Ichigo Kurosaki once again used his black bow like a blade. He knelt on Grimmjow's back with one knee, pressing the weapon against the back of his neck and firmly suppressing him.
"Tatsuki, throw a few more Bakudō on this guy and tie him up!" Ichigo shouted toward Tatsuki.
"Yo, didn't expect you to actually use your brain, Ichigo. I thought you wouldn't leave anyone alive," Tatsuki praised.
"Uh, of course. Haha…"
In truth, Ichigo's arrow had been aimed straight at Grimmjow. It was only by sheer accident that Grimmjow had not died, which just happened to turn him into a prisoner.
"Perfect. No need to keep this one alive, then. The guy on your side obviously knows more."
Tatsuki stomped her own captive to death, then fired several Bakudō at Grimmjow in succession.
"Damn it! If you've got the guts, kill me—"
How could Grimmjow accept becoming a prisoner? He spat vicious words, trying to provoke Ichigo and the others. Soon, however, he could no longer speak. His mouth was firmly sealed by a Bakudō.
"Done. Let's take him to the Manager and interrogate him for information."
Ichigo carried the caterpillar-like Grimmjow over to Yoruichi. Yoruichi put away her phone and said, "Perfect timing. Tsunayoshi and Kisuke are almost here."
"No way, Yoruichi-san. You're making Tsunayoshi and the Manager come all the way here for something this small?" Ichigo did not feel that Grimmjow and the others had caused much real damage. It did not seem like something worth calling Tsunayoshi and the others over for.
"They were planning to go out anyway. They're just stopping by on the way," Yoruichi explained casually.
A streak of light flew in from the distance. It was none other than Masaki Kurosaki, holding a Quincy Spirit Bow.
The moment she landed, she looked around with a confused expression.
"Huh? Where are the Hollows? Why is there nothing left?"
Miss Masaki, who had thought she would finally get to show off again, felt extremely disappointed.
"Honey, why are you here? What about Yuzu and Karin?" Isshin immediately rushed over.
"Oh, I finally managed to coax those two to sleep, so I came over right away! Ichigo! Is that thing in your hand a bad guy? Hurry, let Mommy shoot him with an arrow!"
When Masaki discovered that the caterpillar in Ichigo's hand had Hollow Reiatsu, she immediately aimed her spirit bow at Grimmjow. Ichigo and Isshin were so frightened that they hurriedly stood in front of him.
After regaining her normal combat strength, Masaki had been itching for a fight. Usually, Isshin used the excuse of training the younger generation to let Ichigo and the others handle all the Hollows in Karakura Town. Now that she had finally found a proper battle, there was no way she would let it pass without testing herself.
Isshin knew perfectly well that his wife would have this problem. That was why, after reaching the scene, he had immediately started assigning opponents without another word. His goal had been to finish the battle before Masaki could sneak over.
"Well then, Ichigo, you kids handle your own business. Mom and I are going home to look after your sisters!"
Isshin picked up his wife like someone catching a New Year's pig and hurried off toward home.
With Isshin gone, everyone began to disperse. Ryūken also said he was going home to accompany his wife. As for the group of youngsters, they prepared to open a second round beneath the Urahara Shop.
Beneath the Urahara Shop, a Senkaimon slowly opened. Tsunayoshi and the other three walked out from within. The moment they emerged, they heard Mayuri Kurotsuchi complaining.
"Honestly. That so-called Arrancar scientist could have been handled by that bastard Urahara. Now I have to come all the way to the World of the Living too. What a waste of my time."
Although he disliked Kisuke Urahara, Mayuri still acknowledged Urahara's ability as a researcher. He did not think Urahara would be afraid of some Arrancar scientist.
"There's no helping it. The Manager still has to act as my assistant and deterrent against the enemy, so I can only trouble you to make this trip, Captain Kurotsuchi," Tsunayoshi patiently explained. "You only need to give him a couple of injections, and you'll gain access to all of his research results. It's worth it."
After Tsunayoshi's reassurance, Mayuri very reluctantly accepted this explanation. However, his narrowed eyes soon locked onto Kisuke Urahara again.
Those damned research results had better not be trash that even Urahara did not care about.
"Yo, let me see whether it really was that little panther who came to the World of the Living."
After greeting Tatsuki and the others from afar, Tsunayoshi looked toward their captive. Although the man's appearance was hard to make out in his current state, one glance at that sky-blue-haired caterpillar was enough to confirm it was Grimmjow.
"Mm. Tatsuki, release him first."
After Tatsuki undid the Bakudō, Grimmjow, who had regained his freedom, immediately straightened up. Even with only one arm and one leg left, he refused to lose his imposing air.
"Damn it! You'll pay for treating me like this!"
The courage supporting Grimmjow's words came from the Zanpakutō at his waist. He had discovered that these foolish humans had not even taken away his weapon, which meant there was still hope.
At the very least, he still had a chance to take one of them down with him. That was what Grimmjow thought, and his gaze had already shifted toward Tatsuki, whose attention was not on him at all.
It was this woman who had humiliated him and turned him into a prisoner. In a moment, he would bite her to death first!
That was Grimmjow's plan.
But suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended upon him.
