'You sure you're ready, King?' Shiro asked his wielder in his mind as Ichigo stood at the end of the Garganta. The raven-haired man had changed his clothes before doing his next task that was given to him by the Reio. He now wore a pair of black sneakers, black pants, and a white formal shirt with a black tie. His hair was also tied into a ponytail with bangs on either side of his face (at Ayumi's insistence, and it was always extremely hard to say no to her). He was not going to be easily recognized unless you could go up to him and got a really good look at him. It seemed as though he was ready to go but there was just one small problem, and that problem was that Ichigo was nervous.

'To be honest I…don't know.' Ichigo admitted. 'I know that the next step of the plan involves doing this, and I've been wanting this for the past five years but…' The young man sighed. 'Dreaming and thinking about it is one thing, but for that thing to become a reality is a different is another. I feel…apprehensive about this. What if my friends and family don't recognize me when I'm like this? What if Yhwach quickly connects the dots and uses them as leverage against me? It's a whole bunch of what ifs that don't have any answers, and I don't like it.'

'Ichigo-sama.' The woman spoke, gaining his attention. 'You have come a long way for you to still have doubts about your power. You defeated one of the Quincy King's subordinates with little to no effort, wounded Yhwach when you were barely even trying and killed Yamamoto-soutaicho, a man whom no one had been able to defeat for the past two thousand years. Aizen even had to resort to using underhanded tactics in order to even have a chance at defeating him during the Winter War. You are the most powerful being in the four realms and no one is capable of stopping you. So move forward Ichigo-sama, and have no fear.'

Ichigo could not help but chuckle at the Hōgyoku's words, although they did make him feel better. She was right though, he had come a long way for where he was five years ago. This was merely an obstacle, an obstacle that he was going to overcome. So with a deep breath, he grabbed the air and ripped a hole through it. Seeing light at the end of the tunnel, he stepped through and landed on soft grass. He closed the Garganta and looked around, seeing a lot of trees surrounding him and quickly realized he was in a forest. A couple of hundred meters away from him, he could see the town he was raised in and let a slight smile grace his lips. Karakura Town. His home. It had been five years since he saw his hometown. It was here when his journey started as a Shinigami. It was here where he met his friends, lived the best 15 years of his life with his family and beat the ever living shit out of idiots who tried to bully him over his hair. The Garganta closed behind him as he felt very familiar reiatsu signatures that brought a small smile across his face. Chad. Keigo. Kisuke. Mizuiro. Tatsuki. Orihime. Yoruichi. Tessai and the kids, well teenagers now he assumed and finally Isshin, Karin and Yuzu. He couldn't wait go to see his friends and family again.

'What are you going to do now Ichigo?'

'Take a walk. It's a beautiful night.' After responding, he then put his hands in his pockets, he began to calmly walk towards Karakura Town, excited to see what was going to happen.

X

The owner of the Urahara Shoten walked around his shop feeling like he got run by a train. Most of his muscles ached due to the invasion that happened in the Sereitei. Not only did he had to defend the Sereitei Research and Development Institute that he created alongside his very annoying former lieutenant but also restore the captains' lost Bankai, but that solution was only temporary as he was rushing to restore them and because of Yamamoto's threat. As it stood, the captains who had their Bankai stolen and restored could only use them for up to an hour, depending on how reiatsu they had. There were some slight perks during the whole process, such as Mayumi fuming as he could not comprehend how the sandy blonde-haired man did what he did before he even thought about it. The thought alone made him chuckle. However, as soon as he lay on his futon getting ready to sleep, his amusement disappeared as he could not help but think about the events that happened yesterday.

( Flashback, Urahara Shoten)

Kisuke entered the underground chambers, completely exhausted. It had taken him quite a while to copy the Bankai that the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had lost, and Kurotsuchi-taicho was not much help either, considering he still despised him for not surpassing him in the slightest. It was amusing teasing him for that.

"Hey Kisuke. You look like you haven't slept a wink." The were-cat said, concerned and closely examined him, noticing the slight bags under his eyes. As Kisuke opened his mouth to respond, they felt two reiatsu signatures; one that was familiar to them and one that was not, followed by a crash after it.

