Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

Because their cards are now on the table, they'll only suffer worse defeats—and maybe even die more miserably.

The problem with people like Superman and Batman is that they can change the world, but they don't. They cling to dreams of a better future while refusing to get their hands dirty. How can you expect change without sacrifice? How do you build a better world without breaking anything?

Kisuke Urahara has this same flaw.

He's a being so brilliant he's practically demonic. Yet after discovering Aizen's plans, what did he do? Nothing—he laid low for over a hundred years, hiding in the shadows. Urahara is gentle, yes, but he's always been passive, always reactive. Never one to make the first move.

That's his limit.

Uehara Shiroha doesn't understand people like that. Evil might be easier. Don't fight for anything. Don't dream of change. Just let the old, noble elites of Soul Society solve their own messes? What a joke.

Uehara chose to lie down because he earned that right. He has the strength and qualifications to slack off if he wants to. But those other guys? They haven't reached that level. Not even close. So what right do they have to give up?

If they like being passive so much, fine. Uehara's happy to give them a push. After all, he's still missing a few handy tools in his metaphorical toolbox. People like Kurosaki Ichigo, Urahara Kisuke, and Zaraki Kenpachi—they're far too valuable to discard. Excellent workers like them shouldn't be left idle.

Ichigo's potential? That's just begging to be squeezed dry.

He's spared Zaraki Kenpachi many times, and not out of mercy. Zaraki still has value. He's a perfect training dummy. Of course, to outsiders, it doesn't look like Uehara showed any mercy.

Truth is, Uehara's definition of "restraint" doesn't mean going easy. When he cut Zaraki down, he really cut. He just didn't finish the job. If he held back too much, it wouldn't count as good training, would it?

If anyone else had taken a hit like that, their grave would've already sprouted weeds two feet high. You've got to admit—Zaraki Kenpachi's body is built different.

After being scolded by Uehara, Kurosaki Ichigo felt a mountain of pressure crashing down. He didn't even know how to respond. The worst part was—he knew Uehara was right.

Ichigo couldn't refute a single word. But he also didn't want to change. That contradiction tied him in knots. And since things hadn't fallen apart yet, he kept convincing himself he could wait and see how it all played out.

Uehara expected that. It was fine. Reality would teach them all a lesson sooner or later. He didn't need to do anything. Just sit back and let them work hard on their own.

Right then, Grimmjow's expression turned grim. His eyes burned colder, sharper. He stared at Uehara Shiroha with bitter frustration, thinking:

"This guy's a monster… no, a monster among monsters. There's no winning against him. Why are all these damn Shinigami so ridiculously overpowered?!"

At that moment, memories of being dominated by Aizen's spiritual pressure came flooding back. That helplessness. That humiliation. He'd had no power, no choice. All he could do was take it out on Ichigo afterward.

He thought he could at least win that fight. In the end, he didn't even get to throw a punch.

He never resisted Aizen. And now he couldn't resist Uehara Shiroha either. It was instinct—pure survival. This wasn't his war.

Uehara noticed Grimmjow's complicated gaze and raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Oh? Grimmjow, thinking of avenging Nnoitra? You're still Espada, aren't you? But betrayal seems to be your natural talent."

He hadn't forgotten—Grimmjow's Fracciones had all been obliterated by himself. And this guy hadn't even blinked. Never even acknowledged them.

That's just how Hueco Mundo works. No place for the weak. If you're not strong enough, tough luck. Better to rely on yourself than expect help from anyone.

Right now, Grimmjow was still a beast—untamed, impulsive, driven by pride. He constantly sought strong enemies to prove his worth. But by the time of the Thousand-Year Blood War, you could tell he'd changed. Still wild, but more controlled. No longer charging blindly into battle.

Every sneak attack he pulled off? A clean headshot.

Grimmjow's voice was cold, edged with venom.

"The Espada? They were never my comrades. I didn't abandon them—they turned on me. Aizen, Tōsen… they looked down on me like trash. I should've walked away long ago. But we were never the same. Not even close."

Of course, the truth was worse. Aizen and Tōsen practically bullied him at work—took his lunch money and cut off his damn arm. If Orihime hadn't restored it, he would've lost his Espada rank and his cool points.

And Grimmjow? He always thought Aizen had garbage-tier judgment. Sixth Espada? Please. His strength was clearly above that. Aizen didn't deserve his loyalty.

That's what Grimmjow told himself, anyway.

But deep down, faced with the massive gap in strength, all he could do was rage silently and think:

"Screw fairness. I don't want a fair fight anymore. I just want a real win. I don't even care about being king now!"

Uehara's overwhelming power, combined with Grimmjow's repeated defeats, finally crushed his king complex. He let it go.

Because really—what's the point of being king if monsters like this are walking around?

Might as well embrace the chaos. Kill who you want. Get the job done. Take the head.

Looking at Grimmjow's expression—like he was saying "the Espada lost, but I didn't"—Uehara Shiroha couldn't help but laugh.

Want to be king without the sit-up training arc of a certain rubbery protagonist? Keep dreaming.

It's good to be idealistic in your youth, but at the end of the day, reality still demands you clock in and do your job.

Hopefully, Kurosaki Ichigo will figure that out sooner rather than later.

In any case, Uehara was enjoying the show, so he wasn't losing out.

Then he turned and took Nel with him.

He had no plans to participate in the upcoming battle to defend Karakura Town. That wasn't his concern. His mission now was to protect the nobles in Noble Street. The safety of Karakura Town—or even the world—wasn't his problem anymore.

Sure, Uehara Shiroha still held the position of Third Seat in Squad 1, but Gotei 13 couldn't order him around anymore.

In truth, ever since he became the Captain-Commander of the Teigun, he'd earned the right to stand on equal footing with Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. Now, with Noble Street under his control, he'd basically become Soul Society's uncrowned king.

That's what separates Uehara from Kurosaki Ichigo.

Uehara doesn't care about order, balance, or "the greater good."

Yamamoto and the others were too scared of civil war to go after the nobles directly. But that's fine. Because now they have to fear him.

He's better at flipping the table than any noble.

If someone accuses you of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, the best response is to actually have them.

Uehara does have them. And they're all high-grade, top-shelf deterrents.

This is what's known as nuclear peace.

The nobles wouldn't dare destroy the Three Realms or Soul Society. But Uehara? He'd do it without hesitation—without even blinking.

That's why the Gotei 13 decided to wash their hands of the whole conflict. They didn't help the nobles, and they weren't going to help him either.

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