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No wonder I couldn't sense it before—it was cloaked in a concealment barrier.
Shiraha muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes.
Activating Observation Haki, his senses swept across the derelict building before him. Immediately, he noticed the unnatural layering of spiritual pressure woven into the air. A net of Kidō-based barriers veiled the entire area. Anyone outside this perimeter would be completely oblivious to its existence. The barriers, dense and sophisticated, bore the distinct style of Hachigen Ushōda—the former Vice-Chief of the Kidō Corps and current member of the Visored.
A suppression field to mask reiatsu, cloaking their hideout from detection. It was textbook Hachigen.
"Brother Shiraha, why are we here looking for Hirako and the others?"
Yoruichi's voice came lightly as she leapt down, landing on his shoulder with her usual feline grace.
From what she knew of Hirako Shinji and his companions, Shiraha had no direct history or dealings with them. For him to deliberately seek them out like this suggested something deeper—perhaps something connected to Hollowfication. And if that were the case, then surely Urahara Kisuke would have noticed long ago.
"Miss Yoruichi, how do I put it... I'm stationed in the Human World. Since the former captains of the Gotei 13 are living in my jurisdiction, it's only natural I pay them a visit."
Shiraha offered a mild smile, clearly dodging the full truth. There was no reason to expose his deeper purpose.
He stepped through the half-rolled shutter door of the decrepit warehouse. Dust clung to the stale air. Yoruichi slinked inside with him.
The darkness within flickered suddenly, electric lights buzzing to life in intervals. One by one, eight shadows emerged from the gloom, spaced evenly throughout the room, each of them radiating unique, restrained spiritual pressure.
They surrounded Shiraha, their hands near the hilts of their Zanpakutō.
The Visored were all present: Hirako Shinji, Sarugaki Hiyori, Yadōmaru Lisa, Hachigen Ushōda, Muguruma Kensei, Aikawa Love, Kuna Mashiro, and Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō.
"Huh? Yoruichi, what're you doing here with some Shinigami?"
Hirako Shinji dropped lazily from the upper floor, twirling his Zanpakutō casually as he approached Shiraha. The rest of the Visored leapt down behind him, surrounding the intruder.
"Kuchiki Shiraha, Captain of the Seventh Division," Shiraha said, introducing himself without a trace of apprehension. His tone was respectful but calm, as if the tense atmosphere barely concerned him.
"The Seventh Division's captain is a Kuchiki?" Hirako raised an eyebrow, spinning his Zanpakutō between his fingers. "You here to arrest us or something?"
The moment the question dropped, seven blades were half-drawn. A warning.
Shiraha remained unfazed.
"You misunderstand, Captain Hirako. I'm not your enemy. In fact, we share a mutual one—Aizen Sōsuke."
At that name, the expressions of the Visored shifted. Even after all these years, the very mention of Aizen dredged up the fury they'd buried. They hadn't forgotten. How could they? The Hollowfication experiments, the betrayal, their exile from Soul Society—Aizen had taken everything.
If not for Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai intervening, they'd have been executed under the Central 46's orders. That hatred never dulled.
"Why should we believe you?"
Hirako's face smoothed into a cautious neutrality, but his tone held edge. The others watched Shiraha carefully, their posture coiled. If Yoruichi hadn't been present, they would've already struck.
"Miss Yoruichi, if you could?"
Shiraha tilted his head toward her.
This was precisely why Kisuke had asked Yoruichi to accompany him. If he had arrived alone, there would've been no negotiation—only battle.
Yoruichi nodded and began explaining: Shiraha's identity, his current position, and the broader circumstances surrounding his visit to the Human World.
As she spoke, the tension gradually softened. The Visored began to resheath their blades one by one, though they remained wary. Yoruichi's presence carried weight—after all, she was the one who had risked everything to help them escape Soul Society.
"So then, Shiraha-kun," Hirako said after a pause, "what exactly do you need from a bunch of exiles like us?"
It was a fair question. To Hirako, they had long since stopped being relevant to Soul Society's affairs. Besides, Shiraha showed no signs of Hollowfication, nor did he seem interested in pursuing that path.
Shiraha opened his mouth to reply, but Hirako held up a hand.
"No need to call us 'Captain.' Those titles don't mean much anymore. Just use our names."
Shiraha inclined his head slightly. "Very well. Hirako, I came here to meet all of you face-to-face. And... to gauge your strength. To see if you're still capable of standing against Aizen."
It was a lie, of course. But a necessary one.
He couldn't exactly say, I came to fight the Masked Legion to push my own evolution forward.
Hirako studied him for a long beat, then looked over his shoulder.
"Kensei, you're up. Show Shiraha-kun what we're made of."
Muguruma Kensei stepped forward. Muscular and imposing in a sleeveless black shirt, his silver-white hair cropped short, he looked every bit the hardened combatant he was. Piercings glinted under the lights, and his expression remained unreadable.
"Kensei's the former Captain of the Ninth Division," Hirako explained with a wry smile. "He's also mastered Hollowfication. Should be a fair match for you, right, Shiraha-kun?"
Shiraha smiled faintly. "Please go easy on me."
He had honestly expected Love Aikawa—formerly of the Seventh Division—to be chosen, given the symmetry. But Hirako had chosen someone far more straightforward, more forceful. The 'yardstick of measure'—Muguruma Kensei.
Kensei cracked his knuckles. "I've been wondering what the current Gotei captains are capable of. Let's find out."
"You won't be disappointed."
"Hachigen, set up the dual-layer barrier," Hirako instructed.
"Understood."
Hachigen stepped forward. The rotund man clasped his hands together, his sleeves sliding back to reveal incantation symbols etched into his skin. In an instant, golden Kidō symbols flared to life, enclosing the entire abandoned warehouse in a shimmering double-reinforced barrier.
Then Hirako slammed his Zanpakutō against the floor.
Boom.
The sound reverberated through the structure. The floor split apart, revealing a set of descending stone stairs—a hidden passage into the earth.
"Come on, Shiraha-kun."
Without waiting, Hirako walked down the staircase, blade in hand. Shiraha followed, flanked by the rest of the Visored.
They descended into silence.
After a brief walk through the underground passage, the narrow corridor opened into a vast training area. Using Observation Haki, Shiraha instantly perceived the terrain. The underground chamber stretched out over several kilometers, littered with stone boulders dozens of meters high. An entire battlefield concealed beneath a warehouse.
Unbelievable.
Shiraha stared across the expansive field.
This... was where his test would begin.
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