'Tessai!' They both thought as they practically flew up the ladder and entered the living room, where they were met with the former Kidō Corps Commander, sitting around the table, casually sipping tea while a tall man with a strand of hair on his face looking bored and a very familiar man with glasses, both wearing Quincy clothing stood at the door. The tall man was slim and had medium-length black hair with white streaks, with a strand hanging down in front of his face, reaching his mouth. In addition to his uniform, he wore baggy pants with the cuffs tucked in his boots, 3 layers of collared silver armor around his neck, shins, and crotch accented with periwinkle stripes with an indigo jewel in the center, as well as ornamental pink, purple, and red bracers on his left arm. He had lavender eyes, a thin face with pronounced cheekbones, and markings running from the ends of his eyebrows to the corners of his eyes.

Tessai turned around after hearing noise behind him. "Welcome back, sir." He greeted. "I trust your journey went well?"

"As well as it should be!" Kisuke replied in his jovial tone, whipped his trademark fan out and hid his face behind it, all traces of exhausted instantaneously disappearing. "Hi there, Uryū-san. Nice to see that you're doing well and didn't run away like your father said you did. Now, who's the gentleman standing next to you?"

The man suddenly struck a flamboyant pose. "The name's Askin Nakk Le Vaar, Sternritter D. Nice to meet you."

The former captain narrowed his eyes. "Sternritter, huh? Well I'm the very handsome shopkeeper Urahara Kisuke. These are my companions Shihoin Yoruichi and Tsukabishi Tessai, but I feel like you already knew that."

Askin nodded. "Of course. We know all about you and your friends in Karakura Town, but we aren't here to talk about that."

"Oh? Then what are you here to talk about?" Yoruichi curiously asked.

"His Majesty wants you to join his army as a Special War Potential." Uryū monotoned.

Kisuke folded his fan and looked at the two Sternritters intently. "And what happens if we refuse?"

Askin shrugged. "Nothing. His Majesty specifically ordered us to not use violence against you and your friends."

The three friends simply looked at each other, a silent conversation taking place. Yoruichi then looked at the men, particularly at Uryū. "Sorry, but we're gonna have to decline. We don't want to get stabbed in the back by an entire army who hates Shinigami."

The eccentric man sighed. "Fine then, that's your decision but be warned. The next time you see us, we'll be enemies."

The shadow under him suddenly rose and moved to the wall. The 'D' Sternritter entered first, but as Uryū was about to enter the shadow himself, a tight grip on his arm stopped him in his tracks. He turned his head and glared at the dark skinned woman who was holding his arm.

"Why are you doing this, Uryū? Why are you trying to hurt your family so much? They are worried sick about you." She asked, unfazed.

He responded. "It is none of your business, Shinigami." The coldness of his tone made the former Shihōin clan head to widen her eyes and loosen her grip just enough for the Quincy to forcibly yank his arm away from her and enter the shadows himself, which then dissipated.

"At least now we know the whereabouts of Ryūken's boy, though I'm pretty sure Ryūken won't be happy to hear the news." Kisuke spoke. "At least this day can't get any worse." As soon as he said that, a huge spike of reiatsu came from underneath them, making them sweat and collapse to her knees. What was strange about this reiatsu though was not the sheer amount of it. It was the fact that it felt vaguely familiar. It then disappeared as quickly as it came. Without looking at the others, Yoruichi charged down the ladder while Kisuke led the others to the emergency passageway that led to the basement. When they got down there, they saw a as a tall (slightly taller than Kenpachi Zaraki), lean-built, and stoic middle-aged man that was, in Kisuke's opinion, a bit taller than Zaraki Kenpachi. He had pale skin, high cheekbones, stubble, and long ragged black hair with brown highlights. His attire consisted of a tattered white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, amorphous black overcoat with a burgundy highlight that flared out into ragged ends. He also wore brown-tinted, semi-transparent wraparound sunglasses.

"Why, hello there! Welcome to my shop!" Kisuke's tone and expression were jovial, but his eyes told another story. "It's not every day you see someone trespassing onto private property, let alone entering the basement without a certain humble shopkeeper's knowledge. Now can I please have your name?"

"Greetings to you, Urahara-san. Yoruichi-san. Tessai-san. It is a pleasure to see you all." The man monotoned, and the sandy blonde haired man noticed that the strange man was intently focusing his attention towards the were-cat, who seemed weary off the attention she was getting. "My name is Juha Bach." All of their eyes widened before raising their guard up even more, if that was possible.

