Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Urahana Ichiro
Ichiro Urahana, tall and robust, dressed in a Shihakusho, with an Asauchi at his waist and a straw hat on his head, arrived at the entrance of the village where the Urahana clan resided.
Removing his straw hat, his resolute face showed signs of wear and tear.
The uncertainty about his brother's fate worried him deeply.
What worried him even more was the fear that the three children might have already left the village without a trace.
Thus, he traveled tirelessly, making his way to Hanakure as quickly as possible.
"Shinigami-sama!"
Villagers on both sides, upon seeing Ichiro Urahana in his Shihakusho, were terrified and quickly knelt on the ground, heads touching the earth, not daring to look up.
The Soul Society's hierarchy was even more entrenched and feudal than the real world.
There was no requirement for civilians to kneel before a Shinigami.
In slightly larger cities, people might be more accustomed to seeing Shinigami and wouldn't find it unusual.
But in these remote areas, beyond the reach of the Seireitei's control, the appearance of a Shinigami was a significant event, striking fear into the hearts of all the commoners.
They were not afraid of bandits, but they were deeply terrified of Shinigami with official authority.
"Raise your heads. Where is my brother?" Ichiro Urahana asked sternly.
The villagers lifted their heads slightly but did not dare to look at Ichiro directly. Hearing his question, they exchanged confused glances until one of them cautiously asked:
"Shinigami-sama, what is your brother's name?"
"Jiro Urahana," Ichiro replied.
The kneeling villagers looked puzzled. They had never heard of a Jiro Urahana, but they knew that the leader of the Urahana clan had been killed recently.
Why was the Urahana clan called the Urahana clan?
Could the leader of the Urahana clan be Jiro Urahana?
In the past, Jiro Urahana bullied and terrorized the village, committing heinous acts without ever shouting his name.
The villagers did not know Jiro Urahana's real name.
But they were well aware of the major event that the leader of the Urahana clan had been killed.
The smarter villagers quickly realized that the leader of the Urahana clan was Jiro Urahana, and that he had been killed.
Afraid to answer, they turned pale and began to tremble, fearing they might be implicated.
Seeing the villagers with their heads bowed, trembling and too scared to answer, Ichiro felt a sense of foreboding. Just as he was about to angrily question them further, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from within the village.
A stout man with a square face, accompanied by a few others, rushed out and knelt before Ichiro, speaking with a choked voice: "Urahana-sama, you have finally arrived."
"Ishino, what happened to my brother?"
Ichiro Urahana had met several senior members of the Urahana clan. These high-ranking members all recognized him and knew that Ichiro was the brother of their boss, which had always ensured their loyalty.
"The boss... the boss was killed," Ishino sobbed, his sturdy body trembling uncontrollably.
"What! Jiro is really dead!" Ichiro's vision blurred for a moment, and he felt the world spinning. Unable to keep his balance, he staggered back two steps.
His bond with his brother was incredibly strong.
Hearing Ishino, a trusted cadre of the Urahana clan, confirm his brother's death meant the news had to be true.
Combining this with what he had seen ten days ago on surveillance—those children infiltrating the underground lab and slaying the Spider Hollow—he could now be certain.
They must have killed his brother to gain access to the underground lab.
Ishino continued to cry, his square face wet with tears, fearing he might be implicated. He quickly added, "I've secured the culprits in the village. We've been waiting for your arrival, Urahana-sama!"
Hearing this, Ichiro's rage turned into a chilling smile. "Good, good... good. They killed my brother and still dare to stay in Urahana territory."
Ichiro, his face flushed with anger, placed his hand on the Asauchi at his waist, gripping the hilt so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He roared, "Take me to them!"
Ishino quickly wiped away his tears, stood up, and prepared to lead Ichiro to H'el.
"No need."
A young yet steady, lazy voice came from within the village.
H'el, holding the scabbard of Sakura, walked out from the village, the tip of the scabbard almost touching the ground. Behind him were Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku, both holding their swords, Daikoten.
Ishino discreetly stepped back, leaving space for the confrontation between the two leaders.
Seeing the Daikoten in Gin's hand, Ichiro's eyes turned red with fury. That weapon had been crafted for his brother, and now it was in the hands of a child.
"You have both audacity and ignorance to dare kill my brother," Ichiro's eyes blazed red. A pressure, vast and overwhelming like a tsunami to ordinary people, suddenly radiated from him.
The villagers kneeling nearby were horrified and pressed to the ground by the overwhelming pressure. Ishino, who had been about to flee, was also forced to his knees, unable to move under the crushing weight of the spiritual pressure.
In the eyes of the onlookers, the sky seemed to darken, leaving only the towering figure of Ichiro Urahana looming over them like a true god of death, cold and merciless.
Gin Ichimaru stepped back, his eyes dimming as he nearly collapsed.
Rangiku fared even worse, falling to the ground on all fours, her head lowered, eyes wide with fear, and her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Use the breathing technique I taught you. In this pressure, it will better stimulate your potential," H'el said calmly, standing unaffected while everyone else was flattened by Ichiro Urahana's spiritual pressure.
Gin and Rangiku, hearing H'el's words, began to control their breathing rhythm, gradually adapting to the oppressive spiritual pressure.
Their potential far exceeded that of Ichiro Urahana, but having never faced such pressure before, they were initially overwhelmed. However, by following H'el's breathing technique, they quickly started to adjust.
Rangiku might lag slightly behind, but not by much.
"How are you unaffected?" Gin, after adapting somewhat, asked H'el, noticing his composure.
"When you understand every particle of spiritual energy in your body, you'll realize that this spiritual pressure, caused by the density of the soul, creating a gravity-like force, can be counteracted," H'el explained.
"Amazing control," Ichiro Urahana said, slowly drawing his Asauchi with an angry expression. "But even the most precisely controlled spiritual energy will shatter under immense power."
---
Under the tree shade, two Shinigami, dressed in their traditional black robes, were moving swiftly towards the Urahana clan's village.
"Seino, you are truly kind, letting Ichiro Urahana go alone to claim the glory," said a tall Shinigami with a solid build and a gentle tone.
Seino trembled with cold sweat, "Lord Aizen, I..."
"I hope Ichiro Urahana doesn't lose my item," said the leading Shinigami, his tone laced with a gentle yet chilling smile.
Seino felt a shiver down his spine.
°°°
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