Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

The destructive power of the Espada was too strong, so Aizen strictly forbade them from fighting near the dome of Las Noches to prevent large-scale damage to the palace.

It was precisely because they had detected reiatsu fluctuations beyond the norm that they appeared here to gather intelligence. Of course, another reason was the rumor that the powerful Uehara Shiroha had also come to Hueco Mundo.

The Fracción with dark green bangs and long hair covered her mouth and smiled:

"Stop arguing! I can see you're both scared."

Sung-Sun, like Mila Rose and Apacci, was a subordinate of Harribel. The three female Arrancar had followed Harribel, who was a Vasto Lorde, since their days as Adjuchas.

The four of them were like sisters and had a deep bond with each other. Harribel, who wore her collar high to cover her lips, did not stop her three subordinates from bickering. This was their way of communicating, noisy but reassuring.

She didn't ask for much—she just wanted to protect the three of them, and it would be even better if she could create a peaceful world. This was why she was willing to swear allegiance to Aizen.

She believed that Aizen, who possessed the Hōgyoku, could create a better world. There was no way she couldn't believe it, because he had given them too much.

Without Aizen, Sung-Sun and the others would not have been able to become Arrancar and would have been in danger of regression. He had offered them a bargaining chip they couldn't refuse. No Hollow could resist the temptation to evolve, nor could they reject Aizen's invitation.

"This reiatsu feels like a Shinigami's. Could it be that Uehara Shiroha?" Mila Rose asked with confusion.

The reason they came here was to be on alert for intruders. When they had set out, Harribel had warned them that if they encountered the Shinigami named Uehara Shiroha, they should retreat immediately and never linger.

"It shouldn't be him, but there are warriors who have released their Resurrección and are fighting," Harribel reminded them. "So, you're right to feel scared. Remember this most primitive fear. Also, remember my warning—don't fight with Uehara Shiroha."

At the same time, Harribel thought with concern:

"The Espada who released his Resurrección should be Grimmjow. The one fighting Grimmjow should be the Shinigami named Ichigo Kurosaki. I didn't expect the Shinigami's reiatsu to be so heavy and powerful. This battle feels like... two Espada fighting! Fortunately, that Uehara Shiroha hasn't intervened."

Unlike the other Espada, Harribel possessed not only a queenly figure and voice but also a queenly personality and mindset. Therefore, she had been gathering intelligence.

Long ago, she had noticed Uehara Shiroha's existence and classified him as someone who must not be provoked. By chance, she had learned how terrifying his strength was.

So she knew very well that if it were Uehara Shiroha fighting, Grimmjow, even in his Resurrección state, would never have lasted this long. Although Grimmjow, as the Sexta Espada, had outstanding combat talent and power, even his released form was no match for Uehara Shiroha.

But she couldn't understand why Aizen hadn't warned them or taken any action when such a powerful enemy invaded Hueco Mundo. This wasn't like those other human invaders—the threat was very great. Would it really not affect their plans to let such a being act freely?

Thinking of the information she had previously collected about Uehara Shiroha, Harribel felt vaguely uneasy. She was the Tres Espada, a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, and already a top expert in Hueco Mundo. Even so, she still had an unsettling feeling that she couldn't control her fate.

Facing masters like Uehara Shiroha and Aizen, Harribel truly had no confidence. But now that things had progressed this far, "the arrow is on the string and must be shot."

Aizen had single-handedly changed Hueco Mundo, giving them power and hope. And he possessed absolute strength. In Hueco Mundo, the strong were respected, and they only believed in the strong. So they had no way back and could only follow Aizen all the way to the end.

She just hoped that the plan would proceed smoothly, that they wouldn't lose too many comrades, and that there wouldn't be endless wars in the future.

...

Outside the Senkaimon at the 12th Division, the tall and gentle Isane Kotetsu asked Captain Unohana beside her:

"Captain, why do we suddenly have to help Kurosaki? Didn't we say Inoue was a traitor before?"

At this point, she felt conflicted. She had interacted with Orihime several times and had long regarded her as a friend. The human girl had helped a lot and saved many wounded from the 4th Division. Isane felt guilty that she couldn't help her friend in need.

