"Wow! I have to say, you guys are extremely unlucky. You've come to the human world and encountered Hollows twice."
Kaito wore an eye patch, keeping one hand in his pocket while holding the other in front of his chest with a two-finger gesture.
Zennosuke Kurumatani and Sentaro stood frozen, staring at the figure that had suddenly appeared.
Whose subordinate was this? He was standing right on top of the Gillian, looking incredibly powerful.
Since Kaito wasn't wearing the standard black Soul Reaper uniform, it was no wonder they didn't recognize him. In fact, if the two trainees had been paying closer attention, they could have easily deduced his identity from what he had just said. Unfortunately, these two substitute Soul Reapers lacked both the composure and the presence of mind to piece it together.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
A small blue orb manifested above the Hollow's head, instantly generating a powerful force of attraction that pulled the massive creature toward it.
The Gillian roared, mobilizing all its spiritual pressure to resist, but once caught by this magnetic pull, escape was impossible unless one's strength surpassed Kaito's. With a final, resentful roar, the Hollow was entirely absorbed into the vacuum of "Blue."
Ding! The Gillian has been eliminated. Fusion progress increased by 2%.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Kaito effortlessly dealt with the giant Hollow.
Zennosuke and Sentaro were completely dumbfounded. Who on earth was this guy?
Then, it clicked. They remembered Kitagawa Amane's recent report, which mentioned being attacked by a Hollow during a Soul Burial performance test. According to that report, a Soul Reaper named Kaito had stepped in to save him. The description matched the stranger standing before them perfectly.
Could it be?
Thinking of this, Zennosuke shouted, "Are you Kaito?"
Standing in mid-air, Kaito blinked in surprise. They actually recognized him?
"That's right, I'm Kaito. Judging by your clothes, you must be the students who came to the human world with Captain Soi Fon, right?"
As Kaito slowly descended, he got a clearer look at their uniforms and understood the situation. He remembered saving another group of students from a Gillian not too long ago.
However, his words took on an entirely different meaning to Zennosuke and Sentaro.
It really is him! they thought. And he's incredibly sharp.
More importantly, while they respectfully referred to her as Captain Soi Fon, this mysterious figure called her by her name alone. Given how effortlessly he had dispatched a Gillian, he had to be at least a Lieutenant-level fighter.
When encountering a high-ranking official like this, there was only one proper response.
Zennosuke and Sentaro immediately dropped to their knees, their eyes filled with deep respect. "Greetings, Lieutenant Kaito!"
The Soul Reapers maintained a strict hierarchy, and as trainees, they made sure to observe proper etiquette when meeting someone of such caliber. After all, once they graduated and were assigned to a squad, offending a senior officer early on would make their lives miserable.
Kaito stared at them, completely bewildered. Since when did I become a Lieutenant?
He opened his mouth to correct them, but suddenly sensed three familiar spiritual pressures approaching from a distance. Sighing, he said, "Since you two are safe, I'll take my leave."
With a quick activation of Blue, Kaito vanished instantly from the spot.
Zennosuke and Sentaro stared at the empty air with pure admiration. "Look at that! Just look!"
"Now that's what a real Shinigami looks like."
"Forget that. Did you see him? That pressure, that confidence... the guy looked like he owned the entire Seireitei."
"Honestly, I finally understand why women lose their minds over certain men."
"..."
"..."
"If I were a woman, I'd have his kids."
The other substitute Shinigami nodded without hesitation.
"Same."
"You agreed way too fast."
"You said what we were both thinking."
"...Fair enough."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the two continued to fanboy, three figures in Soul Reaper uniforms arrived, one of them wearing the white captain's haori. It was Soi Fon, accompanied by Kiyone Kotetsu and Shino Madarame.
"What happened here?" Soi Fon demanded the moment she landed. "Where is the Hollow?"
Sentaro, recognizing his superior officers, stepped forward hastily. "The Hollow has already been dealt with, Captain Soi Fon!"
Dealt with?
Soi Fon frowned, skeptical. "The two of you defeated it?"
Was the academy training students to be this capable nowadays? Could mere trainees take down a Gillian?
Realizing the captain had misunderstood, Zennosuke quickly clarified, "No, taichou, it wasn't us. It was lieutenant Kaito who saved us!"
Soi Fon's frown deepened. Kaito again? Why did that name keep coming up recently?
Sensing the lingering spiritual pressure in the air, she estimated it had indeed been a Gillian-class Hollow. Soi Fon didn't believe a rogue element could handle such a threat completely alone. First impressions dictated her view of him, so she assumed Kaito had merely teamed up with the trainees—Zennosuke and Sentaro holding the line while Kaito seized the perfect moment to deliver the finishing blow.
Meanwhile, Kiyone and Shino exchanged startled glances. If they had faced a Gillian alone, they would have ended up severely injured at best. If Kaito had truly handled it by himself, his spiritual pressure had to be on par with a Lieutenant.
But how was that possible?
Kiyone and Shino had been in the same class as Kaito at the academy, and they knew his past track record well. Back then, he couldn't even master basic Kido. It had only been a year since graduation. How could he have reached the level of a Lieutenant so quickly?
Kaito, of course, had no idea about the wild theories running through their minds.
On his way back, Kaito opened his system interface, thoroughly pleased with his steady progress.
Host: Kaito
Template: Satoru Gojo
Integration Progress: 33%
Spiritual Points: 10,388
Daily Task: Spend two hours in Kabukicho (Completed)
Abilities:
Limitless: Infinity (Unlocked)
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue (Unlocked)
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red (Unlocking soon, 60% progress)
Hollow Technique: Purple (Sealed)
Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void (Sealed)
With a little more effort, he would unlock the reversal technique soon. Once he had that, he could truly act without restrictions in this world.
When he arrived back at the residence, Ichigo Kurosaki was playing with Karin and Yuzu.
"Hey, Karin, Yuzu, you're back!" Kaito greeted them cheerfully. "How was it? Was the school trip fun?"
A few days prior, the two girls had gone on a school field trip to the countryside.
Standing nearby, Ichigo immediately pulled his sisters behind him, looking at Kaito warily. "Don't talk to this guy.He's a liar."
Yuzu looked at Kaito with an apologetic expression, silently conveying her regrets for her brother's bluntness. She certainly didn't think Kaito was a bad person. How could someone so handsome lie to children?
Karin fired back at Ichigo immediately, "Brother, stop it! Why would Kaito-Niisan lie to us?"
Kaito stepped forward, grabbing Ichigo and messing up his hair. "Ichigo, is that any way to talk to your sensei? I never said I wouldn't train you. It's just not the right time yet."
Ichigo swat Kaito's hand away, muttering crossly, "Fine, then tell me—when exactly is the right time?"