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[Crossover] Ch 24: Shunsui, the Hidden Jinx
🕑 Added 2025-05-19 01:06:05 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Seireitei – Hallway outside the Captain's Meeting Chamber
Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the 10th Division, walked down the corridor, his Zanpakutō strapped to his back and a grim expression on his face.
Trailing behind him was a curvy, orange-haired beauty—Matsumoto Rangiku, his Vice-Captain.
Unlike Hitsugaya's gloomy mood, Rangiku wore a carefree smile.
"Captain, what's with the sudden emergency meeting for all thirteen squads? Did something big happen?"
Hitsugaya glanced back at her, frowning. "Didn't you feel it?"
"Feel what? I was in the bath, you know. And it's not like I can sense every bit of reiatsu across all of Seireitei like you can," she said, clearly teasing.
Hitsugaya's face darkened. "There was a strange spike in Reiatsu from the 5th Division's area."
Rangiku blinked in surprise, then her smile faded. "Wait, you're not saying… that wasn't one of our Captains?"
"I've never felt a reiatsu like that from any Captain before," he said seriously.
The implication was clear—it didn't belong to anyone in the Gotei 13. In other words, someone outside of Soul Society had entered Seireitei.
"An intruder? No way! Someone from the human world with Captain-level strength?!"
"Possibly more than one," Hitsugaya said, his voice low. "Don't forget—there's more than one intruder. If even one of them is Captain-level, that's already serious. But if all of them are…"
Rangiku's face paled as the situation began to click.
If every intruder was on the level of a Captain, then Seireitei could be in serious danger—maybe even wiped out.
Of course the Head Captain would call an emergency meeting under these circumstances.
Just then, a man in a colorful kimono and straw hat appeared next to them.
Kyōraku Shunsui, Captain of the 8th Division.
"Yo, Hitsugaya! You're early too, huh?"
"Captain Kyoraku," Hitsugaya greeted with a respectful nod. As the youngest Captain, he still showed respect to his seniors.
"We're really in for it this time," Shunsui sighed. "First the Central 46 goes off the rails and sentences Rukia Kuchiki to execution, then we've got intruders sneaking in, and now we're dealing with unknown Reiatsu at Captain-class levels."
He chuckled dryly. "Wouldn't even be surprised if someone ends up dead today."
"Careful what you say, Captain Shunsui," Hitsugaya warned quickly.
Saying stuff like that in front of the Captain assembly was bold—even if Shunsui could get away with it, Hitsugaya definitely couldn't.
"Relax. Soul Society's survived worse over the centuries. We'll get through this too."
Shunsui patted Hitsugaya on the shoulder and added with a grin, "Besides, the odds of two intruders being Captain-level? Pretty slim."
And then—BOOM.
A massive surge of reiatsu erupted nearby.
Everyone froze. Rangiku's eyes widened in shock. "That's—Captain Zaraki's reiatsu!"
Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division. The most battle-hungry fighter in all of Soul Society. If he was flaring his reiatsu, that could only mean one thing—
He was fighting someone.
And sure enough, another reiatsu—also at Captain-level—clashed head-on with his.
They were already in combat.
"…You've gotta be kidding me," Shunsui muttered as he awkwardly tugged his straw hat lower, like he wanted to hide his face.
He had just said there wouldn't be a second Captain-level intruder. Talk about jinxing it.
Hitsugaya's expression turned even more serious. "At this rate, we can't rule out anything."
Two Captain-level intruders already—who's to say there weren't more?
What if they'd faked being weak to sneak in, just waiting to strike when least expected?
Rangiku looked uneasy. "Shouldn't we go support Captain Zaraki?"
"No need," Shunsui said casually. "That guy? He's not the type to lose. The man's been brawling since he was a kid. He even beat Captain Unohana in a straight fight. He's the strongest Kenpachi in history. Trust me, one or two intruders won't take him down."
"Right, I guess you're—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Both reiatsu—Kenpachi's and the intruder's—suddenly vanished.
"...???"
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
Where the hell was Kenpachi?
That overwhelming presence of his—gone. Just like that.
Hitsugaya slowly turned to Shunsui, visibly shaken. "Captain… maybe let's stop making predictions for today."
