A gentle spiritual current instantly flowed into Ichigo's body through his palm. The spiritual power that had originally been chaotically crashing inside him really began to move in the same direction like combed threads. The Reiatsu around him rose with it, and even his hair was lifted slightly by the spiritual pressure.
"Remember," Harry's voice sounded by his ear, carrying a hint of warning, "don't rely on the power of the array. It's only helping you see your true potential."
By the time Ichigo Kurosaki raised his head again, he was stunned to find that the captain of the Tenth Division was already gone.
He took a deep breath. He was extremely grateful to Harry, but now was not the time to think about that. How to save Rukia was the only thing that mattered.
So he continued rushing toward the Senzaikyū.
What Ichigo Kurosaki did not realize was that Harry had not left. He was standing on a wall not far from him.
And he was not alone. Beside him was a beautiful black cat with glossy fur.
Harry withdrew his gaze from Ichigo Kurosaki's departing figure and turned it toward the black cat beside him.
Atop the blue-gray palace wall, the cat with silky black fur was curled into a fluffy ball. Its amber pupils were narrowed into thin crescents, but the tip of its tail restlessly hooked a falling cherry blossom petal, swaying lightly as if it were playing with it.
Yoruichi Shihōin pressed one paw against the cool wall brick, her peripheral vision locked tightly onto Harry.
At this moment, Harry was looking in the direction Ichigo Kurosaki had gone. She needed to figure out why Harry Potter, this mysterious captain of the Tenth Division, was helping Ichigo Kurosaki.
As for how she would investigate, that was simple.
She only needed to pretend to be a cat and stay beside Harry Potter. It would not take long to figure out the reason.
After all, no one would be wary of a cute cat.
With a hundred years of experience pretending to be a cat, Yoruichi Shihōin had long since mastered every little trick.
Seeing Harry withdraw his gaze, she deliberately leaned her body a little over the edge of the wall to attract his attention.
She intentionally dangled her front paws in the air, looking exactly like a curious but timid kitten.
As expected, Harry soon looked over. She controlled her fur, making a few strands of that glossy black coat bristle slightly, as if they had risen because of Harry's gaze.
But to Yoruichi Shihōin's surprise, Harry did not come forward to pet her. Instead, his gaze swept over her from top to bottom, as if he had noticed something strange.
After realizing this, Yoruichi Shihōin curled herself into an even rounder ball, leaving only half her face visible. Her amber eyes were filled with innocence, and she let out a soft meow.
That voice was sweet and soft, with a deliberately forced kittenish tone. It was completely different from her usual sharp and graceful voice.
Although no one had noticed this act of playing cute, Yoruichi Shihōin still found it somewhat embarrassing.
She normally would never do this, but at this moment, to gain Harry's trust, she had no choice.
It seemed her actions really worked. Harry murmured under his breath, as if he truly thought she was a stray cat commonly seen around the Seireitei. "How did this cat get here?"
Yoruichi seized the opportunity and immediately started adding more acting.
First, she carefully rubbed the tip of her nose against the finger Harry extended, making a soft purring sound in her throat like an obedient cat being stroked.
Then she deliberately pretended to lose her balance. Her claws lightly scraped against the wall bricks with a faint rustle, and her body tilted toward Harry, as if she were about to fall off in the next second.
Sure enough, when Harry saw the cat was about to fall, he subconsciously reached out, wanting to catch this careless little cat.
But just as Harry's hand was about to touch her, green-tea Yoruichi suddenly shrank back. Her claws clung tightly to the wall bricks, and only a pair of damp amber eyes were exposed.
Since she had already successfully gained his trust, Yoruichi Shihōin had no intention of actually letting Harry hold her in his arms and pet her however he wanted. If it were a girl, that would be one thing, but with a man, forget it.
After doing all this, Yoruichi Shihōin continued watching Harry's reaction to see what he intended to do.
But what she did not expect was that Harry did not approach her, nor did he try to keep holding and stroking her. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted, and he smiled.
"Senior Shihōin, stop playing."
The black cat atop the palace wall froze. The words, Senior Yoruichi Shihōin, stop playing, were like a stone dropping into her thoughts with a thud, stirring up a storm.
Yoruichi Shihōin's tail gradually lowered. Her amber pupils instantly widened, and the ears hidden under her black fur stood up uncontrollably. The soft purring from earlier stopped abruptly, and all that cuteness around her vanished like a popped bubble.
She instinctively wanted to play dumb. Her paw rubbed lightly against the wall brick as she curled back into a ball, forcing a vague meow from her throat in an attempt to muddle through.
