With these thoughts in mind.
Whoosh.
With a flash of light, Shuji Yagami vanished from the streets of Japan, reappearing in a strange country.
The surrounding scenery was quite enchanting, as if a filter had been applied, and he could faintly smell the sea breeze.
He frowned, a little unaccustomed to this sudden sense of unfamiliarity, then pulled out his GPS from his pocket and glanced at it.
When he saw the distant coordinates displayed on the screen, his eyes instantly became incredibly solemn, and his murmured words carried unconcealed apprehension:
"The Atlantic?"
"To avoid being caught by them, the Wish Notebook actually sent me across the ocean..."
He tilted his head slightly, looking towards the distant horizon, his mind filled with myriad thoughts.
"It seems I was right; if I stayed in Japan, they would find me soon enough."
The reason he had this idea was because of the wish he had made.
Not to be caught within five years.
He had made similar wishes before, but they usually didn't exceed a hundred kilometers.
But now, it was across ten thousand kilometers...
Such an exaggerated distance could only mean one thing: all of Japan was unsafe.
"Oh well."
Shuji Yagami sighed deeply, as if letting go of some persistence, accepting his fate.
He believed the Wish Notebook unreservedly.
Since the Wish Notebook had transported him here, there must be a reason for it.
One must know that, to this day, the success rate of wishes coming true has been one hundred percent.
Taking a deep breath and assessing his location, Shuji Yagami quickened his pace, heading towards a certain place.
Although in Japan and Soul Society, he still had seeds he had planted.
But those people alone couldn't accomplish great things.
He had to re-establish his divine cult.
Only when the number of followers reached a certain scale could he return to Japan and create some unexpected trouble for those self-righteous Shinigami.
After that, he could completely disrupt their plans and make them pay a heavy price for what they had done to him.
As for now... he would rather not.
He lacked power.
...
Naruki City.
When Shiba Isshin arrived, he took out his reishi detection device and carefully examined it.
The dense cluster of light spots on it made him somewhat alarmed.
Red, white, black, and green intertwined...
Although the colors were distinct, seeing so many at once still made him somewhat incredulous.
He vaguely remembered that a few decades ago, there were only a handful of humans with reishi in each city.
And now?
A rough scan showed at least a hundred.
This shouldn't be a spiritual hotbed, right?
Shiba Isshin was full of doubts.
He frowned, observing his surroundings, and after calming himself for a moment, he turned his attention back to the instrument.
This time, he focused on the green reishi representing the Fullbringer.
According to intelligence, the reishi of individuals granted a reishi seed by Shuji Yagami was also green.
Therefore, theoretically, all Fullbringer were suspected of colluding with him.
But theory was just theory; appearances were often deceptive and couldn't be used to condemn everyone.
Furthermore, humans with normal reishi colors could not be ignored, such as Quincy.
These Quincy appeared to have no contact with Shuji Yagami on the surface, but who knew what they were plotting behind the scenes?
As a Captain, he knew much more intelligence than ordinary Shinigami.
Like some pure-blood Quincy, they had always been dissatisfied with the Shinigami's surveillance...
Let's go investigate first.
He opened the Senkaimon, and the members of the Tenth Division, receiving their orders, appeared in the sky above Naruki City.
Shiba Isshin gave them an instruction: to hide themselves as much as possible and ascertain the identities of all humans with reishi.
Their social connections, life experiences—nothing could be omitted.
At this point, someone asked, "Captain, what about those Quincy?"
"Although we are confident that ordinary humans won't detect us, Quincy's perception of us should be quite keen, right?"
"Investigating humans isn't difficult, but them..."
This was indeed a challenge.
Shiba Isshin pondered for a few seconds, then nodded and said,
"Leave it to me. I'll deal with them. You all just focus on your own tasks."
He raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over each team member, and earnestly instructed with a serious expression,
"Even if you see me fighting with those Quincy, do not come over, because misunderstandings are easily formed but not easily resolved."
"At this time, we cannot afford to create more enemies for the Shinigami, or the situation will become even more unmanageable."
"If they are problematic, I will summon you, but otherwise... do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, some Shinigami of the Tenth Division looked at each other.
Finally, they all nodded.
"Understood!"
...
At the same time.
The Kurosaki family, who had moved to Naruki City after being attacked by the Wandenreich, seemed to sense something.
They looked up at the sky.
Although the sky was still clear and the sun was warm, the feeling it gave them was a sudden palpitation.
In the next second, their expressions changed.
This was—Shinigami reishi!
More than one...
What happened?
Outside the house, in front of the barbecue grill, Kurosaki Yuzu frowned slightly, her thoughts churning as she cast a silent glance at her husband beside her.
