A moment later, after learning the exact details of what had happened, Yoriichi remained silent for a long time.
This matter was neither simple nor complex.
The general situation was that the woman had been attacked by a Hollow during childbirth.
Ginjo, to protect her, fought the Hollow, but because he didn't understand the Hollow's abilities, he was influenced by impulse and suffered severe injuries.
Then, as the Hollow was about to kill the woman and child,
Ginjo transferred his spiritual power to the woman.
Although humans, when they first gain Shinigami power, don't know how to fight and don't even have a Zanpakuto,
they can at least escape.
The weakness of the physical body does not mean the weakness of the spiritual body, which allowed the woman to barely escape from the Hollow for more than ten seconds.
During this time, Ginjo mobilized his remaining spiritual power to barely use Bakudo, creating an opening, and with the cooperation of his Zanpakuto, he finally eliminated the Hollow.
The situation after that was very clear.
The woman's soul returned to her body, and Ginjo's spiritual pressure dropped to its lowest point, even his Shinigami uniform turned white.
"..." Silence spread among the few of them, and after a long while, Yoriichi broke the quiet.
"This should be considered an emergency evasion, right?"
He stated his opinion, looking at Ginjo,
"I don't think there's any problem with this."
"When his own life, as well as that of his wife and child, were threatened, he privately transferred spiritual power to them, allowing them to escape. This is understandable."
"The Hollow was also eliminated..."
"Even if you didn't come to me, when you return to Soul Society, I believe the Forty-Six Chambers will handle this matter with discretion."
"What you're saying is the ideal situation."
Ginjo rarely argued back. He raised his head and looked at Yoriichi, his eyes filled with deep helplessness and worry,
"Captain Tsugikuni, you should have known before what kind of law enforcement organization the Forty-Six Chambers is."
"Although there was a reform decades ago, and you, including Captain Kyōraku of the Eighth Division, are also listed among them, I trust your judgment."
"But the problem is this."
"This incident happened in the Human World, and it was during this mission."
"According to regulations, all personnel involved in this mission cannot participate in the judgment of the Forty-Six Chambers, including you and Captain Kyōraku."
"This is also to prevent some Captains from abusing their power for personal gain."
"If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have come to ask Captain Shiba for help. The fact that my Shinigami uniform turned white cannot be hidden..."
That was indeed the case. If Ginjo hadn't mentioned it, Yoriichi would have almost forgotten this rule.
What he considered an emergency evasion might not be seen that way by the elders of the Forty-Six Chambers.
Human death takes time.
And during this period before death, if Soul Society were to lose a combat force, causing some Hollows to kill more Shinigami,
the losses incurred would be immeasurable.
After a moment of thought, Yoriichi nodded knowingly:
"Is that so? I understand."
"Don't worry, I probably know how to handle this matter now."
Since the reason for the regulation was the concern that Hollows would kill more Shinigami...
Then all that was needed was to add a supplementary clause.
For example, allowing humans who gain spiritual power to work part-time as Shinigami in the Human World... that would probably work.
They might not be able to deal with some powerful Hollows, but solving the weaker ones should not be a problem.
Perhaps these people could be called—Substitute Soul Reapers?
Although Ginjo didn't understand what Yoriichi was thinking at the moment,
seeing the calm expression on Yoriichi's face, as if everything was under control, a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart.
He stood up, leaned forward, and bowed sincerely:
"Then I'll leave it to you, Captain Tsugikuni!"
...
Soul Society.
Eighth Division.
"Oh my, I didn't expect you, Yoriichi, to come looking for me at this time. What, did something happen in the Human World?"
Kyōraku Shunsui leisurely enjoyed his sake, bathed in the cherry blossoms.
He slightly raised his eyes, looking at Yoriichi Tsugikuni who had come to visit him, a hint of curiosity in his eyes,
"Did you find him?"
He was referring to Shuji Yagami. Five years had passed.