How was that possible?
Her cat act had fooled even Byakuya Kuchiki and Sōsuke Aizen. How could this kid recognize her?
But in the next second, Harry's voice came again, carrying a little more helplessness than before, along with a barely noticeable hint of amusement. "Yoruichi Shihōin, stop playing."
This time, he did not even call her senior. He directly called her by name.
All the black fur on Yoruichi's body bristled. She could not keep pretending anymore.
She suddenly jumped down from the palace wall. The instant she landed, Reiatsu surged, and the black fur faded away, replaced by her familiar black combat outfit. Violet hair fell like a waterfall, and there was no trace of her earlier innocence left in her amber eyes. They were filled with embarrassed fury.
"When did you notice?!" Yoruichi's voice carried a gritted edge. Hands on her hips, she stared at Harry not far away, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Just now, she had acted like a timid black cat, rubbed against his finger to tease him, and even deliberately stumbled to play cute. All those embarrassing moments had actually been seen through by him.
She stepped forward and poked Harry in the chest with her fingertip, her tone full of unwillingness.
"I looked so much like a cat just now. I even suppressed my Reiatsu to the lowest possible level. How could you possibly recognize me? Speak! Did you already know I was here and deliberately watch me make a fool of myself?!"
When she remembered how she had purred at Harry, acted obedient, and pretended to lose her balance while rubbing his hand, Yoruichi's ears turned even redder. Her voice rose several notes.
"Don't even think about brushing this off! If you don't explain clearly, today I… today I won't let this go!"
Harry looked at her angry and embarrassed expression, and the corner of his mouth could not help lifting. He reached out and gently brushed away her fingertip.
"I noticed from the moment you appeared near me and deliberately started approaching me." He paused, a hint of amusement flashing through his eyes. "An ordinary cat wouldn't accurately rub against a person's wrist, and it definitely wouldn't keep staring at the spiritual flow in the array's core while I was setting up a formation. Only Senior Yoruichi Shihōin would pretend to be a cat while still thinking about the movement of Reiatsu."
"Also," Harry added, "when you meowed just now, there was a faint trace of Reiatsu fluctuation at the end of the sound. It was very weak, but it couldn't fool me."
After hearing this, Yoruichi was so angry she nearly jumped. So all the catlike details she had worked so hard to think up had become flaws that exposed her identity.
She glared at Harry for a long time without saying anything. In the end, she could only snort and turn her face away.
"Fine, you're impressive! But don't you dare tell anyone about what happened today!"
Cherry blossoms were still falling beneath the palace wall. Yoruichi restrained her embarrassment and anger, her hair swaying gently as she turned. Her amber eyes became a little more serious.
She looked at Harry as he gazed in the direction Ichigo had gone. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of her sleeve, and her tone sank.
"You're clearly a captain of the Gotei 13. By the rules, you should be stopping the Ryoka. Why are you helping Ichigo Kurosaki? Aren't you afraid of being targeted by Central 46?"
Harry withdrew his gaze. He did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked up toward the Senzaikyū. The Reiatsu there was still cold and oppressive, as if covered by an invisible haze.
He answered calmly, "I am not helping Ichigo Kurosaki. I am helping Rukia. Rukia is my friend. I can't watch her die like this."
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow and leaned against the palace wall, folding her arms across her chest. "Looks like you care about Rukia a lot. Enough to dare defy Central 46 for her."
Harry's voice was calm but firm. "Central 46? Heh…"
Yoruichi Shihōin's expression turned strange. From Harry's attitude, she sensed something unusual.
As a captain, even if he was dissatisfied with Central 46, he should not show it in front of an outsider, much less mock Central 46 in front of her, a criminal.
This Captain Harry, who had only become captain of the Tenth Division within the past fifty years, seemed rather special.
Thinking of this, Yoruichi Shihōin suddenly wanted to tell Harry something deeper.
She normally would not give this kind of information to captains, because those captains absolutely would not believe her. They would not be able to provide help, and they might even alert the enemy.
But this special Captain Harry in front of her was different. Perhaps she could try.
Still, Yoruichi Shihōin would not speak directly. Instead, she took a roundabout approach.
"Captain Harry, you really are special. I wonder what you think about Rukia Kuchiki's judgment?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, feeling that Yoruichi Shihōin had something more to say. "Since you all came to rescue Rukia, you should also know that according to the usual rules, Rukia should not have to die at all. This judgment is definitely strange."