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" Retsu Unohana, the Captain of the 4th Division who embodied the perfect Japanese lady, had already seen through her vica captain's thoughts. "Didn't you always want to rescue Orihime, never believing she would betray us?"

Unohana wasn't concerned about whether Orihime had betrayed them. But she was impressed by the ability of that human girl. The power manifested through such weak reiatsu surpassed her own Zanpakutō's Bankai in terms of healing. This didn't seem like an ordinary ability. Or rather, that ability had transcended common limitations.

"I still hold to my opinion," Isane first hunched her shoulders, then said firmly. "Inoue is innocent. We should help her."

She couldn't believe that the gentle and kind human girl would betray Soul Society and her friends. Now that she had the opportunity to go to Hueco Mundo for a rescue mission, she was eager to help.

At this point, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was tinkering with the gate, suddenly spoke up:

"It doesn't matter whether the girl betrayed us or not. The key is that her ability is very special and very important."

When he said this, his eyes beneath his mask flashed with light, and he thought privately:

"I never imagined that a human could possess such a special ability. I sensed that the ability of that human girl was extraordinary from the start. Damn Quincy—if Uryū Ishida hadn't interfered, I would have captured Orihime long ago. But fortunately, the surveillance bacteria worked. Szayelaporro? It seems we're the same type of scientist. I will happily make use of your research results."

When Ichigo and the others had invaded Soul Society, Mayuri had discovered the extraordinary qualities of both Orihime and Uryū. He had tracked them down and confirmed their identities.

Uryū Ishida was of little interest, as he had already studied the Quincy thoroughly, and there was nothing surprising there. But Fullbringers were rare, and their abilities were truly special.

At that time, he had been ecstatic and wanted to capture them alive. Unfortunately, he had been too careless and hadn't expected that the Quincy still had a trick up his sleeve.

As a result, Mayuri had missed such a precious experimental subject. It was such a pity. Fortunately, the last time he made contact with them, he had been prepared.

When he had confronted the Ryoka, Mayuri had a trick up his sleeve. He had planted surveillance bacteria on Uryū Ishida in advance. This allowed him to see what Uryū saw and hear what he heard. In this way, he collected a wealth of information related to the Espada, especially about the Octava Espada, Szayelaporro.

Mayuri was not interested in saving people. Compassion was not what he pursued. But he was very interested in acquiring the research results of his peers and proving his own technological superiority. Moreover, those Arrancar were precious experimental subjects. It would be a terrible waste if they simply died.

Isane, who didn't understand the situation, asked in confusion:

"Inoue's ability? Although it is an excellent healing power, is it really worthy of such attention, Captain? After all, her combat capability isn't strong."

As a member of the 4th Division, she had faced discrimination often. The attitude within the Gotei 13 was that healing abilities weren't as important as combat prowess. Of course, she didn't share this view. But a single healing ability didn't seem sufficient to change the situation, and it couldn't explain why the Captain had suddenly changed his mind.

"Healing ability? Weak fighting ability?" Mayuri rebuked sharply. "How naive! Her ability is not healing at all, but the rejection of reality itself. The girl can reject events that have already occurred and return them to a state where they never happened. This ability transcends time and space—it violates the realm of God. Mere healing is not qualified to be compared with it!"

In his opinion, these fools didn't understand the uniqueness and importance of this ability at all. What also irritated him was that it was Kisuke Urahara who had discovered the true nature of this ability. It was also through Urahara's insight that they had deduced Aizen's intentions.

After listening to Mayuri's explanation, Isane was still confused. After all that complicated talk, wasn't it still just a healing ability? She couldn't grasp these high-sounding concepts. She couldn't begin to imagine the upper limits of Orihime's power.

Unohana, who had remained silent until now, frowned and suddenly spoke:

"The ability to negate reality beyond time and space? Then would this ability work on the Hōgyoku? And is your source of information reliable?"

She had previously observed that Orihime's ability was not simple healing. However, she hadn't expected that its essence actually involved divine power. She also had her suspicions about the source of Orihime's abilities. If this was the case, then it was difficult to say how far this power could reach. Perhaps even the Hōgyoku couldn't resist it...