'Shit.' Kisuke cursed. 'This is very bad. Why HIM of all people?' He subtly turned around and noticed that everyone had become on guard, and with good reason. If the stories were accurate, then they were dealing with one of the most powerful men to ever exist and a man he knew they would be better off not fighting for now.

"Do not be alarmed. I am not here to cause you any harm, as doing so will lead to my wielder losing his temper."

"Wielder? You are a Zanpakutō spirit?" Kisuke curiously asked him, confusion and fascination making their way towards his brain.

The Zanpakutō spirit (or so he claimed) nodded. "Indeed. Very soon, my wielder will pay all of you. Yoruichi-san, I trust you are aware as to who I'm referring to."

Then with a bright flash of blue and white, the man disappeared and they all breathed out a breath they never knew they were holding.

( End Flashback)

After that suspicious visit by the 'Zanpakutō spirit', one of his long-time friends had been acting strangely. She refused to talk to him or Tessai about it and muttered something that sounded like 'It's not possible' or 'it can't be.' He had learned from previous experience that trying to force Yoruichi to talk was like trying to poke a bear and hope for the best, therefore he backed off and hoped that the purple-haired woman would talk about her problems.

"Urahara-san."

Kisuke looked up and saw Tessai staring at him with a stern expression on his face. "What is it, Tessai?"

"Please follow me sir." He responded and walked away. Feeling that something big was going to happen, he grabbed his cane that was leaning on the wall and followed Tessai to the front door that had not been opened, but a tall figure was standing there with his hands in his pockets. As he got closer, he saw that he was dressed somewhat in a formal manner as if he were going to a job interview. The more he got closer, the more he could not help but get the feeling that he had seen the person before but something wasn't clicking. He then got his suspicions confirmed when the man opened his mouth.

"You haven't changed at all…Getaboshi."

It took a few seconds for the former 12th Division captain to completely process what this man said to him and when he did, he could not help but blink multiple times as he stared at the man's face. It instantly clicked and shock covered his entire body. His mouth was slightly ajar and he almost dropped his Zanpakutō as he subconsciously envisioned a former student standing next to this man and mashing them together.

"I-Ichigo?"

Ichigo merely let an amused smirk grace his lips. "Long time no see, eh Urahara-san?"

X

Power had never become an illusion when it came to Hyōsube Ichibēi, not in the slightest. Since his arrival in the universe, he understood what true power was and if needed, the ways to obtain said power. Even though he was very strong in his own right, having learned all ninety-nine standard Kidō techniques and secretly knew and created some new and forbidden ones, and with his Zanpakutō being the very first and one of the most powerful in existence, he still desired more. He once told his fellow Royal Guards that all that was black in the universe was his power and he had no need for more, but that was a half-truth statement at best. In reality, he craved more power. That was why he forcibly took the Reio's Left Arm when he was involved in the dismemberment and imprisonment of the godlike being and why he was secretly disappointed when he had to let it go. As much as he would have loved to subjugate and control a limb of the most powerful being in the three realms, he had to give Yamamoto and the first generation of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads a distinctive advantage as Yhwach's Almighty would have been the deciding factor during the invasion. Knowing that it was going to be a very long time before he obtained such power again, he focused his attention on other matters.

Then the Reio announced his surprising plan to make Kurosaki Ichigo the new lynchpin of Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living and Soul Society since he was about to perish. At first, the ancient Shinigami was shocked and confused (even though those emotions were hidden extremely well) at the Reio's plan. Yes, the boy was a natural hybrid and has an unlimited growth rate but it seemed improbable that it would even be possible to transfer all that ocean of power to the infant without killing him but the Reio assured him that it would work. This was when he started to get the suspicion that the crystallized being had ulterior motives for doing this. His suspicions stayed the same when he told him about the boy's death and the god's demeanour did not change much beside a frustrated frown appearing on his face at the setback on his plans. Then the Monk's suspicions rose when he saw the godlike being's expression change from frustrated to realization to never seen before excitement before it went back to impassiveness. It would have been too quick to see with an untrained eye but Ichibēi's eyes were used to such fast movements, thanks to Shutara and Kirinji's masterful use of Shunpō for when he was recruiting them to be members of the Zero Division. However, not wanting to alert the Reio that he was onto him, he kept quiet and pretended he did not notice as he found himself curious as to how it would play out.

