This encounter battle ended with a whimper rather than a bang. Due to both sides intentionally holding back and fighting in a manner akin to flirting, this battle between the Seireitei and the 'traitors' appeared completely awkward and nondescript.
In the end, the people from the Seireitei took the unconscious Zaraki Kenpachi and returned to Soul Society through the Senkaimon.
Ichigo Kurosaki released his Shinigami form, reverting to a teenage boy in a standard high school uniform, and remained in the World of the Living.
To be honest, the battle between Soifon, Unohana, and Yoruichi looked more like they were practicing the 'Technique of Flirtatious Glances' and the 'Blade of Lingering Affection.'
Of course, these words were only kept inside Ichigo Kurosaki's heart; he absolutely did not refrain from speaking them aloud.
Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his hair, looking at Soifon who stood not far away, his face written with hesitation and distress.
"Um, Soifon-nee..." Ichigo Kurosaki hesitated before walking over. "What exactly is the situation between you and those Shinigami from Soul Society now?"
The momentum of the rebellion was huge, but apart from the members of Central 46 they mentioned and the pitiful Tokinada Tsunayashiro, it seemed no one else had been harmed.
"The situation is a bit complicated." Soifon adjusted her Shihakushō. "Roughly speaking, we are enemies who aren't really enemies... something like that."
"However, I didn't expect that you, Ichigo, would run all the way to Soul Society to save me..."
"I should go to your house and apologize to your parents."
Soifon felt a bit embarrassed. This apology wasn't directed at Ichigo Kurosaki, but at Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki.
Meanwhile, inside the Kurosaki Clinic.
Kisuke Urahara was sitting on the sofa, speaking rapidly as he recounted everything he witnessed at Sōkyoku Hill to Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki. This included claims like Soifon "intentionally showing weakness," "swindling the Hōgyoku," and "conspiring with Aizen to defect."
"So... Soifon might not have intended to give the power to Ichigo from the very beginning. Perhaps that was just part of her plan. In order to get close and obtain the Hōgyoku, we must..."
Just as he was speaking with great enthusiasm, the sound of the door opening came from the entryway.
Ichigo Kurosaki walked in, bringing along Soifon, who had switched into her human form.
After laying her cards on the table, Soifon couldn't be bothered to wear a Gigai to move around in the World of the Living. She directly used her Quincy abilities to convert her body into Spirit Particles, allowing her to become a physical entity in human form.
In the living room, Kisuke Urahara's lofty discourse came to a halt.
He abruptly sprang up from the sofa, his entire person instantly entering a state of alert, and subconsciously blocked the front of Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki.
"Mr. Isshin, Mrs. Masaki, be careful!"
Subsequently, Kisuke Urahara looked at Ichigo Kurosaki. "Ichigo, look clearly! The person you brought back is Soifon! You haven't fallen under Kyōka Suigetsu, have you?!"
Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned by his reaction. "What Kyōka Suigetsu? I definitely brought Soifon-nee back."
Kisuke Urahara quickly interrupted him, repeating the words he had just said to the Kurosaki couple to him.
"About that..." Ichigo Kurosaki interrupted him with some embarrassment. "My dad... actually told me a little about it long ago. My power was intentionally activated by Soifon-nee."
The moment these words fell, Kisuke Urahara was rendered speechless for a moment.
Isshin Kurosaki sat on the sofa, revealing a slightly helpless smile. "Ah... it sounds like defecting is indeed a very bad thing, but as a pioneer of this version, I don't seem qualified to reprimand Captain Soifon."
Moreover, judging from Kisuke Urahara's description, it seemed that aside from causing the Seireitei to lose some face, their defection didn't result in the deaths of any innocent people.
On the point that Central 46 did not count as people, everyone maintained a very tacit agreement.
Feeling like his punch had landed on cotton, Kisuke Urahara sat back down, staring into Soifon's eyes.
"Captain Soifon... hiding such powerful strength, why would you associate with Aizen? You should be very clear that Aizen's goal is to..."
Soifon calmly finished his sentence: "Replace the Soul King and rule the Three Worlds anew, right?"
Kisuke Urahara's pupils constricted violently. "You know... yet you still chose to cooperate with him?!"
"Why not cooperate?" Soifon leaned comfortably back on the sofa, nestling against Masaki Kurosaki's shoulder. "Since Aizen wants to sit on that unpopular seat, why not support him?"
