"So, what should I do now to get stronger? Mr. Urahara, Ms. Yoruichi, Dad... please, just tell me directly."
Ichigo Kurosaki knew Yoruichi wouldn't say such things without reason, so he pleaded with them directly. However, his gaze fell primarily on Kisuke Urahara, who had been watching silently from the sidelines. After all, with an external brain like Urahara around, Ichigo felt it was best to just listen and act, rather than overthinking things himself.
"The Hōgyoku."
After a long silence, Kisuke Urahara spoke a word that stunned everyone present.
"What did you say?" Ichigo asked in disbelief, as if he hadn't heard correctly. He instinctively activated his Schrift, 'D'.
"What?" Isshin Shiba was also baffled.
"Shopkeeper!" Tessai Tsukabishi froze, then rushed over to shake Urahara violently. Shopkeeper, are you in your right mind?!
"Kisuke?!" Yoruichi was utterly shocked. This was a complete departure from their unspoken agreement to send Ichigo to the Soul King Palace. What is he thinking right now? Could losing his powers have drastically changed his personality and warped his judgment?
"Mr. Kurosaki has always sought to become stronger not by gaining more power from external sources, but by truly unlocking his own latent potential," Urahara said, gasping for breath after freeing himself from Tessai's grip. "Sending Ichigo to the Soul King Palace would only limit him as a Soul Reaper, turning him into an ignorant pawn under the surveillance and control of the Zero Squad. To defeat our enemy and protect this crumbling world, just making Mr. Kurosaki a competent Soul Reaper is far from enough."
"Do you have any idea what you're saying, Kisuke?" Yoruichi seemed to be getting angry. She leaped onto Urahara's face and delivered a flurry of cat-scratches, leaving his cheeks covered in claw marks.
"I know exactly what I'm doing, Ms. Yoruichi," Urahara said with a wry smile, covering his face. "To protect this world, or even to make it better, relying on Soul Reapers alone is not enough. What we need right now is not another Soul Reaper, but a true 'King'."
"'A King'? Kisuke, you bastard, do you even hear yourself...?" Yoruichi landed back on the ground, her face cold.
What is Urahara planning? Although they had agreed to send Ichigo to the Soul King Palace, which implicitly meant being prepared to sacrifice him if necessary, they would naturally prefer a solution where no one had to be sacrificed. Now, Urahara was suggesting creating another Hōgyoku. The Hōgyoku could draw out a person's potential, rapidly maturing Ichigo, a Soul King candidate, in the shortest possible time.
At that point, Ichigo would become the strongest "King," capable of unleashing his full power at any moment. His every action would affect the entire world and could even cause immense disaster. Even if he defeated the Quincy King, Ichigo himself would become a walking catastrophe requiring strict containment. Wasn't Kisuke afraid of losing control? Or had he already decided that Ichigo must be sacrificed, believing the current Soul King was doomed, and was therefore trying to groom Ichigo into the new "Soul King" as quickly as possible?
Yoruichi couldn't quite figure out her kind-faced, dark-hearted childhood friend and former subordinate. But with their long history, she could only choose to trust him for now and see where this went. Perhaps Kisuke had a follow-up plan he hadn't revealed yet. That bastard was always full of schemes. However, Yoruichi would make her own judgment. She knew that, at his core, Kisuke was a very dangerous man. He often came up with outrageous and perilous ideas, which he would usually seal away for the greater good, suppressing his own impulses. But he never stopped his secret experiments. Who knew when he might suddenly change his mind? At that point, Urahara himself would become the world's greatest threat. That was why she always kept an eye on him. If he ever strayed onto the wrong path, she wouldn't hesitate to beat him back into line.
"King? What king? What are you guys talking about?" Ichigo was completely lost.
"Listen closely, Ichigo. Your father just told you about your origins, but do you know the truth of this world?" Urahara clutched his green-and-white striped hat, hiding his face and concealing his expression.
"Kisuke Urahara! What are you thinking?" Isshin Shiba frowned, feeling that events were taking a strange turn. Urahara wasn't usually this radical. Even if he had a radical plan, he would typically trick others into executing it and only reveal the truth afterward. To dump the entire truth—the foundation of the world, the sins of the Soul Reapers—on Ichigo all at once... was that really a good idea?
"What's wrong, Mr. Shiba Isshin?" Urahara said softly. "To 'reveal the sins we have committed to the world, and then leave the judgment to the people'—wasn't that the wish of your ancestor, the founder of the Shiba Clan?"
"Kisuke, you..." Isshin's expression turned incredibly grim.
"This is an all-or-nothing war, not a child's game. I want Mr. Kurosaki to at least know what and why he is fighting for. And... after knowing the full truth, whether he is still willing to participate in this war as a Soul Reaper. Are you going to let your son risk his life and give his all in a war without even knowing how it began, sending him onto the battlefield in a state of confusion?"
Urahara's words made Isshin's face darken further.
Yoruichi, however, felt something was very wrong. Nine-tenths of this didn't sound like Urahara's personality. Still, she didn't interrupt, choosing to observe quietly. Besides, she knew Ichigo. Even if he learned everything, he would still choose to fight. Whether it was to avenge his mother or to protect everything he now held dear, Ichigo would give his all to defeat the enemy. Ichigo was already bound by his attachments. No matter the rights or wrongs, the grudges or grievances, he would always fight to protect those he cared about.
So, after learning the truth, Ichigo would undoubtedly still fight Yhwach. It was his attitude toward the Soul Reapers that might undergo a subtle change. But that wasn't a major issue. Ichigo had formed deep bonds with many Soul Reapers; they were also among those he wished to protect. Therefore, while he might feel hostility toward some of the corrupt elements within the Soul Reaper collective, he could never turn against the entire group. In fact, if handled correctly, this could even be a good thing for the Soul Reapers as a whole.
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