"Hey, is Rukia really locked up here?" Ichigo looked around in confusion. No matter how he looked at it, this didn't seem like a place where people would be.
The problem was that they had indeed entered the underground based on the instructions of that cat named Sayo. Thinking about it now, wasn't it a bit too hasty to believe a cat's nonsense? No, wait, this cat couldn't even speak.
Ishida turned his head and explained impatiently, "This is the Seireitei's underground waterway. Because the terrain is complex, very few people come here. As for Rukia, she is in a white tower to the southwest. That should be what Sayo meant."
Between the cat and the human, one was bold enough to gesture and the other bold enough to guess. Even assuming Ishida could decipher it perfectly, Ichigo still had a very crucial question.
"If the terrain here is so complex, won't we get lost?"
Elsewhere, Shiba Ganju had the exact same question. He could only hope that the guy he had taken hostage, a Shinigami named Yamada Hanatarō, wouldn't end up causing him to starve to death in the Seireitei's underground.
"Because this place needs to be cleaned too, and our Squad 4 is in charge of these things, I'm relatively familiar with it," Hanatarō explained, rubbing the back of his head. In truth, Squad 4 wasn't solely responsible for menial cleaning tasks; it was just that he was truly terrible at combat, so he was assigned exclusively to cleaning duty.
"Then is the Senzaikyū heavily guarded? There must be a ton of people protecting it, right?"
"Actually, there isn't a single guard inside the White Tower. I heard there used to be, but it became like this because of a certain incident."
"Doesn't that mean it's completely defenseless?!" Ganju was astonished. Wasn't that Kuchiki Rukia a high-profile prisoner? Why did her confinement sound even more lenient than when he was punished to face the wall?
"How could that be? The Gotei 13's barracks are all concentrated nearby, and there is always at least one seated officer and several squad members stationed inside." Hanatarō shook his head and continued, "Moreover, the location of the key for each cell in the White Tower is different. It's very difficult for outsiders to find them. If you find the wrong one or try to open the cell door by force, it will trigger an alarm that seals off the White Tower, allowing the Gotei 13 to surround anyone attempting a prison break at maximum speed."
*S-So it's a trap,* Ganju thought, wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead. The Seireitei was acting just as cunning and shameless as ever.
"Doesn't that mean there's no way to save Rukia? You were speaking so confidently just a moment ago!"
"I know where the key to the Shishinrō is!" Hanatarō shouted at the top of his lungs, stopping Ganju's descending fist just in time. Afraid the other party wouldn't believe him, he quickly added, "Even though I wasn't there during the escort, I noticed while cleaning later that one of the keys was placed differently than before! That's definitely the key to the Shishinrō!"
He didn't look like he was lying. Ganju released Hanatarō's collar and even helped smooth it out, discreetly wiping his raised fist on his pants as if doing so could erase the unpleasantness from a moment ago.
"That means we can completely avoid drawing attention and secretly rescue Kuchiki Rukia."
"If everything goes smoothly, yes. But the underground waterway doesn't reach outside the Seireitei. Mr. Shiba, you must have a way to escape the Seireitei, right?"
There was definitely a way. Nestled in Ishida Uryū's arms, Shiba Miyako tried hard to recall a scene from not too long ago. At that time, Kōe Shihouin had been looking at the blueprints of the Seireitei's underground waterway. This was likely his planned escape route after seizing the Hōgyoku.
The problem was that she still didn't know what this escape route was or exactly where it was located. However, these two boys had just mentioned that she looked very similar to Yoruichi, which meant that Yoruichi had also come to the Seireitei.
Even if she couldn't find Kōe's escape route, she believed Yoruichi would have a way to leave the Seireitei. Then she could leave together with her, and perhaps even return to her human body.
Right now, she had to find Yoruichi as quickly as possible. Since the other party was here to save Kuchiki Rukia, her destination was bound to be the White Tower. Moreover, with Yoruichi's skills, evading detection and infiltrating the White Tower's vicinity would be effortless.
These kids were clearly being used, and the probability of them being abandoned by Kōe was extremely high. Shiba Miyako pointed her paw toward the left; she needed to lead them to rendezvous with Yoruichi as soon as possible.
