"Ah?"
"Uncle Isshin?!"
Not only Kurosaki Ichigo—
the three friends beside him—Asano Keigo, Sado Yasutora, and Inoue Orihime—
all froze at the mention of Kurosaki Isshin.
Their expressions instantly twisted into something odd.
It was a mix of surprise… and disbelief!!!
Yes—
until now,
in everyone's impression, Kurosaki Isshin was nothing more than a greasy middle-aged man who liked scuffling with Ichigo at home and occasionally embarrassing himself in front of the family.
Even though, in a previous countdown,
Isshin had shown that in the future he would regain his Shinigami powers, don the black Shihakushō again,
and even fight evenly with Aizen in his Shinigami form—
And the most important detail:
When he appeared,
his shoulder carried a white captain's armband—the exact same as Squad Captain-rank Shinigami.
Just these conditions alone
already confirmed beyond doubt—
Kurosaki Isshin's past identity was that of an ex-Captain who had left the Gotei 13.
However—
the contrast with his present-day appearance was simply too great!!
Add to that the sudden implication that he had been involved with Aizen—
Naturally,
it was completely normal for everyone, including Ichigo,
to be unable to accept this for the moment!!!
——
Meanwhile,
as everyone wrestled with this complicated shock,
the video continued to play:
Clang—!!
The constant clashing of blades shattered the quiet of the stormy night.
The camera moved slowly,
and viewers could clearly see that high above Karakura Town,
two figures were moving at extreme speeds, locked in intense combat!
And every collision
triggered violent bursts of spiritual pressure—
evaporating raindrops on contact and even tearing away the darkness of the night sky!
"This is…"
"That's the Tenth Division captain's haori!"
"That's Captain Shiba!!! From roughly twenty years ago!!!"
Inside Squad One,
it took less than a few seconds—
Hitsugaya Tōshirō and Matsumoto Rangiku, from the right-side formation, had their eyes widen dramatically.
Yes—
as former subordinates,
they instantly remembered that part of their past from twenty years earlier.
Back then,
the Captain of the Tenth Division was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo's father—
before he changed his name,
the head of the Shiba Clan: Shiba Isshin!!!
"I remember now!!!"
Matsumoto Rangiku gasped, clenching her teeth. "At that time we received intel reporting that in Naruki City of the Human World, several stationed Shinigami were mysteriously disappearing or suspected dead!"
"To investigate, Captain Shiba left Soul Society without reporting it—which was against regulations—and traveled to the Human World!"
"So this scene must be showing what he experienced back then in Naruki City!"
As she spoke,
Rangiku's eyes revealed clear guilt.
Back then, even though she was the Lieutenant of the Tenth Division—
because of Shiba Isshin's laid-back, casual personality—
she never took his warnings seriously.
She thought it was just some minor incident.
Who could have guessed…
Just from this one image alone—
the intensity of the spiritual pressure clashing was enough to make hearts jump, even through the barrier screen!
It was easy to imagine
just how dangerous a situation Shiba Isshin must have been facing at that moment!!!
"Yeah…"
Hitsugaya sighed, guilt in his voice. "Back then, it was actually me who told you not to follow him into the Human World… Looking back, that was definitely a mistake."
Even though Hitsugaya was only the third seat at the time—
he had already partially mastered Bankai!
Therefore,
he believed that if he had been there too,
with Hyōrinmaru's ice abilities—
he might have been able to help, at least a little.
He wouldn't have let Shiba Isshin fight a desperate battle alone.
It pained him to think about!!!
However—
the other Captains
were more focused on Shiba Isshin's opponent.
Across from him—
was a humanoid black monster,
spiritual pressure raging wildly, arm-blades sharp like swords—
yet with its Hollow hole sealed shut.
"?!"
"Am I sensing this wrong?" Kyōraku Shunsui frowned. "Why does this black Hollow's reiatsu contain the fluctuation of Shinigami power too?!"
"That shouldn't be possible!!!"
Normally,
Shinigami and Hollows were fundamentally opposite existences.
Their spiritual pressures were obviously different.
Shinigami reiatsu was calm and controlled.
Hollow reiatsu was violent and chaotic.