The Eighth Division's intelligence network almost covered every part of the east and west branch offices, yet they couldn't find a single trace of him.
"No," Yoriichi replied, walking up to Kyōraku Shunsui and stating his purpose directly,
"I came here this time for some matters concerning the Forty-Six Chambers, and it also relates to the order of the Human World."
"Oh?"
Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes flickered slightly. He tilted his head back, finished his sake, placed the sake bowl on the ground, and straightened up, his expression becoming serious:
"Tell me in detail, what exactly happened in the Human World?"
"Why does it involve the Forty-Six Chambers?"
Yoriichi slowly explained his idea of Substitute Soul Reapers.
After listening, Kyōraku remained silent for a long time, crossing his arms over his chest, his brows slightly furrowed, seemingly contemplating the pros and cons.
Finally, he nodded gently: "A good idea."
The corners of Kyōraku Shunsui's mouth curved slightly, revealing a faint smile,
"If such a position can be added, I believe our work as Shinigami will be easier in the future."
"Although it's already quite easy now."
"But no one would complain about more rest time."
"However, Yoriichi, there's a problem."
He raised his head, his smile somewhat fading, and his eyes became serious,
"The Human World is vast. How can we ensure that those humans who gain Shinigami power won't cause mischief in the Human World?"
"Also, their combat quality needs to be improved, right?"
"Compared to the official Shinigami of Soul Society, I find it hard to believe that a human who has just gained Shinigami power can directly defeat a Hollow."
Yoriichi had long anticipated that Kyōraku Shunsui would raise such a question, so he had already prepared the corresponding answer in his mind.
He crossed his arms, lowered his brows, looked at Kyōraku Shunsui, and slowly began:
"A little training will suffice."
"Compared to the increase in spiritual power, the improvement in combat proficiency is undoubtedly faster."
"At worst, we can set up a few training classes in the Human World, ostensibly to train humans, but actually to cultivate Substitute Soul Reapers."
Yoriichi paused, then continued: "As for the problem of causing mischief..."
"Doesn't the Twelfth Division have a batch of spiritual pressure monitors?"
"With a slight adjustment, they can be modified into spiritual pressure limiters, with monitoring functions."
"This way, as long as the other party transforms into a Shinigami, we will be aware of it."
Humans cannot independently transform into Shinigami; they require assistance from a Shinigami.
But Shinigami cannot always accompany humans, so a one-button transformation device becomes extremely important.
Kyōraku Shunsui fell into thought, the sake bowl he was holding had I don't know when been placed on the ground.
He nodded, stood up from the ground, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the courtyard, finding the idea more and more interesting the more he thought about it.
"Alright."
Suddenly turning around, a smile appeared on his lips as he brushed off the cherry blossoms on his shoulder, reluctantly acknowledging Yoriichi Tsugikuni's idea and deciding to accompany him.
The establishment of Substitute Soul Reapers would be useless with just imagination; it had to be approved by more than half of the Forty-Six Chambers.
If the approval failed, then Ginjo and his wife's actions would not be justified, which would lead to their eternal separation.
At that point, all Shinigami located in the Human World would have to undergo investigation.
In a way, this did indeed cause trouble for the Shinigami.
But trouble is just trouble.
...
Forty-Six Chambers.
"This old man disagrees! Absolutely disagrees! The position of Substitute Soul Reaper is a defilement of our status!"
"For mere humans to gain the same status as us is utterly absurd!"
"Kyōraku Shunsui, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, do you know what you are saying?!"
No sooner had a sage hidden behind a curtain finished speaking than another young voice beside him retorted:
"Relax, old man of the Kasumioji family, being so irritable, be careful of sudden death. I think what the two of them said is correct."
"The reason a Substitute is a Substitute is precisely because they are not official Shinigami."
"Can't our Soul Society even tolerate a group of temporary workers?"