Her husband, like her, was also deeply frowning, completely unaware of why so many Shinigami had arrived in Naruki City at the same time.
There was no Hollow reishi in their perception.
Could it be that they came to subjugate the Quincy...
No.
"Get inside first," Kurosaki Yōya said in a low voice, with an unquestionable authority.
As he spoke, he swiftly pulled his wife back into the room, his movements clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Their five-year-old daughter, Kurosaki Yuzu, who was playing outside, was also pulled back by them.
Kurosaki Yuzu looked bewildered, not understanding why.
But she knew her father's orders could not be disobeyed.
At the same time, she had never seen her father show such a solemn expression.
It was as if... something significant was about to happen.
"Father..." Kurosaki Yuzu instinctively asked.
Kurosaki Yōya interrupted her:
"Don't speak, Yuzu. Go play in your room. Leave the rest to us."
He tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible, soothing his daughter's emotions,
"You absolutely must not come out until we call you."
"If you're scared, open the box in the corner of the room. The password is your birthday."
"Just hide inside and keep going forward, and you'll escape danger."
The previous attack made him deeply understand the importance of preparing for a rainy day.
That's why his daughter was born.
And even after his daughter's birth, it wasn't a case of everything being fine.
If he died, his wife certainly wouldn't live alone; therefore, in that situation, protecting the Kurosaki legacy became extremely important.
So.
He moved to Naruki City and opened a secret passage connecting to the Ishida Clan in the neighboring Karakura Town.
As for why he didn't directly choose to live in Karakura Town.
The Shinigami's strict surveillance was one reason, and the fact that only one Quincy family was allowed to live in a city was another.
In any case, he had prepared a retreat for the Kurosaki.
Taking a deep breath, Kurosaki Yōya thought about various things, and at his urging, Kurosaki Yuzu quickly returned to her room.
Once the door closed, he breathed a sigh of relief, then quietly waited for the Shinigami to arrive.
Not long after.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
This crisp sound, like a fatal alarm, caused Kurosaki Yōya and Kurosaki Yuzu's adrenaline to surge.
They could clearly feel that the person outside the door was not an ordinary Shinigami; it was definitely a Captain-level individual.
Although he wasn't followed by other Shinigami, they understood that the current situation was absolutely abnormal.
Growing more and more nervous, Kurosaki Yōya was already prepared to have Kurosaki Yuzu escape at any moment.
Slowly walking forward, he opened the door.
He had expected to see a fierce, burly man.
He didn't expect...
Hmm?
Who was this gentle-faced, smiling pretty boy?
...
Soon after, Kurosaki Yōya and Kurosaki Yuzu watched Shiba Isshin leave, both of them showing expressions of both confusion and relief.
"I didn't expect this."
Kurosaki Yōya rubbed his temples, sighing with a complex expression on his face,
"This Captain is actually going to be our neighbor..."
"Yuzu, do you think this is Soul Society's surveillance of us?"
He turned his head, looking at his wife and asking, his eyes full of inquiry.
"Not really," Kurosaki Yuzu gently shook her head, her gaze still lingering on Shiba Isshin's retreating figure, his orange hair swaying in the wind.
She pondered for a moment: "If it were surveillance, there'd be no need for such an elaborate setup."
"It must be that something has happened in Soul Society, causing us Quincy to also become their focus."
"As long as it's not a purge against us, that's good. Yuzu is still so young; if she lost her parents, I truly worry if she could live on strongly."
"Yes," Kurosaki Yōya sighed softly, his arms crossed, his head slightly tilted, his gaze fixed on the depths of the room, his tone filled with emotion,
"That's what I'm worried about too. Although I discussed it with the Ishida Clan before, they would take care of Yuzu, but the price is..."
His words trailed off, as if he didn't want to continue this heavy topic.
"Forget it."
Kurosaki Yōya seemed to have made up his mind, waving his hand, and then said, "Should we continue the barbecue?"
"Today is our daughter's fifth birthday; it wouldn't be good to interrupt it like this, would it?"
It certainly wouldn't be good. Kurosaki Yuzu could even imagine her daughter in the room, anxious and restless.
She quickly walked to the room door, knocked on it, then turned to her husband and said,
"Bring out the cake. It looks like we can't wait until evening. We need to make it up to her properly."
"After all, such a big misunderstanding occurred."
Kurosaki Yōya nodded and went to do it.
...
At the same time.
Inside the girl's room.
Kurosaki Yuzu was lie on the window, looking at the black-clad figure not far away, seen through the gaps in the treetops, who was opening the door with his back to her.
A hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes.
...
"Shinigami... are they?"