But now—
both traits appeared simultaneously in this strange black-and-white Hollow.
It made one almost think—
that it had broken the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami,
becoming yet another transcendent existence!!!
"Heh…"
"What's there to think about? Obviously this is Aizen's handiwork!"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri stepped forward,
eyes gleaming with greed as he examined the Hollow. "This anomalous Hollow… let's call it Hollow White, 'Shiro'!"
"It's clearly created from a dead Shinigami soul, put through Hollowfication experiments and made into a special Hollow!"
"You can tell just from its combat patterns!"
As another enthusiast of illegal human experimentation—
Mayuri, while surprised at Hollow White's strength and strangeness—
still instantly recognized its nature.
And he openly pointed to Aizen as the mastermind behind it!
Perhaps—
at this very moment—
Aizen was hiding nearby,
using Kyōka Suigetsu to observe them from the shadows!!!
Sure enough,
as the camera panned again—
it turned toward another part of the sky above Karakura Town.
There—
three figures wrapped in black cloaks stood side by side, quietly watching the battle.
It was unmistakably Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen!!!
"Damn!!!"
"So that's how it was…"
"No wonder in the middle of my fight with Hollow White, I suddenly got stabbed from behind!!!"
"They were lying in wait!!!"
In the real world—
inside the clinic in Karakura Town—
Kurosaki Isshin abruptly stood up,
his doctor's coat falling to the floor as he clenched his teeth in fury.
At the time—
before Aizen's surprise attack—
he had held the complete advantage, suppressing Hollow White!
Once his Zanpakutō Engetsu released,
its blazing flames
swept through the entire building like a storm and cornered Hollow White completely!
Isshin was certain:
If no one had interfered—
no matter how bizarre Hollow White's power was—
he would have won.
He would have either killed it or purified it.
There wouldn't have been any of the disaster that followed!
However…
thinking back carefully,
Isshin suddenly noticed something—
The black cloaks Aizen's group were wearing in the video…
weren't those the exact same cloaks shown earlier—
the ones Urahara Kisuke used to conceal his spiritual pressure during his surprise attack attempt?!
"What the—"
"So Aizen learned it from Urahara Kisuke?!"
"That bastard! If not for him, Aizen wouldn't have gotten away with it!!"
"And I wouldn't have gotten stabbed in the back for nothing!!!"
Isshin's scalp went numb.
He immediately decided to leave the clinic and go after Urahara Kisuke to settle accounts!!
If that traitorous cloak hadn't existed—
the entire destiny of the Shiba clan would have been different!
He would still be Shiba Isshin,
Captain of Squad 10.
He might even be,
right now—
sitting in Squad One headquarters alongside the other Captains watching this countdown video!!!
Thinking of this,
Isshin let out a helpless laugh.
He felt regret, yes—
but then he thought of Ichigo.
His beloved son.
His expression softened instantly, eyes full of expectation:
"Ichigo… keep watching carefully!"
"If nothing goes wrong…"
"You're about to see your mother make her entrance!!!"
——
And indeed,
Isshin was not wrong!
"Burn, Engetsu——!!!"
The Zanpakutō released,
flames roared skyward, igniting reishi, whirling like a fiery tornado.
Shiba Isshin reversed the tide instantly—
crushing Hollow White and even cutting off one of its arms in a fiery explosion!
Unfortunately,
Aizen personally intervened soon after.
Kyōka Suigetsu flashed—
leaving three deep gashes of blood across Isshin's back!
"Tch…"
"So he's done for, huh? What a pitiful Shinigami Captain…"
Inside Las Noches,
the Arrancar watched coldly.
Not one of them thought Aizen's backstab was improper.
Instead, they unanimously agreed that Shiba Isshin, being a Shinigami Captain, deserved to die.
"Heh…"
"If it were that simple, Kurosaki Ichigo wouldn't have been born later."
Under the throne,
Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes, smiling.
As someone who had been present back then—
he remembered it clearly.
Isshin truly had been cornered.
Hollow White's arm-blade—
was moments away from taking his head.
But then—
a burst of blue light flared in the sky!
Shu—!!