"Don't be so narrow-minded; if word gets out, people will think we're jealous of talent."
As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a powder keg had been ignited.
The sage of the Kasumioji family turned red with anger, his body trembling uncontrollably, pointing at the young noble, but too agitated to speak.
Then, the entire Forty-Six Chambers descended into chaos.
This was no longer just a question of whether Substitute Soul Reapers were compliant; it was a clash of old and new ideologies.
Some of the old nobles had previously lost power or been imprisoned.
As a result, the Forty-Six Chambers had some of its say occupied by a group of young nobles who were less than five hundred years old.
Although these nobles only constituted a small portion, they had already brought about entirely new changes to the Forty-Six Chambers.
In their eyes, the thoughts of those old men were as ridiculous as stubborn stains.
And the old nobles, in turn, believed that the young nobles were too frivolous and lacked respect for rules.
Amidst the noisy quarrel, Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kyōraku Shunsui exchanged glances, neither speaking.
They were used to it.
They had argued daily before, but usually, things would quiet down after about half an hour.
As expected, about an hour and twenty minutes later, the elders grew tired of arguing, and their voices gradually lowered.
Furthermore, some of the elders belonged to the Shihouin Clan and the Kuchiki Clan. Considering the overall interests and balance, they eventually chose to compromise.
Thus, the proposal for the establishment of the Substitute Soul Reaper position was quickly passed.
Immediately after, with the Twelfth Division working overtime to modify it, the spiritual pressure limiter naturally appeared before everyone.
Its appearance was a wooden token, engraved with a skull-like pattern, representing a Shinigami.
When necessary, it could be used as a communication device.
Humans only needed to touch it and input a little spiritual pressure to separate their soul from their body, achieving Shinigami transformation.
The appearance of this device did not attract much attention because the Substitute Soul Reapers were not publicly known.
The reason temporary workers are temporary workers is because their numbers are not large.
If there were too many... wouldn't official Shinigami have nothing to do and become useless?
The Captains would not do something so counterproductive.
When the spiritual pressure limiter was sent to the Human World and obtained by Ginjo's wife, she officially became the first generation Substitute Soul Reaper.
From then on, a new chapter in the Human World's structure began.
At the same time, some karate training classes were successively established in Karakura Town, Naruki City, and other cities.
Few people signed up, but they never closed down over the decades.
No one knew the reason behind it.
...
Spring passed and autumn came.
As Soul Society began to make large-scale revisions to some of its systems,
members of certain cults successively appeared in various corners of Japan.
They banded together tightly, strictly adhering to their god's teachings, creating disturbances in some parts of the Human World, desperately trying to lure Shinigami out.
These disturbances were considered righteous acts in the eyes of some.
It was only because the attacks targeted places like prisons.
However.
The resulting slaughter led to the manifestation of the Hell Gate, which some Shinigami found intolerable.
In their view, this was purely a provocation against the Soul Society.
After all… even the Quincy dared not commit such large-scale slaughter of living beings.
It was utterly insane.
When some Shinigami came knocking, the expressions of the believers were extremely calm.
They muttered twisted heresies learned from who knows where.
— To eliminate karma, not people; to kill for the sake of life.
Killing those criminals, and their souls falling into Hell, indicated that they were evil.
And the believers who punished the sinners were righteous.
Their righteousness protected others in the world.
If the Shinigami acted against righteousness, it meant they were also on the side of evil and deserved divine retribution.
Who was righteous and who was evil didn't really matter; Shuji Yagami wanted to kill people and break their spirits.
Having obtained some intelligence previously, Shuji Yagami knew that not all Shinigami were resolute.
To defeat them, he had to start from within.
The results were significant.
Although the later Shinigami defeated those believers, some Shinigami's hearts wavered.
These waverings then triggered a chain reaction, to the extent that some people couldn't even use their Zanpakuto.
They began to question what the Shinigami's true duty was.
