The Tenshintai—Tsuna had used it before. It was a device invented by Urahara Kisuke that forcibly materialized a Zanpakutō spirit to help someone learn Bankai.
If Ichigo had managed to destroy the Tenshintai, that meant only one thing—
Ichigo had already mastered Bankai.
Without hesitation, Tsuna immediately stepped away from Isshin and pointed at him.
"Talk to his parent about reimbursement. Ichigo and I aren't that close."
"You little brat!" Isshin shouted angrily. "Now you're trying to distance yourself?!"
"Gentlemen, please stop arguing," Urahara said calmly. "Ichigo has already begun."
Ichigo unleashed another Getsuga Tenshō, blasting away the incoming Senbonzakura petals, then immediately used Shunpo to reach an open space.
He raised Zangetsu vertically and pressed his other hand against the arm holding the blade.
The white cloth at the hilt wrapped around his arm as his Reiatsu began to fluctuate violently.
Byakuya instantly sensed something unusual.
Relying on his combat experience, he immediately cast:
Hadō #4 — Byakurai.
A streak of white lightning shot from his fingertip.
Whatever Ichigo was trying to do—interrupting him was the priority.
But he was a step too late.
At the moment Byakurai fired, Ichigo had already completed his preparation.
With a powerful thrust of Reiatsu, he shouted:
"Bankai!"
A pillar of spiritual pressure enveloped him.
Moments later, the light faded.
Standing there was Kurosaki Ichigo, wearing a black Shihakushō lined with red.
His enormous Zanpakutō had transformed into a slender black katana.
The guard was shaped like the 卍 symbol, and a short chain extended from the pommel.
"Tensa Zangetsu."
His calm voice and the fluttering cloak stirred by Reiatsu made the moment undeniably cool.
Byakuya frowned.
"You call that tiny thing a Bankai?"
But before he could finish speaking—
A chill suddenly appeared at his neck.
His vision blurred.
Ichigo had already appeared directly in front of him.
The tip of Tensa Zangetsu rested against Byakuya's throat.
"Woo—iconic scene," Tsuna whispered excitedly. "Didn't expect Ichigo to pull that off before even entering Soul Society."
"I have no intention of becoming your enemy," Ichigo said calmly.
"Let me escort Rukia to Soul Society. I'll testify on her behalf."
From the beginning, Ichigo had never wanted a life-or-death battle with Byakuya or Renji.
Renji's injuries had simply been an accident.
Byakuya, however, didn't think that way.
His subordinate had been defeated—that was a fact.
With a subtle movement of his hidden fingers, Senbonzakura shot upward, engulfing both himself and Ichigo.
The petals were essentially countless razor blades.
If he lost control, even Byakuya himself could be injured.
Yet he allowed the petals to slice across his own body just to break free from Ichigo's close-range threat.
Just as he expected—
Before the petals reached him, Ichigo had already flashed away.
Byakuya regained his freedom.
But after the storm of petals ended, his clothing was torn and countless thin cuts marked his body.
"Tch. That stubborn temper of his hasn't changed at all," Yoruichi remarked.
She considered herself quite familiar with Byakuya—mostly because she had bullied him when he was younger.
She knew his personality well.
Stubborn.
Ruthless to enemies.
Even more ruthless to himself.
Senbonzakura reformed into a blade in Byakuya's hand.
He released it backward, letting the sword drop.
The blade sank into a ripple beneath his feet.
"Bankai."
Byakuya's solemn voice echoed.
Thousands of enormous blades rose behind him like silent guardians.
Then they shattered into a vast sea of cherry blossom petals.
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Simply put, this Bankai was a massively amplified version of his Shikai.
The number of blades under his control increased dramatically, giving him a far wider range of techniques.
With a flick of his hand, the petals accelerated.
Far more agile than Renji's Zabimaru, they sealed Ichigo's escape routes from every direction.
As Byakuya clenched his hand—
The petals surrounded Ichigo completely.
He was trapped inside a spherical prison of blades.
Kōkei — Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
A full-sphere execution technique.
But the moment the sphere closed—
Byakuya's hand was forced open.
The cherry blossom sphere exploded apart.
Among the scattering petals flashed countless black sword trails.
For the first time, surprise appeared on Byakuya's face.
Kōkei had been broken.
And the method was incredibly simple.
Pure speed.
Ichigo's strikes were so fast that even Senbonzakura couldn't keep up, shattering the entire sphere in an instant.
Ichigo's expression hardened.
Byakuya had been serious.
