Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach


Chapter Twenty - Betrayal

As Ichigo was making his way towards the squad one barracks, he got lost. 'Damn it all. Why doesn't this place have any signs? Where the hell am I anyway?' he grumbled and continued walking. When he turn in a corner, he saw the Jushiro Ukitake, the captain of squad thirteen, leaving his quarters.

"Alright, Sentaro, Kiyone, I'm going to the squad one barracks. You guys take care of things here." Jushiro instructed as he left

"Yes Captain Ukitake. I will take care of things here in your absence." Sentaro saluted

"Dumbass, I will be the one to take care not you!" Kiyone argued

"You wanna bet on that short stuff?" Sentaro countered and they began arguing. Jushiro just sighed before leaving

"Ichigo, just follow that guy." White told him

'I know.'

Jushiro walked towards the squad one barracks. It was actually the first captain's meeting ever since Aizen was defeated. He soon reached a crossing and came across his fellow captain, Shunsui

"Hey Jushiro. Nice day isn't it?" Shunsui greeted

"Yes. It's just about three weeks since Aizen was defeated and it's been rather peaceful. I really hope it stays that way." Jushiro replied

"Me too. Well, let's go to the squad one barracks. Old man Yama is gonna be pretty pissed off if we missed the first captain's meeting since Aizen's defeat." Shunsui said

"Agreed." Jushiro replied and they began their way towards squad one. Unbeknownst to the two, someone was actually stalking them

'First captain's meeting? It's been nearly three weeks since my fight with Aizen so why are they only having a meeting now?' Ichigo wondered as he followed them

"Probably because you and the others were still here. If they went through the trouble of delaying a meeting until after you left, then they must be up to something they want to keep to themselves." White said

"Agreed. It was fortunate that we chose this time to come here. We will know exactly what they are planning." Zangetsu agreed

It didn't take long for the two captains to make it to the squad one barracks. When they entered their regular meeting room, Ichigo followed them inside and saw that all of the captains were there.

"This meeting of the captains is now called to order." Yamamoto bellowed as soon as the doors closed before noticing something. "Where is Captain Zaraki?"

"I apologize head captain, but some hollows appeared on the outskirts of the rukongai district. Captain Zaraki decided to go and deal with them just a few hours ago." Toshiro answered

"I see. We will begin this meeting without him then. First, we should decide on what we do with the visored." Yamamoto said

"Pardon head captain, but may I ask who these visored are? We only fought with them to accomplish a common goal yet some of us don't even know them." Komamura interjected

"They were once captains and lieutenants of the thirteen courtguard squads." Unohana answered him. "One hundred years ago, the eight of them were sent to investigate an incident however, they were soon found to have become what they are now. The blame was put on Kisuke Urahara and the central forty six ordered them disposed of while Urahara was to be exiled. However, during the passing of judgment by the central forty six, Kisuke Urahara broke free and went missing along with Yoruichi Shihoin so it is safe to assume she rescued both Kisuke and the rest of the now visored."

"And with recent revelations, it is now clear that we have made an error of judgment as the cause of said incident was Sosuke Aizen." Jushiro joined in the explanation

"How can the central forty six just order the executions of their own comrades like that?" Toshiro wondered, feeling somewhat sorry for the visored

"It matters not. What is past is past." Yamamoto said, effectively stopping the discussion. "It is important now that we discuss what we do with them."

"We have made an mistake in judging our own comrades." Byakuya joined in. "At the least, we should acknowledge our mistake and invite them to fill the vacant positions."

"Hold on." Shunsui called out. "Telling them to just rejoin us would be rude given how they were treated. We should give a formal apology to the visored and if they want, they fill in the vacancies that are available. We should not force them back to the thirteen court guard squads."

"I agree with Captain Kyoraku." Toshiro said. "Not forcing them to rejoin would be us acknowledging our mistake and a sign of good will."

"I agree with that as well." Komamura joined in which elicited some nods from the other captains

"Very well then. If it's settled we will give a formal apology to the visored as well allow them to rejoin if they wish it." Yamamoto said. "I want squad eight to handle this matter." he said to Shunsui

"When would I give them the apology?" Shunsui asked

"As soon as you can. However, inform me before you travel to the world of the living." Yamamoto answered

"Alright old man Yama." Shunsui said nonchalantly

SoiFon and Mayuri were silent at this exchange. It wasn't surprising. The two of them were not big fans of the former captains and lieutenants and would rather that they stay out of this place

"Next order of business." Yamamoto declared. "Has there been any sign of the substitute soul reaper?"

