yoruichi muttered in exasperation. Orihime and Chad rushed in to separate them, but the scuffle only grew louder.
Ganju, meanwhile, muttered to himself, his face darkening. "So… the girl they're risking their lives for is Rukia Kuchiki? The one tied to… that incident…"
"Enough," KĹ«kaku cut him off, tossing him a spirit core. "Teach these fools how to use it. I have words for Yoruichi."
Ganju swallowed whatever else he had been about to say and obeyed, leading Ichigo and the others into another room for training.
Left alone with Yoruichi, Kūkaku lit her pipe again, her eyes shadowed with something deeper than anger. Smoke curled slowly from her lips as she spoke. "You know the truth, Yoruichi. Rukia Kuchiki killed Kaien. She returned his body to us… and nothing else."
Her voice carried both weight and bitterness.
Yoruichi's tone was gentle but firm. "KĹ«kaku. You know as well as I do, Kaien's death wasn't her fault. He was consumed by the Hollow that killed his wife. To protect his honor, he forced Rukia to strike the final blow. He chose that end himself."
Kūkaku's eyes softened, though her smile was bitter. "I've heard the story from Captain Ukitake a hundred times. I know Rukia wasn't to blame. Still… I only want to hear her say the words 'I'm sorry.' That's all I ask."
She exhaled another slow plume of smoke. "If she can do that, I'll let it go."
Yoruichi's gaze met hers steadily. "Then when Rukia is saved, you'll have that chance."
KĹ«kaku said nothing more. She only nodded once, her expression lost between sorrow and steel.
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