[Soul Society Arc] Part 67: Divide and Conquer

As Yato descended into the Seireitei, he noticed that there were already some shinigami waiting down below. He briefly glanced to the sides, and just as he was about to collide with the other shinigami, Yato suddenly vanished, leaving only a faint trail of green light in the air.

Shinigami 1: "Where did he go!?"

Shinigami 2: "He can't have gone far!! Quickly, search for him!!"

Meanwhile, Yato was hiding in some nearby trees, observing the actions of the shinigami.

Yato: 'At least there are no captains or lieutenants where I landed. Dealing with these random shinigami should be easier.'

In the same way he had done before coming to the Soul Society, Yato used his own fullbring to reshape his clothes into the typical Shihakushō of the shinigami.

Yato didn't mind dressing that way; in fact, he even preferred loose clothing. However, the waraji sandals he wore bothered him a bit.

Yato: 'Now... just some finishing touches on the uniform...' - He thought as he added the Bellflower insignia, which represented the 4th Division, to the inside of his kimono.

The teenager knew that all the Shinigami's Shihakushō had an insignia of their respective divisions on the inside of the kimono.

Yato had chosen the 4th Division's insignia for a reason. Yato not only had a common appearance, which helped him blend in, but he also appear to be physically weak. Aside from a few exceptions, the Shinigami of the 4th Division didn't stand out as much, especially among the members of the 11th Division.

The chances of encountering another 4th Division member would also be quite low since they rarely left their barracks.

Afterward, Yato began focusing on the spiritual energy around him, trying to determine if there was anyone else nearby. When he realized there wasn't anyone close, the young man leaped from the tree to the ground in Seireitei.

Yato: "This place feels like a maze... everything looks the same around here..." - He thought, wearing a slightly annoyed expression.

Cheshire: "This place is so rich in spiritual energy... makes me want to go out and stretch my paws~" - The playful voice of the feline echoed in Yato's mind.

Yato: 'I just hope you don't cause any trouble on my side...'

Cheshire: 'Me? I would never~'

Yato: '...I didn't like the way you said that...' - He thought with a hint of concern. - 'By the way, how are the Gigai and Gikongan?'

Cheshire: 'Safe and sound. I've made the modifications you requested. It's much easier to influence the fate of something with low or weakened Reiatsu~'

Yato: "Well... no time to waste around here. I'm sure Ichigo will start fighting soon, and the shinigami will focus on searching in that area." - He thought, looking in the direction of the towering white structure, the Senzaikyū.

**

As they plummeted through the sky, Ichigo and Ganju engaged in a lively argument, complaining about their impending landing until Ganju managed to take the lead, with Ichigo grasping onto him.

Ganju: "Turn into sand! Seppa!!" - He made a circular motion with his right hand, transforming their landing spot into sand to cushion their fall.

Upon impact, they sank into the sandy surface, requiring them to dig themselves out.

Ichigo/Ganju: "HAAAAAGH!!!!" - They both expelled a significant amount of sand in a comical fashion.

Ichigo: "Geez... to think your stupid spell would save our lives." - He said to Ganju, who couldn't stop coughing. - "Thanks, Ganju..."

The teenager didn't receive a response because Ganju couldn't stop coughing for even a second, which irritated the orange-haired guy.

Ichigo: "How long is that spell of yours going to make you cough?!!!" - He yelled, giving Ganju a kick in the back.

Ganju: "You got some nerve to kick the man who saved your life!!!"

Ichigo: "That wasn't even a kick!!! It was my way of saying thank you!!!"

???: "Yahooo!! Lucky me!!" - Said an unfamiliar voice to the duo, surprising them.

From one of the Seireitei buildings, two unknown figures jumped to where Ichigo and Ganju were, revealing themselves to be two shinigami. Both were wearing the standard Shihakushō of the shinigami.

Ikkaku: "We were hiding here because we didn't feel like working... and the intruders fell right into our laps! Lucky, lucky me. It's my lucky day~." - The bald shinigami said while doing a little dance. - "But it's not... so lucky for you."

