Chapter 268 268 I Am No Longer Who I Was Before!
Ichigo looked at Byakuya, and Byakuya likewise stared at Ichigo. Their gazes met, and for an instant, it seemed as if sparks of electricity flashed between them.
"I-Ichigo..." Rukia called out from behind him.
"What? You're not going to tell me to go back now, are you?" Ichigo said without turning his head.
"Let me tell you, that's impossible. Even if you say you want to die here, that won't do! Even if I have to drag you, I'll save you!"
"From now on, all your opinions are vetoed. Got it?!" Ichigo said firmly.
"You're still the same... you never listen to my advice..." Rukia said, helpless yet somewhat happy.
"Of course! All you ever say are things worrying about me. But you... you can't always worry about others. Sometimes you need to worry about yourself more!" Ichigo turned around, gently patting Rukia's onion-head.
"Ichigo..." Rukia's eyes grew moist.
"Sigh… Oh man..."
Not far away, Toshiro watched Ichigo and Rukia 'showing affection', and couldn't help but showed a pained expression.
"What's wrong, Toshiro?" Ukitake, seeing Toshiro's expression, asked curiously.
"Ah, my stomach hurts," Toshiro replied, looking uncomfortable.
"I'm saying, since you care about each other so much, why aren't you together?" Toshiro said with a resentful look.
"Not together? What are you talking about, Toshiro?" Ukitake Jushiro asked, confused.
"Never mind," Toshiro waved his hand.
'Ah! The pain of being a 'IchiRuki shipper' is something you can't understand, Jushiro!' Toshiro lamented inwardly.
"Speaking of which, Byakuya, who is that person? He's targeting you, right?" Ukitake asked Byakuya with a serious expression.
Ukitake couldn't help but be concerned about the suddenly appearing Ichigo because he looked so much like his former lieutenant, Shiba Kaien.
To Ukitake's question, Byakuya responded indifferently, "It's none of your business."
"But he looks like Ka—"
"He is nothing! Just an intruder!" Byakuya interrupted Ukitake.
"I will deal with him."
"That settles it."
"This pointless dispute..."
"Will end here." With that, Byakuya walked towards Ichigo. After comforting Rukia, Ichigo also walked towards Byakuya.
Their battle was about to erupt!
"Ah, if only I had a watermelon right now. Then I could be a spectator, eating watermelon while watching the fight," Toshiro suddenly remarked.
"Eh..." Ukitake didn't know how to respond to Toshiro's words.
"Stop joking, Toshiro. Do you know that intruder? His appearance is just so much like—"
"Just so much like Kaien, right?" Toshiro finished his sentence.
"Yes. Could he be Kaien's brother? No, Kaien only had Shiba Ganju as a younger brother. Then who is he? If he's not related to Kaien, why do they look so alike?" Ukitake wondered, puzzled.
"Well, perhaps you'll find out later," Toshiro said meaningfully.
"Alright, don't overthink it. For now, let's just be good spectators and watch their fight properly," Toshiro said.
While Toshiro and Ukitake were talking, Ichigo and Byakuya stopped a few meters apart.
"Yo! Byakuya, I've been talking to Rukia for so long, and you just stood there. It seems you don't take me seriously at all," Ichigo said, gripping the Zanpakuto on his back and looking at Byakuya.
"Hmph! Do you know who you're talking to? Do you think I need to take advantage of an opening against a mere ant like you?"
"Don't get too cocky, kid!" Byakuya said disdainfully.
With that, Byakuya's immense Reiatsu erupted.
Under the pressure of Byakuya's Reiatsu, Rukia, Ganju, Hanataro, and the others all felt their bodies grow heavy, their breathing difficult, barely able to stand.
Those who could remain unaffected under Byakuya's Reiatsu were Toshiro and Ukitake, and Ichigo, who stood facing Byakuya.
"Oh? You can remain unfazed under such Reiatsu? It seems you've improved quite a bit. That is indeed praiseworthy," Byakuya said in a flat tone.
"Tch! Your high-and-mighty attitude is really annoying. I wonder if you can still be this arrogant after I defeat you," Ichigo said grimly.
Byakuya frowned. "Don't be so presumptuous—"
Whoosh!
Before Byakuya could finish, Ichigo's figure suddenly vanished.
"Shunpo?!" Byakuya exclaimed in surprise.
The next instant, Ichigo suddenly appeared beside Byakuya, swinging his sword at him.
"Senka!"
Byakuya's figure flashed, directly avoiding Ichigo's attack and appearing behind him, thrusting his sword towards Ichigo's Saketsu and Hakusui.
Unlike the last time he faced this move, when he couldn't react at all and had his Saketsu and Hakusui pierced, this time Ichigo quickly blocked behind him with Zangetsu's broad backside.
Clang!
Byakuya's Zanpakuto stabbed against the back of Ichigo's Zanpakuto.
"What?!" Byakuya wore a shocked expression.
"Hah!" Ichigo shouted, forcefully parrying Byakuya's Zanpakuto and standing firm three meters away.
"You say I'm presumptuous?"
"Hmph, Byakuya, I am no longer who I was before. This move of yours won't work on me anymore," Ichigo said with a somewhat proud smile.
"Is that so? It seems I underestimated you. Then, before you become intoxicated with your own strength, let me show you properly—"
"The decisive gap in strength between us, something even a thousand years of hard training couldn't bridge." Byakuya pointed his sword tip upward, his expression cold.
Seeing this, Rukia, not far away, suddenly shouted, "Ichigo! Run—!!"
However, neither Ichigo nor Byakuya paid heed to Rukia's cry.
"Scatter—"
Whoosh!
A figure suddenly appeared, instantly flicking out a bandage that tightly wrapped around Byakuya's Zanpakuto.
"That is—"
"You are—"
"Shihoin Yoruichi!!"
Seeing this suddenly appearing figure, Ukitake and Byakuya exclaimed in shock.