Nine-Tails grumbled as it continued complaining, but Yoruichi Shihōin remained hidden, vanishing from its senses.
Ichigo Kurosaki struggled to get up, but the small fox had a surprisingly heavy weight, pinning him down to the ground.
The Shiba siblings, Kūkaku and Ganju, stood still, not daring to intervene. They knew this fox was even stronger than their older brother.
Fortunately, this tornt of being pinned down didn't last long. Just as promised, before dinner, Naruto appeared.
His golden figure flashed into view with Shunpo.
Nine-Tails was startled. As the one most familiar with Naruto, it could tell by his unchanged spiritual pressure that this was rely a Shadow Clone.
"Hiding at the Shiba residence, huh?" Naruto picked up Nine-Tails and placed it on his shoulder. "How does it feel to et your blood relatives?"
Ichigo flipped upright into a sitting position. "It's surprising. I didn't expect to have relatives in the Soul Society."
And more shockingly, these relatives were part of the nobility.
"Didn't I tell you not to co to the Soul Society? Why did you still co?" Naruto shook his head. "And why so recklessly? You already knew I was a Shinigami. Wouldn't it have been better to contact beforehand if you wanted to co?"
Ichigo lowered his head in embarrassnt.
Nine-Tails repeated what had been said earlier.
"The Onmitsukidō claid that Central 46 is going to execute Rukia?" Naruto frowned.
Ichigo looked up. "Uncle Naruto, is that true?"
"False," Naruto imdiately denied.
Ichigo was taken aback.
"For so special reasons, the 2nd Division Captain has been in my office," Naruto continued with a smile. "I never heard her ntion any such order."
"And to execute a noble..."
"Unless the Kuchiki Clan permits it, Central 46 wouldn't dare do sothing like that."
Ichigo was about to say more when Naruto interrupted with a wave of his hand.
"Was it Kisuke Urahara who helped you get here?"
Ichigo nodded.
Nine-Tails chid in, "I could sll Yoruichi's scent. But she's avoiding , vanished sowhere."
Naruto frowned deeply.
Even though these actions went against intuition, considering they were orchestrated by Urahara and Yoruichi, and given the odd behavior of the Onmitsukidō, it seed they believed the human world wasn't safe and had decided that bringing Ichigo to the Soul Society under Naruto's protection would be safer.
As for avoiding detection... maybe they didn't want to notify Seireitei, or perhaps they were worried about being manipulated by Aizen if they showed up.
"Tell in detail about the incident with the Onmitsukidō," Naruto asked, gesturing for Ichigo to continue.
Ichigo then recounted everything, from Rukia's departure, the strange events that followed, his friends awakening mysterious powers, the confrontation with the Onmitsukidō on the school rooftop, and the black tear in the sky that the attacker used to escape.
"A black tear in the sky?" Ganju exclaid.
Ichigo turned to him. "What's wrong?"
"That's not a Shinigami technique," Ganju frowned.
Naruto explained, "Normally, Shinigami use Senkaimon to travel between the living world and the Soul Society."
"What you're describing..."
"Sounds like a Garganta, which is a power used by Hollows."
Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. "I think Rukia ntioned that before."
"If it's Hollow power, then there's no doubt it's soone tampering with things behind the scenes," Naruto confird his suspicions. "You should stay in the Soul Society for the ti being."
"Your friends can stay too."
Ichigo looked puzzled. "?"
"Why would soone target ?"
"I'm just a high school student, even if I am a Substitute Shinigami. There's still Uncle Ginjo."
"I told you before, you're special," Naruto shook his head. "Ginjo is strong, but not as strong as you."
"You possess Shinigami powers, Quincy bloodline, and Hollow powers."
Ichigo's face turned pale.
He rembered his close brush with becoming a Hollow.
The Shiba siblings exchanged concerned glances, clearly realizing sothing important.
"Did Uncle Isshin marry a Quincy?" Ganju asked curiously.
Kūkaku, gritting her teeth, smacked her younger brother on the head. "Idiot, not marry—he joined the family."
"Those powers combined make you conceptually similar to the Soul King," Naruto continued, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
This fact wasn't a secret to the Shiba Clan.
The siblings had long been aware of it.
"That person is likely trying to use you to test sothing," Naruto said seriously. "For your safety, we must stop him."
Ichigo nodded, then suddenly rembered sothing. "I want to see Rukia."
Naruto lifted him by his shirt. "I'll put you with her."
"I'll use the reason of 'leaked Shinigami powers.'"
Ichigo didn't resist.
