"Amenomitsu? Are you... sure you didn't plagiarize that ability of that two-pillar guy from the neighboring Konoha? And 'Fūma Hashirama'… that name alone pulls me right out of the story!"
After hearing Ashido's words, Fūjin Taichi couldn't help but grumble inwardly. He then turned around and looked at the green magatama-shaped jade pendant in Ashido's hand.
"The Magatama Guardian Star Emblem? What on earth is that?"
"The Magatama Guardian Star Emblem is a treasured heirloom passed down through generations of the Fūma clan… That Togabito who attacked us back then was after it!"
As he said this, Ashido instinctively tightened his grip on the magatama emblem. After a moment, he raised his eyes and looked at Fūjin Taichi earnestly.
"Captain, please tell me… what is your relationship with the Fūma clan? This concerns the promise I made to Hashirama!"
"I…"
Fūjin Taichi hesitated briefly before replying:
"I'm not after your star emblem. But before I lost my memory, my name was indeed Fūma Kamano—the sixth successor in line of the Fūma clan."
"What?! You..."
Ashido's eyes lit up. Grabbing Fūjin Taichi's shoulders in excitement, he exclaimed:
"You're Hashirama's younger brother! This is wonderful... truly wonderful!"
"Uh…"
"This Magatama Guardian Star Emblem can finally be returned to its rightful owner!"
Ashido released him and solemnly placed the magatama emblem into Fūjin Taichi's hand. Then, as if recalling something important, he added:
"Besides that, Hashirama also entrusted me to pass along a prophecy to the emblem's heir."
"A prophecy?"
"When the all-knowing and almighty prophet awakens, all things shall fall into eternal night... Only the youth of Kazama shall wield Ame-no-Murakumo and become the sole light."
"…"
The moment Fūjin Taichi heard the words "all-knowing and almighty," he immediately realized the prophecy must be connected to the progenitor of the Quincy, Yhwach.
But what exactly did "Kazama youth" and "Ame-no-Murakumo" represent?
Taking it literally, it sounded like a wind-like youth would wield the Ame-no-Murakumo to battle Yhwach for three hundred rounds.
Of course, that was merely Fūjin Taichi's bold hypothesis and positive deduction based on his knowledge of Bleach, from which he arrived at two conclusions:
First, the "Kazama youth" was either Ichigo Kurosaki or himself. After all, both were descendants of the royal Kazama clan—one bearing the surname Shiba, the other Fūjin.
Second, Ame-no-Murakumo clearly referred to a divine artifact within the world of Bleach. It was likely a divine weapon, much like the Shinken Hakkyōken passed down through the Ise Clan.
However, the prophecy's final phrase—"become the sole light"—left him puzzled.
Was it Ame-no-Murakumo that would turn into light, or the Kazama youth who would become the light?
The difference was immense.
Put simply: either the divine artifact named Ame-no-Murakumo would become the light that saves the world, or the Kazama youth himself would become that light—life or death, one or the other.
"Then… I'll handle things here! Please take Fourth Seat Saitō and leave quickly!"
Ashido glanced at the severely injured and unconscious Saitō Keichirō and urged him on.
"Alright! I'll leave my expeditionary brothers to you, Senior Ashido!"
Fūjin Taichi put away the magatama emblem, hoisted Keichirō onto his shoulder, and stepped into the cross-shaped dimensional passage, disappearing from sight!
"Mm! Having fulfilled my promise to my old friend, I can finally fight without restraint! Now then—let's go!"
A long-unseen smile appeared on Ashido's face. His gaze sharpened as he grabbed his standard-issue asauchi and charged toward the nearby group of Arrancar—
…
Karakura Town!
A spiritually dense land that gave birth to the naturally powerful protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki had unexpectedly become the site of two Vasto Lorde–class Hollows:
The Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra, and the Tenth Espada, Yammy!
Originally, they had appeared at Shigaraki Park under Aizen's orders to secretly observe Ichigo Kurosaki.
But they hadn't expected that their overwhelming spiritual pressure would instantly alert the various forces lurking within Karakura Town—
The Visored, led by Shinji Hirako; the Urahara Shop headed by Kisuke Urahara; and the Shinigami vanguard unit led by Kaien Shiba!
Just as the Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, was rapidly rushing toward the scene, the suddenly arrived Twelfth Division Captain and Director of the Research and Development Institute, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, had already reached Shigaraki Park and was confronting Ulquiorra Cifer and Yammy Llargo!
Pop!
At the very moment when battle between the Shinigami and the Arrancar was about to erupt, a faint spatial fluctuation suddenly echoed through the air. Instantly, a pitch-black cross-shaped dimensional corridor appeared!
Fūjin Taichi stepped out from the passage carrying Saitō Keichirō over his shoulder. Looking around, he asked:
"Sorry to interrupt! Has anyone seen Inoue Orihime? If I remember correctly, she lives near this park!"
"!!!"
Both Ulquiorra and Mayuri were startled—they had not sensed any spiritual pressure fluctuation when the dimensional corridor appeared!
"Oh? Another Shinigami?"
Yammy, whose perception was far cruder, cracked his knuckles and fixed his brown eyes on Fūjin Taichi.
"Perfect. I'll just take out this piece of trash too!"
"Yammy! This one… isn't trash."
Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes slightly as he examined Fūjin Taichi, then added calmly:
"But… he'll only take a little more time."
"Hmph. Whether there's one annoyance or two, it won't delay me for long!"
Yammy sneered as he strode toward Fūjin Taichi.
"Hey, Shinigami! How do you want to die?!"
"Heh."
Fūjin Taichi set Keichirō down on the ground. Hearing Yammy's shout, he shook his head and sighed.
"Mr. Yammy, you're too weak. So your opponent is Captain Kurotsuchi over there."
"Idiot! I can hear you perfectly at this distance, you know?!" Mayuri shouted irritably.
"You arrogant fool! In that case, I'll kill you first—"
Yammy sneered and raised his fist to strike, but suddenly Ulquiorra's calm voice rang out:
"Yammy. Step back. This one… I will handle."
"Hm?"
Yammy turned hesitantly as Ulquiorra walked slowly to his side.
"Ulquiorra, there's no need for you to deal with a Shinigami like this, right?"
"Yammy! I told you, your Pesquisa is too weak..."
As he spoke, Ulquiorra lifted his right hand and rested it on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, staring at the composed Fūjin Taichi.
"This one is worth taking seriously."
"Hmph. Suit yourself."
Yammy clicked his tongue and moved toward Mayuri instead, curling his little finger in a taunting gesture.
"Hey, Shinigami over there. Make your move."
"Kehehehe… It seems I've been underestimated."
Mayuri grinned, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. He drew his Zanpakutō, Ashisogi Jizō, from between his legs.
"Perfect. Then you can all go die for me."