This one caught Ichigo, who has been observing since the start of the meeting, off guard. 'Has the soul society known I still had my powers?' he thought worriedly

"They do not Ichigo. It is most likely what we had told you. They want to use you to lure the previous substitute soul reapers out." Zangetsu assured him and Ichigo continued to observe

"It is quite a troublesome situation about that." Mayuri answered him. "Ichigo Kurosaki's combat pass was destroyed some time before Orihime Inoue was kidnapped and since then we have lost the ability to keep track of him, other than reports from lieutenant Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki."

"What is the explanation for this?" Yamamoto asked Toshiro

"Kisuke Urahara has told me that Ichigo lost control of his spirit energy when he was training and that his combat pass was destroyed in the process." Toshiro answered. "I did not push the issue as I did not want to give them the idea that we have been keeping track of Ichigo."

"It probably makes no difference whatsoever. I'm sure that Kisuke Urahara knows what the pass really was." Mayuri grumbled

"So there has been no sign of him?" Yamamoto asked. "In that case, captain Soi Fon, I want you to deploy the stealth force. The possibility of Kugo Ginjo making contact with Ichigo Kurosaki. I want you to spy on Kurosaki and eliminate Ginjo when the time is appropriate."

'Kugo Ginjo?' Ichigo wondered the mentioned name

"He's probably the other substitutes Ichigo. Based on the current discussion, it seems there has only been one other substitute before you."

"Yes head captain." Soi Fon said. "May I ask what would I do if Ginjo tells Kurosaki the truth?"

"As much as it pains me to say this, I want you to kill Kurosaki if he joins Ginjo." Yamamoto said

As soon as Ichigo heard that, he immediately grabbed old of his blades and began to slaughter the captains then and there. "Wait Ichigo. Don't kill them now" White called out

'Why not? I have to stop them.' Ichigo argued

"Calm yourself Ichigo. Wait until the discussion is over before making your move." Zangetsu said

'Damn it. I can't just let them do this.'

"You don't have to. Just calm down and think about it. Since they are only gonna spy on you, use this opportunity to kill their spies. Your abilities should allow you to do that undetected."

Ichigo glared at the captains, who were oblivious to his presence, before finally calming down and letting them continue

"Are you sure head captain? Ichigo Kurosaki has just saved all of our lives." Toshiro objected

"As much as I don't want to say this, if Ichigo Kurosaki finds out the truth, he will inevitably become our enemy anyway." Byakuya said

"How can you say that Byakuya?" Toshiro continued to argue. "After he saved your sister from a false execution."

"I don't want to. However, we have to look at the facts. We used Ichigo as a lure to draw out Ginjo. If Ginjo gets to him first, he will become our enemy either way." Byakuya said

"I have to agree." Unohana said. "Even though Ichigo is our ally, it does not change the facts. It should be noted that our first and foremost priority is to the soul society and not to our allies. If Ichigo Kurosaki does become our enemy, we have no choice but to eliminate him."

"I guess I understand." Toshiro said in defeat

"Hold on, there's an issue with this plan." Shunsui said. "Don't forget that Kisuke Urahara is most likely gonna keep a close eye on Ichigo not to mention that his father was a soul reaper captain."

"Then we do this in secret. Soi Fon, ensure that your spies know how to stay out of sight. In the event Ichigo joins Ginjo, only eliminate him if he is alone and no one is watching. I want you to personally eliminate him." Yamamoto said

"Yes head captain." Soi Fon replied

"Hasn't Ichigo lost his powers by now? Even if he joins with Ginjo, he doesn't have his powers so how can he be a threat to us?" Komamura asked

"We can't entirely be sure if Ichigo will be a threat or not. What we are sure of is that Ginjo has been in hiding for a long time. There is a possibility that he might come up with a way for Ichigo to regain his powers." Jushiro answered

"What about Kisuke Urahara? As well as Ichigo's friends? Surely they will have some idea if someone makes contact with Ichigo." Toshiro wondered

"That is why we would spy on him personally." Soi Fon joined in. "As ordered, I will keep an eye on Ichigo Kurosaki and eliminate him if he is alone and joined up with Kugo Ginjo. I propose we also eliminate his friends should the truth about what we have been up to be exposed or if they grew suspicious."

