Ukitake gasped for breath, his vision blurring.
Seeing the Captain collapse, Metastacia felt a surge of joy.
Realizing that the powerhouse had temporarily lost his combat ability, the Hollow decided to abandon the risky fight and chase after the terrified young girl first.
Ukitake might still have hidden, lethal Kidō spells up his sleeve, but the weak recruit was far safer prey.
Abandoning the crippled Captain, Metastacia activated Shunpo and quickly caught up to the fleeing Rukia deep in the woods.
Seeing Kaien's twisted face chasing her, Rukia was overwhelmed with terror.
Paralyzed by extreme fear, she drew her unreleased Zanpakutō and stood her ground, her hands shaking violently.
In that desperate moment, a strict memory of Kazuma surfaced in her mind.
'Rukia, draw your blade and strike!' his voice echoed from her mind..
For a moment, Rukia overcame her fear.
The long period of practice had formed muscle memory within her, and she swung her blade, cutting Metastacia.
After calming down, she realized that the enemy in front of her was not actually that terrifying.
It was only because it had taken over Shiba Kaien's body, along with the influence of several other factors, that she had felt such fear.
Rukia immediately launched a counterattack against Metastacia.
After exchanging several moves, she gradually began to gain the upper hand.
Metastacia was instantly stunned.
In its mind, this little girl should not have been strong. Otherwise, why would she have been so afraid earlier?
Now it regretted its decision.
It had failed to take down this little girl after several moves. Once that captain recovered, it would be finished.
While it was thinking, Shiba Kaien's consciousness suddenly took control of the body.
He drove his body straight toward Rukia's Zanpakutō.
Rukia keenly noticed this unusual action.
Before it could crash into her blade, she swung her Zanpakutō first, slashing diagonally and sending it flying away.
The wound on its chest brought out a large spray of blood.
As Metastacia fell to the ground, Rukia immediately activated a Bakudō spell and restrained it.
Ukitake also hurried over at that moment, preparing to finish Metastacia with one slash.
"Captain! Don't!"
Rukia loudly stopped Ukitake from making his move.
"Rukia, it has already fused with Kaien. We can only kill it."
Ukitake had not seen the moment when Kaien regained control of the body, so he insisted on killing the Hollow.
Rukia anxiously said, "Captain, Kaien is still conscious. Just now, he even regained control of the body."
After hearing this, Ukitake's heart became extremely conflicted.
Even if Kaien still had consciousness, he had no way to separate him from the Hollow.
"Rukia, I have no way to separate Kaien from it. The only option is to kill him together with this Hollow."
Rukia suddenly thought of something, and a hopeful smile filled her face.
"Captain, let's go find Captain Kazuma. He might have a way."
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa!"
Ukitake hesitated for a while, then placed another binding spell on Metastacia.
"Very well. We will bring it back first. Hopefully, Kazuma has a way to deal with this. If not, then we can only kill it."
Hearing that Captain Ukitake had relented, Rukia let out a long sigh of relief.
She could only hope that Kazuma would be able to save Kaien.
....
Rukia stumbled into the captain's office of the Seventh Division.
"Sensei! Captain Ukitake has an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please come with me to the Thirteenth Division immediately!"
Seeing Rukia so panicked, Kazuma's heart tightened.
Could something have gone wrong with the Soul King's right arm inside Jūshirō Ukitake's body?
With no time to think further, he hurriedly followed Rukia to the Thirteenth Division.
On the way, Kazuma asked with concern, "What happened to Ukitake? Has his physical condition worsened?"
Rukia answered anxiously, "Captain Ukitake's body did have some problems, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. But the main reason he asked for you this time is because he wants you to save Kaien."
Hearing this, Kazuma could not help but frown, his heart filled with confusion.
'Shiba Kaien? I remember that in the original plot, after he was devoured by a Hollow, he committed suicide by throwing himself onto Rukia's Zanpakutō. Could there have been some deviation in the plot?'
"Captain Ukitake and I encountered a Hollow with intelligence. Not only can it fuse with and devour Shinigami, but Lord Kaien has already been fused with it. However, Kaien still has a trace of consciousness remaining."
Rukia spoke extremely quickly as she explained the current situation to Kazuma.
Soon, Kazuma, Rukia, and a recovering Ukitake were gathered in Kazuma's private office.
Kaien's condition was far too politically dangerous to keep in the Thirteenth Division's medical ward.
Shinji Hirako and the Visoreds had once been sentenced to death by Central 46 simply because their souls were tainted by Hollow power.
If the stubborn aristocrats learned of Kaien's possession, he would undoubtedly face immediate execution.
Kazuma looked down at the bleeding, unconscious Kaien with a highly complicated expression.
"Kazuma, how is it?" Ukitake asked, observing his old friend's grim face. "Can he be saved?"
"Sensei, please…" Rukia begged, gazing at Kazuma with pleading eyes.
