Spring had arrived in the Third District of West Rukongai, Soul Society, bringing warm weather and blooming flowers.
Yoruichi Shihōin, the Shiba siblings, and the others, eight people in total, had gathered together.
They laughed, joked, and fooled around, creating a lively and harmonious atmosphere.
Even Kisuke Urahara had, for once, put aside his research.
Shadow stood high on the branch of a tree, watching Yoruichi happily enjoying herself below.
The faintest smile crossed his lips.
Although his attention remained fixed on Yoruichi, his vigilance had not diminished in the slightest.
An enormous Sensory Field spread through his mind, covering everything within fifty meters.
Not even the slightest disturbance could escape his notice.
It was an ability Shadow had modified from the Yamanaka Clan’s mental techniques in his previous life, and one in which he had absolute confidence.
Suddenly, Shadow’s body went rigid.
His hand moved to the hilt of the sword on his back, and his expression became grave.
Just now, for the briefest instant, there had been a disturbance within his Sensory Field.
It had been incredibly faint and vanished almost immediately.
If Shadow hadn’t possessed absolute confidence in his sensory abilities, even he might have dismissed it as an illusion.
Unease.
An intense sense of unease filled Shadow’s heart.
It was an instinct he had developed after countless brushes with death and countless desperate battles.
Danger.
But who was the enemy?
And where were they?
Shadow frowned and leaped down from the branch.
“Shadow?” Everyone looked at him in surprise.
“What’s wrong?” Yoruichi asked softly.
Shadow didn’t have time to answer.
He concentrated his mental power, forming an airtight sensory net that spread outward in every direction.
Yet he still found nothing.
Shadow’s frown deepened.
Who could possibly hide from his senses?
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
A shuriken shot from his hand toward a nearby corner, his mental power covering it as it flew.
But there was still nothing.
Even stranger, Shadow abruptly lost all sense of the shuriken itself.
It was as though it had simply disappeared into thin air.
“What?
Damn it!” Shadow gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.
At that moment, another incredibly faint fluctuation reached him.
Northwest.
“Yoruichi-sama, wait here for me!” Shadow spoke quickly before activating Shunshin no Jutsu and immediately giving chase.
…
“What’s going on?” Mashiro Kuna asked in confusion.
“Someone’s here.” Kensei Muguruma’s voice turned serious as he drew the Zanpakutō at his waist.
“Come on, don’t worry so much.
Shadow already went after them, didn’t he?” Kaien Shiba said.
“It’ll be fine.” Remembering Shadow’s terrifying strength, everyone relaxed somewhat.
For some reason, however, a faint sense of unease suddenly rose in Yoruichi’s heart.
…
Without warning, everyone froze in place.
Cold sweat covered their foreheads.
A vast, oppressive Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) filled heaven and earth, crushing down upon them so heavily that they could barely breathe.
Above them, the dim yellow sky suddenly tore apart like a piece of cloth being ripped open by force.
A piercing sound echoed through the air.
A humanoid figure slowly emerged from the tear.
The hole through its chest and the fragment of a pale bone mask on its forehead revealed its identity.
A Hollow.
No.
A high-level Menos Grande.
Something beyond an Adjuchas.
A Vasto Lorde whose power surpassed even the captain class.
At that same moment, the captains of the Gotei 13 all sensed the enormous Reiatsu.
Their expressions changed dramatically, and they disappeared from their respective locations almost instantly.
A Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande!
How could something like that appear in Rukongai, this close to Seireitei?
Far away, Shadow, who had already chased his target for quite some distance, also sensed that terrifying Reiatsu.
Without the slightest hesitation, he abandoned the person he had been pursuing and immediately raced back.
Worry filled his face.
His pitch-black eyes burned with an icy killing intent.
Yoruichi-sama.
Hold on!
The instant Shadow disappeared, beneath a nearby tree came a series of sharp cracking sounds.
Crack!
Crack!
The air shattered like a broken mirror.
A figure emerged from the distortion, watching the direction Shadow had disappeared with a strange smile.
“Noniar, don’t go dying on me.” A gentle breeze swept past, stirring the figure’s brown hair.
…
“Rankle the Seas and Heavens, Nejibana!” Facing the Vasto Lorde and feeling its sinister Reiatsu, Kaien immediately released his Zanpakutō.
“Damn it!
Why the hell is a Vasto Lorde-class Menos here?!” Kensei tightly gripped his Zanpakutō and gritted his teeth.
“Forget that for now!
Kūkaku, Yoruichi, Hiyori, Lisa, Mashiro, get out of here!” Kaien shouted without looking back.
“The three of us will hold it off!” “But…” “The captains of the Gotei 13 should arrive soon,” Kisuke Urahara said gravely.
“Shadow will be back soon too.
We’ll be fine, so just…” “Oh?
Shadow?” The Vasto Lorde remained exactly where it stood, showing no intention of moving.
Its voice carried mocking amusement.
“You mean the one who was just lured away?” Its grin widened.
“Unfortunately for you, he may be strong, but he won’t be coming back.” “What…?” …
Yoruichi’s heart was filled with frustration and helplessness.
Why?
Why had a Vasto Lorde appeared here?
The Reiatsu of a top-class Menos was so overwhelming that she couldn’t resist it at all.
She looked at Kaien and the others lying on the ground.
The Reiatsu pressing toward her from directly ahead left her body completely unable to respond.
Move!
Move, damn it!
Why can’t I move at all?!
Am I really going to die here?
Shadow…
Where are you?
Yoruichi closed her eyes in despair.
“Yoruichi…” Kaien, Kensei, Kisuke, and the others still barely clinging to consciousness watched with bloodshot eyes.
But there was nothing they could do.
They couldn’t even protect themselves.
“Yoruichi…” Tansei Shihōin arrived together with the captains and desperately tried to reach Yoruichi.
But it was already too late.
“Yoruichi-sama!” Shadow roared as he returned at his greatest possible speed.
Damn it!
Damn it!
Damn it!
“Jikū Kinjutsu: Koji Heidō (Space-Time Forbidden Art: Cross-Distance Shift)!” Shadow burned through an enormous amount of mental power and Reiatsu to activate the space-time forbidden technique he had developed in his previous life by modifying the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze’s signature Hiraishin no Jutsu.
Koji Heidō.
It was a forbidden technique capable of disregarding time, space, and all conventional physical restrictions.
But that extraordinary ability came with an equally severe drawback.
It consumed an enormous amount of both mental power and energy.
Much like Hachimon Tonkō, it was the kind of forbidden technique that injured its user almost as badly as the enemy.
Even Shadow wouldn’t dare use it casually.
The loss of Reiatsu itself wasn’t especially concerning.
The problem was the massive consumption of mental power, which was often followed by extreme weakness and unconsciousness.
But right now, no matter how great the price was, Shadow no longer cared.
The technique activated.
Shadow vanished from where he stood.