Ichigo: "Huh?"

**

During Orihime and Uryu's fall, Orihime immediately summoned the spirits of her Shun Shun Rikka.

Orihime: "Hold on, Ishida-kun!" - She shouted as the spirits materialized around her. "Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily! Santen Kesshun, I reject!"

After the incantation, the spirits created a triangular shield in front of Orihime and Uryū. Her intention was to try to cushion their fall just like she had attempted to do when the group entered the Soul Society, but this time they were falling at a higher speed.

Despite the shield protecting them both, the impact was strong enough to briefly knock Orihime unconscious but she woke up startled after a few moments.

Orihime: "Oh no, Kurosaki-kun! Close quarters-combat–Ow!" - She shouted in pain while clutching her right shoulder, which was wrapped in a bandage.

Uryū: "Inoue-san! Are you okay, Inoue-san?"

Orihime: "Huh? Ishida-kun?"

Uryū: "We got lucky... We landed where there's no one around."

Orihime: "Really! How lucky—Ouch!" - She winced in pain, touching her injured shoulder.

Uryū: "Oh! Be careful! You got hurt in the crash." - He said with concern. - "I gave you first-aid with a bandage that I had... but I didn't bring any aspirin..."

Orihime: "You did? Thank you, Ishida-kun," - She said with a smile, then murmured with a comical sweat drop forming on her head, - "You carry bandages around with you?"

Uryū: "I'm sorry. You had to use your powers to protect me. If you were on your own, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." - He spoke with a tone of embarrassment and remorse.

The girl simply smiled as she stood up, brushing the dust off her pants.

Orihime: "You think so? The way I'm clumsy, I would have gotten hurt just the same. Then there wouldn't be anyone around to bandage me up. I would have passed out from blood loss and died."

She spoke with an infectious smile, clearly trying to ease Uryu's guilt over what had happened.

Orihime: "Come on! We better run. Someone might have heard the noise from our fall and could come here to check."

Uryu: "Y-you're right."

The two of them ran in another direction, but neither of them noticed that there was a hidden shinigami, vigilant and observing their every move.

**

As Tatsuki and Chad were falling, they both noticed that there were plenty of shinigami waiting for them below.

Tatsuki: "Damn! Looks like things are gonna get exciting when we land!" - She said with a smile despite being a bit nervous.

Chad, on the other hand, instead of responding to the girl, used his powers, transforming his right arm. Just before they touched the ground, Chad unleashed a powerful punch, creating a blast of spiritual energy that knocked down most of the shinigami there, except for one who somehow managed to evade the mighty attack.

Tatsuki used her Bringer Light to make their descent a bit smoother, and when they finally touched the ground, the girl couldn't help but be impressed.

Tatsuki: "Aw, come on... you could've at least left a few of them for me..." - She grumbled.

Chad: "There's one left..." - He said calmly, pointing in the direction of the only shinigami who had managed to evade his attack.

The shinigami had blond hair with a large bang covering his left eye.

Izuru: "So, you're the Ryoka... whatever your goal is, I'll stop you right here." - He spoke as he drew his zanpakutō.

Tatsuki: "Oh yeah?" - She responded challengingly, taking a few steps toward the shinigami. - "Hey, Sado! You've already taken down plenty of them. Let me handle this one, and you can move on."

Chad: "It's not a good idea... more of them might show up..."

Tatsuki: "Then stay here and take down anyone who comes. Just let me handle this one alone."

She glanced briefly at Chad, and something in her look reminded him of Ichigo in some way.

Chad: "Right..."

Izuru: "I'm Izuru Kira, lieutenant of the 3rd Division. Identify yourselves." - He kept a firm hold on his zanpakutō with both hands.

Tatsuki: "I'm the one who's gonna send you crying back to your captain." - She assumed a karate stance, her confident smile contrasting with her eyes shifting to a striking gold color, the pupils narrowing into a slit shape.