I heard mumbles around me as I opened my eyes and sat up. Looking around, I noticed I was in the Relief Station. 'Must've blacked out.' A nurse, or someone I assumed was a nurse, rushed over to me.
"You can't get up yet! You're still injured!"
I snorted and pushed him away, ignoring his protests. I shot him a glare to silence him. "Where is Captain Yamamoto?"
He hesitated but eventually answered. Driven by a slight urgency, I left. As I made my way down the hallway, I glanced at my right shoulder and chest, noticing how it had been healed. 'Wonder if Unohana patched me up again.' A small smile crossed my face, but I quickly straightened up as I remembered how I'd gotten injured in the first place. I sighed, rounding a corner to reach my destination.
When I arrived, I saw most of the captains gathered, along with Ichigo, all staring up at a massive wall. 'Wonder what's going on.'
"Yo, Ichigo-san!" I called, waving as I approached. He turned around, surprise evident on his face.
"Ryou-san! You're up!"
I joined the group, standing next to Unohana, and gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks for healing me again, Captain Unohana-san."
She turned to reply, but before she could speak, a massive pillar suddenly slammed down from the sky, creating an explosion and kicking up a cloud of dust. Shielding my face, I heard Ichigo's startled voice.
"What is that?!"
I snorted, thinking the same thing, but Yamamoto answered calmly. "It's Squad Zero's transport vehicle."
'Squad Zero?'
Yamamoto continued. "Squad Zero consists of five members. They have no squad officers." His grip on his cane tightened. "All five are captains."
Ichigo's and my eyes widened as Yamamoto continued. "And the combined strength of those five… is greater than that of the entire Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
'What the hell… I didn't know people like that existed.'
The doors on the pillar opened, revealing five figures. As I took them in, I could only think one thing. 'Soul Society is screwed.'
One member, sporting a pompadour, waved a flag with "Squad Zero" on it. Another, with an afro and darker skin, stood on one leg, flashing a rock 'n' roll hand sign. The two women in the group were polar opposites, one was heavyset with pinkish-purple hair, while the other was slender like Unohana, with six mechanical arms. Leading the group was a bald, broad-shouldered man standing around 5'11 with a long black beard and bushy eyebrows.
The flag-waving pompadour spoke first. "Hell yeah! We're here, we're here!" 'If he says that again I swear I will-' "We're finally here! Squad Zero's in the house!" I felt a migraine beginning as he rambled on about sleep and food. Tuning him out, I leaned toward Unohana and whispered, "Are they all nutjobs?"
She snorted softly, covering her mouth as the pompadour guy walked over, tilting his head so his hair hung over Unohana as he spoke.
"Hey! It's been a while, hasn't it, Unohana?"
I blinked, backing away slightly as he continued. "So, the healing techniques I taught you... Are you putting them to good use?" A chill ran down my spine as Unohana replied, her eyes closed, with no hint of a smile.
"Of course."
I glanced away, edging over toward Ichigo. 'The pendant is almost fully charged, I just need to hold on a little longer.' But before I could get far, a meaty arm belonging to the broad-shouldered, bald man wrapped around my neck, pulling me back toward Unohana and the pompadour as he spoke to them.
"Now, now! It's been so long since you've seen each other!"
I struggled to get free but couldn't escape his grip. He kept talking, completely unbothered by my attempts to pull away.
"I'm sure you have a ton of catching up to do, but save it for later!"
The pompadour clicked his tongue, and Unohana, eyes open and still not smiling, reached out and lifted the bald man's arm off me. Yamamoto spoke.
"You haven't changed a bit I see, Ichibē." The bald man looked over at Yamamoto, their gazes locking.
"So, tell me, what brings you here this time?" Yamamoto's tone grew colder, and the air around us began to heat up. Ichibē just hummed, looking past Yamamoto toward the bandaged form of Ichigo.
"So, you're Kurosaki Ichigo, huh? We're here to rebuild the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, at the behest of the Soul King."
The heat intensified, noticeable even over the gentle breeze.
"For starters, Kurosaki Ichigo, we're taking you back with us."
I started zoning out again as Suì-Fēng shouted about the unfairness of it all. 'I should fight Zaraki again before leaving. I'll have to ask Yamamoto where he is.' I zoned back in when I saw Rukia, a redhead whose name escaped me. 'Manji? No, that doesn't sound right…' Kuchiki Byakuya and a broken sword inside some kind of egg-shaped capsule, held by the woman with six mechanical arms. She spoke calmly.
"No need. Everything on the list of things we need to take with us is here. All that remains is you… Kurosaki Ichigo." She pointed one of her hands at Ichigo's face.
Unohana spoke, her eyes closed again. "Unacceptable. The three people inside your sphere are in no condition to leave the Seireitei right now." She tilted her head slightly. "I cannot allow you to take them with you."