Needless to say, he was glad he stayed quiet and watched from the side-lines. At first the boy was understandably distrustful of all of them since they were Shinigami and he was betrayed by a group of them, some of those Shinigami were his supposed friends, but he eventually grew to respect and trust them, even with that limit barrier that his Zanpakutō put in place for his own amusement (something he could not help but chuckle at) having been removed. He even called the Monk Ichibēi-sensei during his training period, a period of which the bald man noticed a few things. The first thing was the fact that Ichigo was definitely more powerful than the Reio when he was imprisoned, but he was not sure if the boy would defeat the late being in a full-on no holds barred battle. While the Reio had the power to separate the world and thus creating the cycle of life and death, the Reio was technically still a Quincy. Ichigo was a perfect mixture of human, Quincy, Shinigami, Hollow and Fullbring. Add on the Reio's power and knowledge and you've created a perfect, untouchable and immortal being that transcended all things in this universe.

And that being had something that belonged to him; power. Finding a way to kill Kurosaki Ichigo and having a limitless supply of power at his disposal would make him the most powerful being that ever lived, no questions asked. He would reshape the world in his own image and no living being would be able to stop him unless Urahara Kisuke, Aizen Sōsuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri put aside their differences and were able to work together. But he doubted even they would harm, much less defeat him and the Royal Guard would stand by his side…perhaps two of them will. Hikifune and Shutara's relationship with the boy would cause problems down the line as they seem to have genuinely fallen in love with the boy and were no longer just after his body. If he did do something even remotely suspicious towards Ichigo, they would defend him. However he had other ways of convincing people to do what he wanted. For now, it was a matter of 'when', not if. The 'if' part of the plan has already been established, it was the time that he needed to establish. Should it be during or after the battle with Yhwach? He needed to think this thoroughly if it was even going to have a slight chance of working.

"Osho." The ancient Shinigami opened his eyes in disinterest as he looked at the number one Zanpakutō creator who had a look of stern seriousness on his face, an expression that was very rare nowadays. He had no idea how Nimaiya kept appearing in front of him without giving off his reiatsu and Ichibēi stopped caring because he gave up trying to rationalize the weird ability.

"How may I help you Nimaiya?" The Monk grunted.

For a few moments, Ōetsu merely stared at his leader before answering the question. "Now that Kurosaki-san has proven himself for the past five years as being able to simultaneously hold the late Reio's power and subconsciously maintain the balance of the three worlds, do you still want a civil war on our hands or is there something you're not telling me?"

Ichibēi blinked in surprise, not at the question itself but the way he addressed Ichigo and the tone he was using towards him. Ever since Ichigo arrived in the Royal Palace, the dark-skinned man had never called the boy by his surname. Ōetsu usually called people by ridiculous nicknames unless it was someone he respected such as the members of the Royal Guard and himself and that was not very often, so he knew that the man was being serious. He answered, "It has been quite a while since I saw the other side of you, approximately over a million years since I last saw you be this serious. In regards to your question," a sinister smile appeared on the Monk's face, "you know as well as I do that this is the best way to preserve the balance of this universe, and what better way to do so than sealing away a being more powerful than even the previous Reio? A being so powerful it could destroy all life as we know it if he chose to do so?"

"You didn't answer my question."

Ichibēi's sinister smile disappeared as fast as it had appeared, before he chuckled. "Quite right. Interesting. That was quicker than I could have predicted." The Monk chuckled. "As to your question, the 'civil war' as you call it is not something I want or need, but unfortunately may or may not happen due to Shutara and Hikifune's relationship with the boy, so they might give me some trouble. Kirinji will do whatever I tell him because while he may be strong, he is not stupid. The real answer is from you Nimaiya Ōetsu." He closed the distance in less than a single second, making sure that two or three feet separated the two men. "Where will you be standing? Kurosaki's side or mine?"

To his credit, the Zanpakutō creator was not fazed and if he was, he did a great job in masking it. "I'll be standing on the side I've always stood, and that's on mine." Without saying another word, Ōetsu turned around and left the temple, leaving behind an amused Monk.

'This will quite an interesting few days, wouldn't you agree Ichibēi-sama?' An old voice that oozed of wisdom and knowledge echoed in the leader of the Zero Division's bald head.

"You're quite right Ichimonji. Quite right indeed." He agreed, not noticing a small root at the far end of the temple move and then disappear into the ground.