Although Gyomei Himejima had obtained a Zanpakuto, he couldn't feel at ease.
First, the sword appeared extremely strangely, without any reason.
Second, the faint sense of being watched was like a sharp needle, directly piercing into his previously calm mind.
It made him involuntarily enter a state of alert.
Gyomei Himejima held the Zanpakuto, muttering Buddhist chants, his hollow white eyes seeming to perceive everything as he quickly scanned his surroundings.
Seeing this, Muramasa's smile froze slightly, and even his ethereal figure stopped in place, his mind flooded with questions.
Who is he looking for?
Me?
What's wrong with this guy? Was I discovered?
Why can even a mere Rukongai resident do this?
Damn it!
Muramasa knew very well what consequences would arise if he approached again.
Judging from this monk's previous interactions with Shinigami, their relationship was probably quite deep.
If he reported this matter to the Shinigami, Muramasa would inevitably be exposed, as his abilities were not a secret among the Seireitei's high-ranking officials...
After much deliberation and weighing the pros and cons, Muramasa's expression gradually turned stern, as if covered in frost, exuding a chilling aura.
He had thought this was an excellent opportunity, but he hadn't expected this monk to possess "special abilities"...
There's no other way. I'll just mark him for now and wait until he lowers his guard before taking action...
Muramasa was always calm and composed, and his actions were extremely cautious.
Even in the storyline, he only dared to reveal himself after successfully hypnotizing all the Zanpakuto.
The reason those Captains didn't notice was probably because of his own ethereal nature.
Without keen senses, one wouldn't even know if their Zanpakuto had been touched by Muramasa.
On Yamamoto Genryusai's side, Muramasa, out of fear, dared not approach him, so Ryujin Jakka was not completely hypnotized.
Muramasa took a deep breath, gazed deeply at Gyomei Himejima, and then his figure gradually dissipated like light smoke.
As he left, the sense of being watched that had enveloped the surroundings lessened, and Gyomei Himejima's slightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.
The hand that had been tightly gripping the Zanpakuto also unconsciously loosened a little.
"Amitabha..."
"Was it a Shinigami?"
Recalling everything that had just happened, Gyomei Himejima silently lowered his gaze, deep in thought.
A moment later, unable to figure it out, he decided to inform the members of the Ninth Division about the matter.
At the same time, matters concerning this Zanpakuto also needed to be reported upwards to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
At this moment, Gyomei Himejima was still unaware of the meaning behind a Zanpakuto.
But as the saying goes, "curiosity killed the cat." There was no need to force himself to investigate things he didn't understand; it was better to hear others' opinions first.
...
...
By the time Yoriichi Tsugikuni learned of the matter, half an hour had already passed silently.
He knew very well that Gyomei Himejima had the potential to become strong, his aptitude not inferior to Ichimaru Gin's.
But what he hadn't expected was that with just a mere touch of an asauchi, the asauchi resonated with his spiritual pressure and soul, instantly changing its form...
This was an extremely rare occurrence in the entire history of Soul Society.
Don't you see that at least 30% of Spiritual Arts Academy students each year get stuck at this stage, unable to graduate? Six years compared to this instant...
This was no longer a difference in talent.
He was simply a born Shinigami.
Ninth Division office.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni silently gazed at Gyomei Himejima, his eyes filled with scrutiny and inquiry.
The latter seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, silent, just sitting quietly.
Then, Yoriichi's gaze slowly shifted to the sword on the table.
His expression remained calm, but his tone contained a hint of subtle admiration:
"Very good."
"Does this sword have a name?"
Although he knew the possibility of Gyomei Himejima knowing the true name of the Zanpakuto was slim, Yoriichi still asked a few routine questions:
"When it changed its form, did you hear a sound coming from within the blade?"
"If you did, then congratulations, you've broken the record for the fastest Shikai in Soul Society's history."
"If you didn't, it doesn't matter. With your talent, you'll probably achieve Shikai very soon."
"Shikai... record?" Gyomei Himejima looked puzzled.
He knew what Shikai was; Renji had explained it to him. It was said to be the dividing line between ordinary Shinigami and powerful ones.
But about records and such... he thought carefully and realized he hadn't heard any sound.
Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together and replied softly:
"I apologize, I do not know its name. I came here primarily to return this item."
"Senior, I have no intention of becoming a Shinigami."
"I understand, but it's alright. Not everyone who possesses a Zanpakuto is a Shinigami," Yoriichi Tsugikuni explained patiently, placing his hands on his knees.
"You don't need to return this sword."
"Your soul is already bound to it. Unless you die, others cannot use it."
"I've heard about your situation from the team members. You've done very well."
"With it, when fighting strong opponents, it's always much better than an ordinary axe."
