Bleach: The Shinigami Who Inherited Hashirama

"Are you serious?!"

"You actually want to form an alliance with us?!"

Shinji and the others widened their eyes—half delighted, half disbelieving.

Honestly, after being utterly crushed earlier, none of them felt "unconvinced" anymore. If anything, they felt awe.

A fighter with strength near the top of Soul Society showing up and offering alliance?

Their instinct was to accept immediately.

But then reality hit:

Bai Chen was still a Gotei 13 Shinigami—and their hatred toward Shinigami wasn't something decades of exile could erase overnight.

What if this "alliance" was a trap?

What if Bai Chen was luring them out so he could wipe them all out cleanly?

Shinji's group hesitated—guarded, wary, torn between logic and instinct.

Bai Chen watched their expressions and snorted.

"You're still doubting my motive."

"You still think I might be setting you up."

His tone wasn't offended—more like unbothered. Truthfully, even if the alliance failed, Bai Chen wouldn't lose sleep over it.

He was suggesting this for one reason:

insurance.

One more ally, one more contingency.

And given how deep their hatred ran for Aizen… if the Visoreds agreed, then when the Karakura conflict escalated, Bai Chen wouldn't be alone.

That was his real purpose.

Shinji frowned and admitted it bluntly.

"You're right. We can't trust a Shinigami instantly."

"Decades of hostility doesn't disappear in a day."

Bai Chen raised a hand, cutting off explanations.

"You don't need to justify anything."

"Just answer me this—based on what you know about Aizen…"

"If someone like me rises too fast and becomes too unstable…"

"…do you really think he'll allow me to remain in Soul Society for long?"

Then Bai Chen calmly dropped a line that detonated everyone's mind.

"You all experienced Kyōka Suigetsu firsthand, didn't you?"

Their faces froze.

And then—

another bomb.

"I'll tell you another secret."

"Up till now…"

"Aizen has not had a chance to show me Kyōka Suigetsu's Shikai."

Silence.

It wasn't just shock.

It was recognition—the kind that slices away doubt at the root.

Because only two kinds of people could say that:

someone lying with impossible confidence…

someone who truly understood Aizen—and had narrowly avoided the single most terrifying trap in Soul Society.

Shinji inhaled slowly, forcing his mind to settle.

Then his eyes sharpened.

If Bai Chen hadn't seen Kyōka Suigetsu's release—

and if his eye-technique really could disrupt perception—

then Bai Chen might be the one person in the Gotei 13 who could fight Aizen without instantly losing.

Bai Chen's mouth lifted slightly.

"I can assume you've agreed to the alliance now, right?"

Shinji didn't argue.

Instead, he asked something equally important—carefully.

"…You've already contacted Urahara Kisuke, haven't you?"

Bai Chen nodded once.

"Yes."

"Urahara, Tessai—I made my position clear during the Soul Reaper internship."

"We're already allies."

That was the final piece.

Shinji wiped sweat from his brow.

If they all shared the same enemy and the same information network…

then there was no reason to stall any longer.

A Sudden Shockwave

They were about to begin actual alliance planning—

when it hit.

From Karakura's city-center—

a violent reiatsu surge erupted like a flare.

Shinji's group stiffened instantly.

"Two captain-level reiatsu signatures…"

"…are colliding at high speed!!"

"And one of them…"

"…has the aura of a Vasto Lorde!"

Their relief vanished.

Vasto Lorde-class Hollows were nightmare-tier even for captains—especially in the Human World, especially at night, especially in rain.

Bai Chen's eyes narrowed.

He didn't need to think.

The moment his location was exposed, there was only one thing Aizen would send:

White.

"Of course… just like I expected."

Bai Chen ended the discussion immediately—no debate, no strategy talk.

He gave the Visoreds a quick instruction to regroup and stay mobile, then vanished toward the city with explosive speed.

Karakura City — Rainy Night Bloodshed

Up in the air above Karakura, in the thick rain—

steel clashed like thunder.

Sparks flashed, briefly illuminating the storm-dark sky.

Isshin Shiba's blade "Engetsu" met White's black arm-blades again and again, the impact ringing across the rooftops.

Isshin forced distance and stared at the creature.

"…This thing— is it really a Hollow?"

White's body was pitch-black, human-sized, and armored like an executioner.

The sharp horned crest on its head made Isshin's skin crawl.

Everything about it screamed Vasto Lorde.

But it moved—

like a trained killer.

It fought with the cold precision of a Shinigami…

and the raw violence of a Hollow…

and something about it felt wrong, like two species had been stitched together into a single murder machine.

Isshin finally understood why so many stationed Shinigami had been butchered in rainstorms.

Against a monster like this…

even a captain couldn't relax for one second.

One slip meant death.

Isshin gritted his teeth and released more power.

"Burn—Engetsu!"

Flames burst along his blade.

His fiery slash crashed into White—

…and did nothing.

The black armor barely budged.

Worse—

it enraged White.

"ROAR—!!"

The cry ripped through the rain like a beast's verdict.

White came in with a brutal chain of swings, each strike heavy enough to buckle Isshin's arms.

Isshin retreated step by step.

Even Engetsu's flames dimmed under the pressure.

He realized the truth:

With Shikai alone, he was being overwhelmed.

Not "slightly losing."

Not "even."

This was absolute disadvantage.

Isshin's jaw clenched hard.

"Damn it…"

"Where is Bai Chen?!"

"If this keeps going… I'll have to use Bankai."

But the problem was cruel:

Isshin's Bankai required momentum and setup.

And White wasn't giving him even a heartbeat to breathe.

At this rate, Isshin wouldn't get a clean window.

He was already feeling his arms go numb from repeated impacts.

And then—

a sound cut through the storm.

A sharp break in the air, the signature of a high-speed approach.

Isshin's eyes widened.

He sensed it instantly.

"That reiatsu…"

"…Bai Chen."

Relief hit him so hard it was almost dizzying.

All his fear and pressure snapped into focus.

If Bai Chen took over this battlefield—

Isshin was certain of one thing:

In a true one-on-one—

Bai Chen would crush White.

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