Fortunately, the Captains in the Human World detected this situation in time and dealt with it swiftly.
They gathered those bewildered Shinigami, and then Kisuke Urahara began to persuade them:
"Everyone, I understand your confusion about the current situation, but please remember, you are Shinigami."
"The mission of the Shinigami is to maintain the balance of the Three Realms; any being that disrupts this balance is our enemy."
"Therefore, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as good versus evil in our eyes."
"We walk in the gray area…"
The Shinigami who could be swayed by those believers were, after all, too young.
Thinking about it carefully, the Spiritual Arts Academy didn't seem to emphasize teaching these things.
Therefore, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was not far away, heard Kisuke Urahara's speech.
He planned to add these points to the reforms of the Soul Society's various rules later.
While improving strength, ideological work must not be forgotten.
"..."
Time flew by, and by the time Kisuke Urahara finished speaking, most of the bewildered Shinigami had awakened.
Just then, the Spirit Communication Device emitted a crisp alert sound.
All the Shinigami present received news that the believers had begun attacking prisons again.
This time… the numbers were large, a full two hundred people.
"I'll go."
Yoriichi came back to his senses and sighed deeply.
"These people are becoming more and more excessive; we must capture them quickly."
"A team of two hundred is not an opponent that ordinary Shinigami can handle."
"Kisuke, please monitor their spiritual pressure to prevent another incident like the last one, where ordinary people were taken hostage."
Although the ideology of these believers was to pursue justice.
Just like there were some timid individuals among the Shinigami.
Among them, there were also many with despicable personalities.
Last time.
It almost led to an incident where Shinigami were exposed in public, nearly causing social unrest.
"I understand, don't worry, with me here, they will definitely not escape."
Kisuke Urahara nodded confidently. After Yoriichi left, he informed the Eighth Division about the appearance of the believers.
Upon receiving the message, the Eighth Division immediately began to determine Shuji Yagami's possible location based on clues.
After some time, Yoriichi returned, without a speck of dirt on him, as if he had only gone for a stroll.
Evidently, the two hundred enemies were successfully captured without causing major unrest.
As soon as he returned, he saw Kisuke Urahara communicating with Kyōraku Shunsui via the Spirit Communication Device.
Kisuke stared at the screen, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Then, he looked up and smiled at Yoriichi Tsugikuni:
"Good news, Captain Kyōraku finally has a breakthrough."
"By analyzing the locations where those cult members have appeared over the past few months…"
"We found that Shuji Yagami's ability should not be as simple as opening space…"
Kisuke Urahara slowly explained his analysis.
Mainly, the act of instantaneously teleporting hundreds of people across thousands of kilometers was too abnormal.
It was important to note that Shuji Yagami's spiritual pressure had not been detected anywhere in Japan.
If his X-cution was truly that powerful, he himself shouldn't be so weak and dare not show himself.
Listening to this information, Yoriichi Tsugikuni understood.
As expected, Shuji Yagami, as a human, probably didn't have much time left.
The probing had lasted for several months, plus the time he had been missing before, a total of six years had passed.
How many six years does one have in a lifetime?
Indeed, the passion of an ambitious person cannot be measured by time, but the Shinigami were not entirely inactive.
Since it was known that Shuji Yagami was not in Japan and his followers were all foreigners.
Then, these foreigners could serve as clues to trace him.
Different races didn't matter; someone must have seen Shuji Yagami. And the Soul Society had no shortage of Zanpakuto that could read memories.
Consolidating the information, finding commonalities, and capturing him, was merely a matter of expending more effort.
...
Some time later, Yoriichi left Karakura Town.
In the following days, he continued to apprehend those cult members.
He had initially thought it would take several more years to capture Shuji Yagami.
Unexpectedly.
One day, half a year later, after investigation by the Eighth Division, Kyōraku Shunsui suddenly discovered his whereabouts.