Axes break easily, but Zanpakuto do not. Even if they break, they can regenerate.
If one masters Shikai, their combat power can increase by more than double. Regarding this, Yoriichi Tsugikuni clasped his hands together and spoke earnestly:
"I know you don't want to leave South Rukongai District 3 because Kira Iziru is attending the academy, but what about after he graduates?"
"Gyomei, you need to plan for your future. You are still young; at least by Shinigami age, it's hard to say if you're even an adult yet."
"With your great power, and your passion for protecting the weak, you can't just muddle through there, can you?"
After Yoriichi Tsugikuni finished speaking, he handed the Zanpakuto back to Gyomei Himejima, his voice solemn,
"Treat it well. I believe you'll soon hear its voice. When that happens, it won't be too late to consider whether or not to become a Shinigami."
Gyomei Himejima fell silent. He had to admit, Yoriichi's words made a lot of sense.
After calming his emotions for a while, he held the Zanpakuto and slowly said:
"I understand, Senior."
"I will consider it..."
As someone who was psychologically older, Gyomei Himejima was a man of few words, unlike Yoriichi, whose personality had become much more open and at peace after decades of companionship with his family.
In the world of Shinigami, one's state of mind is usually judged by their appearance.
Therefore, here, Yoriichi Tsugikuni usually led the conversation.
After discussing the Zanpakuto, Yoriichi asked about the so-called sense of being watched, but Gyomei Himejima couldn't explain it.
After all, in daily life, anyone could be watched by others; one couldn't just suspect Muramasa based on that alone.
Unless the Zanpakuto's physical form disappeared, but after inspection, the form was still there...
This was why Muramasa abandoned his actions—once the physical form left the Zanpakuto, it would not easily return.
However, Muramasa's actions did not stop there.
During Gyomei Himejima's time in Seireitei, Muramasa had been wandering around various corners of Rukongai to restore his power as quickly as possible.
He set his sights on the weaker Shinigami, believing that since they hadn't achieved Shikai, they wouldn't notice anything unusual even if their physical forms disappeared.
But after searching for a long time, Muramasa discovered that none of the nearby Shinigami, without exception, were carrying their Zanpakuto.
It was as if they knew of his existence and had intentionally removed their swords.
This made him feel incredibly frustrated.
He wanted to curse.
This is targeted, it must be.
Otherwise, how could such an extreme situation occur? Shinigami going out without their swords, does that make sense?
Unable to help himself, in his desperation, he could only move towards the deeper regions of Rukongai, hoping to try his luck there and attempt to use the Rukongai residents to restore his power.
The Shinigami's influence could not reach every corner of Soul Society.
Although the number of Rukongai residents with Zanpakuto was quite scarce in the deeper regions due to years of constant fighting, the quality of their spiritual pressure was, without exception, still quite high.
It was a blessing in disguise.
Just like someone who had been hungry for dozens of days, even a piece of moldy steamed bun would taste delicious.
However, a steamed bun is just a steamed bun. At most, it can barely fill one's stomach, but as for the taste, it's really not that great.
In the early stages of his power recovery, Muramasa didn't feel any major problems; as long as he could recover his power, he didn't care about anything else.
But once his power had recovered somewhat, he felt that the surrounding Zanpakuto were all just worthless trash, not worthy of acting alongside him.
No matter how much dust there was, it was still just dust; it could never defeat a Shinigami, nor could it free Kuchiki Kōga from his seal.
Thus, gradually, Muramasa changed his view of them, treating them as pawns rather than companions.
And so, days passed.
One day, Muramasa suddenly found that his power had recovered a bit more, reaching roughly the level of a Vice-Captain.
By this time, several months had passed since he had fled to Soul Society.
Muramasa remembered the monk; that monk's sword was the ideal "companion" he longed for.
So, he returned to South Rukongai.
After so many days, Gyomei Himejima had mostly forgotten about what had happened then.
While Gyomei was focused on his training under the waterfall, temporarily taking off his Zanpakuto and placing it aside, Muramasa seized the opportunity.
He quietly approached, successfully making contact with the sword.
Within a few short seconds, Muramasa learned its name and successfully exerted his influence over it...
"Heh heh."
Muramasa couldn't help but let out a cold, somewhat smug laugh.
However, he didn't dare to be careless. He didn't materialize the sword, but instead kept it quietly inside the blade, to prevent the Shinigami from noticing anything unusual.
While Gyomei Himejima was still immersed in his training, Muramasa once again disappeared as silently as he had arrived.
Before disappearing, he secretly pondered:
This monk's Reiatsu is truly impressive; its quality is more than double that of the Rukongai residents I've encountered before…
Soon, as long as I hypnotize five more Zanpakuto of Vice-Captain level or higher, I will have the confidence to infiltrate the Seireitei…
Once I infiltrate the Seireitei, rescuing Kōga will be just around the corner.
