"Me?"
Ichigo looked at Ichibe and the others with a slight start, then turned to look at Captain Commander with a confused expression.
I don't even know who these people are, and you're telling me to go with them?
To be honest, even now, Ichigo still didn't understand what had happened. To prevent Ishikawa's reverse invasion, the Sternritter outside the Wandenreich had fully retreated, so although the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo had been fighting fiercely for days, it had not affected the Human World at all.
Before coming here, Ichigo had only received news from Urahara that Ishikawa was in trouble, and then he was inexplicably sent to Hueco Mundo, where he confusedly helped Nel and the others defeat the invaders.
Regarding helping Las Noches, he had no resistance; aside from Grimmjow, who annoyed him, Ichigo was not familiar with anyone other than Nel, nor did he harbor any hostility towards them.
He just didn't understand why, if Ishikawa-sama was in trouble, he wasn't sent to support Ishikawa, but instead, he and others were sent to support Hueco Mundo.
After arriving at the Soul Society, all the Arrancar protected Ishikawa, seemingly very wary of the Gotei 13, who were on the same side as Ishikawa, especially those five people.
And now…
These five people, who seemed to be Ishikawa's enemies, immediately told him to go with them, and Captain Commander even agreed.
"Kurosaki, these are members of the Squad Zero."
Urahara, meeting Ichigo's gaze, explained, "They reside permanently in the Soul King Palace above the Soul Society and are responsible for protecting the Soul King Palace."
"Soul King Palace?"
"As the name suggests, it is the residence of the adult who 'maintains' the stability of the Three Realms." At this point, Urahara paused, then continued to explain, "Unlike the Gotei 13, the Squad Zero has no Squad Members, only these five adults. It is said that the strength of these five people is comparable to the entire Gotei 13."
"Moreover, most of them possess unique Reishi techniques from the Soul King Palace, which can indeed help you unleash your potential."
"What a joke!!"
Before Ichigo could speak, Soi Fon, standing behind Captain Commander, shifted her gaze from Ishikawa and looked coldly at the five members of the Squad Zero: "I don't know how impressive the so-called Squad Zero is, but is 'assistance' referring to coming to target those who resisted after the invaders left?"
Unlike the others, Soi Fon had been observing Ishikawa's condition since arriving here.
The presence of Arrancar in the Seireitei felt somewhat out of place, but the wariness and deep hostility in their eyes when they looked at the Squad Zero were clearly visible.
And, most importantly…
Captain Commander's attitude was also very strange. Captain Commander had always been extremely focused on discipline and regulations, so according to common sense, even if he was dissatisfied with the Squad Zero, he wouldn't show it like this.
He even ignored them, instead letting Captain Kyōraku communicate with them.
From this, it could be deduced that the purpose of these people coming to the Soul Society might not be the assistance they claimed, but rather to target Ishikawa.
Upon hearing this, the members of the Squad Zero didn't pay too much attention. Ichibe merely glanced at Soi Fon before retracting his gaze, turning to Ichigo, a hearty smile on his face: "Ichigo, you still have enormous potential that has not been unearthed, and the unique Reishi techniques of the Soul King Palace can precisely help you unearth your own potential."
Ichigo frowned, then glanced at Ishikawa. Ishikawa's strength, in his heart, was undoubtedly the strongest.
Although he had only fought a few members of the Sternritter from the Wandenreich, he was well aware of their power, and judging from Ishikawa's current state, the strength of their leader must be even more terrifying.
If these Zero Squad Members could truly make him stronger, then it was indeed necessary for him to go with them.
However…
Urahara had previously mentioned that 'Ishikawa was in trouble,' and combined with the Arrancar's behavior, it made him somewhat concerned.
"Kurosaki, he's not wrong."
Urahara chuckled, "Ishikawa here, his unconsciousness won't last too long. With Las Noches and the Gotei 13 here, you don't need to worry about him. Only by becoming stronger can you help Ishikawa in the upcoming battles."
Hearing this, Ichigo finally nodded.
Meanwhile, the man with the pompadour came before Unohana, sizing her up before chuckling, "Unohana, long time no see."
Unohana, with her long hair draped over her shoulders, gave him a cold look and said nothing.
The pompadour man didn't mind, and continued on his own: "From your attire, you've also participated this time. I thought you would continue to uphold that useless persistence in this situation, choosing to stay in the back to heal people. Now it seems you've come to your senses?"
At these words, Unohana remained indifferent, but Hitsugaya Tōshirō, standing behind Captain Unohana, looked curiously at Captain Unohana, then at the pompadour man.
He, like Soi Fon, didn't know much about the Squad Zero, only that some of them were former captains of the Gotei 13 from a long time ago. From the conversation between the pompadour man and Captain Unohana, it seemed they were quite familiar with each other.
"To consider staying in the rear to heal people a useless persistence, as the creator of 'Kaido,' it seems your advancement to the Squad Zero has gone to your head."
Unohana's tone was extremely flat:
"Lord Tenjirō Kirinji, hailed as the 'First Officer of the Squad Zero'."
Although she called him 'Lord,' there was no respect in her tone; instead, it subtly gave the impression that she didn't hold him in high regard.