If he were even slightly weaker, that attack would have shredded him.
Which meant—
He also needed to fight seriously.
The tip of Tensa Zangetsu glowed with dark Reiatsu.
Even a small spark radiated terrifying pressure.
Ichigo swung.
A black crescent tore through the air.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
The attack was still Getsuga Tenshō—but now the Reiatsu was black.
And its power far surpassed the blue crescent from his Shikai.
Byakuya sensed danger.
He immediately gathered countless petals to form layers of defense.
Even so—
He had underestimated its power.
A thin streak of black Reiatsu broke through the defenses and appeared before him.
Byakuya tilted his head.
The slash grazed his cheek.
A strand of his hair fell.
If the full attack had broken through instead of just that fragment—
Byakuya would likely have been severely injured.
He wiped the blood from his cheek.
Then his technique changed again.
All petals returned to his side like birds returning to their nest.
Hundreds of petals condensed into a pink katana.
Billions repeated the process.
In an instant, countless pink blades spread outward.
Thousands of swords formed a cage around both Ichigo and Byakuya.
This technique abandoned defense entirely.
Every petal became a blade.
Byakuya intended to defeat Ichigo head-on with pure Zanjutsu.
Senkei — Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
A blade formed before him.
He grasped the hilt—
Just as he prepared to attack, someone stepped between them.
It was Kuchiki Rukia.
"Please stop, Brother. Don't fight anymore."
"I'll go back with you."
Then she turned to Ichigo.
"Ichigo… Brother is about to fight seriously. You can't win against him."
"Don't worry. I'll only serve a few years in prison before I'm released."
She deliberately downplayed the punishment to ease Ichigo's worries.
Unexpectedly—
Ichigo reacted calmly.
"I understand, Rukia."
"Take care."
Tensa Zangetsu lowered toward the ground.
To Rukia, it seemed like Ichigo had lost the will to fight.
A trace of disappointment flickered across her face.
She turned back to Byakuya.
"Let's go, Brother. Renji still needs treatment."
A vein twitched on Byakuya's forehead.
He had just prepared to reclaim his honor—
Only to be stopped by his own sister.
Was his family's daughter really this outwardly devoted to outsiders?
With Rukia persuading him—and Renji needing medical attention—
Byakuya reluctantly withdrew Senbonzakura.
Still, he engraved Ichigo's face deeply into his memory.
The next time they met—
He would make this arrogant boy witness the pride of the Kuchiki Clan.
"Let's go."
Byakuya opened the Senkaimon.
Rukia carried the heavily wounded Renji on her back.
Before stepping through, she looked back at the Human World one last time.
Who knew when she would see it again?
The Senkaimon slowly closed.
The night sky of Karakura Town returned to calm.
In an unnoticed corner—
Ichigo suddenly broke free from Isshin and Tsuna's restraints.
"You idiots!"
He pointed angrily at them.
"Didn't you see how reluctant Rukia looked? She must've been lying! If she returns to Soul Society, it's over!"
Meanwhile, the Ichigo who had just said farewell slowly dissolved into mist.
When Byakuya activated Senkei , Tsuna's illusion had already covered the battlefield.
The real Ichigo had been restrained.
The one who spoke to Rukia was merely an illusion.
"Relax," Tsuna said. "Look over there."
He pointed to a corner where several small creatures were disappearing.
"Let me introduce you. Those are Monitoring Spirit Insects."
"Monitoring?" Ichigo's anger cooled instantly. "You mean Rukia's being set up?"
"There's someone behind this?"
"Exactly," Tsuna said.
"If you kept fighting Byakuya, the mastermind might personally come to the Human World."
"And if that happened… Karakura Town would be in serious trouble."
"That person… is strong?" Ichigo asked.
"Very strong."
Tsuna paused.
"I'm not even sure I could beat him."
"So the battlefield for rescuing Rukia cannot be Karakura Town. Understand?"
Ichigo looked down at the city lights below.
This city—
He loved it.
"I understand."
"The battlefield must be Soul Society."
"When do we leave? How much time do I have?"
Tsuna looked toward Urahara.
After calculating briefly, Urahara replied:
"Soul Society isn't exactly efficient."
"It will take quite some time before Rukia's sentence is carried out."
"We depart in ten days. I'll prepare the Senkaimon."
Ichigo nodded.
"I got it."
"Dad, please take my body home."
"Tell Mom and Orihime I'll be coming back late for a while."
Then he vanished with Shunpo.
To save Rukia—
He would have to face the fear inside his own heart.
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