Muramasa didn't believe those Shinigami could go for several years without carrying their Zanpakuto.
There would always be a moment of oversight or lapse.
And this point, precisely, coincided with the bait plan initially set by the Seireitei.
…
Seireitei!
The West Rukongai area was bustling, simply because the annual graduation season had already begun.
Inside and outside the Spiritual Arts Academy, an aura of youthful vitality permeated.
Many students stood in the plaza, quietly waiting for the principal's speech.
At this moment, the sunlight cascaded gently, not glaring.
The pleasant temperature, accompanied by a gentle breeze, brushed across their faces, putting the students in a good mood and dispelling their usual complaints.
Unlike before, when Yamamoto Genryusai spoke, the temperature was like a scorching furnace, making it unbearable.
Overall, this batch of students was indeed of good quality.
On stage, backstage.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni received a thick stack of speech drafts handed to him by Chōjirō Sasakibe, merely glancing at them before deciding to discard them.
Formalism was unacceptable; an uninformed person might think this was a principal election.
Tens of thousands of words, he would be tired speaking, and those below would be tired listening.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni slightly raised his gaze, looking at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was almost time.
As the acting principal, he was about to go on stage to deliver a speech as per custom.
Below the stage, several Shinigami were whispering:
"Time really flies, it's another graduation season. When do you think the Captain's sister will graduate?"
"I heard that Miss Hisana has already been reserved by the Sixth Division in advance; she'll be a Seat Officer upon graduation."
"To think back to our days…"
"We're commoners, how can we compare to nobles?" one person interrupted, his tone revealing dissatisfaction mixed with a hint of envy.
"We should be content to graduate smoothly. Recently, that so-called sword restriction order has caused many Shinigami a lot of trouble."
"Fortunately, we are in the Ninth Division, where there are strong individuals who can guide us in Hakuda and Kido. If it were other divisions, our strength would decrease by at least thirty percent."
"I wonder when this sword restriction order will end…"
It was fine not to mention this matter, but once it was brought up, someone suddenly remembered something:
"Speaking of which, what's going on with Ichimaru Gin, the Sixth Seat? Why can he carry his Zanpakuto all day? And Rangiku, the Seventh Seat…"
As these two were mentioned, everyone's gossip ignited instantly, and their sleepiness vanished.
Just as they were about to discuss at length, they suddenly saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni appear on stage.
Knowing that their captain had the ability to perceive people's hearts from afar and "hear" sounds.
Everyone immediately stopped their conversation, instinctively straightening their backs and resuming their usual serious demeanor.
…
Time slowly flowed by.
Inside the Ninth Division.
Ichimaru Gin sat on the sofa, carefully wiping Shinsō.
Since the mission, he had a brief daily exchange with Shinsō to confirm if its consciousness was normal.
Nearly a year had passed, and the situation was still good. Sometimes, Ichimaru Gin even felt that the Captain-Commander and the others might be overreacting.
After all, how much trouble could a single Zanpakuto cause?
But orders, after all, could not be disobeyed.
At the same time, he also hoped to be with Rangiku without any worries.
And not constantly be interfered with by past experiences.
Ichimaru Gin eagerly anticipated that day coming soon, hoping that all of this would end as quickly as possible.
Just as he was lost in thought, Matsumoto Rangiku pushed open the door and slowly walked in.
"Gin, be careful."
Rangiku, with a worried expression, urged, "Although a year has passed, accidents can happen at any time. I…"
"I know." Ichimaru Gin helplessly interrupted her, looking up,
"Rangiku, you say these words every day; I can almost recite them by heart. Don't worry."
"Before our dreams are realized, nothing will happen to me."
These words sounded a bit like a flag, implying a return home to marry after the war.
Unfortunately, Rangiku did not detect the impropriety in them, only thinking that Ichimaru Gin was trying to be strong.
He wasn't even a Captain...
Matsumoto Rangiku secretly sighed, her heart a mix of emotions.
She recalled the Captain's words and secretly decided to follow Ichimaru after he left, providing support if necessary to prevent any real accidents.
For Gin's safety, she truly worried herself sick.
When they were young, Gin was stronger than her, and he always protected her.
Now that she was stronger than him, it was only right that she should protect him…
In a sense, this could be considered a mutual effort.
At least, Rangiku felt that her conscience was clear.
Thus, the atmosphere between the two, at some point, became somewhat ambiguous, and the air seemed to be filled with an aura uncomfortable for single people.
Suddenly.
Bang!
Zaraki Kenpachi burst in, completely ignoring the two people whose expressions had stiffened, and went straight to open the storage room door, pulling out a key from it, then retrieving his Zanpakuto.