The pompadour man… Tenjirō Kirinji was not annoyed. When facing Unohana, he did not display the same sense of superiority he showed to other captains. He merely let out a strange chuckle: "Heh heh, is this attitude appropriate for the teacher who taught you Kaido?"
Unohana ignored him…
This scene made Hitsugaya Tōshirō, who had been standing by, feel a bit strange. He now strongly suspected whether Captain Unohana's hair concealed some mechanism, always feeling that after she unbound her hair, Captain Unohana seemed to transform into a different person.
Unlike her usual gentle and considerate demeanor, Captain Unohana at this moment exuded an incredibly domineering aura, showing no signs of timidity even when facing the Squad Zero.
He, however, did not know…
Setting aside strength, among the five members of the Squad Zero, only Ichibe, as the leader of the Squad Zero and also the leader of the Shinigami, could truly outrank Unohana in terms of seniority. Although Tenjirō Kirinji was the first to be promoted to the Squad Zero, even before the Gotei 13 was established.
But in terms of seniority, he was no higher than Unohana or Captain Commander.
Because the original Gotei 13 was founded a thousand years ago.
And before the original Gotei 13 was born, two thousand years ago, Captain Commander, whose original name was Yamamoto Genryusai, had already founded his own school, established the 'Genryu,' and created the predecessor of the Spiritual Arts Academy—the Genryu Private Academy;
Unohana…
Also, a few hundred years after that, she earned the title of 'the unprecedentedly evil person in Soul Society history,' claiming to have mastered all schools and sword styles in the world, and took the name 'Yachiru,' only becoming more restrained after being defeated by Yamamoto Genryusai.
But she could not be called a good person. Her transformation occurred after the establishment of the original Gotei 13, within the last millennium, and after that, she learned Kaido from Tenjirō Kirinji, who had already become the First Officer of the Squad Zero at that time.
Although he was her teacher in Kaido…
Unohana had no respect for Kirinji himself.
As for the three individuals other than Ichibe and Kirinji, without exception, they were all gradually promoted to the Squad Zero after the Gotei 13 was established, even Shuhei Hisagi, who had already created the shinigami uniform when the original Gotei 13 was born, was no exception.
It is worth mentioning that…
No one from the original Gotei 13 was promoted to the Squad Zero.
It wasn't due to insufficient strength.
Because the condition for advancement to the Squad Zero is not strength, but contributions to the Soul Society.
The original Gotei 13…
Including Unohana and Captain Commander, the thirteen captains could be described as 'all villains.' It was already good that Captain Commander kept them from harming the Soul Society; how could they possibly create things beneficial to the development of the Soul Society?
Getting back to the main topic.
Precisely because of this, the Squad Zero, in Unohana's eyes, was not as mysterious as it was in the eyes of other captains.
Similarly, Shunsui also called Ichibe by his name, never addressing him as 'Lord.' The only one who referred to these Zero Squad Members as 'Lord' was Urahara, but Urahara's respectful address was actually not much different from the 'Lord' in Unohana's mouth.
It gave the impression of being mostly sarcastic.
Having received Ichigo's reply, Ichibe turned to look at Ishikawa, who was being protected by a group of Arrancar, his face still bearing that hearty smile, giving the impression that he was a very magnanimous and generous person.
"Ishikawa won't go."
Captain Commander, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, "If you have nothing else, you may leave. This old man still needs to lead the Gotei 13 in the post-war reconstruction work, and there is truly no place to entertain you."
Ichibe looked at Captain Commander upon hearing this, then smiled and nodded, saying, "That works too."
The Squad Zero came quickly and left just as quickly.
After Captain Commander agreed to let them take Byakuya and the others to the Soul King Palace, the few of them carried the Tenza Kuranosuke and departed from Seireitei, disappearing from everyone's sight shortly after.
After watching them disappear, Captain Commander, standing in place, suddenly staggered, but was thankfully caught by Shunsui behind him before he fell.
"Captain Commander!?"
Seeing this, everyone rushed forward, only to discover...
Captain Commander's body was charred black, and many parts of his body had even disappeared. The severity of his injuries made Unohana Retsu frown.
While some of these injuries were left by Yhwach, most were the result of severe backlash from maintaining his Bankai in a fully released state for an extended period.
Seeing this, Orihime, who had come with Ichigo, quickly stepped forward.
But before she could reach Captain Commander, he looked at her, causing Orihime to stop in her tracks.
This scene made Unohana shake her head.
Given Captain Commander's current state, Orihime's ability was undoubtedly the most suitable choice to heal him in the shortest time possible.
Because Orihime had spent some time in the Fourth Division, Unohana was extremely familiar with Orihime's abilities. It could be said that, apart from her Spiritual Power recovery being weaker than Kaido, her ability to heal the body far exceeded the scope of Kaido.
However, Captain Commander did not want this pure human to get involved in the affairs of Soul Society.
Captain Commander withdrew his gaze and looked at Ishikawa, who was being protected by a group of Arrancar, a strange glint in his eyes. He then said, "Onmitsukidō will remain here to monitor Ishikawa's condition. Everyone else, return to your respective posts immediately to prevent the enemy from returning."
