Bleach: Soi-Fon's Challenge Begins with Ultra Instinct

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A man appeared slowly—stubbled chin, striped green-and-white hat tilted at an angle, and a slender walking cane tapping softly against the earth as he emerged from the edge of the spiritual mist. Who else could it possibly be but Urahara Kisuke?

"Oh my... Mr. Su Li's observational skills are quite something," Urahara remarked, removing the Reiatsu-cloaking mask that had so thoroughly blanketed his spiritual presence. His mouth wore its usual half-lazy smile, but a faint flicker of unease gleamed behind his eyes. That spiritual mask had completely erased all traces of Reiatsu, yet Su Li still saw through it. This wasn't mere strength—it was something far more dangerous. His insight was abnormal.

What Urahara didn't realize was that Su Li's intuition had long since transcended ordinary perception. Since beginning his mastery of Ultra Instinct, not only had his five senses sharpened, but even a mysterious sixth sense had awakened within him. Others depended on spiritual pressure to locate their enemies. Su Li needed none. His instincts alone told him where danger lay, who was real, and when to act.

And Urahara had made a clear mistake the moment he revealed himself.

"Urahara, alive and well. An honor to meet you," Su Li greeted calmly, smiling with a gentleness that only deepened the pressure in the air.

"Urahara! Run!" Yoruichi shouted suddenly, her voice breaking with alarm as she struggled uselessly in Su Li's iron grip. "This guy's no joke!"

Urahara only shrugged, a sigh leaving his lips as he raised his palms in mock surrender. "Miss Yoruichi, didn't I say before leaving not to be impulsive? If even you couldn't outrun him... what hope would I have?"

Yoruichi's frustration boiled over into helplessness. Her limbs tensed and writhed, but Su Li's hand was like forged steel—unyielding, unmoved. Her strength, her speed, everything she prided herself on—it was all rendered meaningless in his grasp. As her body slackened and her eyes dropped to the ground, shame and regret surged within her. Her recklessness hadn't just endangered her life; she'd dragged Urahara into the jaws of a man she barely understood.

Urahara, however, didn't flinch. His gaze fixed on Su Li as he asked plainly, "Mr. Su Li, I'm curious—how did you find me? I made sure not to release even a flicker of Reiatsu."

Su Li exhaled softly, eyeing the former captain with quiet respect. Even now, Urahara remained unnervingly composed, his voice level, his breath steady. No wonder Soul Society had once trusted him above all. "Ah, Mr. Urahara, I wasn't sensing your Reiatsu," Su Li replied, smile still lingering.

"Not Reiatsu? Then what?" Urahara's brow lifted with mild intrigue.

"Because I thought you were there."

"You thought...?" Urahara blinked. "You're saying a hunch was enough to pinpoint my location exactly?"

"Well... there was something else too."

"Oh?" His curiosity deepened, though a twitch at the corner of his mouth hinted he already suspected the answer.

"The Six Rod Light Prison you cast earlier."

Urahara's expression faltered for the first time.

"There weren't one, but two Bakudō 61s cast nearly simultaneously. Miss Yoruichi's voice was clear. Yours was nearly a whisper, hidden within the chant—but I heard it. That was your first tell."

A subtle tension crept into Urahara's body.

"There's a second?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

Su Li nodded. "Your breathing. When I restrained her, your emotional state shifted. The change in your breath—shorter, heavier—it gave you away."

For a moment, silence hung between them.

Then Urahara burst into laughter.

"Breathing?! You're joking, right? Who the hell hears the breathing of a hidden opponent?" He doubled over, laughing so hard his shoulders trembled and his eyes began to water. "You're something else…"

But Su Li said nothing. He only stood there, smiling faintly, waiting.

Eventually, Urahara's laughter faded. As he straightened, wiping a tear from his eye, his smile lingered—but his gaze turned cold, calculated, and sharp. "I don't buy your second theory, Mr. Su Li. Seems like you're imagining things."

"Of course you don't," Su Li replied smoothly, his smile sharpening. "Because you're not breathing."

"You're a puppet."

In that instant, Urahara's expression froze. Behind Su Li, the very air shimmered, rippling like water disturbed by a stone—then peeled apart like torn silk. A slender cane extended forward, tapping gently against Su Li's back, and behind it stood another Urahara Kisuke—the real one—his body tense, his gaze glacial.

Yoruichi's head snapped up in shock. Behind Su Li stood not one Urahara—but two. And the one touching him now was unmistakably the real deal.

"Your insight exceeds my expectations," the real Urahara said softly, voice cold as frost. "Looks like my little trick failed."

The crimson-tipped staff in his hand pressed ever so slightly harder against Su Li's spine. The air between them thickened with spiritual pressure. One misstep, and the balance would collapse into violence.

Su Li scratched the back of his head, his tone casual. "Man, you guys love using decoys..."

He let out a long sigh. "I told you, I'm not here to capture you."

"I just wanted a conversation."

Urahara didn't move the staff. "About what?"

Su Li tilted his head, then silently mouthed a name: Aizen Sōsuke.

Though no sound came out, Urahara's eyes locked onto his lips—and narrowed instantly.

"So... the Gotei 13 has realized too?" he asked.

"No," Su Li replied with deliberate calm. "Right now, I'm the only one in the entire Soul Society who knows."

"You didn't report it, but came to us instead. Why?" Urahara pressed further.

Su Li chuckled under his breath. "Do you honestly think they'd believe me?"

Urahara paused. He understood what Su Li meant. To accuse a captain without hard proof was suicide. The Gotei 13 wasn't known for tolerating baseless suspicion—especially not against someone as revered as Aizen. Only those already betrayed would listen.

"I see... but why should I believe you?" Urahara asked, his tone growing serious.

Su Li's eyes hardened. "I can tell you Kyōka Suigetsu's true ability."

Urahara watched him intently.

"It's not just mist or water reflection illusions. That's a lie. Kyōka Suigetsu's actual power is Complete Hypnosis. It manipulates all five senses—completely and utterly."

Urahara stood motionless for a beat too long, then exhaled and shook his head. "I already know."

Su Li blinked, surprised—then nodded. Of course. He remembered now. Urahara had been present during the Hollowfication incident. Shinji Hirako and the others must have told him everything. But just as he accepted that explanation, a sudden shift in the atmosphere yanked him back to tension.

Urahara raised his red princess cane, pointing it directly at Su Li's forehead. The crimson core at its tip pulsed with concentrated energy.

"With Aizen's personality, there's no way he'd tell anyone the true nature of his Zanpakutō—not even his most trusted allies," he said quietly, eyes narrowing.

"So how do you know?"

"Who are you?"

The scarlet glow intensified, casting deep shadows across Su Li's face, while the question hung in the air like the blade of judgment itself.

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