Cold sweat ran down Grimmjow's back. His eyes shifted slightly, and he realized that the newly arrived man called Tsunayoshi was looking at him with narrowed eyes.
What terrifying pressure.
Grimmjow had only ever felt something like this from Aizen. Although Grimmjow was not the strongest being in Hueco Mundo, he dared to challenge anyone in Las Noches.
Anyone except Aizen.
Was this person actually on the same level as Lord Aizen?
Grimmjow shook his head, not daring to think about what had just crossed his mind. His previously restless body no longer dared to move at all. He could only stand frozen in place.
Tsunayoshi lightly placed a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder, and Grimmjow sat down on the ground, completely unable to resist.
"Grimmjow, right? Sit there obediently, and you can keep your life."
Tsunayoshi turned to Orihime Inoue and said, "Orihime, please heal him."
"Oh, okay. Sōten Kisshun. I reject!"
With the heaven-defying power of rejecting phenomena, restoring severed limbs was not difficult for Orihime.
Grimmjow was not shocked by his gradually recovering limbs. What shocked him even more was why Tsunayoshi knew his name.
How did the other side know?
Was there a mole inside the organization?
A bold thought appeared in Grimmjow's mind.
What kind of joke was this? Someone actually dared to go undercover in front of Aizen?
While Grimmjow was being treated, Ichigo and the others began chatting with Tsunayoshi.
"Tsunayoshi, where are you all planning to go? You even brought Rukia with you," Ichigo asked curiously.
"We're preparing to make a trip to Hueco Mundo," Tsunayoshi said without hiding anything.
"Hueco Mundo? I've only heard about it. I've never been there. Can you take me with you?" Ichigo asked curiously.
He already knew about the structure of the three worlds, and he was quite curious about the mysterious Hueco Mundo.
"I want to go too, Tsunayoshi," Tatsuki immediately added.
"Hueco Mundo isn't fun. There's nothing but sand everywhere and Hollows that might pop out from who knows where," Tsunayoshi explained. "This time, we're going there to conduct an experiment and make a deal. Once things stabilize, I'll take you there to have a look."
Tatsuki and Ichigo did not ask further. Growing up together since childhood made them trust Tsunayoshi unconditionally. Uryū, on the other hand, noticed the crucial point.
"A deal? With whom? Hollows? Arrancar? Or…"
"Aizen."
The moment Tsunayoshi said those two words, the surroundings instantly became much quieter.
That was Aizen, the man who had toyed with Soul Society and still left safely. Tsunayoshi was actually going to make a deal with Aizen. This trip was likely to be extremely dangerous.
"Tsunayoshi, if you need me, I can help at any time," Ichigo said after hesitating for a while.
Because this involved Aizen, he did not arrogantly insist on going along. Instead, he waited for Tsunayoshi's decision.
Ichigo was already the strongest among their group. Since even he had said it like this, the others had even less intention of speaking up.
"Tsunayoshi, actually, you could bring two more Quincy with you," Urahara suddenly suggested, just as the atmosphere began to turn heavy again. "In case your power proves insufficient, the other Quincy can serve as a supplement."
This trip to Hueco Mundo required them to use Quincy power for an experiment. Only if it succeeded would they have the capital to negotiate with Aizen.
Urahara's words reminded Tsunayoshi of something. To this day, he had never fired a Heilig Pfeil at full power, so even he did not know the upper limit of his own strength. Bringing two people along as backup was acceptable.
"Ichigo, Uryū, are you willing to come with me? I may need your Quincy power. I'll protect your safety."
Tsunayoshi did not directly demand it. Everything depended on their own wishes.
"What are you talking about? Just say so if you need help!" Ichigo said, patting his chest.
Uryū also nodded in agreement.
"All right. Call the two uncles and let them know. We'll set out right away."
Ichigo and Uryū walked a little farther away. Tatsuki asked worriedly, "Tsunayoshi, will it really be okay?"
"Don't worry. I've already taken back both the Tenth and Byakuran. Right now, I'm in peak condition!" Tsunayoshi smiled and flashed a V-sign.
"That's good. Be careful."
Tatsuki did not try to persuade him further. Everything would follow Tsunayoshi's lead.
By this time, Grimmjow's arms and legs had fully recovered. Tsunayoshi crouched beside him and said, "Grimmjow, sorry to trouble you, but please lead the way. We haven't gone to Hueco Mundo very often, so it's easy for us to get lost."
After a brief moment of thought, Grimmjow understood that "Grimmjow" was referring to him. These people had restored his limbs, so he did not resist the idea of guiding them too much. Instead, he gave a cold snort and went straight to the question he had been thinking about.
"You people really have guts, planting a spy under Lord Aizen."
"So that's what you care about."
Looking at Grimmjow's faintly sinister smile, Tsunayoshi realized what he meant.
"You don't need to worry about that. Aizen knows we planted someone under him."
"What?!"
Tsunayoshi chuckled.
"You underestimate Aizen's tolerance far too much. As long as someone under him is useful, he doesn't care whether they're a traitor or not."
"In other words, Aizen already knows that we'll know about his intelligence in Hueco Mundo. Can you understand it if I put it that way?"
It sounded absurd, but after thinking it over carefully, Grimmjow realized that this really did seem like something Lord Aizen would do.
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