"And how will we do that with Kisuke around?" Jushiro asked

"Why don't we wait until something happens before eliminating them?" Shunsui suggested

"You don't mean..." Jushiro said

"Yes. I propose we have Captain Kurotsuchi prepare something. Something that would divert Kisuke's attention so we can have the chance to eliminate them. However, we will only use this if the truth is revealed." Shunsui explained

"Hmmmm. Your thoughts, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Yamamoto asked

"It would depend on the available time that we have. If I have enough time, I should be able to find something which would warrant Kisuke's attention. I will first have to check what I resources I can spare to create such a diversion." Mayuri replied while scratching his chin

"Very well then. Remember Captain Soi Fon, only eliminate them when absolutely necessary. However keep an eye on Ichigo Kurosaki, as well as his friends until Kugo Ginjo is dealt with. Above all, make sure that Kisuke Urahara does not get suspicious about our activities." Yamamoto ordered

"Yes head captain." Soi Fon quickly replied. "I will mobilize the stealth force and select the personnel for this mission immediately."

"Ohooohooh." Mayuri suddenly laughed insanely. "Try not to kill Ichigo Kurosaki. I want to have him as my test subject. He would be a perfect study."

The other captains just rolled their eyes at the scientist's madness

"That is all for today. Dismissed." Yamamoto bellowed and soon enough, all the captains left the room

As they were leaving though, they suddenly felt a cold, murderous intent. Since they could not feel any spiritual pressure along with it, they paid no heed to it

This murderous intent of course, came from Ichigo, who had been observing the meeting since it began. 'So, these bastards reveal their true colors.'

"I told you Ichigo. These guys can't be trusted at all."

'How good would it be to kill these bastards.'

"The time for that will come soon enough Ichigo. For now, just be patient." Zangetsu said and Ichigo then left the room as well and headed back to the crater during his fight with Aizen

'Tell me again why don't I just kill them first?'

"Ichigo, have you noticed something during that meeting?"

'Just that these guys are god damn hypocrites.'

"They made no mention about the wandenreich, or the quincies for that matter."

'What does that have to do with anything?'

"It means that the soul society is not aware of the wandenreich. This works well to your advantage Ichigo. Just lay low and only target their spies for now. When the wandenreich inevitably attacks, use that opportunity. Wait until Yhwach is most vulnerable before revealing yourself. Once Yhwach is dealt with, you are then free to deal with either the wandenreich or the court guard squads, depending on which one is still standing."

"Exactly. Since they have no idea about your situation as well as the wandenreich, this works well in your favor. Hey Ichigo, is your dad gonna be home tomorrow?"

'I don't think so. Why?'

"Because of this nonsense by the soul society, it's time for you to learn your powers Ichigo. Since your dad won't be home, it is the perfect opportunity."

'What does my dad being at home have to do with anything? Aren't you gonna teach this stuff in my inner world?'

"Not this time Ichigo. It would be quicker if you learned this outside of your inner world. So tomorrow you can go somewhere secluded and train."

'And where am I supposed to do that? Even if I go invisible, I don't think any of my abilities will.'

"There is only one place Ichigo."

'You mean...'

"Yeah. Go to hueco mundo and train there. Since you left on rather peaceful terms with the arrancars, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you train there. That's not even counting that you are friends with that hot arrancar chick."

'That reminds me. I do have to go and visit her. I did promise her that.'

"Look at that. Someone's getting frisky. Didn't think you had it in you." White mocked which caused Ichigo's face to go red

'Shut up! That's not what I mean and you bloody know it.' Ichigo defended himself with a bright red face to which White just laughed

"In any case, this works out well for you Ichigo. Just lay low and eliminate the spies from the shadows and you will be safe."

'I thought I couldn't launch any attacks if I was invisible?'

"You can, just not directly from your own two blades."

'Huh? what do you mean?'

"Just wait until tomorrow Ichigo. Once you are in hueco mundo, we will teach you your abilities. Depending on how fast you learn them, we might even have enough time for you to learn how your bankai works."

