After Ulquiorra left with Yammy, the battered and bruised Ichigo still stood there, head bowed in silence.
'Did that guy... Ichigo... get his spirit broken?' Looking at Ichigo, who radiated an aura of dejection, Toshiro wondered to himself.
"Hey, Ichigo, don't be so discouraged. I can tell the reason you lost to that big guy was due to some unforeseen circumstances on your part. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been defeated so easily," Toshiro comforted him.
"You don't have to comfort me, Toshiro. I know that even without that accident where my body wouldn't move, I might not have been a match for that guy. I could feel it... he was strong. Not to mention there was an even stronger one who never even attacked me, just watched from the sidelines." Ichigo said, feeling somewhat disheartened.
"..."
Whoosh!
Just as Toshiro was about to continue trying to console Ichigo, two figures suddenly appeared on the scene.
"I'm terribly sorry, Captain Hitsugaya, Kurosaki-kun. It seems we were late..."
Kisuke and Yoruichi glanced around the scene, seeing Ichigo covered in blood, as well as Orihime Inoue and Chad not far away, their expressions somewhat apologetic.
"Alright, Kisuke, no need for formalities. Just help Ichigo, Inoue, and Sado with their injuries for now."
After hearing Toshiro's words, Kisuke began treating Ichigo's injuries, while Yoruichi went to tend to Orihime.
As for Chad... he had already been treated by Orihime's abilities earlier. Although he hadn't woken up yet, his life was no longer in danger.
"Captain Hitsugaya, Kurosaki-kun, why don't you both come back to my shop with me?"
After giving Ichigo some preliminary treatment, Kisuke invited Toshiro and Ichigo to his shop.
Because Kisuke and Yoruichi had arrived in a hurry, they hadn't brought any medical supplies. So, they could only provide basic first aid. Further treatment would have to wait until they returned to the Urahara Shop.
Facing Kisuke's invitation, Toshiro didn't refuse. Although he wasn't injured and didn't need treatment, he did have matters to discuss with Urahara.
…
Urahara Shop.
"...So, that's the situation. Replicating an exact copy of Karakura Town is the Soul Society's responsibility. As for researching a spatial technique capable of transferring an entire city, that I entrust to you, Kisuke."
After Kisuke and Yoruichi had given further treatment to Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad, Toshiro conveyed the Soul Society's request to Urahara.
"Researching a spatial technique to transfer a city? That's quite a difficult task. But if I put in my full effort... I should be able to complete it before the final battle with Aizen. So, leave it to me. After all, dealing with Aizen is our common goal." After some thought, Kisuke still agreed to the Soul Society's request.
"Since matters are settled, I'll take my leave then," Toshiro said.
Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad had already left before Toshiro and Kisuke started their conversation, as they were no longer seriously injured after treatment from Kisuke and Yoruichi.
Toshiro also prepared to leave after finishing his discussion with Kisuke, with no intention of staying at the Urahara Shop.
Firstly, because Toshiro still needed to rendezvous with the members of the advance team who would be arriving in the Living World later.
Secondly, and most importantly, Kisuke didn't show any intention of inviting Toshiro to stay.
Perhaps it was due to lingering resentment towards the Soul Society, perhaps because the presence of Gotei 13's members would make them uncomfortable, or perhaps because the Urahara Shop concealed some private matters not meant for outsiders.
Regardless, Toshiro didn't sense any intention from Kisuke to invite him for a long stay.
So, after finishing their business, and before Kisuke could ask him to leave, Toshiro tactfully said his goodbyes and left, without insisting on staying.
After Toshiro left, Kisuke and Yoruichi started talking again.
"Urahara, based on our earlier observations, those Arrancars are indeed quite formidable opponents. Their strength, at least... far exceeds what you and I originally..."
In reality, Kisuke and Yoruichi hadn't arrived after the battle had ended. They had already arrived while Toshiro was thrashing Yammy.
But because Toshiro had already engaged, they didn't interfere unnecessarily and instead observed the Arrancars' strength from the shadows.
Based on their observations, the Arrancars' strength far exceeded their imagination.
Although the battle ended with Toshiro thrashing Yammy and Ulquiorra fleeing without a fight, making the Arrancars' strength seem insignificant on the surface, this was a huge mistake!
One must understand that Toshiro is a pinnacle existence among Shinigami, with terrifying strength. So for Yammy to survive two of Toshiro's hits was already quite remarkable.
Although Toshiro hadn't released his Zanpakuto, Yammy also hadn't performed Resurreccion.
Furthermore, the other Arrancar, Ulquiorra's strength, made even Toshiro cautious, preventing him from forcefully detaining them.
So, overall, the fact that Ulquiorra and Yammy could leave Toshiro's presence alive already demonstrated their considerable strength.
"Although those Arrancars are indeed very powerful, that's not actually my biggest concern," Kisuke said.
"Oh? Why is that?" Yoruichi asked, puzzled.
Kisuke explained: "Because although the Arrancars are strong, they ultimately can't compare to the level of a powerhouse like Captain-Commander Yamamoto or Captain Hitsugaya."
"The Soul Society has Yamamoto Genryusai and Captain Hitsugaya, while Hueco Mundo only has Aizen. Although Yamamoto Genryusai is also affected by Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu, Hitsugaya Toshiro can negate the effects of Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu."
"So, when the final battle comes, if Hitsugaya Toshiro fights Aizen, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's combat power can be freed up. In that case, whether Aizen's Arrancars are a little stronger or weaker, a little more or less numerous, it will be difficult for them to change the overall situation. Therefore..."
"The key to determining the final victor... is whether Hitsugaya Toshiro can defeat Aizen..."
Hearing Kisuke's words, Yoruichi nodded involuntarily, then asked, "Urahara, do you think Hitsugaya Toshiro can defeat Aizen?"
"...It's hard to say..." Kisuke pondered for a moment. "If Aizen didn't have the Hogyoku, then Hitsugaya Toshiro would likely have a greater chance of winning. After all, Hitsugaya Toshiro's Strongest Ice-type Zanpakuto is more adept at direct combat, but..."
"...After obtaining a complete Hogyoku, it becomes difficult for Hitsugaya Toshiro to defeat Aizen..."
"Sigh... It seems that while researching the spatial technique to transfer the city... I also need to step up my research on that other thing..."