Matsumoto Rangiku was utterly bewildered by this sudden scene, not understanding why.
She was about to ask what had happened to make Zaraki Kenpachi, the Vice-Captain, so rushed…
The next second.
Whoosh.
Hinagiku was also thrown out by Zaraki Kenpachi.
"Take it!"
Zaraki Kenpachi's rough voice followed, and he merely "Tch"-ed, "Damn it, those bastards actually dared to cause trouble right under my nose!"
"I'm going to kill them!"
Later, Matsumoto Rangiku found out after some inquiry.
It turned out that unknown individuals had appeared near the four Rukongai districts (East, South, West, North) attacking Shinigami, and there were many of them.
The reason they were called unknown was because their Reiatsu fluctuations were extremely strange.
They were neither Shinigami, nor Hollows, nor humans…
Their strength was relatively strong; they could use various Kido, and Hakuda had little effect on them.
And the Ninth Division, as the prison division, naturally couldn't let them be so arrogant.
Although Matsumoto Rangiku didn't want to use Hinagiku, the enemies were too rampant, so she could only passively follow Vice-Captain Karakura.
Seeing this, Ichimaru Gin frowned tightly and also chose to follow.
A premonition of ill omen welled up in his heart, feeling that this might be a sign that Muramasa had begun to act.
Otherwise, how could the Soul Society, after being so peaceful for so long, suddenly have a group of unidentified enemies appear?
Just as they arrived at East Rukongai, those people had already vanished without a trace, which precisely confirmed Ichimaru Gin's thoughts.
According to the descriptions of some Shinigami, those people disappeared into thin air, vanishing mid-fight… quite like a hit-and-run tactic.
Hearing this, Ichimaru Gin's expression changed.
"A diversionary tactic?"
He wasn't worried about their Zanpakuto being affected by Muramasa.
After all, they had made ample preparations beforehand; even if their Zanpakuto rebelled, they could be restrained and suppressed in the shortest amount of time.
This was also why they dared to bring their Zanpakuto out to deal with this incident.
Ichimaru Gin was mainly concerned that Shinigami in other districts, due to being unaware of the specific situation, might give Muramasa an opportunity to exploit the weakness, leading to greater chaos and casualties.
Because not every division was as strong as the Ninth Division.
Among Shinigami, there were quite a few reckless individuals, like Zaraki Kenpachi…
…
At the same time.
South Rukongai.
Muramasa laughed twice triumphantly.
Due to having learned of Yoriichi Tsugikuni's strength from some Rukongai residents earlier, Muramasa did not choose to force his way through East Rukongai.
Although there were also some Shinigami from the Ninth Division in South Rukongai, they were stationed there only because of Gyomei Himejima's presence.
As the saying goes, 'the darkest place is under the lamp.'
They would never have imagined that after using the bodies of those Zanpakuto, he didn't leave with them, but instead lurked nearby, preparing to sneak into the Seireitei with the Shinigami.
He planned to use this opportunity to see whose Zanpakuto was stronger and more suitable for hypnotic manipulation.
After all, the Zanpakuto he had found in Rukongai earlier were already of little use.
Influenced by their masters' personalities, they were either madmen or battle maniacs.
They could only serve as cannon fodder.
For example, when returning to the Human World, he would use them to resist the Shinigami.
With these thoughts, when a group of Shinigami arrived near South Rukongai, the fighting Zanpakuto bodies suddenly disappeared.
Muramasa successfully entered the Seireitei and then began to formally implement his plan.
He believed that his series of actions had not been detected by others, or rather, even if discovered, others would not be able to interfere effectively.
Because he could place his existence between existence and non-existence.
Unless his true body, the Zanpakuto "Muramasa," was found, no ability could harm him.
And the sword "Muramasa" had long been hidden by him…
In other words, the direction of this battle would inevitably be dominated by his will…
But unexpectedly, the Seireitei seemed to have already made ample preparations for any potential unforeseen circumstances.
…
Human World.
Kuchiki Ginrei appeared on the island where Kuchiki Kōga was sealed.
Upon learning of the disturbances in the various Rukongai districts, he understood that all of this must be Muramasa's doing from behind the scenes.
That year, due to the urgent situation, Kuchiki Kōga was sealed here.
Under normal circumstances, according to his crimes, he should have been escorted to Muken…
He had initially thought it would be fine not to bother with these matters, to just let him remain sealed here, as he was a disgrace to the Kuchiki Clan.
But rules are rules, after all.
It was time for a change.
Since Muramasa wanted to see Kuchiki Kōga, then he would let him see Kuchiki Kōga.
Of course… it would be on the way to escort him to Muken.
To avoid causing more unrest…