Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Its voice instantly changed tone, pointing at the paper with an expression as if the sky had fallen.

"Big Sister, are you abandoning me?! Have you forgotten the earth-shattering bond between us? Have you forgotten the days we fought side by side?"

While it was making its accusations, it was about to pounce on Rukia and hug her leg, staging a touching plea to keep her.

However, what greeted it was a piece of tape precisely stuck to its mouth.

"Ughh ...

The soul's mouth was tightly sealed, and it could only utter unintelligible cries. Its small eyes were filled with shock and grievance.

Rukia, expressionless, tore off a long strip of tape and wrapped it tightly around the still struggling soul from head to toe several times.

After doing all this, she lifted the spirit off the table, ignoring his grief-stricken eyes, and carried him straight into the bathroom.

My gaze finally settled on the area under the toilet.

"Hmm, this place is nice, very secluded."

She nodded in satisfaction, then ruthlessly tied the still-struggling soul to the back of the toilet bowl.

Chapter 43 Byakuya Kuchiki

Night gradually fell.

The lights in the Kurosaki family's house had been turned off, leaving only Ichigo's room on the second floor, where a dim yellow lamp was still lit.

Rukia stood in the shadows of a distant street corner, gazing quietly at the warm light.

Her face showed both determination and a hint of lingering affection that she herself was unaware of.

"...Goodbye, Ichigo."

She muttered to herself, "This might be the best option."

She couldn't let that silly orange-haired guy get involved in any more trouble that didn't belong to him.

As for that Uchiha Sasuke...

Rukia couldn't help but frown at the thought of that guy.

Forget it, I don't want to think about him anymore.

Rukia took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

She took one last look at the window, then resolutely turned and stepped into the deeper darkness.

Two tall figures appeared out of thin air in the sky.

One of the red-haired men, wearing black glasses, grinned and stared at Rukia's back.

"Back fit 113, neural connection rate 88.5, no way, it really is in the 'Iron Hideout'? I thought the intelligence from the Covert Surveillance Team was unreliable."

"Kuchiki Rukia, I've found you."

......

Rukia ran through the long night, her eyes sparkling, recalling the days she had spent with Ichigo and her classmates.

The feeling of reluctance vanished in an instant, replaced by a resolute determination.

"Since it's a place I'm destined to leave, it will only become a shackle that binds me, as will sympathy and friendship."

"Troublesome matters are just useless emotions to Death."

She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her reluctance. "How embarrassing, Rukia Kuchiki. Have I really stayed in this world for too long?"

"Eat!"

On the telephone pole in front of Rukia, Renji Abarai grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his tone full of pressure.

"Rukia, it seems you know very well."

Renji slowly stood up, drew his sword with one hand, pointed the tip at the ground, and snorted coldly: "Fine, let's put it another way. It's a good thing you've been here long enough to live this long, Rukia."

"Renji?"

Rukia's pupils narrowed when she saw who it was: "Is that Renji Abarai?"

Renji didn't answer. He jumped off the telephone pole, his Zanpakuto slamming heavily into the ground, creating a burst of green light.

He slowly straightened up, a hint of disdain on his face.

"The pursuers sent from Soul Society are already behind you, but you're preoccupied with other things. You don't even seem to notice unless I call you."

"Even if it's just a cyborg body, you've been far too careless after only a few days."

Renji slung his Zanpakuto over his shoulder and slowly approached Rukia.

"Tell me now, Rukia, where is the person who stole your power?"

What are you saying?

Rukia immediately retorted, "Even if my body is a cyborg, it doesn't mean my power has been taken away."

"It's human beings."

Renji said with certainty, "Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to make such a human-like expression."

"You and I are both from Rukongai, and you went through so much trouble to be taken in by the Kuchiki family. Didn't you become an elite among the Shinigami?"

“Answer me, Rukia Kuchiki, this shouldn’t be happening.”

Renji said with exasperation, then suddenly looked at Rukia's back, "Right, Captain Kuchiki?"

Captain Kuchiki...

These four words instantly shattered all of Rukia's defenses.

Her body stiffened abruptly, and she slowly turned around in an almost corpse-like posture.

The night breeze seemed to soften at this moment.

A few pink cherry blossom petals drifted in from somewhere, swirling in the cool moonlight before gently landing on her shoulder.

Then, even more cherry blossoms appeared out of nowhere, like a magnificent snowfall.

In this silent rain of cherry blossoms, a tall figure stood quietly.

Wearing a white haori that signifies her status as captain, the hem of her garment fluttered slightly in the night breeze.

The star-shaped hairpins reflected a cool light in his hair, and the silver-white floral scarf, like solidified moonlight, made his handsome face appear even more noble.

Just standing there, it was as noble and serene as the night and the cherry blossoms themselves.

Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Byakuya...Big Brother."

Rukia's voice trembled as she lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.

Byakuya Kuchiki finally slowly shifted his gaze away from the waning moon.

His gaze, unwavering, fell upon his trembling younger sister.

"Rukia..."

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

Meanwhile, in Ichigo Kurosaki's house, on the second floor, in the bathroom.

Ichigo Kurosaki is using the toilet.

"Is Rukia not planning to come back? It's already two o'clock."

"But this is good, I can rest a bit tonight from my part-time job as a Grim Reaper."

"Um... um..."

A suppressed and strange whimpering sound suddenly came from behind the toilet, startling Ichigo so much that he backed away warily without even unzipping his pants.

He carefully crouched down, looked in the direction of the sound, and finally locked his gaze behind the toilet.

A lion doll is tightly bound with duct tape and is struggling.

Ichigo Kurosaki's gaze was unfriendly. "Didn't you run away from home?"

That's what he said, but Ichigo didn't stop what he was doing and pulled the soul out of the toilet.

"Oh dear, this is such a headache, but thank goodness!"

The soul doll's body seemed to be emitting purple gas.

Ichigo covered his nose and said irritably, "You're welcome."

He then grabbed a bottle of refreshing spray from the side and sprayed it on Hun's body.

"What are you doing?!"

Soul, baring its teeth and claws, grabbed Ichigo's face, saying, "Is this how you treat a close friend who has endured so much suffering?"

"Shut up."

Kurosaki Ichigo grabbed Kon's head and slammed it onto the table. "Who's your best friend? You stink!"

Ichigo wiped his hands with a look of disgust, his gaze casually sweeping across the desk before suddenly pausing.

On the table, there was a piece of letter paper that had turned yellow from the light of the desk lamp.

When Soul saw Ichigo's gaze, he immediately came to his senses, struggled to get up from the table, pointed his little paws at the letter, and his voice was trembling with tears.

"That's her, Ichigo, the big sister, she... she doesn't want us anymore!"

Ichigo's heart sank. He quickly stepped forward and picked up the letter.

【message】

I have urgent business to attend to, so I must return. We probably won't see each other again. Although it was only for a short time, I'm grateful for your care. Also, I'm entrusting my soul to you. Please burn this letter after reading it, and if possible, please hide away for now.

—Rukia Kuchiki

The few lines of text felt like a huge boulder, weighing heavily on Ichigo's heart.

"That guy..."

Ichigo frowned deeply. "What do you mean we'll never see each other again? Where is she going?"