Just as Ichigo turned to leave, a figure suddenly fell from the roof of the Kurosaki House, crashing down towards Ichigo on the ground below! And during the fall, the figure was also shouting: "I—chi—go—! Goo—d Moo—rning—!!"
Ichigo hurriedly dodged to the side.
Thump!
The figure landed right beside Ichigo.
"Ugh... To think you could dodge my attack... As expected of my son..."
Isshin said, his face covered in blood.
"What are you doing?! Dad!"
Ichigo shouted.
"Before you leave, I want to give you this..."
Isshin suddenly took out an amulet from his person and handed it to Ichigo.
Ichigo looked at the amulet in his hand with disgust. "Why is this amulet so dirty?"
"You call it dirty?! That's so rude! This was a gift from your mother to me long ago! It brings wealth and good luck!"
Isshin complained unhappily.
Hearing that the amulet was a gift from his mother to his father, Ichigo instead got angry. "What the heck, Dad! How can you give this amulet to me?!"
"You wish! Who said I'm giving it to you?!"
Then, Isshin suddenly put on a serious expression. "I'm only lending it to you for the duration of your trip! Remember to give it back when you return!"
"I see... Then I'll borrow it for now!"
Ichigo said solemnly.
With that, Ichigo resolutely turned and left.
Only after Ichigo's figure disappeared did Isshin show a worried expression. "Ichigo... You must come back alive!"
…
Outside Urahara Shop.
Ichigo, Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryu, and Sado 'Chad' Yasutora had all gathered here.
At that moment, Kisuke opened the shop door and stepped out.
"Oh my, everyone's here already? Come inside, and I'll explain… the method to reach the Soul Society. Listen carefully, or you might die before even getting there."
He said with a serious expression.
Then, Kisuke led the four into the underground space of Urahara Shop.
Finally, Kisuke pointed at a door. "Here it is. This is the gate to the Soul Society… the Senkaimon!"
"This door itself is an ordinary Senkaimon. I've just added a Reishi Conversion Device to it."
Kisuke explained.
"Reishi Conversion Device?"
Uryu asked, puzzled.
"Correct. As you know, the Soul Society is a world of spirits. To enter, you must become a spirit. But apart from Ichigo, who can become a Shinigami, even if the three of you separate your souls from your bodies, you will still be bound by the Chain of Fate and cannot go to the Soul Society. This Reishi Conversion Device can convert your physical bodies into a reishi state."
Kisuke explained to them.
"Alright! I get it! Let's hurry up and go!"
Ichigo said impatiently.
Thwack!
Kisuke hit Ichigo with his cane and continued, "Indeed, passing through this door itself has no difficulty. Once you enter, you just need to keep moving forward to reach the Soul Society. The problem is..."
"Time! The Senkaimon will only remain open for four minutes!"
"Once time's up, the door will close, and you will be trapped forever in the gap between the Living World and the Soul Society… the Dangai!"
Kisuke said with a serious expression.
"Moreover, within the Dangai, to prevent invasions by Hollows and other external enemies, it's filled with a gaseous substance called the Koryu, which prevents spirits from moving. If you get caught by it, it will be nearly impossible to escape the Dangai within the limited time."
After hearing Kisuke's words, Orihime said worriedly, "Th-then what should we do?"
"There's only one way: keep moving forward!"
A hoarse male voice suddenly said.
"Yoruichi-san?"
A black cat was seen walking over with graceful feline steps.
The black cat, Yoruichi, continued, "Didn't I say it before? The heart and soul are connected. What's important is the direction of your heart… that is, the will to keep moving forward relentlessly."
"This time, I'll guide you! Don't waver, don't fear, don't stop, don't look back, don't think about what you're leaving behind. Just keep moving forward!"
"Those who can do this, follow me!"
Yoruichi walked up to the Senkaimon, then turned back to address the four.
"Hmph, what are you talking about?! Everyone who gathered here has already made up their mind!"
Ichigo was the first to walk up to the Senkaimon.
"Kid, you do understand, right? If you fail, you can never come back!"
Yoruichi asked.
"Of course! Succeed or die trying!"
Ichigo said with firm determination.
"Good!"
Yoruichi stared at Ichigo.
At that moment, Kisuke spoke up. "Are you ready? As soon as I open the Senkaimon, you must charge in immediately."
"Understood!"
Ichigo and the others nodded.
"Oh, right! One last thing."
Kisuke suddenly said.
"Even if you safely reach the Soul Society this time, you'll encounter countless dangers afterwards. So, if you truly find yourselves in a desperate situation, go seek help from that person!"
"That person?"
Ichigo asked, confused.
"Hitsugaya Toshiro! That's his name!"
Kisuke said with a serious expression.
"Hitsugaya Toshiro? Why would he help us?"
Ichigo asked.
"Oh, that? He's a very good customer of mine."
Kisuke said casually.
Well, Toshiro is, of course, not actually a customer.
The real reason was naturally Isshin's request.
Earlier, Isshin had told Kisuke about asking Toshiro to help Ichigo, and instructed Kisuke to tell Ichigo to seek Toshiro's help if in danger.
However, Isshin didn't want Ichigo to know about his relationship with Toshiro and the Soul Society just yet, so Kisuke made up a random excuse.
"A customer?"
Ichigo exclaimed in surprise.
Then, Ichigo looked at Kisuke suspiciously. "Is your so-called customer very strong?"
"Of course!"
Kisuke affirmed.
"Is he stronger than Kuchiki Byakuya?"
Ichigo pressed.
"You're underestimating him. Someone like Byakuya couldn't beat him even if he trained for another hundred years."
Kisuke stated.
Although Kisuke hadn't seen Toshiro fight personally, based on the information he'd gathered, it was clear that someone like Byakuya, who is a mid-to-upper-tier Captain, wasn't on the same level as Toshiro at all.
"He's really that strong?!"
Ichigo was shocked.
Ichigo couldn't even imagine how powerful someone stronger than Byakuya would be.
"Alright, enough about that. I'm about to open the Senkaimon. Get ready!"
Kisuke said gravely.
With that, Kisuke activated the Senkaimon.
"Let's go, everyone!"
Ichigo shouted.
"Right!"
Then, Ichigo and the others charged into the Senkaimon!