Bleach: The Path to Transcendence

Already heavily injured, and after an intense battle with White, Shiba Isshin was further affected by the explosion while trying to shield Kurosaki Masaki from the blast. His condition was now extremely poor.

Kurosaki Masaki quickly walked to Shiba Isshin, who was lying on the ground, bent down, and anxiously asked:

"Are you alright?"

Shiba Isshin sighed deeply:

Hearing this, Kurosaki Masaki replied with concern:

"Don't be silly. You were the one who saved me! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be so badly injured!"

Shiba Isshin chuckled:

"Hahaha, in that case, we're even!"

Kurosaki Masaki looked at the young Soul Reaper in front of her, who was covered in injuries but still smiling, and was momentarily touched by his smile. Shiba Isshin, on the other hand, was smitten at first sight of this heroic girl.

"Don't move, I'll heal you!"

Hearing this, Shiba Isshin was slightly silent before slowly saying:

"Little girl, you're amazing. Who exactly are you, to be able to single-handedly take down such a powerful Hollow?"

Kurosaki Masaki was slightly stunned, but she blurted out as if possessed:

"I am a Quincy..."

Lying on the ground, Shiba Isshin showed no sign of surprise on his face after hearing this. Instead, he looked as if he had suddenly understood something:

"So you're a Quincy. It's my first time seeing a living Quincy! I've really lucked out!"

Shiba Isshin looked sincerely at the orange-haired girl in front of him and let out a hearty laugh, without any prejudice because she was a Quincy.

Seeing this, Kurosaki Masaki also lowered her guard and gave Shiba Isshin a sweet smile.

Both of them felt strange at this moment. They clearly belonged to opposing camps, but they got along without any barriers. Although it was their first meeting, they felt like old friends reuniting, and both enjoyed being together.

......

The next day, after his injuries were simply treated, Shiba Isshin returned to the Soul Society to report the situation in Naruki City to Captain-Commander Shunsui Kyoraku. However, during the report, he intentionally concealed the fact that he had encountered the Quincy girl.

At this time, Kurosaki Masaki, a senior high school student, was daydreaming in class. She rested her cheek on her hand, her eyes wandering as she thought:

"Oh, I wonder if that unknown Soul Reaper's injuries have healed. I should have asked him what his name was."

At the same time, Shiba Isshin, who had returned to his squad's barracks, was also absentmindedly thinking about the Quincy girl he had met that night.

"I really should have thanked her properly back then..."

As soon as this thought popped up, Shiba Isshin couldn't suppress the restlessness in his heart any longer and quietly opened the Senkaimon, heading straight for the Human World.

After school, Kurosaki Masaki returned to the Ishida family's villa and was being reprimanded by her aunt, Ishida Izumi:

"As a pure-blooded Quincy, you actually..."

Suddenly, Kurosaki Masaki felt a dizzy spell.

"Bang!"

She fell straight to the ground.

Ishida Ryuken rushed over upon hearing the sound and saw a Hollow-like hole appearing in Kurosaki Masaki's chest.

Anxious, he ignored his mother's dissuasion and picked up Kurosaki Masaki, rushing out. At this moment, he only wanted to find his father, who had been away from home for a long time, as quickly as possible, hoping that his knowledgeable father would have a way to save Kurosaki Masaki.

In his panic, Ishida Ryuken didn't notice the approaching danger behind him. A giant Hollow opened its huge mouth, wanting to devour Ishida Ryuken and Kurosaki Masaki in his arms.

Just as Ishida Ryuken was about to capsize in the gutter, Shiba Isshin, who had secretly slipped out of the Soul Society, took action and killed the Hollow with one strike.

"Whoa, that was close. You almost kicked the bucket!"

Just as Shiba Isshin was about to show off, he realized that the person Ishida Ryuken was holding was the Quincy girl he had been longing for.

Seeing the person he had been longing for appear before his eyes, and with a Hollow's hole appearing in her chest, Shiba Isshin immediately became anxious and rushed forward, wanting to check on her condition.

"Let me see her!"

But Ishida Ryuken stopped him.

"It's all your fault! If it weren't for saving you, Masaki wouldn't have become like this!"

Ishida Ryuken was emotional, his voice trembling. He was full of regret, regretting that he had only watched from the sidelines that night and had not directly participated in the battle.

After saying that, he stared at Shiba Isshin with a cold expression, his eyes full of hostility, as if he was about to attack in the next second.

"It's... because of me..."

Hearing Ishida Ryuken's accusation, Shiba Isshin's face was full of shock and guilt.

"Let me see her, I'll try using Kaido."

Shiba Isshin was still unwilling to give up, anxiously asking, hoping to do something for Kurosaki Masaki.

But Ishida Ryuken, who was holding Kurosaki Masaki, was already furious and remained hostile to him, resolutely not allowing Shiba Isshin to get close to Kurosaki Masaki at all:

"Get away, don't touch her!"

Just as the two were at daggers drawn, and the atmosphere was tense to the point of being explosive, a figure came from the sky, instantly interrupting their confrontation.

"There's no time for you to argue. Come with me, I have a way to save her."

The person who came had short, slightly upturned light yellow hair, a pair of deep and bright military green eyes, and a little stubble on his chin. He was wearing a dark green short jacket and light green trousers, with a green and white fisherman's hat on his head and wooden clogs on his feet.

Hearing this, Shiba Isshin and Ishida Ryuken were both wary of this suddenly appearing stranger. But now Kurosaki Masaki was in critical condition, her life hanging by a thread, they really had no other choice and had no choice but to follow the person in front of them to a general store called Urahara Shop.

"Who exactly are you?"

Shiba Isshin looked wary, his eyes fixed on the man in the fisherman's hat, not hiding his guard.

"I'm just someone exiled from the Soul Society, my name is Urahara Kisuke!"

The man slightly raised his head and said calmly.

Hearing this, Shiba Isshin widened his eyes, his eyes full of shock. The name of this legendary former Captain of the 12th Division and the first Director of the Research and Development Department was well-known in the Soul Society. He never thought he would meet him here today.

"What exactly is the way to cure Kurosaki Masaki?"

But at this moment, the situation was urgent, Shiba Isshin couldn't care about being shocked, and anxiously asked along with Ishida Ryuken.

"I've been studying Hollowfication for over a hundred years. It's completely impossible to completely cure the symptoms of Hollowfication, but I can prevent the situation from getting worse, but it requires..."

Urahara Kisuke said unhurriedly, and then began a detailed explanation.

As Urahara Kisuke spoke, Shiba Isshin and Ishida Ryuken finally understood the serious situation Kurosaki Masaki was facing at this moment, and the corresponding solutions.

"Is there no other way?" Ishida Ryuken clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He was still unwilling to give up and asked again.

"There is no other way!" Urahara Kisuke said calmly, slowly uttering these four words.

Then, he looked up at Shiba Isshin, his eyes burning, and slowly said:

"Then are you willing to give up your own power to save this Quincy lady and live as an ordinary human being? Captain Shiba!"

Shiba Isshin did not hesitate at all, his eyes firm, and said decisively:

"I am willing!"