She murmured softly; although still young, she had heard talk of Shinigami.
When she was a baby.
Her parents often talked about these things.
As they talked, she learned about her own uniqueness.
And because of this, from the age of four, she began arduous reishi control training.
A year passed, and she became increasingly skilled, now able to condense reishi into objects for thirty seconds without them dissipating.
At this rate, around the age of six, she would possess a certain level of combat ability and become a true Quincy.
Compared to other Quincy, the talent demonstrated by this speed was already quite exceptional.
However, Kurosaki Masaki didn't care about any of that; she was too young, and even with extraordinary talent, she didn't understand what talent meant.
She only cared about one thing: what was the true nature of her Quincy identity and its relationship with the Shinigami, who were the Quincy's enemies?
Her parents had warned her to stay away from those people dressed in black.
Now.
People dressed in black lived right across from her house...
This situation made it difficult for her to calm down.
It was like dreaming of wetting the bed when she was little, only to wake up and find the nightmare had actually come true...
"What kind of person is he, really?"
"What did Mom and Dad talk to him about..."
Kurosaki Masaki was filled with curiosity.
Unfortunately, she knew that even if she asked, she was destined not to get any answers.
However, from what she had overheard outside just now, it seemed those unpleasant things hadn't happened...
Just as she was lost in thought.
Knock knock knock, the door was knocked.
Kurosaki Masaki turned her head; it was her mother, who had walked in with a slice of cake.
...
"It wasn't them..."
Shiba Isshin left the Kurosaki residence, recalling their recent conversation, and muttered to himself, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.
"I thought these Quincy would be particularly difficult to communicate with, but I didn't expect them to be so agreeable..."
"It looks like my work will be a bit easier from now on."
"Having eliminated the Quincy as an incorrect option, what's left are only the Fullbringers."
Neither Kurosaki Yōya nor Kurosaki Yuzu showed any impression of Shuji Yagami.
While there was a possibility they were acting, Shiba Isshin didn't think they would act in front of him, a Shinigami.
Anyone with eyes could see that Shuji Yagami's capture was only a matter of time.
Of course, before his capture, he might cause some destruction to the Soul Society, but destruction always recovers eventually.
As for becoming a god?
If the Soul King's marrow could become a god, then what about the Soul King's heart, the Soul King's left hand, and the Soul King's right hand?
Fullbringers, no matter how strong, are still humans, unlike Shinigami.
"The old man is really something; to catch a single human, he actually mobilized six Captains. It's truly overkill."
"But... well, never mind. He is the Captain-Commander, after all, so it's understandable."
This was probably Yamamoto Genryusai's desire to spend his remaining time peacefully and properly pass on the Captain-Commander position.
If the incident of Shuji Yagami invading the Soul Society were to occur close to his retirement, the Captain-Commander position would become a mess.
It wouldn't be good inside or out.
Shiba Isshin was deep in thought when he unknowingly returned to his own doorstep.
Before he could even pull out his key—he was currently operating through a Gigai, and because he needed to uncover the truth, he had released his spiritual pressure when visiting the Kurosaki.
The house was provided by the Soul Society for some members to live in the Human World.
—Just then, Shiba Isshin caught a glimpse of a gaze from the shadows.
Turning around, he could vaguely make out a small girl, peering from near a window, her face unclear.
And at the exact same moment, the little girl also turned away, disappearing from the window.
"Is that... the daughter of that couple?"
"I vaguely heard something about her. Never mind, she's not an important person."
Shiba Isshin muttered, he wasn't so naive as to think Shuji Yagami would exploit an innocent little girl.
Just keeping an eye on that couple should be enough.
He wondered when this mission would finally end.
He looked up at the sky.
Click.
He vanished from outside the door, and only after entering the house did he leave the building in his Shinigami form.
...
Five years rushed by, as if in the blink of an eye.
During these five years, everything unfolded exactly as recorded in the Wishful Notebook; not a single Shinigami found Shuji Yagami, who was far across the ocean.
This year, Shuji Yagami was already twenty-five years old.
Through these years of effort, he had developed approximately five thousand followers.
Five thousand against ten thousand was, of course, far from enough.
Normally, he would need to continue developing for a while longer.
But whenever he thought of the Rukongai in the Soul Society living in rags.
And how those Shinigami remained high and mighty, ignoring them, it filled Shuji Yagami with anguish—anguish that they had neglected justice.
At the same time, these days of hiding had made him increasingly frustrated.
It was then that he realized five years wasn't the time he wouldn't be caught by Shinigami, but rather the maximum time he could endure.
If the justice in his heart allowed him to continue staying, ten or twenty years would be no problem at all.