'Fine. And what about my bankai?'

"Your bankai is very difficult to control Ichigo, a lot more difficult than controlling any undead minions you create. You will have to learn how to use your shikai first before you have any hope of using your bankai."

'Okay I guess. What does my bankai do anyway?'

"I'm not gonna tell you now."

'Come on.' Ichigo whined

"Focus Ichigo. You are near the crater now. Open up a garganta and return back to the human world."

'Okay I'm doing it.' Ichigo then opened a garganta at the side of the crater and left for the world of the living. It was about four thirty in the afternoon when Ichigo finally returned and when he did, he noticed something. There was another spiritual pressure in town. 'Another spiritual pressure? It's similar to Uryu's. Could it be another quincy?'

"Most likely a member from the wandenreich Ichigo. It seems that Yhwach wants to keep an eye on you as well."

'When did this one arrive here?'

"Probably when you left for the soul society Ichigo. Head home, now."

'What? I won't check to see who this quincy is?'

"It's too suspicious Ichigo. We don't know how long the quincy has been here. It would be bad if that guy immediately went out to find you. You'll have to pretend to be a normal human for now."

'For real? So I'm just gonna let this quincy stay here without knowing who or what he is doing here?'

"Not necessarily Ichigo. For the rest of the day, just pretend to be a normal human. Tomorrow, instead of going to hueco mundo, spy on the quincy instead."

'So no hueco mundo tomorrow?'

"You really are excited to see that hot green haired arrancar aren't you Ichigo?" White mocked with a massive grin

'Shut up! I'm serious here.'

"You have no sense of humor, you know that?"

"Do not worry Ichigo. Tomorrow in the morning, use that time to spy on the quincy. If the quincy is not up to anything, then in the evening you can go to hueco mundo. This would work out better as you will not have to think about worrying your sisters since they will think that you are just in your room."

'Fine then.' Ichigo said before heading back home

"Just keep your pesquisa active Ichigo and keep track of the quincy as well as those guys you spied on. Worst case scenario, you will have to go to your room and go out to deal with the quincy, which will make your sister worry if you miss dinner and you don't respond if she checks your room. So keep low and pretend everything is fine and be on high alert."

'This whole laying low really sucks. Looks like I'm really gonna have to learn how to do that undead thing.' Ichigo grumbled as he arrived home. He then grabbed his body and went to an empty alley and entered it, dispelling the effects of his flames. 'Hey I just had a thought. Wasn't my body supposed to be invisible? How come I was able to see it?'

"I already told you Ichigo. You do not get affected by your own powers."

"What he means by that is, since it was your power that was used to make it invisible, only you and you alone can see it. Not even those that you consider as allies can see it."

'Oh I see.' Ichigo said as he reached back home. "I'm home." he yelled out to whoever was in the house

"Hey there Ichigo. Welcome back." Yuzu cheerfully greeted

"Hey Yuzu. How was everything here?" Ichigo asked

"Just the usual. Karin went out to play some soccer again. What about you Ichigo? Did you have fun when you were out?" Yuzu said

"Yeah. Going around town alone really is kind of interesting, especially when I don't have that annoyances to keep irritating me." Ichigo answered

"You shouldn't talk like that about your friends Ichigo. Which reminds me, are you gonna tell them about your powers?" Yuzu curiously asked

"They already know about it although I guess we never really talked about it. I'll just tell them when school resumes." Ichigo said before heading to the stairs. "I'll be in my room if you need anything."

"Alright Ichigo." Yuzu said before going to the kitchen to find something to cook

Ichigo did not like that talk with his sister one bit, especially knowing that he cannot tell anyone, even his father, about recent developments. 'Damn it all.' he cursed before laying down on the bed. 'Looks like things just got a lot more complicated. Damn Yhwach. Damn the soul society.'


Hope you enjoyed that one. This is the chapter I've been looking forward to write the most so far. It shouldn't be too out of character on what I did, I mean the soul society were planning on killing Ichigo in the canon.

I also have to mentioned that despite my free time because of the virus, the next chapter might be delayed. My laptop suddenly blue screened and there is a possibility I might have to write on my phone and setting up my phone for that might take some time. God I hate windows 10. Anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter