Things progressed extremely smoothly. Ishikawa mobilized at noon, and by the afternoon, the cave where the Zanpakuto were hiding had already been located.
"Alright, tell them not to engage rashly. It's best to have ordinary people, like those who chop wood on the mountain, monitor them. Notify me immediately of any movements."
Inside the tavern, Ishikawa said to Oyama.
"Yes."
Oyama responded, then turned to a few of his subordinates and said, "Did you all hear what the boss said?"
"We heard."
"If you heard, why aren't you hurrying to inform them?"
After kicking a few subordinates out, Oyama sat beside Ishikawa and asked with some confusion, "Ishikawa-sama, who exactly are those strange-looking guys? They don't look like Shinigami. Could they be the ones who attacked Seireitei and caused heavy losses to the Gotei 13?"
"They are the ones who did it."
Ishikawa did not hide it and said directly, "Those are all rogue Zanpakuto, controlled by others."
"Rogue Zanpakuto?"
Oyama was slightly stunned; it was the first time he had heard that a Zanpakuto could go rogue…
But what does Ishikawa want with those rogue Zanpakuto?
Could it be…
Oyama's eyes lit up as he seemed to realize something: "Ishikawa, do you want to destroy those Zanpakuto to weaken the Gotei 13's strength?"
"…What are you guys thinking all day long?"
Ishikawa looked at Oyama somewhat speechlessly: "Those Zanpakuto are only temporarily rebellious. Even if they are eliminated, they will eventually recover. And my goal is not to eliminate them, but to ensure their objective is achieved."
Oyama was a bit confused hearing this, but after hesitating, he didn't ask further. Anyway, whatever Ishikawa-sama wanted to do, he would follow.
"Where's Ganju?"
Ishikawa asked Utsuki with some confusion.
Ganju usually stayed in the Yorozuya Tavern every day, but today, even though he had been sitting here all afternoon, Ganju hadn't appeared once.
"I heard that Kukaku-ane's friend came, and as the only member of the Shiba, he has to stay at home to receive her."
Friend?
Didn't Yoruichi return to the Human World with Urahara Kisuke and the others?
No.
As the former commander of the Onmitsukidō, her presence in Seireitei during this period could indeed be of great help to Seireitei.
Moreover, though he hadn't seen them.
But as far as Ishikawa knew, Ichigo and Hitsugaya, who were sent to the Human World, had already arrived in Soul Society two days ago. Now, he figured they must be investigating.
As the Tenth Division is a police force, with such a major incident, they naturally cannot remain uninvolved. Besides, investigating the cause of the incident is the duty of that Shinigami elementary school student.
He just didn't know how far they had investigated. He hoped it wouldn't deviate too much from his memory, otherwise, if he couldn't find Kōga Kuchiki, Ishikawa really wouldn't know where to find another target.
It was a pity that none of his subordinates, these villains, had Zanpakuto. Otherwise, if he sent them all to Muramasa, they could barely provide him with some more combat power.
He did have one, but he always felt a strange sense of shame letting his Zanpakuto out.
Even though Ishikawa clearly knew…
His Zanpakuto should not be as fragile as it appears on the surface.
"Has something happened to you?"
Ishida Soken, who had been observing Ishikawa, suddenly frowned and asked, "Why can I not feel any Reiatsu fluctuations from you?"
Although Ishikawa's Reiatsu was usually faint, if he wasn't intentionally hiding it, one could still feel the Reiatsu within him, unlike now, where there were no Reiatsu fluctuations around him.
"Hmm."
Ishikawa nodded and said directly, "I fought Aizen two days ago, and because of the injuries I sustained in that battle, I have now completely lost my Shinigami abilities."
Completely lost his Shinigami abilities?
As soon as these words were uttered, the entire tavern fell silent.
Immediately, Oyama's face darkened. He rose from beside Ishikawa and stood behind him, his gaze coldly sweeping over everyone in the tavern.
As a fellow villain, he understood the rules among villains better than anyone.
The rules were simple, summarized in four words:
The strong reign supreme!
