Chapter 855: [855] : Hitting You Is a Different Story

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Aizen was gone. But not before delivering a final, scathing taunt to the captains of the Soul Society. The gentle, humble man they thought they knew had vanished, replaced by a smug bastard in all his arrogant glory.

Of course, he hadn’t directed any of his taunts at Shin.

The reason was simple: he couldn’t beat him. But the humiliation of his defeat was a debt Aizen fully intended to repay.

"Old Man Yamamoto, I’m heading out."

Shin gave the old man a casual farewell before leaving with Yoruichi and the others, Rukia Kuchiki in tow.

Yamamoto watched them go but said nothing. He wasn’t about to press the matter of the Sōkyoku’s destruction.

As for Rukia, her case was effectively closed. Aizen’s plot had been exposed, revealing that her harsh sentence was his doing. With several captains speaking on her behalf, her name had been temporarily cleared.

Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, however, were still in hot water. In the original turn of events, their assistance would have earned them some leeway, but this time, they hadn’t even made it to the execution grounds. Technically, they were still criminals. Of course, with Rukia and other sympathetic captains vouching for them, they would likely get off with a slap on the wrist.

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Back in the 4th Division barracks, Rukia was fidgeting nervously.

"What’s wrong? You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. Something on your mind?" Shin asked her.

"Thank you for saving me, Teacher Shin. If it weren’t for you, I would have died."

Rukia bowed her head in gratitude.

"Even if I hadn’t stepped in, someone else would have," Shin said with a small smile.

He wasn’t wrong. Even if he hadn’t intervened, other captains were already on the verge of making a move. Could they really have stood by and watched her die?

"No, even so, I must thank you," Rukia insisted, her eyes filled with gratitude. The threat of death had been very real. The Sōkyoku’s unleashed power could have obliterated her in an instant. If that attack had landed, there would have been no escape.

"Alright, then. How do you plan on thanking me? Don’t tell me you’re going to offer yourself to me?"

The moment Shin finished speaking, Rukia’s face turned beet red. Yoruichi, standing nearby, immediately threw a punch at him. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Shin had already sensed the attack. He wasn’t about to let her hit him. He sidestepped, easily dodging the blow.

"Don’t be so violent. Hitting people isn’t very nice, is it, Soi Fon?"

Shin even turned to Soi Fon for confirmation.

"Ah?" Soi Fon blinked, then nodded, completely flustered.

"Heh heh, hitting people might be wrong, but hitting you? That’s a different story," Yoruichi said with a cold laugh.

She lunged again, unleashing a flurry of attacks, not holding back in the slightest. She knew she didn’t need to—even at full power, she couldn’t touch him. If she held back, he’d just make a fool of her.

"Stop dodging if you’ve got any guts," Yoruichi said, her frustration growing.

"Fine by me. But do you really think you can hit me even if I stand still?"

As he spoke, Shin stopped dodging and activated Kamui. Her attacks passed right through him, unable to make contact.

"See? I’m not dodging, but you still can’t touch me," Shin said with a look of mock pity.

"Don’t get cocky. I’ll make you regret this."

Yoruichi was getting more and more riled up. She wasn’t usually one to lose her temper, but Shin had a special talent for getting under her skin.

"Getting angry is bad for your health. You really shouldn’t,"

Shin said, once again dodging her attacks. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t land a single blow.

Rukia watched with a strange expression. Soi Fon, on the other hand, was used to this. But for Rukia, it was the first time she had seen Shin and Yoruichi interact like this.

’Is this how they always are?’ Rukia couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

"Onion Head, are you planning on staying here forever?" Shin suddenly asked Rukia.

"Onion Head?" Rukia blinked, then pointed a finger at her own hair. "Are you talking about me?"

Her mood soured instantly. Calling her "Onion Head"—if it had been anyone else, she would have decked them.

"Yeah, Onion Head. Doesn’t your hair look like an onion?" Shin pointed at her head. It really did.

"You’re horrible," Rukia huffed, looking at Shin indignantly.

"You know, he’s not wrong. It really is an onion head," Yoruichi said with a grin, her attention shifting from Shin to Rukia.

"Hmph." Rukia snorted in annoyance but didn’t leave, choosing to stay in the 2nd Division barracks.

"You’re not staying here because you’re worried about your safety, are you?" Shin asked her.

"Of course not. The whole incident is over, isn’t it? I’m safe now."

"You might be safe from execution, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook. The charges just aren’t as serious as before," Shin told her.

Hearing this, a flicker of worry crossed Rukia’s face, but it quickly faded. As long as she wasn’t facing death, that was all that mattered. She had been prepared to die, but if she could live, she certainly wasn’t going to choose death.

"And then there’s Ichigo and his friends. They’re probably being rounded up as we speak. They’re in for it now," Shin said with a grin.

"What? I have to go see them!" Rukia’s expression changed instantly.

She had almost forgotten about them. She had to go and find a way to help them. They had come to save her; she couldn’t let anything happen to them.

Just as she was about to leave, she turned back and looked at Soi Fon.

"Captain Soi Fon, if they’re captured, could you please speak on their behalf?" Rukia asked, her eyes filled with hope.

Soi Fon paused, then glanced at Shin, silently asking for his opinion.

Shin looked at Rukia, then gave Soi Fon a slight nod. Helping out Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends was no big deal.

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