But the problem was, by then, would his thirty or forty-year-old self still possess the same unyielding drive as he did at twenty?
Clearly impossible; he couldn't wait any longer.
However, past lessons told him that even if he was in a hurry, he couldn't act rashly.
Out of caution, he first infused the reishi from five hundred followers into his own body.
Because the reishi seeds within them originated from him, he easily integrated them, instantly elevating himself to a Seat Officer level.
He could feel a continuous surge of power welling up in his chest, as if he could shatter a house with a single punch.
This should have been a cause for joy, but Shuji Yagami still felt it was too little. Fortunately—his reliance wasn't on reishi.
Absorbing reishi was merely to gain the ability to protect himself.
Previously, when he was in Japan, he didn't dare to act on a large scale.
Now, far away in another country, he could naturally do as he pleased.
Exhaling, Shuji Yagami paused for a moment. As he savored the feeling, he took out the Wishful Notebook.
At the same time, he picked up a pen and casually wrote something on it.
Three seconds later, thirty believers died.
Seeing this, Shuji Yagami subtly raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
But it was fine; it was only thirty people, and the loss was well within an acceptable range.
Next, he just needed to quietly wait for the Shinigami internal affairs to fall into disarray.
...
At the same time.
Naruki City.
"What?!"
Shiba Isshin's loud voice suddenly erupted in a room. He looked at the hesitant Shinigami in front of him, his expression extremely grave.
He had expected the other party to report good news, but he never imagined it would be...
"You fell in love with a human?"
"And you gave her your Shinigami powers?"
"Do you know the consequences of doing that, Ginjo...?"
"Illegally transmitting spiritual power to a human can result in a death sentence at the highest..."
"You..."
Shiba Isshin didn't want to say anything more.
He extended a finger, his lips trembling slightly, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time.
He only said, "Foolish."
He had originally thought Shinigami falling in love with humans was only something recorded in texts, but he never expected it to truly happen before his eyes, to one of his own team members...
How was he supposed to handle this? Report it truthfully?
—He couldn't bear to.
But if he didn't report it.
Given enough time, it would still be discovered, and then he wouldn't escape death, and that human woman would also be implicated.
Furthermore...
"Ginjo, tell me honestly, what else have you done? How long have you and that woman been together?"
The Shinigami named Ginjo told him truthfully, and after he finished speaking, Shiba Isshin's expression grew even more grim.
Because the two of them even had a child.
"Ginjō Kūgo, is that right?"
"It's a boy..."
"And a Fullbringer..."
"Very good, excellent. Honestly, Ginjo, I can't save you. The only thing I can do is help you preserve your bloodline."
"Before the Forty-Six Chambers discovers it, confess quickly. That way, you might reduce some of your crimes..."
"I'll also plead for you with the Forty-Six Chambers..."
Shiba Isshin hadn't finished speaking.
A knock came from outside the door.
Through the faint spiritual pressure the other party was leaking, he could sense it was—Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"This is bad."
Shiba Isshin's heart jolted; he had almost forgotten that today was the day for intelligence summaries, and all the Captains would be going to Karakura Town.
And the city where Yoriichi was located was near Naruki City...
Naruki City was adjacent to Karakura Town...
Although Shiba Isshin knew that Yoriichi Tsugikuni's personality could sometimes be very understanding, it also depended on the situation...
There was no time to think further.
Click.
Because of their frequent greetings over the past five years, Yoriichi had already pushed the door open and walked in.
As soon as he entered, he saw the man in front of Shiba Isshin, whose Shinigami uniform had turned pale.
...
The two looked at each other in silence, saying nothing, yet seemingly saying everything.
...
Not long after.
"So, you want to ask me if there's any way to make the Forty-Six Chambers retract or amend this law?"
On the sofa, Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at Shiba Isshin with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
He paused, then sighed softly: "It's a good idea, but unfortunately, very difficult to achieve."
After he finished speaking, seeing Shiba Isshin about to object, Yoriichi raised a hand to interrupt him,
"I know the child is innocent. Don't rush; I'm like you, I also don't want to see a child born without parents."
"It's just difficult, but not impossible to manage. I've felt this regulation was problematic for a long time."
"Because after humans gain spiritual power, they can still become Shinigami after death, which doesn't result in a waste of power."
"Furthermore, the term 'human' actually covers a very wide range; Quincy are also humans, just with longer lifespans."
"Now, an incident of a Shinigami falling in love with a human has occurred. What if, later, an incident of a Shinigami falling in love with a Quincy occurs? How should that be handled?"
"This also needs to be considered."
"Killing them with one blow doesn't align with the current Shinigami approach."
"I'll help out a little."
"Now, please tell me the detailed sequence of events."