The Alchemist in Bleach

"Um...aren't they distant relatives? It's still possible. I think you're overthinking it."

Tatsuki Arisawa gently rubbed her forehead and said no more. This guy was either pretending not to see it, or he was genuinely stupid. Of course, based on her understanding of Inoue, it was most likely the latter...

Shaking their heads, the two stopped talking about the matter and went home together. Recently, for some reason, there had been frequent car accidents, often damaging houses or even roads. This cast a shadow over their hearts, and traveling together made them feel safer.

Although having the two of them together might be a buy-one-get-one-free deal...

But it's still better than being alone, isn't it?

Fortunately, their spiritual power is not high at present, so they did not attract any Hollows. Apart from Inoue being unlucky as always and bumping into things from time to time, nothing else happened.

Bye-bye, see you tomorrow.

"Okay, take care on your way home, see you tomorrow." Inoue and Tatsuki waved and headed home.

After a safe journey home, Inoue glanced at his brother's photo, smiled slightly, clenched his little fist, and then began washing vegetables and cooking.

However, what she didn't realize was that with her action, a greater commotion arose on a level she couldn't currently observe; it was about to burst forth...

In a corner of the room, Nicholas narrowed his eyes as he watched Inoue Hao's increasingly violent gaze. Inoue Hao was now only one step away from becoming a Hollow. His lower body had completely transformed into a snake's body, and the mask on his face was beginning to appear. He could become a Hollow at any moment.

When Inoue Hao, now a Hollow, finally kills, his first target will be Inoue Orihime, the woman he valued most in life...

This is one of the drawbacks of remaining in the mortal world after death. One will be slowly eroded by all kinds of negative emotions and gradually fall into depravity. Especially now that the Hollows invade the mortal world from time to time, it makes it easier for souls remaining in the mortal world to fall into Hollows.

Take Inoue Hao, for example. Nicholas remembers that part of the reason he turned into a Hollow was because he was surrounded and devoured by Hollows and was tainted by their aura, which is why he turned into a Hollow so quickly.

And now, without any Hollows devouring him, Inoue Hao has so quickly become a Hollow himself. This gives you an idea of ​​just how terrible the current world situation is...

Seeing Inoue Hiroshi's murderous intent rising, Nicholas, hiding in the shadows, did not make a move, but continued to observe carefully.

He had always had a question in his mind: whether Inoue and Chad's Fullbring ability came from the Hogyoku, or whether they already possessed it and it was just activated by the Hogyoku.

With limited energy, Nicholas could only choose one to observe between Chad and Inoue, so he naturally chose Inoue. Putting aside the fact that one is a beautiful girl and the other is a strong man, just looking at their abilities, Inoue's Shunshun Rikka completely outclasses Chad's Devil Skin.

Rejecting the power of all things, transcending time and space...

In terms of sheer power, this is a force that can rival the Sternritter, or even Yhwach and his allies!

After a while, as Inoue Hao's mask took shape, it also signified his complete fall into the Hollow!

As he slowly approached Orihime Inoue, Nicholas narrowed his eyes and became alert, but he did not make a move. In his perception, Ichigo and Rukia were on their way. Obviously, the situation was similar to that in the original story. Rukia noticed the abnormality in Inoue's body.

The misfortunes she suffered were not simply due to bad luck...

"what!"

"Canopy!"

Orihime Inoue was slammed against the wall by Inoue Hao's tail and completely lost consciousness, including her departed soul. Just as Inoue Hao slowly walked towards Orihime, preparing to devour her soul, a loud shout rang out!

"Crescent Moon ~ Sky Slash!"

"boom!"

A white slash struck Inoue Hiroshi squarely in the waist, severing him in two and sending him flying!

"Inoue, wake up, are you alright?" After slaying Inoue Hao, Ichigo quickly squatted down in front of Inoue, put Zangetsu aside, and gently picked up Inoue.

"Kuro~Saki-kun? What...is this...a dream?" Inoue Yuyu woke up from Ichigo's arms, looking at Ichigo dressed in a Shinigami outfit with a puzzled expression. She slowly raised her weak hand and gently stroked Ichigo's cheek.

