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[Crossover] Ch 20: The Incoming Ryoka
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 21:42:11 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
"Oh my, Vice-Captain Hinamori."
A gentle voice greeted her, coming from a woman with neatly braided hair and a serene smile.
It was Retsu Unohana—Captain of Division Four, one of the oldest and most respected captains in the Gotei 13.
The moment she heard her, Hinamori Momo straightened up instinctively, replying with nervous politeness, "Good morning, Captain Unohana!"
"Oh, it's you, Momo."
Another voice spoke up as a tall, silver-haired woman stepped out from the alley behind Unohana.
It was Isane Kotetsu, Vice-Captain of Division Four.
Seeing someone she was on friendly terms with, Momo visibly relaxed and smiled. "Morning, Isane."
At that moment, Unohana turned her gaze to the young man standing beside Momo and asked with a soft smile,"By the way, Vice-Captain Hinamori, who's this?"
"This is Ryo Yagami, our Division's 10th Seat," Momo quickly explained.
"Ah, no wonder he seemed unfamiliar," Unohana said with a polite nod toward him.
"C-Captain Unohana," Ryo responded with an almost starstruck expression, as if meeting a celebrity. He even added a slight nervous tremble for effect.
Unohana laughed softly behind her sleeve, the image of elegant grace. "No need to be so tense. I don't bite."
"A newbie, huh?" Isane said with a nostalgic chuckle, arms crossed.
In the strict hierarchy of the Soul Society, it was completely normal for rookies to get nervous around captains. Seeing Ryo act so uptight reminded Isane of her own early days.
Just then, Momo asked respectfully, "Captain Unohana, are you here about the injured Shinigami who returned yesterday?"
The Fifth Division often handled rescue operations for Shinigami stationed in the human world, while Division Four was in charge of medical care—so the two divisions frequently collaborated.
However, it was rare for Captain Unohana herself to show up; normally, any transfers were handled between Momo and Isane.
Unohana nodded lightly. "Yes. After the Ryoka attack and the lockdown yesterday, some injured personnel weren't fully transferred. I've come to bring the rest back."
"Oh, I see… because of the Ryoka."
Momo nodded in understanding, secretly admiring Unohana's compassion.
To personally come out of concern for the wounded... She really was the kindest doctor in all of Soul Society.
"Then I'll guide you both to the temporary treatment room right away," Momo said with a bow. She turned slightly to Ryo and added, "10th Seat Ryo, I'm afraid you'll have to get familiar with the area on your own for now."
"Got it," Ryo replied with a polite nod.
But before he could leave, Unohana spoke again, "Were you planning to show him around, Vice-Captain Hinamori?"
"Yes, ma'am," Momo answered immediately.
"And has he seen the temporary treatment area yet?"
"Not yet."
"In that case, why don't we all go together?"
"…Yes, of course!"
"Then come with us," Unohana said kindly.
Ryo's brow twitched slightly. He hadn't expected to attract Unohana Retsu's attention of all people.
He was certain he'd kept his Reiatsu well within the range of a typical Shinigami—both Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen had confirmed as much.
So if she still noticed something, it had to be her instincts.
That's a captain who's lived over a thousand years for you… sharp as hell.
Still smiling, Ryo adjusted his robes and silently followed the three women like a background character.
They had barely walked past two alleyways when a Shinigami from the Fifth Division came running toward them. After bowing to the group, he turned to Ryo and said,
"10th Seat Ryo, Captain Aizen has asked to see you in his study."
"Huh? Captain Aizen?" Momo blinked in surprise. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes. It seems there was a mistake during Ryo's last mission," the Shinigami replied quickly.
Ryo turned his gaze toward Unohana.
She opened her eyes ever so slightly, then gave a gentle nod. "Be careful on your way."
A clear signal that she was granting him leave.
Ryo followed the messenger and soon disappeared from sight.
"Something went wrong on his mission? Poor guy," Isane commented with a hint of sympathy.
Unohana, however, narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured, "…Keep an eye on him from now on."
"Huh? Captain?" Isane turned to her, a bit surprised. Momo also looked over, puzzled.
"It's probably nothing," Unohana said, shaking her head. "Might've just been my imagination."
But even so, she couldn't shake the odd feeling Ryo gave off.
It wasn't overt. Just a faint sense of… threat.
So faint that she wondered if she was imagining it—but not faint enough to ignore.
A 10th Seat giving her that feeling? That alone was strange enough to remember.
---
Meanwhile...
Ryo followed the "messenger" into an empty back alley, where they finally came to a stop.
"Thanks for the escort, Captain Aizen," Ryo said with a smirk.
The man ahead of him transformed in an instant—his form shifting as a white haori draped over his shoulders.
Aizen Sōsuke.
Of course, Ryo had known all along. From his perspective, Aizen never changed. Only the perception of the others had been manipulated.
"…I didn't expect even Unohana to sense something off about you," Aizen said calmly, glancing sideways at him.
Ryo didn't seem bothered. "She's the original Kenpachi from Division Eleven, lived for a thousand years. It's not that surprising her instincts are that sharp."
Aizen nodded. "In that case, I'll need to adjust her parameters."
He didn't need to explain what that meant—Ryo already knew.
Kyōka Suigetsu wasn't just a Zanpakutō that hypnotized the senses. It was a tool. The real power came from the parameters Aizen himself created.
After all, you couldn't just say "Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu" and expect someone to mistake an ant for a dragon.
No, first you had to understand what an ant was, what a dragon was, and build the bridge—the parameter—that would swap one for the other.
The true strength wasn't the Zanpakutō, but the man who could reprogram your very perception: Aizen Sōsuke.
Still, Ryo offered a warning. "Even if you tweak the parameters, she might still see through it."
He remembered clearly—in the original story, Unohana had sensed something was off about one of Aizen's 'corpse doubles'.
Aizen pushed up his glasses, voice calm as ever. "Doesn't matter. By then, my plan will already be complete."
"Your funeral," Ryo said with a shrug. He rolled his shoulders and looked up at the sky. "Anyway, being part of Division Five isn't exactly helping me stay hidden. For what I'm trying to do, I'll need a new identity."
Aizen said nothing, but followed Ryo's gaze upward.
Far in the distance, a glowing blue projectile was flying straight toward the Seireitei.
"Oh?" Aizen's lips curled into a small smile. "Replacing one of the Ryoka, are you?"
"I'll take that as a 'good luck,'" Ryo replied.
...
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The alarm gongs echoed across the entire Seireitei.
"ENEMY ATTACK!!"
Shouts rang out everywhere, signaling a full-scale emergency.
Up above, the blue projectile slammed into the sky barrier.
A huge, white shield flared to life—but the impact blasted a hole clean through it.
BOOM!
The explosion lit up the sky.
And in the midst of the smoke and debris, a teenage boy with bright orange hair shouted at the top of his lungs:
"RUKIAAA!!!"
"…He's got lungs, I'll give him that," Ryo said with a smirk, fingering the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
The next moment, his figure blurred—and he vanished from Aizen's sight.
.
.
.
