Since it was a false alarm, the two of them asked around along the way and hurried to the new Shiba Family estate as quickly as possible.
Finally, in the center of a massive depression, they saw a building with an extremely... unique design.
Two giant, muscular arms carved from stone burst forth from the ground, holding a banner high in the air.
Written on it in wild cursive were the words [Shiba Kukaku].
And between those two giant hands sat a Japanese-style house that looked completely out of place with them.
This design, full of personality and tension, made even Asuka's eye twitch uncontrollably.
"This aesthetic... is certainly unique."
"Haha... this is Kukaku's style..." Kaien looked at the familiar family crest, his lingering anxiety finally fading away. "That girl has always liked these exaggerated things since she was little."
The two arrived at the front gate and walked straight in without encountering any resistance.
The reason was simple: the gatekeepers, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, had been scared out of their wits the moment they saw Kaien's face, scrambling and crawling inside to report the news.
"Boss!! Boss, this is bad!!"
"A ghost!! There's a ghost outside!!"
A moment later, an angry roar exploded from inside the house.
"Shut up!! It's broad daylight, you're the ghosts here, what ghost could you possibly see! I'm going to stuff you both into a firework and shoot you into the sky!!"
Accompanied by this roar, the front doors were violently kicked open.
A tall, scantily clad, and wild-looking woman strode out from the dust.
She had long black hair, wore a prosthetic on her right arm, and her strikingly handsome face was currently filled with impatience.
She held a long smoking pipe in her hand, leaving a trail of smoke in her wake as she walked.
She was the current head of the Shiba Family, Kukaku Shiba.
"Just who is causing a ruckus on my turf..."
But Kukaku's words came to an abrupt halt halfway through.
She stared fixedly at the man standing in the doorway.
The wind stopped, and the smoke from her pipe ceased to drift.
Kaien also stared blankly at his now fully grown sister standing before him.
The little girl in his memories who always followed behind him and demanded piggyback rides had seemingly transformed into a strong, independent woman who could hold her own.
However, that prosthetic arm still stung Kaien's eyes.
"Yo, Kukaku."
Kaien raised his hand and offered a somewhat awkward greeting, his voice carrying a hint of hoarseness.
"Long time no see..."
Kukaku didn't speak.
Her body began to tremble violently as she fiercely hurled the pipe in her hand to the ground, smashing it into two pieces.
The next second.
Boom!!!
Kukaku launched herself into the air, charging at Kaien with a swung fist.
"You... bastard!!!!"
This punch condensed all of Kukaku's grievances, anger, longing... as well as her excitement and ecstasy.
Kaien didn't dodge.
He opened his arms and took the punch head-on.
Bang!
He was knocked back several steps, the corner of his mouth split open and seeping a trace of blood.
But the smile on his face only grew gentler.
He reached out and tightly embraced his sister, who had already thrown herself into his arms and was trembling non-stop.
"I'm sorry... Kukaku."
"Big brother is back."
Asuka stood quietly to the side, not disturbing this moment that belonged to the Shiba Family.
Even if time was of the essence.
Half an hour later, inside the main hall of the Shiba Family estate.
Although the atmosphere was still somewhat heavy, at least everyone had calmed down.
With red-rimmed eyes, Kukaku held a newly replaced pipe while listening to Kaien recount his experiences over the years.
From the Spiritual Disaster in Fuyuki City, to being swept into an alternate spacetime, then mistakenly entering Hueco Mundo, and finally being sent back to the World of the Living eighteen years later...
This bizarre and convoluted tale left Kukaku dumbfounded, making her completely forget to smoke.
"So you're saying..." Kukaku pointed at Asuka, then at Kaien. "It's not that you didn't want to come back, but rather... you were lost in time?"
"Exactly." Kaien nodded with a bitter smile. "To us, it was only a matter of a few short days, but I never expected... eighteen years had already passed here."
He looked around the hall, which, although spacious, appeared somewhat empty and dilapidated, a flash of pain crossing his eyes.
"Kukaku... how did things end up like this?"
"And your arm..."
At the mention of this, Kukaku sneered and blew out a ring of smoke.
"What else? People just kick you when you're down."
"Ever since you disappeared, the head of the Tsunayashiro Family and those other corrupt nobles couldn't wait to carve up the little inheritance the Shiba Family had left."
"They ordered Central 46 to pin a massive crime on us, stripping us of our title as one of the Five Noble Families."
"Without our stipend and status, those so-called friends who used to suck up to us ran away faster than rabbits."
Kukaku spoke casually, but Kaien could hear the bitterness hidden within her words.
"As for this arm..." Kukaku touched the prosthetic on her right arm and shook her head indifferently. "Let's not talk about it. It's no big deal."
Slam!
Kaien's fist slammed heavily onto the table, cracking the solid wood.
"Those bastards..."
An unprecedented fury erupted from his body.
He had risked his very life for the Soul Society and the Gotei 13.
And in the end, his family was treated like this after his supposed death?
'Is this the Seireitei I protected? Is this their so-called justice?'
"Calm down, Kaien," Asuka said, pressing a hand onto his shoulder.
Following Asuka's will, that anger and malice flowed into his own body, slowly being absorbed and digested, thereby soothing Kaien's agitation.
After their trip to Fuyuki City, this power belonging to the Avenger trait had taken root deep within his soul, granting him the ability to absorb negative emotions.
When accumulated in large amounts, this malice could also be converted into powerful Reiryoku, acting as a force multiplier when combined with the power of his Bankai.
"Now is not the time to lose your temper."
As a cooling sensation welled up in his heart, Kaien's anger slowly subsided.
"You're right... the most important thing right now is solving the problem at hand."
He looked at Kukaku. "What about Ganju? Did he graduate? Which Division did he join? Can we contact him?"
"As long as he can sneak us inside, we can meet the Head Captain directly and expose all of this!"
At the mention of Ganju, Kukaku's expression turned somewhat strange.
She sighed and said with a hint of helplessness, "That kid... joined the Tenth Division... To make you and Uncle Isshin proud, he's been training like his life depended on it these past few years."
"But... unfortunately."
Kukaku pointed in the direction of the Seireitei. "Just yesterday, because of that Ryoka invasion, Ganju sortied as a Seated Officer of the Tenth Division... and ended up getting beaten half to death."
"Right now, he's lying in the Fourth Division receiving treatment."
"Huh?!" Kaien was dumbfounded. "He got beaten up by Ichigo?"
"Yeah." Kukaku spread her hands, looking at Kaien curiously, wondering why he was referring to this Ryoka so intimately. "I heard he even broke several ribs. Right now, let alone coming out to receive us, he'd struggle just to get out of bed."
Kaien felt somewhat deflated and plopped down into a chair.
"We're doomed then... Are we really going to have to force our way in?"
Asuka frowned in deep thought.
Without an inside man, sneaking into the heavily guarded Seireitei without alerting Aizen would indeed be quite difficult.
But they didn't have time to think of a third option.
Right at that moment, Kukaku spoke up.
"If you guys just want to get inside... it's not like there isn't a way."
She set down her pipe and stood up, walking to the center of the hall and pointing at the massive skylight.
"Since we can't use the doors, we'll just fly in."