"Thank goodness, you're alright."

"Idiot! You're mistaken! That's Inoue's soul! Her body is here!" Rukia, who arrived shortly after, quickly walked to Inoue's body, gently picked her up, and while checking her injuries, shouted to Ichigo.

"Rukia? How did she end up in my dream too? Could it be that I really...?"

"Huh? Masaka!" Before Inoue could finish his sentence, Ichigo's expression changed instantly upon hearing Rukia's shout. He looked at Inoue in his arms, then at Inoue in Rukia's arms, "Could it be... Inoue... is dead?! You... bastard!"

A burning rage surged within Ichigo, who believed Inoue had been killed by the Hollow. The bloodlust in Ichigo's heart was so intense that, for the first time since mastering Shikai, he called upon the Hollow power deep within his heart!

"Crescent Moon~~ Sky Slash!!!"

"Release the well~~~"

"boom!"

Before Inoue Hao could finish speaking, a black crescent moon directly engulfed him, blasting him to pieces and instantly sending him to the afterlife!

'Is this your friend, Orihime? Take good care of him. Goodbye, Orihime. I'm relieved that he cares so much about you and is entrusting you to him. Goodbye, Orihime…'

"elder brother!!!"

Hearing the voice echoing in her heart, Inoue jumped to her feet, her face filled with anxiety as she looked around. She had definitely heard her brother's voice just now, but why... couldn't she even see him in her dreams...?

Inoue, mistakenly believing she was in a dream, lowered her head in disappointment. In contrast, Ichigo and Rukia were much happier...

"You idiot! Didn't I tell you? Don't use Hollow powers carelessly! What if you lose control?"

"But I just can't help it when I'm angry~" Ichigo stubbornly argued.

"Then don't get angry so easily! Do you know that if you lose to a Hollow in your fight, you're finished! You have absolutely no chance against him right now!" Rukia shouted, sounding exasperated. She now somewhat understood how Ichiro felt when he taught her Kido—perhaps even worse...

"I understand..." Ichigo replied softly, head down, then looked up at Rukia seriously. "But he killed Inoue, and I will never forgive him!"

"I know, but the problem is Inoue isn't dead. Her soul has just separated from her body. In a moment... uh, she'll be watching us..."

"Am I dreaming?" Inoue stared blankly at Ichigo in his Shinigami uniform, Rukia in her school uniform, and her lying in Rukia's arms...

To Ichigo's astonishment, Inoue blankly reached out a hand, grabbed his cheek, and twisted it hard!

"Ouch~~~ That hurts!" Inoue squatted on the ground with teary eyes, looking pitifully at Ichigo and Rukia.

Rukia and Ichigo: "..."

"Has she always been so dull?" Rukia turned to Ichigo and asked.

Ichigo shrugged: "You'll get used to it."

"Sigh~" Rukia sighed, and before Inoue could say anything, she stretched out her right hand to Inoue, who was squatting on the ground covering his face, and said softly, "Come on!"

"Whoo~"

As Rukia shouted, a gust of demonic wind swept in, instantly blowing Inoue's soul back into her body. After Rukia treated Inoue's injuries, she placed her on the sofa.

"Alright, it's all over now. She'll forget about it tomorrow. It's just that this house is causing some trouble. It's all your fault!" Rukia glared at Ichigo before rushing towards the battle location arranged by Urahara.

"The situation is urgent, what can I do?" Ichigo shrugged, glanced at the area around the Inoue family's residence, and after confirming that the police car was about to arrive and there were no suspicious people around, he quickly left and followed Rukia.

......

"Hmph~" Not long after Ichigo left, Inoue snorted softly, slowly got up from the sofa, frowned, and rubbed his aching head vigorously.

"Is this a dream? How could I be having this... This is... my house?" Inoue looked at his house, which was almost reduced to ruins, and tilted his head slightly, his mind full of questions.

"Inoue!" Before Inoue could react, Tatsuki rushed over and hugged her tightly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." After saying that, she looked thoughtfully at the ruins that were exactly the same as in her dream. Was that... not a dream?

"Stay at my place for now. It's too dangerous for you to be out there alone."