As soon as he finished speaking, Captain Commander's eyes slightly closed, and he directly fell unconscious.
His command made the Captains exchange glances, their eyes filled with a peculiar expression.
Although they had tacitly accepted Ishikawa's connection with Las Noches, and had adopted a 'turn a blind eye' attitude, the current situation was different. With Urahara's help, these Arrancar had directly entered Seireitei, which was enveloped by the Soul-Concealing Membrane.
In such a situation, even if they didn't attack them, they should at least keep these Arrancar under strict supervision, lest Ishikawa wake up and command them to pose a threat to Seireitei.
However...
Captain Commander only instructed the Onmitsukidō to supervise them. It should be known that throughout Seireitei, the Onmitsukidō was arguably the only organization, from top to bottom, that was entirely on Ishikawa's side. Although the Fourth Division was also deeply entangled with Ishikawa, it had not reached the point where even its Captain had fallen.
And the Captain of the Onmitsukidō...
Soi Fon had unconditional trust in Ishikawa. Having her lead the Onmitsukidō for supervision was less about precaution and more about leaving someone acceptable to the Arrancar to observe Ishikawa's state.
Nevertheless, despite what was said, No one defied Captain Commander's orders. After exchanging glances, they dispersed, leaving only Soi Fon, Orihime, and others still at the original spot.
As for Urahara, he hastily left Soul Society after Captain Commander departed.
As everyone dispersed, Cirucci and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.
Soi Fon instructed the Onmitsukidō to spread out and surround the area, but she herself did not leave, instead remaining to observe Ishikawa's condition.
Seeing this, Harribel turned to look at Cirucci.
"She is Ishikawa's Captain, named Soi Fon."
Hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned, then their faces showed a look of realization, and their gazes towards Soi Fon immediately became much friendlier.
"???"
Feeling the friendly gazes of the Arrancar, Soi Fon's face was filled with confusion.
Moreover...
She looked at Cirucci who had spoken, a strange glint in her eyes.
She didn't know why, but she always felt that there was a hidden jab in that Arrancar's words.
Time passed bit by bit, and when Ishikawa reopened his eyes, it was almost an hour later.
"You deadweight finally woke up!"
Grimmjow was the first to approach, saying to Ishikawa's still somewhat confused gaze, "Since you're awake, let's go quickly. I feel uncomfortable staying in this desolate place with weak Reishi for even one more second."
Ishikawa's gaze gradually cleared. He scanned his surroundings and immediately understood what had happened.
Ignoring Grimmjow, Ishikawa asked Cirucci beside him, "How long was I unconscious?"
"About an hour."
Ishikawa nodded upon hearing this, then fell into deep thought. He had stayed in the Dangai supported by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute for nearly seven minutes, which was roughly equivalent to 14,000 minutes, or over nine days, in the outside world.
In other words...
Under normal circumstances, apart from the initial three days, he would still need nine days to reconstruct his spiritual body.
Too long!
Nine days was not actually long, not for a Shinigami, nor even for a human.
But for the final nine days mentioned in the prophecy, it was too long.
His seal could only seal Yhwach until the final nine days arrived, and there were only four or five days left until the time mentioned in the prophecy. He had to find a way to shorten the nine days to within four days, so that he could face the fully powered Yhwach in his complete state!
However...
A strange glint flashed in Ishikawa's eyes. Within these four days, he would have to traverse the Dangai once more.
After all, Unohana's nearly thousand-year persistence was not so easily broken.
This time, having Unohana make a move was not actually Captain Commander's idea, because the Captain Commander clearly knew what Unohana Retsu was persistent about.
"Come with us."
Cirucci frowned slightly, her tone revealing a hint of disdain and dissatisfaction: "Anyway, you're not a Shinigami, so why bother fighting to the death for Seireitei, even being targeted by the very people you protect?"
"Hmph, no wonder Aizen considered 'that place' as his target."
Grimmjow snorted. Urahara had not hidden what Yhwach had said from them; instead, he chose to tell the truth. Therefore, everyone was extremely hostile towards those who called themselves the Squad Zero, and the 'Soul King' they mentioned who 'commanded them'.
"No, you all return to Hueco Mundo. Although Yhwach won't appear in the coming time, his Sternritter might launch an attack on Hueco Mundo."
Hearing this, everyone frowned.
But before they could continue to persuade him, Ishikawa smiled at everyone:
"I still have a promise to fulfill."
Unohana's persistence had always been singular: to atone for her sins and then embrace death.
So there were only two ways to break her persistence.
One was for her to atone for it herself;
The other was to die at the hands of the monster she had unearthed, letting him step over her corpse to help her atone for her sins.
The battle between Ishikawa and Unohana should have concluded three years ago after Ishikawa defeated Aizen, but Ishikawa chose to avoid it, dragging it out until now.
But now...
It could no longer be postponed.
Either a battle, or...
It would never be resolved.
And Ishikawa chose to fight, and precisely because of this, Unohana broke her persistence and did not continue to stay in the rear during this war.