Because Ishikawa was the strongest, most villains regarded him as their 'King.'
But if one day this 'King' became weak and vulnerable, these guys would absolutely not mind eliminating the 'King' to take his place.
And indeed, almost the moment Ishikawa said he had lost his Shinigami abilities, the gazes of many people in the tavern subtly changed.
Ishida Soken, standing nearby, glanced at Ishikawa, with no guilt on his face, nor did he regret asking an inappropriate question.
Because Ishikawa was not a fool; if it truly wasn't meant to be answered, he would naturally have concealed it perfectly, or indicated that they should talk in private, instead of speaking out directly in front of so many people as he did now.
Ishikawa scanned the tavern with interest, silently noting everyone whose gaze towards him seemed off.
Although Ishikawa was unwilling to proactively attack those who had helped him a lot, if these people attacked him, it would be entirely different.
Whether as Reiatsu consumables or as research material, these guys could perfectly fulfill that role.
Moreover…
It was about time for a cleansing.
Because the entire Rukongai was ruled by Ishikawa, villains from the four districts often coexisted, and infighting had become increasingly rare.
If it were just that, it would be fine, but recently, some people had been secretly forming alliances behind his back, hoping to stir up conflict between him and Seireitei, thereby forcing him to become an enemy of the Gotei 13.
Villains are villains after all; their love for fighting will never change.
With prolonged peace, some villains gradually adapted, while others felt a deep sense of suppression, becoming increasingly irritable.
Recently, the number of people causing trouble in the tavern had also been gradually increasing.
If he continued to let them be, who knew when they would cause him huge trouble? This must be avoided!
Ishikawa picked up his wine glass and gently sipped from the rim.
In just this short while, some villains in the tavern had already quietly retreated towards the backyard, preparing to spread the news of Ishikawa's loss of Shinigami abilities.
Oyama, seeing this, instinctively moved to stop them, but before he could act, Ishikawa pulled him back.
"Sit down."
Ishikawa pressed the struggling Oyama into his seat: "Speaking of which, it seems like it's been a long time since we drank together, hasn't it?"
"Boss, this is not the time to drink. You first let go… Hmm?"
Oyama suddenly froze, looking at the motionless hand on his shoulder, and blinked: "You…"
"Come, drink."
Ishikawa picked up the wine pot and poured Oyama a cup of wine. As one of the earliest people to follow him, Oyama had been receiving Ishikawa's guidance over the years. It could be said that among all the villains, he was the strongest, apart from Nishijin Ori, Kin'en, Gin'en (the three former great villains), and Himura.
If he were to act, he could completely keep all the villains in the tavern who harbored ill intentions towards him.
"Eh? Ah… Thank you, Boss!"
Oyama's eyes lit up, and his serious expression immediately relaxed.
Having once been Daimaru's strategist in District 79, he was naturally not a fool. When he felt the strength from the hand on his shoulder, he vaguely guessed Ishikawa-sama's intentions.
It seemed many people were going to die this time.
However, these people had indeed become a bit too presumptuous recently, due to Ishikawa being much friendlier to them, and they were causing too much trouble!
"Why don't we stay at Kukaku-ane's place for a while?" Utsuki quietly asked from behind the bar.
"Don't worry."
Before Ishikawa could speak, Ishida Soken, who was nearby, chuckled and said, "This old body of mine can still move."
"If you count as an old body, what am I?"
Oyama glanced at Ishida Soken: "You've been in Soul Society for so many years, and you're still calling yourself an old body every day. If we're talking about age, I'm old enough to be your grandfather."
"..."
Ishida Soken's face darkened at his retort. He opened his mouth, but in the end, couldn't think of a rebuttal.
Though the words were harsh, they were true.
"Then how do you want to compare?" Ishida Soken looked at Oyama with a cold gaze: "How about you fight me?"
"Uh…"
Oyama's originally smug expression suddenly stiffened, then he laughed heartily: "Come, come, come, Old Man Ishida, let's drink…"
What a disappointment~
Ishikawa looked at the two and couldn't help but laugh.