Just as previously thought, his exposure was due to contacting too many believers, leading to overlapping characteristics in certain regions.
Based on the known information, it could be inferred that he was currently located in an archipelago on the South Atlantic coast.
The Atlantic… was truly distant.
A distance of tens of thousands of kilometers meant that even Captain-level Shinigami running at full speed would take over ten minutes to reach that place.
However, for true powerhouses, it was a different story.
"I'll leave it to you, Yoriichi. I remember your Shunpo surpassed Old Man Yama decades ago."
"According to the distance between the two places, you only need to spend tens of seconds to reach that place."
Kyōraku Shunsui pleaded with Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Yoriichi pondered for a moment, then accepted the mission. He had previously thought that Shuji Yagami wouldn't be able to hide for too long.
Now that it had come true, he naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity.
Thus, when he appeared before Shuji Yagami with a fleeting sonic boom, the latter was still bewildered, feeling as if he was seeing an illusion.
He quickly pulled out a notebook from his person, intending to write something.
But the next second, he was interrupted by Yoriichi.
Rustle.
The notebook shattered into a shower of paper scraps.
"!!"
Watching the fluttering paper scraps fall before his eyes, Shuji Yagami was stunned.
No… what was going on?
Coming from Japan to the Atlantic, was there no news at all?
He had even arranged some spies in Japan to monitor every move of the Shinigami.
All to prevent them from carrying out a decapitation strike.
He didn't expect them to succeed anyway.
— This is unscientific!
Although his own ability was extremely unscientific.
"Why could you find me?!"
Shuji Yagami was filled with unwillingness. He gritted his teeth, staring intently at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, knowing full well that he had lost.
He relied on the Wish Notebook to gain such powerful strength, and once he lost it, he was nothing.
Although he could still materialize, materialization required time.
It was too late.
Since there was no escape anyway, he wanted to die with understanding.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at the paper scraps on the ground and the pen lying beside them, roughly understanding the opponent's ability.
At this moment, listening to Shuji Yagami's question, he calmly glanced at the opponent, while using Bakudo to bind him, and said:
"It's simple, everything done leaves a trace."
"You thought that by using people from multiple countries to act together, you wouldn't expose your location."
"But in reality, it was precisely this action of yours that led to your capture."
"That's impossible!" Shuji Yagami retorted angrily,
"How could such an absurd statement make me believe it? Someone must have exposed my whereabouts!"
"Damn it, everything is the same as six years ago, why are you Shinigami always so persistent!"
"Under your rule, the Soul Society has become so corrupt, why do you stop my actions?!"
"I kill those evil people, and resist you Shinigami who do nothing, what fault is there in that?"
"Do you gods really despise mortals like this? Are mortal lives not lives?!"
These words were too extreme; Yoriichi had never thought that way.
Perhaps he misunderstood.
Because.
Even First district of Rukongai and life in the Human World were worlds apart.
Let alone District 62.
But Yoriichi didn't want to say more at this moment, because such things were difficult to explain in a short time.
Just as Shuji Yagami couldn't explain whether he was killing or saving people.
Every time he wanted to save a portion of people, he had to kill a portion of people.
In his words, he also despised those he considered evil.
Viewing them as ants.
"I can understand you, but I cannot agree with you. Your starting point is good, but there is no absolute justice in the world."
Yoriichi looked at him, "Regarding those grand principles, I'm too lazy to explain. You should be clear that your actions are problematic."
"Otherwise, after six years, it wouldn't just be minor skirmishes."
These words left Shuji Yagami with no room to retort. He also wanted to escalate things, but what could he do if he had no power?
There were only so many believers; if he used them all up at once, he couldn't wait another ten or twenty years, could he?
Furthermore, he had made wishes before, but without exception, they all failed.
He didn't know why they failed.
Anyway, people died for nothing, and he got no benefits…
Just thinking about it made him feel depressed.
Creak—!
Gritting his teeth.
Damn it!