"Close call. Just barely."
Gin Ichimaru's white short hair drifted down as he landed lightly.
"As expected of Muten Natsu, the Flash God. If it were any other Lieutenant, they'd already be dead."
"Gin Ichimaru..."
Muten Natsu gripped Myōki tightly, bracing it against the short blade in Gin Ichimaru's hand.
"If I remember right, the Third Division is a support unit. Since when did you start moving faster than the patrol and security squads?"
"Support means thinking about what the others don't," Gin Ichimaru replied with a relaxed, smiling expression, as if he hadn't just stopped that terrifying draw slash.
"Not letting your companions come in was a wise choice."
So it really won't work...
Using Uryū Ishida's and Ichigo Kurosaki's abilities, Muten Natsu had absorbed a massive amount of Reishi, hoping to use this move to deal with Gin Ichimaru. He never expected to kill him. Even forcing him back for a moment to buy time for the others to escape would have been enough.
But... just as rumored. A genius who had graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in only one year a century ago. Having only just arrived in Soul Society, Muten Natsu's strength had yet to fully recover. Even with the support of two Quincies, he still couldn't close the gap between them.
"Honestly, I like your other Katana more. That one restrains me a lot better."
Gin Ichimaru put strength into his arm, knocking Myōki aside.
"But this blade... it's the one being restrained."
Like a venomous snake about to strike, Gin Ichimaru drew his arm back.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
The next instant, with an exceedingly simple thrust, the blade of his Zanpakutō shot forward, extending abruptly as its razor-sharp tip stabbed straight toward Muten Natsu's heart.
Gin Ichimaru's Zanpakutō was called Shinsō. Its Shikai ability was simple. Free extension.
Faced with this blade, Muten Natsu's draw technique couldn't build power at all. Even if he managed to complete the charge, there was a high chance he would collide with the blade's tip the moment he drew.
Clang!
Ink spread outward, knocking Shinsō aside.
Myōki cut through the ink. Ink Fortress flashed!
With a light twist of his body, Muten Natsu slashed toward Gin Ichimaru's head.
But in the very next moment, the extended Shinsō had already retracted. With only a slight turn of his wrist, Gin Ichimaru redirected the blade, its tip once again aimed straight at Muten Natsu's heart.
Clang!
Muten Natsu shifted his body, and Ink Fortress deflected Shinsō yet again.
This time, however, Shinsō continued to extend, growing to more than ten meters long.
Without hesitation, Muten Natsu raised Myōki in front of himself.
Gin Ichimaru let out a cold sneer and swung the terrifyingly long Shinsō, keeping its blade firmly pressed against Myōki.
Relying on extension alone wasn't enough to completely suppress Myōki. But when combined with Gin Ichimaru's overwhelming strength, the result was entirely different.
An ordinary person wouldn't even be able to lift a blade this long, much less swing it.
Gin Ichimaru, however, wielded it like a whip.
Even if Muten Natsu successfully executed his draw technique, Gin Ichimaru could still forcibly block the attack with sheer, crushing power.
Brilliant sparks exploded where the blades met. Amid the piercing screech of steel, Muten Natsu was driven back again and again before slamming heavily into Jidanbō's chest.
The force was so terrifying that even Jidanbō couldn't withstand it. His massive body was blasted away together with Muten Natsu.
Ink-like traces spread outward as Muten Natsu clutched his Katana with both hands, his Reiatsu surging like a raging torrent.
Without Jidanbō's support, Hakutōmon descended once more.
Muten Natsu was hurled violently to the ground, smashing into it. His chest was torn open, flesh peeled back, blood pouring out freely.
Ichigo Kurosaki rushed forward, lifting the gravely wounded Muten Natsu into his arms, then turned and followed the black cat away from Hakutōmon.
Uryū Ishida looked at the now-closed Hakutōmon.
"Did it work?"
"It worked." Beneath Seireitei, Muten Natsu heard the dull, heavy sound of the gate sealing shut.
"Ririn, you did well."
"Now you know how amazing I am~"
The bird-shaped doll Ririn lifted her head proudly, then immediately collapsed onto Orihime Inoue's shoulder.
"I'm exhausted."
This wasn't Muten Natsu's first time in Soul Society, and he already had a fair understanding of Seireitei.
The moment they entered the Senkaimon, Seireitei's Research and Development Institute, specifically the Spiritual Wave Measurement Department, would detect them.
By the time they landed in Rukongai, a large number of Shinigami would certainly already be stationed behind Hakutōmon.
Infiltrating under those conditions was no easy task.
That was why Muten Natsu had prepared a plan long in advance.
Jidanbō came from Rukongai and had deep ties with the Souls there.
If it were an ordinary Ryoka, he would have fought with everything he had to stop them.
But Muten Natsu was different. Given how dangerous he was, Jidanbō would never allow him to remain in Rukongai. Instead, he would immediately open Hakutōmon and summon powerful Shinigami to deal with him.
The steps that followed were considerably more complicated.
First, Muten Natsu would cause a large disturbance to draw the gatekeepers' attention. Under the cover of Ririn's illusion, Orihime Inoue would slip through Hakutōmon.
Next, Muten Natsu would fight the Shinigami stationed behind the gate, pretend to be overwhelmed, retreat through Hakutōmon, and then swallow the Gikon Pill, allowing the ace salesman of Urahara Shop—Gon—to take control of his Gigai.
Finally, under the concealment of Ririn's illusion, he would enter Hakutōmon once more.
The Waterfall Slash he had released earlier was nothing more than a smokescreen.
Hiding Orihime Inoue while also concealing Muten Natsu himself was an enormous challenge for Ririn.
Thankfully, she pulled it off.
Only now did Muten Natsu truly understand the words Don Kanonji had once spoken.
["Weakness is not cowardice. Strength, too, requires companions."]
Ririn's illusions were often of limited use, yet this time they had allowed Muten Natsu to complete the infiltration successfully.
Plans with so many interlocking steps were the most prone to accidents, but Muten Natsu had prepared additional contingencies. Even if one link failed, he could immediately switch to another approach.
Even if he couldn't pass through Hakutōmon, he still knew other methods, though they would be far more troublesome.
Orihime Inoue surveyed the vast, dim passageway, damp water flowing along the sides.
"This is…an underground sewer?"
"That's right. These underground waterways run throughout the entire Seireitei, allowing unobstructed access to anywhere," Muten Natsu explained. "They're incredibly complex. Only the Fourth Division, which handles rescue and supply, truly knows them inside and out."
"So they're used for supplies too? No wonder they're so wide."
Orihime Inoue hugged Ririn to her chest.
"Are we going to look for Rukia now?"
"No. We're going somewhere else first."
The Hell's Eye on Muten Natsu's forehead opened.
"We're retrieving my Zanpakutō."
With his current strength, rescuing Rukia Kuchiki was nothing short of a fantasy.
Only by reclaiming that Zanpakutō would Muten Natsu be able to move freely through Seireitei.
"Another Zanpakutō?"
Orihime Inoue tilted her head, curious.
"Where do we go to get it?"
"Found it..."
Muten Natsu's Hell's Eye locked onto a specific direction before slowly closing.
"As expected, it's in the Research and Development Institute."