"…Yeah," Shunsui muttered, clearly unsettled. "Fair enough."
Had he jinxed it? Seriously?
In all his hundreds of years alive, this had never happened before.
Well, at least no one was dead... right?
Just then, the white-haired Lieutenant Sasakibe Chojiro stepped out of the chamber and addressed them:
"Vice-Captains, please remain in the outer hall. Captains, the meeting has been moved up. Please enter."
Hitsugaya exchanged a glance with Rangiku. She nodded and headed off to the side chamber while he and Shunsui stepped inside the main hall.
Inside, all Captains had already taken their places—except for Kenpachi Zaraki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division, and Jushiro Ukitake of the 13th, who was on medical leave.
Hitsugaya and Shunsui quickly took their positions.
At the head of the room sat Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. His face was dark with anger.
Even Shunsui—usually the most laid-back of the bunch—didn't dare speak. Not now.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Yamamoto slammed his cane into the ground.
The chamber doors creaked shut behind them, and a suffocating wave of reiatsu swept through the hall—restrained, but seething with fury.
He scanned the room like a lion just waking up—hungry, irritable, and ready to maul the first thing that moved.
No one spoke. No one even breathed too loud.
Finally, Yamamoto broke the silence.
"A handful of intruders… and the Gotei 13 falls into disarray!"
He slammed his cane again.
"And aside from the bedridden Ukitake and the currently-engaged Zaraki, there are still those who failed to report in!"
At that, several Captains subtly glanced toward the 12th Division's spot.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had always abused his position, acting like the 12th Division's role in research and development gave him a free pass to do whatever he wanted.
The Commander-General had tolerated it in the past, but this? Ignoring an emergency meeting during an invasion?
That was just asking for punishment.
Yamamoto turned to Chōjirō Sasakibe.
"Pass down this order: Nemu Kurotsuchi is to serve as acting Captain of the 12th Division. Mayuri Kurotsuchi is demoted to Vice-Captain, effective immediately."
Nobody reacted.
Outwardly, anyway.
They all knew this was just for show. Nothing really changed—Nemu and Mayuri were practically the same. Yamamoto was still protecting him, just in a way that let him save face.
As Sasakibe left to deliver the order, Yamamoto withdrew his reiatsu slightly and said in a low, sharp voice:
"The commotion from these intruders has lasted all morning. And none of you—none of you—have anything to say for yourselves?"
A full morning of chaos. One intruder nearly took out a Captain. Zaraki had to be rescued by his Vice-Captain, Yachiru Kusajishi, and even then he was badly injured. Word of it would spread fast.
What would people think of the Gotei 13 after this?
If one intruder could nearly take out a Captain, what could thirteen of them do? Take down all of Seireitei?
What right would the Gotei 13 have to rule Soul Society then?
The truth was simple: this mess was partly their fault.
Too cautious. Too passive. No one wanted to make a move or take risks—afraid to attract trouble. And Yamamoto could see it in their eyes.
They were losing their nerve.
No one responded. The silence stretched on, heavy and suffocating.
Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru—Captain of the 3rd Division—was silently smirking.
Fighting with Captain-level reiatsu was technically forbidden inside Seireitei. Releasing your Zanpakutō without permission? Also forbidden. The Central 46 could throw you in prison for that.
So who the hell would be dumb enough to fight back? Risk everything just for a single enemy?
Even if they won, they could end up punished.
And whose fault was that?
Yamamoto's.
He had always backed the Central 46's rules, so now his Captains were too scared to act. And he had no one to blame but himself.
But Yamamoto, unaware of Gin's inner monologue, slammed his cane again.
"What's wrong?! Cat got your tongues?!"
Still, nobody spoke. It was like the whole room had gone mute.
Just then, Sasakibe came sprinting back in and leaned close to Yamamoto, whispering an urgent report.
"New intel—Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi has been confirmed KIA. Killed in action by one of the intruders."
The room went dead silent.
Shunsui's jaw dropped. He stared in disbelief.
A captain… actually died?
Wait—did I jinx it?
That thought made Shunsui glance over at Hitsugaya Toshiro.
But the moment their eyes almost met, Hitsugaya quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze.
Well… that just made things even more awkward.
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