Harry's answer made Yoruichi Shihōin rather pleased. That proved Harry had indeed noticed something.
So she continued, "Then I wonder what Captain Harry thinks of Captain Aizen?"
Harry pinched a falling cherry blossom petal between his fingers. The petal turned into scattered Reishi the moment his Reiatsu touched it.
He raised his eyes toward Yoruichi and examined her calmly.
"Captain Aizen? In everyone's eyes, he is probably the easiest captain to get along with in the Gotei 13."
"Captain Aizen is always smiling. He speaks softly and gently. Even when squad members make minor mistakes, he only reminds them warmly and never speaks harshly."
He paused, and a nearly imperceptible seriousness entered his tone. "But that gentleness is exactly what feels too fake."
Harry's words made Yoruichi Shihōin's eyes grow brighter and brighter. "Oh? Keep going."
Harry thought for a moment, then continued.
"During the last joint captains' training session, Captain Komamura accidentally lost control, and his Reiatsu spread to the members of the Fifth Division. Aizen was clearly standing at the very front, but he didn't use any Kidō or his Zanpakutō. He protected his subordinates steadily with Reiatsu alone."
"The strength of the Reiatsu he released in that instant was at least twice that of an ordinary captain, but afterward, he only smiled and said he had been lucky."
"Also, after Rukia was captured, I went to the Fifth Division to discuss the judgment with him. He clearly knew that the execution time had been shortened again and again, but he only said Central 46 had its own considerations. There wasn't even a ripple in his eyes."
"Have you ever seen someone who truly cares about his colleagues remain that calm about an obviously abnormal execution?"
Yoruichi folded her arms, a hint of understanding flashing through her amber eyes. She asked softly, "Then what do you mean by pretending to be weak?"
"It's a problem with his Reiatsu." Harry's voice sank. "The Reiatsu he usually releases is very restrained, even weaker than some lieutenants."
"But several times, while observing from the shadows, I discovered that when he passed by the Central 46 compound, an extremely faint Reiatsu with a very strong sense of pressure would unconsciously leak from him."
"The texture of that Reiatsu is completely different from the captain-class Reiatsu I've seen. It feels more like the peak of first-class Reiatsu, or perhaps even strength beyond first-class Reiatsu."
"The strangest thing is that Aizen clearly has strength far beyond that of an ordinary captain, yet he never uses it."
"His Zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, has only had its Shikai hypnosis ability shown in front of squad members. But I always feel that it is not his full power at all."
"He deliberately disguises himself as gentle and not especially combat-oriented. What exactly is he hiding? And what is he waiting for?"
As Yoruichi listened, her fingers lightly tapped the hidden clasp at her waist, and a hint of praise flashed through her eyes.
"You're much clearer-headed than those captains who only look at the surface. Actually, your guess is correct. Aizen's gentleness and weakness are all an act."
"What he is hiding is the ambition to overthrow the Soul Society. What he is waiting for is an opportunity, an opportunity that will let him completely control everything."
"Wait…"
At that moment, Yoruichi Shihōin suddenly noticed something strange. She looked Harry up and down with some confusion and asked, "Wait. Even the Captain-Commander can't detect the strange Reiatsu on Aizen. How did you sense something unusual about him?"
"Could your Zanpakutō be some kind of special sensory type?"
Facing Yoruichi Shihōin's question, Harry grinned calmly. "Is it possible that it's because my Reiatsu is even stronger than Aizen's, or even stronger than the Captain-Commander's?"
Yoruichi Shihōin carefully studied Harry for a while. In the end, she let out a scoff and shook her head.
"You're actually pretty amusing. You still don't forget to joke at a time like this."
"If your Reiatsu were stronger than Sōsuke Aizen's, or even stronger than the Captain-Commander's, wouldn't that mean you're the strongest person in the Soul Society?"
"If I remember correctly, you're only around sixty or seventy years old right now. Becoming a captain at that age is already extraordinarily talented. If you possessed first-class Reiatsu on top of that, wouldn't that make you a monster?"
"Hahaha, don't tell me you're the reincarnation of the Soul King."
Yoruichi Shihōin patted Harry on the shoulder, then leaped off in the direction Ichigo Kurosaki had gone.
"Captain Harry, I'm going to go be Ichigo Kurosaki's bodyguard now. Your joke was very funny. When we meet again, I'll tell you the detailed plan for how to defeat Aizen."
Harry did not refute her. He watched Yoruichi Shihōin's back as she gradually transformed into a cat, his gaze deep and dark.
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