"See you soon," Naruto said as he turned, waving to the Shiba siblings. "Ganju, can you take Ichigo's friends to the 7th Division Barracks?"
Ganju, tense, nodded quickly.
"You're not staying for dinner?" Kūkaku called after them.
With a flash of golden light, Naruto vanished.
Ichigo winced in pain.
So fast... His Shunpo wasn't even on the sa level as Naruto's.
A mont later, they landed in front of a courtyard.
A red-haired figure stood at the entrance and stepped forward to greet them: "Captain Uzumaki, why did you bring Vice-Captain Kaien?"
He had a strange look on his face.
In such an unusual manner...
Naruto had always been respectful toward Vice-Captain Kaien, but carrying him like this didn't look like "respect."
Wait...
Kaien's hair wasn't this vibrant.
"This isn't Kaien," Naruto set Ichigo down. "This is the intruder."
"He has so blood ties to the Shiba Clan."
"Renji, how's Rukia doing?"
Renji Abarai shook his head. "Vice-Captain Kiyone checked on Rukia just now. She's healthy, but her spiritual power is still recovering very slowly."
"It seems her experiences in the human world affected her greatly."
"Her Shinigami powers were completely drained, leaving her utterly exhausted."
Naruto smiled but said nothing.
Ichigo looked shocked, feeling guilty. "Did I really have such a big impact on Rukia?"
Renji, too, was surprised, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the orange-haired boy.
Although Naruto had already ntioned that Ichigo was related to the Shiba Clan, Renji couldn't help but ask: "Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"Yes. You know ?" Ichigo nodded.
Renji narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming dangerous: "So you're the one... Rukia ntioned you a few tis."
Ichigo bowed deeply. "I'm very sorry. It was an ergency, and that's why everything happened the way it did."
Renji snorted coldly.
"Don't be jealous, Renji," Naruto teased with a smile.
Renji's eyes widened, and his face flushed. "Captain Uzumaki, what are you talking about!"
"I... I'm not like that."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow, sensing sothing.
Naruto continued: "This guy will be detained here for being involved in Rukia's incident."
"Renji, since you volunteered to watch over Rukia, I'll leave Ichigo in your care as well."
Renji's voice grew louder: "He's staying with Rukia?"
"Why not put him in a cell at the 2nd Division..."
Noticing Naruto's warm smile, Renji swallowed his protest and begrudgingly agreed: "If that's what you want, Captain Uzumaki."
Naruto waved his hand and led Ichigo inside.
The courtyard wasn't very large, but the environnt was pleasant, with trees, rocks, and streams.
"This is where Rukia is being detained?" Ichigo blinked, feeling dazed.
The place was as nice as the Ishida family's ho, and in so ways, Ichigo preferred the more traditional aesthetic here.
From the house, soone rushed out.
Before the greeting was finished, the sight of Ichigo made the short-haired girl freeze, pointing at him in surprise: "Ichigo!"
"What are you doing in Seireitei?"
Her lively, energetic deanor quickly shattered the rumor that Ichigo had heard about her dire situation.
There was no way soone on the verge of death could look this lively.
"He was worried about you, so he ca," Naruto smiled. "You two can catch up and clear things up."
"As for ..."
He raised his hand, preparing to dissolve his Shadow Clone.
Nine-Tails jumped off his shoulder, settling comfortably atop a rock formation in the courtyard.
It didn't need Naruto to explain what it should do. It already knew.
In the entire Seireitei, Nine-Tails was likely the only one unaffected by Aizen's Zanpakutō ability.
Several spiritual pressures approached quickly, led by Soi Fon.
It was the Punishnt Force.
Within monts, the sound of rustling filled the air as a group of black-clad Shinigami landed.
Seeing their tight uniforms triggered an instinctive reaction in Ichigo, who reached for his sword.
"What's going on?" Naruto frowned. "Rukia's case doesn't require the Punishnt Force, does it?"
Soi Fon's voice was calm, but her gaze was fixed on Ichigo: "Naruto, I have bad news."
"Wasn't I tasked with investigating Captain Gin Ichimaru's injury?"
Naruto nodded.
"Captain Ichimaru... is dead." Soi Fon spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
She knew Ichimaru wasn't a popular figure, but he had been Naruto's friend.
Naruto's pupils dilated.
Dead?
Ichimaru was young, but he was incredibly skilled. The eting had ended not long ago. How could he have been killed in such a short ti?
"And there are many witnesses in the 3rd Division," Soi Fon continued. "They all claid it was a mysterious Shinigami, who looked exactly like Vice-Captain Kaien Shiba, but with orange hair."
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