"As expected of Captain Unohana," Mayuri said with grudging respect, answering truthfully. "I believe that's precisely what Aizen is aiming for. Intelligence suggests that if we use the girl's ability, the Hōgyoku may fully awaken. We should have had four months to prepare for battle. But if we allow the girl to use her ability on the Hōgyoku, our situation becomes significantly worse. To turn defense into offense, the Captain-Commander has dispatched us to carry out this rescue operation."

"Yes, and we still have Captain Zaraki and Captain Kuchiki with us!" Thinking of the orders she had received, Isane felt reassured. In her opinion, these two captains were unbeatable.

"Not ready yet?" Just then, Kenpachi Zaraki strode over with his Zanpakutō resting on his shoulder and the pink-haired Yachiru perched on his back, muttering impatiently. "How long did it take the last time we entered Hueco Mundo? I don't remember! But it doesn't matter! Those big Hollows should be fun to cut down. I heard they've gotten stronger—that's great, I can't wait!"

Kenpachi was eager to go to Hueco Mundo and fight. His blade was already thirsting for battle.

Although Byakuya Kuchiki, who walked quietly beside him, didn't say a word, his expression spoke volumes. Aizen had not only framed Rukia but also slaughtered Central 46, which the nobles were duty-bound to protect, and even planned to attack the Soul King Palace. For justice and honor, he would never let the Espada or Aizen escape punishment.

"It's ready now!" Mayuri clapped his hands and announced. "I've opened four stable Garganta and created four passages. Each of our captains will take one path. This will be safer."

He was also growing impatient. Kenpachi was in a hurry to kill and collect specimens. Mayuri had worked with Uehara Shiroha before and knew there were many precious resources in Hueco Mundo. This time, he was determined to gather enough material.

So, except for Byakuya, the other three captains took their lieutenants into the dark passages and headed for Hueco Mundo.

Just as the Shinigami captains were en route to Hueco Mundo, Ichigo, Uryū, and Rukia were already locked in desperate battles. The three were struggling to hold on. Especially Rukia and Uryū—their lives were in serious danger.

If it weren't for the Séptima Espada Zommari and the Octava Espada Szayelaporro having their own ulterior motives, the two would have been defeated long ago.

Zommari was thinking of using Rukia as a hostage to threaten the other invaders. Szayelaporro simply wasn't interested in fighting seriously. For him, combat was merely a dessert after the main course of scientific research.

Especially after being taught a harsh lesson by Uehara Shiroha, he had become more cautious. Fighting was not his primary goal. After all, no matter how strong one's combat abilities were, they meant nothing when facing someone with mastery over time and space. Hollows had their limits. Ordinary means couldn't defeat Uehara Shiroha—only technology might stand a chance.

Although the two Espada weren't using their full strength, Uryū and Rukia were near collapse. Their lives hung by a thread.

Meanwhile, the battle between Ichigo and Grimmjow in his Resurrección form had concluded. Both were seriously injured. In the end, Ichigo emerged victorious, and Grimmjow lost, albeit regretfully.

In truth, Grimmjow had the advantage initially. However, at the critical moment, Orihime bravely spoke what was truly in her heart. Even if he failed, even if he fled, even if he used the power of his Hollow, as long as Ichigo survived, that would be enough. She couldn't bear to see him continue to suffer.

Combined with his previous revelations, Ichigo finally understood. He began to truly accept his own power. Uehara Shiroha's earlier words and actions had made an impact. Ichigo had opened his mind earlier than in the original timeline. Even when his mask broke, it didn't stop him from tapping into his Hollow powers.

Though he remained cautious and could still hear that irritating voice in his mind, his heart was steadfast as he faced his true self. He had grown.

Uehara Shiroha's previous words had pointed out Ichigo's fundamental problem. Compared to protagonists with grand ambitions and lofty ideals, Ichigo was just an ordinary person. This was true both in mentality and character. The poor boy simply wanted to study hard, have a wife and children. He didn't want to be a "village chief" or "save the world" or anything so grandiose.

A happy family reunion was Ichigo Kurosaki's greatest desire. Very simple and down-to-earth. However, there is always a gap between ideals and reality. The reality was that he was not ordinary, and his family was not safe. Before, he had been evasive because of fear and uncertainty. But now, he wasn't going to run away, because there was nowhere to escape to.

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New Fanfic 

Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars

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