Offering a bitter smile, Kazuma helplessly shook his head.
"Jūshirō, Rukia… you two think far too highly of my Kidō. I have no method of separating two fused spirit bodies."
Hearing the definitive rejection, Rukia's face turned sorrowful, her eyes filling with crushing despair.
"Is there really no way at all?"
Seeing Kaien's agonized state, Kazuma felt a rare pang of pity.
Turning to the others, he spoke slowly.
"Rukia, wait outside for a moment. I need to discuss classified information with Jūshirō."
Rukia was slightly taken aback, but she nodded and quickly exited the office.
Once the door slid shut, Kazuma waved a hand and erected a flawless, soundproof Kidō Barrier around the room.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned back to Ukitake.
"Jūshirō, there is actually one person who can save Kaien."
"Who?" Ukitake asked urgently.
"Urahara Kisuke," Kazuma replied softly.
"Urahara?" Ukitake exclaimed in shock. "But he hasn't been seen in Soul Society for a century. He is a convicted traitor!"
"I know," Kazuma nodded. "But his research into Hollowfication makes him the only person capable of saving Kaien's soul."
Ukitake furrowed his brow and paced the room.
"But I have no idea where he is hiding."
Kazuma offered a playful, secretive smile.
"Who said I didn't know his location?"
Ukitake stopped, his eyes widening.
"What? You know where Urahara is hiding?"
A storm of political implications raged in Ukitake's mind as he wondered whether Kazuma had secretly harbored the fugitive for the past hundred years.
"Kazuma, you didn't…"
"Jūshirō, don't say anything reckless," Kazuma warned smoothly. "I have no formal contact with the man. I just happened to uncover his location through my own intelligence network."
"Where is he?"
"He's hiding in the World of the Living. Specifically, Karakura Town. But don't even think about seeking him out right now."
"For Kaien's sake, I must go," Ukitake insisted, moving toward the door.
Kazuma stepped in front of him and blocked his path.
"Think this through, Jūshirō. He is a convicted traitor. Central 46 has standing orders for his immediate execution. If you are caught crossing the Senkaimon to meet him, you'll be charged with treason."
In reality, Kazuma was not worried about the law.
He was worried about Ukitake running into Saitō.
Kisuke was currently under Saitō's protection, and if Ukitake rashly approached the shop, Saitō might severely injure him, exposing their entire century-long conspiracy.
Kazuma had worked too hard to make Saitō and Batsu'unsai fade into myth to let everything fall apart over a Vice-Captain's possession.
"If it really comes down to it, hand Kaien over to Captain Mayuri and see if the SRDI has a solution," Kazuma proposed as a compromise.
Ukitake violently shook his head.
"No. Mayuri is a lunatic. Handing Kaien over to him will just turn the boy into a dissection subject."
Kazuma smirked inwardly, amused that Ukitake considered Mayuri a dangerous lunatic but viewed Urahara—the man who invented the Hōgyoku—as a savior.
However, since Ukitake completely distrusted the Twelfth Division, they had to rely on a stall tactic.
"Leave it to me, Jūshirō," Kazuma said seriously, placing a hand on Ukitake's shoulder. "I will personally find a way to contact Urahara and save Kaien. But you must promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Ukitake asked, desperate for hope.
"Do not act rashly. If you recklessly deploy to the World of the Living, you will fail to save Kaien and endanger your entire Squad. Trust me. I know what I'm doing."
Seeing the determination in Kazuma's eyes, Ukitake felt a sense of reassurance.
After hesitating for a moment, the sickly Captain finally nodded.
"Alright. I trust you, Kazuma. But you must save him."
"I'll do my best," Kazuma promised.
Dropping the Barrier, Kazuma carried the unconscious Kaien out into the hall.
"Sensei, where are you taking him?" Rukia asked, her eyes red from crying.
"Don't worry, Rukia. Although I cannot cure him today, I will find a method," Kazuma reassured her.
"I'm taking Kaien to my private training grounds. I am going to place him under a stasis seal, preserving his physical body and consciousness until the day he can be properly cured."
Tears spilled over Rukia's cheeks as she bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Sensei!"
Carrying Kaien deep into the underground bunkers of the Seventh Division, Kazuma applied a heavy gravitational seal to the Vice-Captain's core, locking his consciousness in stasis to prevent it from being completely consumed by Metastacia.
Truthfully, there was another way to save Kaien.
Since it was simply a struggle between two spirit bodies for dominance over a single vessel, if Kaien's soul grew strong enough, he could theoretically expel Metastacia himself.
However, that method carried a high risk of permanent Hollowfication, and Kazuma preferred not to intervene personally if doing so risked exposing his true power.
In the end, he decided to leave the trouble to Urahara, allowing Kaien to remain safely dormant underground until Aizen's grand conspiracy was finally resolved.
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