— — — — — —
At those words, Hinamori Momo, her hands still bound by Kido, suddenly lifted her head and stared at Ryo.
But when her eyes met his unfamiliar face, a flash of confusion passed through them.
Ryo let out a soft chuckle, a smirk tugging at his lips as he tilted his head toward Unohana Retsu.
"I'm honestly surprised. I thought you'd play along and not expose me, Captain Unohana."
"Maybe it's because I have far too many questions right now," Unohana replied, calm as ever, after a brief cough.
On the other side, hearing the name "Ryo Yagami" made Hitsugaya Toshiro tighten his grip on his sword. His expression shifted to a mix of shock and fury.
"Ryo Yagami?! You're the intruder who attacked Captain Unohana yesterday?!"
By now, the entire Gotei 13 knew what had gone down—the mysterious outsider who defeated Unohana and killed Mayuri Kurotsuchi in a single day. The news had spread like wildfire.
And now, that same man had shown up in the 5th Division's territory… right at the site of Aizen Sosuke's death.
The implications struck Hitsugaya hard. His eyes turned sharply toward Gin Ichimaru, and his voice thundered:
"Ichimaru Gin! So you really have joined forces with this outsider! You're betraying the Soul Society!"
Hitsugaya hadn't missed it—Ryo had walked in right behind Gin. That couldn't be a coincidence.
"Now now, Captain Hitsugaya, let's not go around making wild accusations," Gin said lazily, raising both hands as if surrendering. "I had no idea these two 5th Division members were 'outsiders' in disguise."
He distanced himself from any responsibility like a true snake, clearly ready to claim ignorance even if Yamamoto himself grilled him for answers.
"You damn snake..." Hitsugaya growled under his breath. He knew full well that without hard proof, they had no way to pin anything on Gin. The man was slippery—and still a captain.
So instead, Hitsugaya focused his fury. "Then we'll just have to bring him down!"
CLANG—!
The sudden clash of steel echoed through the air.
Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock. He turned his head slowly, stiffly, and saw them.
Ryo Yagami and Unohana Retsu—locked in a face-off.
But he hadn't seen them move at all.
Not a single step. Not a single swing.
What the hell...? He was a Captain. And yet... he hadn't been able to follow their movements. Not even slightly.
Ryo gave a small, knowing smile, holding his blade casually in one hand.
"Still trying to stop me despite those injuries?"
While Orihime had healed Unohana's fatal wounds and she herself was highly skilled in healing Kido, some damage couldn't be fully repaired so quickly.
And Ryo knew that perfectly well.
Unohana coughed quietly, her tone low and serious.
"If we let you take down another Captain... Soul Society's order may collapse entirely."
Two deaths. Two seriously wounded.
In just two days, Aizen Sosuke and Mayuri Kurotsuchi were dead. Unohana and Zaraki, injured.
It was unprecedented. Soul Society had never seen anything like this.
If they let this continue—if more Captains fell—the entire power structure of the Gotei 13 would fall apart.
And that simply couldn't be allowed.
Ryo, however, smiled. "Relax. I'm not here to kill anyone today. Just wanted to send a little wake-up call to the kid over there."
In a way, this chaos wasn't something he wanted either.
It was fine for the Gotei 13 to lose a few captains... but they couldn't lose their presence. Their intimidation factor.
The battles to come—with Yhwach, the Royal Guard, and others—meant Soul Society still needed to be strong.
Letting those factions weaken each other while keeping the Gotei 13 intact? That was what truly benefited Ryo.
His gaze flicked over to Hitsugaya.
The moment their eyes met, Hitsugaya's face turned pale. In a flash of shunpo, he retreated dozens of meters before finally stopping.
Even then, his cheeks burned with humiliation.
He'd been scared off by a glance.
Ryo, satisfied, gave up on fighting and calmly sheathed his sword. His expression was casual as he looked back at Unohana.
"So, Captain Unohana. What questions do you have?"
"Was it you who killed Captain Aizen?"
She sheathed her own sword as well, her voice calm.
Ryo didn't answer directly. Instead, he smiled. "What do you think?"
Unohana chuckled, visibly more relaxed.
"As I thought, it wasn't you."
"Aizen wasn't really a fighter. His swordsmanship was just average among Captains. And you don't strike me as someone who'd waste time dueling a man like him."
At that, Ryo almost laughed, holding it back with a smirk.
"Interesting take. How can you be so sure I wouldn't want to spar with Aizen?"
Unohana gave a light cough and said with complete confidence:
"Because your next target... is Captain Yamamoto, isn't it?"
Before Ryo could answer, she continued:
"You defeated me—the top of the Soul Society's swordsmanship ranks. The only challenge left... is Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the strongest Shinigami of them all. Am I wrong?"
"WHAT?!" Hitsugaya gasped. Someone wanted to fight that monster?
"Wow... sounds like I just overheard something very spicy," Gin drawled, grinning as he glanced at the stunned Momo, his eyes flickering with pity.
Ryo didn't deny anything. Instead, he simply pushed up his glasses and said with a smirk:
"Looks like I held back too much yesterday."
The implication was clear—Unohana had guessed right, and he regretted not finishing her off.
Even so, Unohana remained composed.
"Your intentions... Captain Yamamoto already predicted them."
"You've probably heard by now too, haven't you?"
Ryo lifted his eyes, silent.
Unohana spoke again, this time with a hint of sadness.
"Tomorrow, 8 AM. At Sokyoku Hill. Rukia Kuchiki's execution will also be Captain Yamamoto's answer to your challenge."
Ryo's grin widened, his gaze sharp.
"A challenge? That old man really thinks big, huh."
"So he wants to wipe out Rukia, the outsiders... and me in one go? How laughable."
Unohana didn't address that. Her tone turned stern.
"I've delivered the challenge. Now... are you going to just stand there and watch me collect Captain Aizen's remains?"
Ryo turned away without answering and walked over to Orihime.
"Let's go."
Orihime quickly caught up to him.
As they passed by Hinamori Momo and Kotetsu Isane, Ryo spared Momo a single glance. His tone was flat.
"Pathetic woman."
He didn't wait for her reaction—he just walked off.
Hitsugaya stepped up beside Unohana, hesitant.
"Captain Unohana... are we really just going to let him go?"
He paused. "If we all teamed up, we could at least stall him until the Captain-Commander arrives—"
"Nope. Count me out," Gin immediately chimed in. "You go ahead if you like, but I'd rather not get killed today."
"You—!" Hitsugaya glared at him. There was no doubt in his mind anymore—Gin was a traitor. A spy in their ranks.
But Unohana shook her head. "No, Captain Hitsugaya. You're wrong."
Her voice was low. Heavy.
"We didn't let him go."
"...He let us live."
"If we attacked, none of us would've survived long enough for Captain Yamamoto to arrive," she said with a soft smile. "Not even me."
"Delivering the challenge was enough."
Hitsugaya froze in horror.
They... had been spared?
The realization silenced everyone.
---
Later, in the corridor near the 5th Division barracks, Orihime, who had been watching the whole thing play out, tilted her head in innocent confusion.
"Why was that girl crying over a sword...?"
Without Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu, all Orihime saw... was a blade.
A single sword.
"The poor thing." Ryo let out a quiet laugh.
As they passed a brown-haired boy with glasses, Ryo gave him a nod.
The boy smiled in return, and they went their separate ways.
Ryo then looked to the north. Toward Sokyoku Hill.
"Tomorrow, huh..."
He murmured to himself.
And so, the clock ticked down—To the execution of Rukia Kuchiki.
.
.
.