"Well, thank you for your time." Inoue tossed her hair, neither refusing nor accepting the offer. In fact, she had no reason to refuse; if she did, she wouldn't even have a place to stay...

.......

“Aside from the spiritual pressure increasing slightly, nothing else has changed, so it has nothing to do with being attacked by a Hollow. The Soul King fragment... tsk~ I can’t tell without a thorough examination~ Should I wait for an opportunity, or start training directly?” Nicholas fell into deep thought as he watched Inoue and Ryuki slowly leave.

"Hmm, no rush. Observe her for a few days first, then give her a big shock to see if she can awaken it. Also, give Rukia a little push. So much time has passed, and she hasn't made any progress at all. She's so lazy! Tsk... These kinds of things really shouldn't be left to the world. She's too kind. Women...sigh..."

Nicholas shook his head and left, using the power of the demon mask to erase his traces and mark Inoue in case anything happened to her.

He doesn't have the energy to follow up with the other Fullbringers right now. If things continue like this, he might expose himself. After all, it's Yhwach, and you can't be too careful. So the most important thing right now is to keep Inoue calm.

The Instant Shield Rikka is something he's currently very interested in.

........

The next day, Inoue walked up to Ichigo and said with a perfectly natural smile, "Kurosaki-kun, thank you for last night~"

"It's alright, don't be shy, just raise your hand... uh..." Looking at Inoue's smiling eyes and Rukia's look of disbelief, Ichigo froze on the spot. Had he been tricked? Inoue, how could she be so intelligent?!

At noon, at the place where Cheng-ge fought.

Inoue gripped the railing, gazing into the distance, her long orange hair swaying gently in the breeze.

"A Shinigami and a Hollow?" After hearing Rukia's explanation, Inoue frowned, turned to look at Rukia, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Yesterday, after Kurosaki-san killed that Hollow, I thought I heard my brother's voice. Could that Hollow... be him?"

“It should be him. After falling into Hollow form, his first goal was to devour his own family members, because they were the things they cared about most before becoming Hollows. Therefore, after becoming Hollows, they considered them to be the things that could fill the void in their hearts.” Seeing Inoue’s disappointed expression, Rukia quickly said, “But you don’t need to worry. Hollows killed by Zanpakuto are actually purified and sent to Soul Society. Although you probably won’t have a chance to see each other again, the fact that he is still alive is good news.”

Inoue stared blankly at Rukia: "Really?"

"Yes, and staying in the mortal world will only make him more miserable, and becoming a Hollow will make it even worse. He will be trapped in endless suffering. That's why my teacher said that although Shinigami do not fight for justice, what we do is undoubtedly just."

"Justice?" Ichigo pondered the word, looking thoughtfully at his hands.

Indeed, although he hadn't been a Shinigami for long, thanks to Rukia's explanation, he had a general understanding of the Soul Society. That place was full of deceit and treachery, and its political system was extremely backward, a very feudal system.

Furthermore, from Rukia's few words, it can be learned that the so-called Seireitei was not founded for a pleasant reason, and the Thirteenth Division, which is currently maintaining order, is actually a whitewashed assassin group.

In any case, it cannot be associated with justice. Guiding souls and protecting humanity in the mortal world is only to prevent the imbalance of spiritual particles from affecting their own world.

It's pretty certain that once the constraint of spiritual balance is lost, the Seireitei will most likely not care about the lives of humans.

But as Rukia said, whatever the cause, killing Hollows and guiding souls is righteous and correct. Does anything else matter?

At least for Ichigo, it's not important...

"I've found another reason to get stronger!"

------------

Chapter 328 The Plan Officially Begins!

"Kurosaki-kun, thank you." After getting the answer, Inoue expressed his gratitude to Ichigo again.

Seeing Inoue's smiling face, Ichigo was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to his senses.

"Cough~ It's nothing, it's nothing."

"Hmph~" Rukia chuckled softly upon seeing this.

"What's wrong?!"

"It's nothing~ I just feel like spring is almost here~" Seeing Ichigo's exasperated expression, Rukia's smile deepened.

"Hmph~ Let's eat~"