Unknowingly, he had indeed stayed here for a very long time.
At least the old him, when faced with such a situation, would never choose to wait for them to rebel before cleaning up.
"What are you thinking?"
Utsuki refilled Ishikawa's glass and asked with some concern, "Are you really alright? Should I ask Ganju to come over as well?"
"I just suddenly remembered something from the past."
Ishikawa smiled slightly, then said, "Don't worry, let Ganju accompany Kukaku-ane to entertain the guests."
"Something from the past?"
Utsuki paused slightly, then seemed to recall something and smiled, "Now that you mention it, I also remember the time when you first arrived in Soul Society."
"First arrived in Soul Society?"
Oyama's eyes lit up, and he immediately leaned forward, "Utsuki-Ane, what was Ishikawa like when he first arrived in Soul Society? Was he like he is in my memory?"
"How could it be the same?"
Utsuki said, "The Ishikawa you saw was already Ishikawa after three years in Soul Society. When he first arrived in Soul Society, he was… well, how should I put it, quite terrifying."
"Terrifying?"
At these words, Ishida Soken, who was nearby, also became interested.
"Yes, his eyes were lifeless, and he looked gloomy, as if he couldn't smile at all. And most importantly…"
Utsuki paused, looked at Ishikawa, and seeing no reaction from him, she continued, "Despite having all his limbs intact, only one hand could move freely, while the other hand and both feet seemed completely unusable. When he first arrived in Soul Society, I even pushed his wheelchair for a while."
"But terrifying as he was, during that time when he first arrived in Soul Society, he was constantly trying to learn how to get along with people, even practicing smiling in front of a mirror, and then greeting the girls around him in a particularly awkward tone. Ishikawa back then wasn't like he is now, like a… well, yes, like what people in the Human World call a scumbag."
"Back then, his face would turn completely red when he talked to Sake Granny."
"Couldn't smile? Wheelchair?"
Oyama and Ishida Soken's expressions immediately turned a bit strange. If these words hadn't come from Utsuki, who knew Ishikawa from the very beginning, they would never have believed them.
One might even say that even with Utsuki saying it, they still found it hard to believe.
After all, everyone in Rukongai knew that Ishikawa was like a happy Buddha, always smiling and greeting everyone.
"It wasn't that exaggerated. I could walk within a month. There was just a small accident when I was transported to Soul Society." Ishikawa chuckled, not explaining much, and said with a smile, "Anyone who finds out they've died probably wouldn't be able to smile, right?"
"I know that."
Oyama laughed, "When I followed Daimaru, I investigated Ishikawa-sama on his orders. It's said that Ishikawa was directly dropped from the sky, landing right in Utsuki-Ane's house. It even alerted the Seireitei to investigate at the time."
Everyone drank and chatted, and time flew by quickly.
After an unknown period, the door connecting the tavern to the backyard was suddenly pushed open, and two figures walked in from outside.
Almost the moment the two appeared, a pungent smell of blood filled the tavern.
"Yo, Ishikawa-sama, Nishijin Ori Boss and I are here to see you."
The burly Himura waved at Ishikawa, and with her wave, a large splatter of blood was flung out.
This scene made the corner of Ishikawa's mouth twitch slightly.
"Hmph~"
Nishijin Ori, also covered in blood, gave a rather cool hmph and sat down at his usual table.
"What happened to you two?"
Ishikawa's mouth continued to twitch, as he vaguely realized why these two looked like this, though he was somewhat unwilling to admit it.
"Nishijin Ori Boss and I encountered some unruly fellows on our way here, so it took us a bit of time."
Himura skillfully picked up a wine glass, refilling Nishijin Ori's while saying, "Ishikawa, please assign us a room later. We plan to recuperate here for a while. We're really tired from all the fighting recently."
"Ah—"
Ishikawa looked at the two and couldn't help but rub his head, "You two killers, are your brains messed up?"
"Huh?"
"How many did you kill?" Ishikawa asked again.