The amount of information in Soifon's sentence was simply too great. Kisuke Urahara took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down.
It appeared the other party was not ignorant of the Soul King. The use of the word "unpopular" showed that Soifon also understood quite a bit of insider information.
"Does Miss Soifon not understand? Once Aizen's plan succeeds, the Three Worlds, which rely on the power of the Soul King to maintain balance..."
"You are too arrogant, Kisuke Urahara."
"What makes you think... that Sōsuke Aizen, relying on the Hōgyoku created by the two of you, can truly replace the Soul King and sit in that position?"
Kisuke Urahara opened his mouth, but found he couldn't refute it for a moment. The power of the Hōgyoku was indeed dangerous, but to say it could replace the Soul King was a bit presumptuous...
If nothing else, even with the Soul King fragments added, Aizen hadn't obtained the power of the Quincy yet, and Hollow power was not a condition for maintaining the stability of the Three Worlds.
So... since Soifon knew everything, why was she still playing house with Aizen in Hueco Mundo?
"Kisuke Urahara, it seems your brain has become dull."
Soifon pointed at her own head, then shifted her gaze to look at Masaki Kurosaki beside her, playing the riddler for once.
Mrs. Kurosaki?
Following Soifon's line of sight, Kisuke Urahara, not being a woman after all, could only politely glance twice before looking away.
Gradually, Isshin and Ichigo also glanced at their wife (and mother).
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me..."
Masaki Kurosaki touched her cheek; there were no grains of rice or food scraps stuck to it.
"By the way, regarding the reason Masaki lost her powers, do you know it, Kisuke Urahara?"
Soifon remembered that she seemed to have asked the Kurosaki and Ishida families to keep this matter a secret from Kisuke Urahara.
"Lost her powers...?"
Kisuke Urahara took a deep look at Soifon and stroked his stubbly chin.
From his daily interactions over the past few years, he had naturally discovered that the situations of Masaki Kurosaki and Kanae Katagiri were somewhat strange, but both the Kurosaki and Ishida families had kept their mouths shut.
In the end, Kisuke Urahara had simply attributed it to the Quincies' wariness of Shinigami and didn't investigate in detail.
Now, it seemed they hadn't hidden it from Soifon, who was also a Shinigami.
"Because you aren't worthy of trust, Kisuke Urahara..."
Soifon stood up from the sofa. Her shadow under the lights engulfed Kisuke Urahara opposite her.
"You only spoke of how I took that Hōgyoku from your hands, yet you didn't explain why you stuffed the Hōgyoku into that specially made Gigai, and then had me wear it when my Reiatsu was depleted."
"Leaving aside whether I did it on purpose, the fact that you plotted against me cannot be changed. Do you have anything to defend yourself with?"
"If you didn't plot against me, would that Hōgyoku have flown into Aizen's hands on its own? Hmm?"
After Soifon finished speaking, she looked coldly at Kisuke Urahara sitting on the sofa.
Suddenly, the living room of the Kurosaki Clinic fell silent, leaving only the sounds of Karin and Yuzu playing on the second floor.
Kisuke Urahara opened his mouth, wanting to explain his actions, but following Soifon's logic, he was indeed in the wrong.
"I just wanted to hide the Hōgyoku..." Kisuke Urahara finally used the greater good to explain. "The Hōgyoku is too dangerous; Aizen couldn't be allowed to get it..."
"So, where is the danger now?" Soifon sneered. "I gave the Hōgyoku to Aizen naturally because he has value to be exploited, and I have the strength to suppress him."
"That is only temporary. The Hōgyoku will..."
"Will choose the direction of evolution based on the host's desire, correct?"
"Since you know that, Captain Soifon..."
"Then can the Hōgyoku evolve to be even more powerful than the Soul King?"
"It should... not be possible, right?"
Soifon's question caused Kisuke Urahara to crash for half a second. Usually, people would at most compare it to the Captain-Commander, which was already impressive enough. Who drops the ultimate trump card like the Soul King right at the start like you?
Having said her piece, Soifon paid no more attention to Kisuke Urahara. She nodded apologetically to Isshin and Masaki. "Apologies, I still have to be busy with the matter of the Zanpakutō, so I'll be going first."
"? Miss Soifon knows where the blade spirits are hiding?" Kisuke Urahara asked from behind, chasing the question.
Soifon waved her hand. "Even if I know, I won't tell you. Give up, Kisuke Urahara."
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