The six-armed woman simply hummed, but the pompadour guy responded, "That's exactly why we're taking them with us!" Unohana turned toward him, her eyes now open. 'I'm beginning to understand why people are afraid of her, but she's so… hot.' I winced. 'I really need to get a grip on this hormonal stuff.'
The pompadour continued. "I'm sure you're aware you're not strong enough to fully restore these three."
Unohana narrowed her eyes, but he seemed unaffected. "You know it, don't you, Retsu? Medical care isn't what you should be doing right now."
She looked down at the ground, and I frowned. 'What does he mean?'
Ichigo snapped me out of my thoughts as he yelled. "Hold on! Why are you taking me too? I can recover from these injuries just fine here!"
Before anyone could respond, Yamamoto answered. "They know, Ichigo. They must want something more from you."
Ichibē nodded, and suddenly, a holographic display appeared behind us, showing Urahara.
'Yeah, I'm out.' I started walking away as Urahara yelled after me, but I waved him off. "I've paid my debt. I'm going to pack my things and head out."
Ichigo called after me. "Wait! Why won't you help?"
I stopped, turning my head just slightly. "I just told you why. I paid my debt to the Soul Reapers for healing me. I took a blow meant for Captain Yamamoto-san and got healed again in return. I have no reason to stick around."
With that, I continued walking.
A few hours later, I wandered into a random building that seemed like a meeting was taking place. Upon entering, I hid my presence as I saw Yamamoto and Kyōraku Shunsui at the center of some kind of assembly, with other figures raised on platforms around them, their faces obscured by boards. Listening closely, I heard Yamamoto suggest teaching Zaraki Kendo to increase his strength. As others began objecting, worried about Zaraki becoming too powerful, Yamamoto clenched his cane and slammed it into the ground. Shunsui spoke up.
"Then what do you suggest? The Soul Society won't withstand another invasion as it stands." He tilted his head, looking at the figures I now assumed were elders. "Will any of you be able to protect yourselves?" That seemed to shut them up.
Yamamoto then spoke. "It seems we have permission, come in."
I saw a figure enter from another part of the building and approach the two Soul Reapers. "I'd like you to handle this matter concerning Captain Zaraki." As Yamamoto spoke, Unohana appeared, and Shunsui addressed her. "Captain Unohana, no...The First Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru."
A shiver ran down my spine as Unohana's eyes fixed on Yamamoto and Shunsui.
Once I felt there was nothing more to gain from eavesdropping, I left and headed toward where I thought Yamamoto might be next. 'This is a stupid idea.' I thought as I reached the ruins of the Squad One Division building. I found Yamamoto at a desk on one of the upper floors that was still standing. Entering, I knocked on the wall and waited for him to turn to me.
"Sasaki-san, I thought you were leaving."
Clenching my hands, I replied. "I heard about what's going on between Zaraki and Captain Unohana-san. I want to take her place in teaching Zaraki."
He looked up from his desk. "You, a boy not even a century old, would teach Kenpachi Zaraki?"
It sounded foolish, but I nodded. "Yes. You need someone who can unleash his full strength, right? I can be that key." From the times Zaraki and I had fought, I'd noticed that he always held back, perhaps subconsciously, and just as he was about to unleash more strength, the fights would get interrupted.
Yamamoto frowned. "Why? What makes you think you can bring out the full power of Kenpachi Zaraki?"
That was a fair question, and my answer was more hope than certainty. One part was simply that I'd faced death multiple times and managed to get back up. The other was my potential. "I haven't yet learned how to use Reiatsu in a fight, nor how to combine it with my own power without backlash. And I've managed to somewhat keep up with you all." I knew that if I learned to use Reiatsu alongside cursed magic, I'd have a good chance of besting Zaraki. And if I infused bloodlust? or channeled my lifeforce in extreme conditions, I could likely fight him with a hand tied behind my back.
Yamamoto sighed and walked over to me. "There can only be one true Kenpachi at a time. How will you deal with that, boy?"
I frowned, then smirked. "I promise that once Zaraki and I leave Muken, I'll take Captain Unohana-san with me, and you won't hear another word about us."
He hummed thoughtfully and pulled out a cloth that radiated a faint aura. 'Muramasa?'
"And if she decides not to come with you?" he asked.
Turning back to him, I maintained eye contact. "Then… I'll put her down." 'I don't know.' I thought, feeling the weight of the words. Yamamoto nodded, producing a black key the size of my forearm.
"This will get you to the bottom level. Good luck, Sasaki-san."
He handed me both the cloth and the key. Taking them, I Shundō to where Yamamoto had said Muken was. 'Well, at least I'll get my fight with Zaraki.'
{Rough power level chart of the MC.}