A holy Quincy arrow shot across the battlefield,
locking onto Hollow White with absolute precision!
One strike—direct hit!
A massive explosion lit up Karakura Town's night sky!
"Gin…"
"It's coming…"
"The real show is about to begin!!!"
Past or present—
Aizen's smile under the cloak
was tinged with deep interest as he stared downward.
The camera slowly followed his gaze.
And then—
a beautiful silhouette appeared.
In the heavy rain,
a young woman pulled back her bowstring, posture heroic,
her fair skin and elegant dress making her shine even amidst the darkness.
"That human girl… she's a pure-blood Quincy?!"
Inside Squad One,
the Captains raised their eyebrows, genuinely shocked.
Kurosaki Masaki's appearance—
and especially her courage in rushing in to save Shiba Isshin—
made them all realize she was no ordinary human!!!
"I see…" Rangiku murmured, admiration blooming in her eyes. "So Captain Shiba was saved by a human Quincy back then!"
"Who could've imagined that?"
"In that kind of situation, I don't think I could have remained that calm!"
Although due to the Wandenreich incident,
Rangiku—like the other Captains—
instinctively disliked Quincies.
But—
Masaki Kurosaki was different.
Her pure and gentle face made it difficult to feel any hostility toward her.
More importantly—
in a moment of crisis, she stayed by Shiba Isshin's side.
She fought, drew Hollow White's aggro, and saved him from certain death.
Every action she took
made Rangiku feel this human girl was truly exceptional.
Compared to her—
aside from raw strength—
Rangiku felt utterly outclassed in resolve and courage!!!
Even Yamamoto Genryūsai,
watching this scene of life-saving bravery,
found himself begrudgingly softening toward this pure-blood Quincy.
"Hmph…"
"It seems not all pure-blood Quincies are evil…"
His old eyes narrowed.
"As for Yhwach's Wandenreich—"
"The pure-blood Quincy under him are clearly a different breed from this girl!!!"
——
But of all people—
the one most shocked by Masaki's powerful entrance—
was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo himself.
"WHAT?!"
"Isn't that… my mom?!"
He was stunned.
His orange hair trembled as his pupils shook wildly.
His worldview shattered on the spot—
his entire reality overturned!!!
Yes,
this was Ichigo's exact reaction—pure, absolute shock.
After all—
in his memories, his mother Masaki Kurosaki
was nothing more than a gentle, kind, stay-at-home mom.
A pure-blood Quincy?
He absolutely had no idea!!!
And even more shocking—
His dad was already strong as a former Captain—
but now it seemed…
his MOM had been even stronger in her youth!!!
"What the hell is going on?!?!"
"Why did Dad never mention ANY of this for so many years?!"
Ichigo was completely overwhelmed.
His parents' past identities blowing up in front of him—
strike after strike—
left him dizzy and reeling.
Especially Masaki—
beautiful, strong—
and now in the video,
after Hollow White dodged several of her arrows,
she calmly dismissed her bow—
let the glowing reishi dissipate from her hands—
and then—
opened her arms wide—
as if willingly letting Hollow White strike her down!!!
That reckless, unbelievable move—
made Ichigo panic first before anyone else.
He yanked his hair in despair, spinning in circles as he shouted:
"Mom—are you CRAZY?!"
"This isn't helping Dad at all!!! Your survival rate is ZERO!!!!"
Even his father—
needed to release his Zanpakutō to withstand Hollow White's attacks!
But his mother—
was just a normal girl at that time.
And worst of all—
Aizen was still watching above,
Kyōka Suigetsu in hand, its blade still slick with fresh blood!
Under these circumstances,
Ichigo felt like the world was collapsing.
Everything pointed to one conclusion—
his mother was doomed!!!
But then—
the situation flipped.
What happened next was so unexpected,
even Ichigo couldn't predict it anymore.
Regardless of whether this was part of Aizen's machinations—
what came next changed everything—
because that moment,
a miraculous fusion occurred—
melding Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy power into one body.
For the first time in history—
a being appeared who carried all three powers simultaneously.
A being who would eventually be—
Kurosaki Ichigo himself.
(End of Chapter)
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