Bleach: The Invincible Slacker from Rukongai

Only three beings had ever given Unohana Retsu the sensation of true, otherworldly strength.

The first was Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the strongest Shinigami in history.

The second was a boy—a child, really—who would one day inherit the name Kenpachi and defeat her with raw instinct and power alone.

And the third… was Yhwach, the King of the Quincies, destroyed a thousand years ago.

But now, there was a fourth.

A man whose talent and power may very well surpass them all:

Uehara Shiroha.

His strength was already nearing the realm of those "special" Shinigami secluded within the Soul King Palace—the Royal Guard, the Zero Division. Perhaps even beyond them, given time.

Unohana's feelings were... complicated.

She never imagined that she, the fearsome "front wave" of Soul Society's strength, would be so thoroughly outclassed by the "back wave."

But this back wave didn't just catch up.

It crashed over her like a tsunami.

It wasn't that she hadn't seen Shiroha's potential before—she absolutely had. From the first time they met, she sensed it: a dormant, blistering power hidden under his calm surface. He radiated with potential like the midday sun.

Even upon graduating, his Reiatsu was already on par with a Third Seat in the First Division. His technique was still rough, his discipline inconsistent, but none of that mattered.

Even without rigorous training, he somehow kept pace with those who trained day and night. His natural growth exceeded geniuses who bled for every inch.

And that… was what true talent looked like.

Genius like that didn't need effort to become a captain. All it needed was time.

If he worked even a little hard and had some luck, it was easy to imagine him eventually standing among the top-tier captains. That was her first judgment.

When Uehara Shiroha rose to prominence, Unohana felt vindicated.

He was a young tiger. Ferocious, untamed, filled with promise. And with time, he could become a beast that roared over the mountains—a king of the wilds.

But that was it. Just a tiger cub.

To someone like Unohana Retsu—who had carved her name into legend over a thousand years—a tiger cub was still just a cub. An ordinary captain's strength might amaze others, but it could never threaten someone like her.

Back then, Uehara Shiroha was just that: a talented newcomer with potential.

He was not a threat.

A tiger may earn her interest, but only a true beast could defeat her, could subdue her… could satisfy the battle-scarred killer that slumbered within her.

She once thought that, perhaps decades or centuries later, Shiroha might surprise her. That he would one day become a truly top-tier force.

What she hadn't expected was for him to grow into a monster in the blink of an eye.

Now, in just a few decades, he stood at the summit. Not among captains. Above them. Beyond her. Beyond logic.

It didn't feel real.

For Shinigami, a few decades was like a few human years. A flicker of time. The idea that someone could grow to godlike levels in that span?

It was like someone mastering swordsmanship in three days while others took thirty years.

It was no longer just "genius."

It was abnormal. Unnatural. A monster of myth.

The last time she had felt something similar... was when a boy named Zaraki—with his strength unsealed—defeated her.

That day, she understood what true talent looked like.

He was still a child, and yet he shattered all her pride. Her centuries of killing. Her invincible swordsmanship. All of it, undone by instinct alone.

She believed that was the peak of talent. That no one else would ever surpass it.

Until Uehara Shiroha killed an Espada in a single move.

Unohana had no choice but to accept it:

Uehara Shiroha was even more terrifying than Zaraki Kenpachi.

He was the strongest genius in Soul Society's history.

Barring the Soul King himself, and perhaps the founders of the five great noble houses, no one had talent like his.

Her expression darkened.

"Is he the strongest genius in Soul Society…?"

Yes. Without question.

"Not once in a thousand years… but once in ten thousand."

And quietly, from the deepest part of her heart:

"Please surpass me. Let my sins be washed away through you."

At the same time...

Kurosaki Ichigo, sprinting at full speed, had reached the fifth tower of Las Noches—Aizen's palace.

But it was empty.

Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tōsen, and the remaining strongest Arrancar had already opened the Garganta and vanished toward Karakura Town.

Only two people remained:

Inoue Orihime, and a shadow from Ichigo's past.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime called out anxiously, hands pressed over her heart.

Seeing her unharmed, Ichigo let out a breath of relief.

"Inoue... Leave this place. Not too far, but far enough to stay out of danger. Use Shun Shun Rikka to protect yourself."

His voice was calm—but determined.

"I'll handle the enemy. I'll defeat Aizen. And I'll protect Karakura Town."

Then his gaze shifted.

There stood Ulquiorra Cifer—pale skin, cold green eyes, and tear-like markings streaking down his face.

Ichigo's eyes sharpened.

There was no killing intent, but there was purpose. Resolve. His Reiatsu began to rise slowly, but steadily, carrying a weight far heavier than before.

There was a new edge to it—a violent, suffocating pressure, tinged with something unnatural.

Even without the mask, even without full Hollowification… his power had begun to shift. The words of Uehara Shiroha lingered in his mind. They had shaken him, lit a fire in his core.

And now, the Substitute Shinigami Badge—normally used to suppress his Reiatsu—began to crack.

"Either you explode in silence... or you perish in silence."

Ichigo's blood was boiling. The Espada's strength, their cruelty, their arrogance—it had pushed him past the edge.

He couldn't stand by any longer.

Karakura Town was under threat. He had to fight. Now.

Ulquiorra's voice was as cold as ever.

"The Reiatsu shock earlier disrupted space. Otherwise, I would've left already."

He stared at Orihime, then at Ichigo.

"This woman is meaningless. I could let her go. Logically, we have no reason to fight."

"But you won't leave. That's your nature. You'll stay… and fight."

"That makes my job easier."

"Lord Aizen ordered me to ensure you wouldn't become a threat. And so… I will remove you."

There had once been a flicker of confusion in Ulquiorra. Orihime's compassion. Ichigo's tenacity. Their emotions had begun to disturb him, to make him question what it meant to feel.

But then came Uehara Shiroha.

That man's power shook the foundations of his existence.

Even while isolated in another space, Ulquiorra felt it.

A force so vast that the world trembled.

A pressure that transcended destruction.

A being above all others.

And for the first time, the Espada known as Ulquiorra...

...wasn't sure if he himself truly existed anymore.

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