At this moment, there might be people in the Seireitei who could guess Yoruichi's presence, but very few could have imagined that she hadn't gone directly to save Rukia. Instead, she had come to the Squad 8 Captain's office to drink with Kyōraku Shunsui.
"Assisting you in stopping Rukia's execution... That kid Urahara really understands me." Shunsui continued to pour sake into his cup with a look of pure enjoyment. The sake from his private collection truly tasted the best. "So the execution itself is indeed a race. I'm just curious, who exactly are you racing against?"
"If I told you, would you even believe it?"
"Right now, I'd have to put a question mark on that."
Yoruichi couldn't help but roll her eyes. Should she call this guy honest, or just shameless?
"It's not strange that Rukia is being punished. What's strange is that the method of punishment is the Sōkyoku. You understand this too..."
"So, you want us to see with our own eyes exactly who has been hiding underwater all this time. There's nothing wrong with my ears." Shunsui dug at his ear, his tone filled with helplessness. "But if we end up not seeing anything, Ukitake and I probably won't get off with just a simple scolding."
"If we don't see anything, I—and even the entire Shihouin clan—will be implicated. The brats I brought with me won't survive either. Do you think we went through all this trouble just so you could watch us die?!" Yoruichi shot Shunsui a disdainful glance. "Besides, with Urahara and Hirako on the outside, do you really think Old Man Yama would ruthlessly kill you two old fools? What do you think Old Man Yama is doing right now? Isn't he also..."
"Alright, alright, I get it." Shunsui hastily interrupted Yoruichi. After so many years apart, her temper was still as fiery as ever. He needed to quickly down a cup to calm his nerves.
Another cup of sake went down his throat. Rukia being sentenced to execution was highly irregular in itself, and the figures hidden behind the incident were even more bewildering—not to mention what their true motives might be.
At this moment, the only one who had surfaced was Urahara Kisuke. They claimed they wanted to take Kuchiki Rukia away or protect her, yet they sat back and watched as she was taken. Shunsui didn't believe for a second that Byakuya could have taken Rukia away from the eight captains hiding in the World of the Living.
If one were to say Rukia wasn't important, Yoruichi had brought people to break into the Seireitei. But even for Yoruichi, thinking she could rescue Rukia just by using those brats as a distraction was far too naive.
However, with Yoruichi herself appearing, Shunsui felt that the mysteries troubling him had lessened significantly. At the very least, the intentions of Urahara's side were completely clear.
Using themselves as bait and putting everything out in the open—such a goal forced one to believe them. After all, there was absolutely no room for personal gain in this.
As for whether Yoruichi's words were a lie, it was precisely because she was Shihouin Yoruichi that Shunsui used what she said as a baseline for his reasoning. If Urahara Kisuke had been the one to come, the effect would likely have been greatly diminished.
The only possibility of him being deceived was if Yoruichi had been deceived as well. But even if that were the case, what he and Ukitake were doing wasn't an unforgivable mistake. He had to admit, Urahara Kisuke, who had designed all of this, understood him perfectly.
"Do you trust Urahara that much? You rescued him from Central 46 back then, and now you're betting your life and the fate of the Shihouin clan on him once again." Shunsui propped up his head, looking at Yoruichi with bleary, drunken eyes.
"I wasn't the only one standing on Urahara's side back then. The time Urahara and I have spent together isn't much shorter than the time you and Ukitake have spent together."
*But why does it feel like Dead-Fish Eyes is drifting further and further away from us? That guy needs a wake-up call!*
Yoruichi tried her best not to show any flaws in her composure as she continued, "Even if it wasn't for me and Urahara, Kuchiki Rukia shouldn't die such an inexplicable death. The brats currently in the Seireitei are proof enough that executing her is a mistake!"
"Let's put an end to this, Shunsui!" Yoruichi's voice was firm and resonant. "Don't let these unnecessary sacrifices continue. Let it end here!"
*Is there only one cup left?* Shunsui shook the sake jug in his hand. "Yeah, let it end here."