Himura and Nishijin Ori exchanged glances, subtly sensing something was wrong.
Nishijin Ori took the wine glass from Himura's hand, turned his head as if he hadn't heard, and slowly sipped the strong liquor in the glass.
Himura hesitated for a moment, "Uh… all… no, not all. We just killed all the small groups that had gathered in the West Borough."
"What size were these small groups?"
"Some had dozens, some had thousands…"
"..." Ishikawa.
What a waste!
I should have notified these two idiots earlier.
What the hell are 'small groups'? These two spendthrifts have basically slaughtered most of the villains in the West!
Just then, the backyard door was pushed open again, and before the person appeared, their voice came through.
"Ishikawa-sama, I brought you good wine! If you have any troubles in the future, you can always tell me. Don't worry, from now on, I, Takashi, will be covering the Everything Store. Anyone who comes will die!"
Seeing Takashi, whom everyone liked, walk in also covered in blood, Ishikawa sighed slightly.
Among his subordinates, Nishijin Ori, Kin'en, and Gin'en, three great villains, and Himura, had all reached Captain-level under his guidance. And the number of Vice-Captain-level individuals was quite alarming, with Oyama and Takashi, whom everyone liked, being the strongest in terms of power.
Looking at his attire, there was no need to guess; a large number of his experimental subjects had probably met a tragic end again.
"Uh… Nishijin Ori Boss is already here?"
Takashi's arrogant declaration abruptly stopped, and he chuckled nervously, "I was just kidding."
"Hahahahaha—"
As soon as his words fell, an even more arrogant burst of laughter came from outside.
"Ishikawa, you brat, get out here."
Kin'en's voice came, "And Kin'en, Gin'en. From today onwards, you'll change your name to Gold Silver Wood."
"From now on, you'll be our little brother. First, build a house for your two big brothers, Kin'en and Gin'en… bah, for your two big brothers. They just helped you solve a lot of trouble."
Listening to these two arrogant voices, Ishikawa's eyes lit up slightly, but their words made his gaze darken again.
Creak—
With the sound of the door opening, sure enough…
The two who entered were, like Nishijin Ori and the others, covered in blood. Judging by the thickness, they had probably killed no less than Nishijin Ori and his companion.
Takashi, standing by the back door, quickly shrank back.
"Anon—"
Ishikawa sighed heavily, put down his wine glass, and stood up to greet the two approaching from outside.
"Yo, you've improved! You even know to come out and greet us now."
The chubby Kin'en's eyes lit up, and he looked pleased. Upon hearing that Ishikawa had lost his Shinigami abilities, they were both happy and worried. Happy because they could finally say goodbye to strange names like Kin'en and Gin'en, and worried about Ishikawa's safety.
After all these years, Ishikawa had taken good care of the two of them and often guided them in their training.
Nishijin Ori and the others looked at the smug Kin'en and Gin'en, their gazes becoming a bit strange.
After Ishikawa reached the two, he put his arms around their necks and dragged them towards the backyard.
"What are you doing, what are you doing? Who are you getting chummy with…"
Kin'en immediately started yelling, but the thin Gin'en next to him sensed something was wrong and kept nudging Kin'en with his hand.
"Why are you nudging me? Didn't we agree to establish our brothers' prestige before Nishijin Ori arrived? Otherwise, when that lunatic Nishijin Ori comes, we won't be able to order Ishikawa… I mean, work together diligently." Kin'en said, trying to pull the arm from his neck.
"Oh, ho, you're quite strong… Hmm?"
Only then did Kin'en seem to realize something. He instinctively released his Reiatsu, but no matter how hard he tried, the arm around his neck remained motionless like an iron clamp.
This discovery made Kin'en's chubby cheeks instantly turn pale.
"Ishi… Ishikawa-Big Bro… I just… right, I was just kidding…"
"It's fine, I'm just checking if you two have been slacking off in your training recently."
"No… no need… Ahhhhhh~"
Screams of agony echoed from the backyard.
Nishijin Ori and the others exchanged glances, all letting out a sigh of relief.