Shihoin Shun'gen, the head who had presided over one of the Four Great Noble Houses for centuries, ultimately passed away before his children, his heart still heavy with lingering worries.
After the old man's death, the funeral was held as scheduled.
Upon hearing the news, most of the high-ranking officials of the Seireitei rushed to attend the ceremony. Sages from the Central 46, nobles of all ranks within the Seireitei, and most of the Captains of the Gotei 13—everyone was dressed in dark formal attire, crowding the funeral until not a single drop of water could trickle through.
The atmosphere within the Shihoin manor was heavy, as if the air itself were filled with lead, making the environment feel incredibly oppressive. The low, somber funeral music echoed continuously for over twenty days.
At the very heart of this funeral was the Soul Burial ceremony, performed personally by the current head of the Shihoin family, Yoruichi. The usually lively head had remained in a dark and gloomy mood throughout this period.
Presiding over her father's Soul Burial, the young head recited the requiem in a voice almost entirely devoid of emotion, sending her father's soul to a distant, unknown place. Yūshirō wept uncontrollably, fainting several times from grief.
Time passed quickly, and the old man's funeral eventually came to an end. The low atmosphere that had plagued the Shihoin family for months gradually began to ease. Although people feel sorrow over the departure of the deceased, they eventually emerge from that grief as time flows on, continuing to move forward.
The Shihoin household slowly returned to its former state. However, the sudden absence of her nagging and talkative father left Yoruichi with an indescribable sense of loss. It might have been fine during the busy hours of the day, but whenever she happened to remember him, her mind would go blank, and by the time she snapped out of it, tears would already be streaming down her face.
With the conclusion of the funeral, the busyness of the past period subsided, and Kenma finally caught his breath. Because of this event, his subsequent series of arrangements had been interrupted. Now, he could finally extricate himself and focus on his important tasks.
There was no moon in the night sky tonight; only stars dotted the pitch-black canopy. Even Kenma, who didn't understand much about romance or celestial phenomena, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion facing such a scene.
It was already late at night. After comforting Yoruichi, Kenma went to the study to discuss the development and construction of the Underworld in the Pirate World with Shisui and Fugaku.
"Do you mean you want to build a city in that Land of the Yellow Springs, My Lord?"
Upon hearing Kenma's concept, Shisui's brow furrowed deeply, and a look of difficulty appeared on his face.
Seeing this, Fugaku, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Shisui, what's wrong with that Land of the Yellow Springs?"
Shisui explained, "Lord Fugaku hasn't been there, so he isn't aware. The temperature there is extremely low, enough to freeze the soul itself. The land is nothing but permafrost, making it very difficult to build stable walls. If we transport materials from here, I'm afraid the cost would be enormous."
Shisui made a quick estimation in his mind. If they truly wanted to establish a base there, the cost of building materials alone would be more than even the entire Shihoin family's wealth could sustain.
Kenma had naturally considered this situation and had already made up his mind. He looked at Shisui and spoke the solution he had already devised.
"We won't use materials. We will construct it directly using Kido, just like the Onmitsukido Headquarters."
Shisui had been present when the Onmitsukido was established, so he had naturally witnessed the speed of building it in a single day. If they did it that way, they could ignore the environment of the Underworld, but two other problems remained.
"My Lord, Reishi is scarce in the Underworld. I'm afraid it won't be able to support such a massive structure." Pausing for a moment, Shisui asked again, "Furthermore, if we are to use Kido for construction, who should we look for? That is another world, after all, and it will be our secret base. Our people cannot perform Kido on such a large scale—in the entire Seireitei, only those two Kido Chiefs could accomplish it!"
Kenma waved his hand dismissively. "As for Reishi, we can just transport it directly from the Soul Society. As for the builder—I have the right person in mind. Don't worry."
Seeing Kenma's confident look, it was clear he had long since planned this. Shisui stopped dwelling on the issue.
Fugaku looked at Kenma, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Once the city in the Underworld is built, who should be sent to guard it?"
Recalling Kenma's actions when the two of them returned to the Soul Society earlier, Shisui immediately had an idea. He gave Fugaku a light smile. "There's no need to worry about that. I imagine Lord Kenma already has a candidate in mind for the presiding general."
"Correct. It seems you've already thought of it, Shisui." Kenma nodded, and the image of the man with the crescent-shaped white beard appeared in his mind. "What do you think of Newgate?"
Shisui felt certain. It really was him. "If it's Whitebeard, there's naturally no problem. He's trustworthy, and his martial prowess is enough to guard an entire region."
Fugaku frowned and asked, "But as far as I know, the current Whitebeard has basically lost the desire for hegemony or to involve himself in the world. Since arriving in the Soul Society, Whitebeard has maintained something of a retirement mindset. He lives a peaceful life with his sons every day. Even if there are minor scuffles, they are just ordinary fights. Will a Whitebeard like that truly agree to this?"
Kenma showed a confident face and waved his hand. "He will agree. After all, that is his world. No matter how peaceful he is, he will always have some motivation in his heart. Furthermore, I will go and explain the situation to him personally."
Hearing Kenma say this, Fugaku immediately felt at ease. "If you personally make an appearance, My Lord, success is naturally guaranteed."
Just as the three of them were discussing the details of establishing the base, Kenma suddenly sensed a disturbance in the warning barrier outside the courtyard.
"Someone is coming."
As Kenma's voice fell, the expressions of Shisui and Fugaku immediately turned solemn. After carefully sensing the suppressed but familiar spiritual pressure of the person approaching, Kenma's brow relaxed. He said to the two, "Don't worry, it's Yoruichi."
Hearing this, their expressions eased instantly, and they moved to clear the documents from the table. At that moment, a knock came from the door.
Knock, knock!
Following the knock was Yoruichi's voice, which sounded somewhat complex. "Kenma, are you there? I have something to say to you."
Seeing Yoruichi act this way, Kenma immediately felt strange. In the past, Yoruichi would definitely have pushed the door open and entered without a word. Today, she seemed to have changed her nature, actually knocking on the door. And she was speaking so softly. It really didn't fit Yoruichi's usual personality. If the spiritual pressure detection hadn't matched, Kenma would have doubted whether the current Yoruichi was someone else in disguise.
Kenma walked over and pushed the door open. Yoruichi's figure stood at the doorway. One arm was wrapped across her chest, clutching her other arm. Under the illumination of the door lights, she actually appeared somewhat lonely and apprehensive.
Seeing Yoruichi like this, Kenma frowned. "Yoruichi—what's wrong with you? Come in first."
Inside the room, Shisui and Fugaku had already finished tidying up. Seeing Yoruichi's arrival, the two quickly took their leave.
Yoruichi wasn't the least bit surprised to see Shisui and the other there. After taking a seat, she just stared straight at Kenma with her golden eyes—staring at her husband, the man who had pushed the Shihoin family to its absolute peak.
Kenma had never seen this kind of gaze from Yoruichi before, and he felt increasingly strange. "Yoruichi, why aren't you sleeping so late at night? Did you come to see me for something?"
Yoruichi snapped back to her senses. Looking at her husband's solemn face, she bit her lip. "Kenma, just what exactly are you hiding from me?"
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