Chapter 46: The Gatekeeper — Jidanbō
Narrator POV
Yoruichi looked away without saying a word. The rest of the group remained silent. No one dared to step in. They all understood exactly what Akira had just said. The tension only eased once he released Yoruichi, letting her fall gently to the ground as if the argument was no longer worth continuing.
"Too quiet…" he muttered, eyes fixed on the empty streets around them. "It's unnatural."
"Yoruichi… is this the Soul Society?" Ichigo asked in confusion, staring at the empty houses and deserted avenues, not a single soul in sight.
"It's not what I expected…" Uryū adjusted his glasses with a serious expression. This was nothing like what he had imagined. "I thought the home of the shinigami would be more… vibrant. More patrols, more presence, more life."
But the only sound was the faint wind sweeping through the streets. An unnatural calm that seemed to foreshadow the trouble waiting ahead.
"We're in the outskirts of the Seireitei," Yoruichi explained, now more composed, though Akira's words still echoed in her mind like an uncomfortable whisper. "This area is called Rukongai. This is where souls arrive after death. It's the poorest part, but also the freest. Most souls live here… far from the walls of the Seireitei, where the shinigami reside."
Akira looked around. Simple wooden houses worn down by time, dirt-packed streets. The air felt heavy—not from reiatsu, but from neglect.
"You're telling me that even when you're dead, you can still be poor?" he clicked his tongue and let out an ironic laugh. "Poor bastards… died trying to escape poverty and ended up the same or worse." He shook his head, half amused, half baffled. "What kind of spiritual capitalism is this?"
The others stared at him, unsure whether to laugh or pity him.
"Hey! Look at that!" Ichigo pointed ahead.
The houses in the distance were completely different: polished stone walls, reinforced roofs, large windows and perfectly paved streets. It was obvious that area wasn't part of Rukongai.
"That must be the Seireitei…" Uryū said with a stern expression. "The difference is staggering. It seems that even in death, social classes still exist."
"Then let's go!" Ichigo shouted suddenly, a determined smile on his face, breaking into a run. "I'll be the first to get there!"
"You can hit him for that one, Yoruichi," Akira raised his hand lazily, not even bothering to run yet. "Actually, I'll help you. We tie him up and throw him like a projectile. What do you think?"
Yoruichi only sighed, lowering her head while softly shaking it… but this time with a slight smile tugging at her lips. The group advanced, still carrying tension, but slowly regaining their balance as a team.
Akira watched Ichigo run cluelessly toward the Seireitei wall. With a sigh, he lifted his right hand—the Ruler's Hand shimmering faintly in a dark hue—and without moving another finger, he stopped Ichigo mid-sprint, as if caught by an invisible force.
"Wha—?! Hey, what—?!" Ichigo struggled to move forward, but something held him suspended, dangling like a puppet caught on an unseen string.
"You and your suicidal enthusiasm… hold on a second, airhead." Akira sighed, annoyed that he had to keep stopping Ichigo every other minute.
Before Ichigo could complain, a deafening crash shook the ground. Something dropped with tremendous force in front of him, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that rippled outward. A huge carved block of wood had just slammed down from above. Then another. And another. Within seconds, dozens of colossal pieces descended and assembled themselves right before their eyes.
A massive gate, followed by the rise of an enormous wall, emerged as if conjured from thin air, enclosing the Seireitei.
???: "Well, well… it's been a long time since anyone tried to enter the Seireitei without permission," boomed a deep, thunderous voice that seemed to rumble from the earth itself.
Through the lingering dust, the figure of a gigantic man appeared. He was a living wall of muscle. Even among shinigami, his size was overwhelming.
His left arm was covered in heavy armor, and his shoulder looked like a fortified rampart. He wore a red hat with dangling tassels swaying in the wind, and a long braid fell down his back. His patched sideburns framed his face, giving him a rough yet disciplined air.
"That's Jidanbō… the Guardian of the Great Western Gate. They say he can split thirty Hollows in half with a single swing of his axe. Jidanbō has become a symbol of power and respect in Soul Society." Yoruichi said as she moved to stand beside Ichigo, revealing the guardian's identity.
Orihime: "He's huge!"
Uryū: "Technically, he's our first obstacle… but he also looks like a walking mountain. One we'll have to overcome if we want to proceed."
Chad: "Hmm…"
Jidanbō looked down at the group, his expression serious but not yet hostile.
—No one enters the Seireitei without going through me. If you want to get in, it'll have to be the hard way… or you turn back now.
Akira studied the colossal guardian blocking their path. He still had Ichigo suspended, but with a simple motion he lowered his hand, releasing his telekinetic grip. Ichigo fell face-first to the ground with a loud thud.
Akira didn't bother helping him up. He saw no reason to fight the giant himself. After all, this was something the "carrot-head" needed to handle.
"Your turn, Ichigo. You can take him on, right?"
"Of course I can." Ichigo muttered, pushing himself up with a wince. "This won't take long…"
With determination, Ichigo gripped the handle of Zangetsu, the bandages loosening and falling away to reveal the massive blade of his zanpakutō. He stepped toward Jidanbō with unwavering resolve.
"Sorry, big guy, but we don't have time for this." His voice was stern, overflowing with confidence.
Behind him, Orihime watched with growing nervousness.
"Shouldn't we help him? Yoruichi said Jidanbō is really strong… That no one has ever gotten past him since he started guarding that gate…" she said, voice trembling as she clasped her hands anxiously.
"Relax. Ichigo can handle it. And don't mind the coal-colored cat." Akira shrugged.
"I'm still here, you know?" Yoruichi huffed, irritated by the jab. "Do you have some kind of problem with the color black?"
"I know you're there. That's exactly why I said it out loud." Akira replied with a half-smirk, enjoying every second of teasing her.
Annoying Yoruichi helped him shake off that strange, instinctive discomfort he felt around her. Maybe it was resentment… or something he still couldn't define.
Meanwhile, Ichigo continued his approach toward the colossal guardian, Zangetsu in hand, and the clash between the substitute shinigami's determination and the gatekeeper's duty was about to begin.
Orihime let out a nervous giggle. Uryū sighed, Chad crossed his arms in silence, and Yoruichi simply glared at Akira—though deep down, she knew Akira was right… at least this time.
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End of Chapter.