"Gulp—"
Naraku Sora once suspected that he wasn't fighting that wicked woman Shutara Senjumaru, but rather Yamamoto Shigekuni wearing her skin.
A terrifying spiritual pressure, like the heavens themselves collapsing, blanketed the entire research lab.
Faced with such a massive disparity, Naraku Sora gave up any thought of resisting. With a sigh, he flopped onto a chair he had prepared in advance and lay flat, letting her do as she pleased.
In truth, this wasn't the first or second time this had happened.
Almost every time he trained, Senjumaru would appear nearby from time to time to record data—height, weight, spiritual pressure fluctuations, and changes in spiritual power.
Occasionally, she would even draw some blood and pour it into some strange reagent for testing.
With Naraku Sora's near-zero scientific knowledge, he couldn't tell at all what this woman was busy with every day.
Seeing him lie flat, Senjumaru paused for a moment, a faint, almost imperceptible trace of regret flickering in the depths of her eyes.
Before long, the clothes on Naraku Sora's body were completely removed, revealing nearly perfect, fluid lines and solid muscles brimming with power.
Slender, pale fingers lightly tapped on his skin, seemingly checking the state of his spiritual body.
Her sharp gaze was almost tangible, appearing to penetrate the surface and reach the deep muscle structures, bone shapes, and even the distribution of spiritual pressure.
Though the atmosphere was somewhat ambiguous, Senjumaru's expression remained quite professional at this moment.
"If a Soul Reaper's soul is a kind of hollowed-out structure, then a Hollow is the corresponding structure of another type."
"The clever part is that the two can fit together perfectly in certain places, forming an even more complete structure."
"But the biggest problem is that during the merging process, even the slightest mistake will lead to a total collapse of the soul."
"But you are different, Silly Boy. Although I cannot completely analyze your soul structure, from its performance, it is already infinitely close to that perfect structure."
"Based on my observations of your spiritual power composition, I have made new improvements to the Shihakushō."
As she spoke, a piece of black cloth dropped from the ceiling, hovering in front of Senjumaru as several golden skeletal arms extended outward.
"My Zanpakutō is named Shigarami. In its Shikai state, it takes the form of sewing needles. It can sew all kinds of clothing with special functions and can also be used against enemies."
Normally, a Soul Reaper wouldn't tell others the ability of their Zanpakutō unless they were particularly close and could be fully trusted.
Of course, those who weren't quite right in the head were exceptions.
It was obvious that Senjumaru was indeed sincere toward Naraku Sora, as she didn't even keep the ability of her Zanpakutō a secret.
"It is precisely because of Shigarami's existence that I was able to create the [SHIHAKUSHŌ]—a conceptual garment that affects all Soul Reapers."
Before long, a brand-new Shihakushō reappeared before Naraku Sora.
It still featured black as the main theme, but the difference was that several intertwined golden patterns were embroidered on the shoulders, elevating the overall appearance of the garment by a level.
In the Gotei 13, there were many who modified their own Shihakushō; a modification of this degree wouldn't be noticed by anyone else.
"Try it on."
Senjumaru picked up the garment, a boastful expression appearing on her face.
Naraku Sora quickly changed into the new Shihakushō, and as soon as he put it on, he noticed something different.
"Hmph, did you notice?"
Senjumaru arched an eyebrow and said seriously:
"Just like the Soul Reaper soul theory I mentioned, this new Shihakushō is built upon the original structure but incorporates the part unique to Hollows."
"Correspondingly, all aspects have been improved, and it can form a defense similar to a Hollow's Hierro based on your own spiritual pressure intensity."
"The self-repair function also draws from a Menos's High-Speed Regeneration. It is completely bound to your spiritual pressure; when your spiritual pressure is sufficient, the Shihakushō will automatically restore itself to its complete form."
"The only drawback might be that this theory cannot be applied to the general concept of the Shihakushō."
Senjumaru said with a hint of regret, "In other words, this is a Shihakushō exclusive to you. Unless someone else can perfectly master the power of a Hollow like you do, they won't be able to exert its proper strength."
Naraku Sora briefly tested the effects of the Shihakushō. It was indeed as Senjumaru said; he could enhance his defense by adjusting his spiritual pressure intensity.
Though it wasn't as strong as his own natural defense, in terms of performance, it was already a significant improvement.
If this could be popularized, the overall strength of the Soul Reapers would likely rise by another level.
Senjumaru took the opportunity to ask for another vial of blood, using the excuse of further improving the Shihakushō and optimizing data related to Hollowfication.
To this, Naraku Sora was quite generous.
Although the wicked woman usually set him up, she was quite useful at critical moments. Not only did she help him shorten the time to master Shikai, but she also developed a brand-new Shihakushō.
Most importantly, most of the benefits gained from her research were applied to Naraku Sora himself.
For Senjumaru, it was more of a spiritual satisfaction of her curiosity.
Perhaps all scientists were like that.
Naraku Sora wore his new Shihakushō to the training hall for further testing, while also continuing his unfinished cultivation.
Maybe he could consider testing it out on those sinners in the Hell of Reviving.
...
...
Inside the silent office.
Yoruichi stared silently at the documents spread out on the desk, where words like 'Maggot's Nest' and 'Riot' were particularly eye-catching.
"Shaolin, how many times has this been this month?"
The young girl standing to the side paused for a moment and said in a low voice: "Lady Yoruichi, it's the seventh time."
Since the fall of Shihōin Buji and the others, chaos had inevitably broken out within the Shihōin family.
Those people had not only interfered in the family's management but had also planted moles and schemes within Squad 2 and the Onmitsukidō.
Even though the troublemaking elders had already been sent to meet their ancestors, they had still caused considerable losses.
Clearly, the word 'loyalist' wasn't just for show.
As a surveillance system independent of the Gotei 13, the Onmitsukidō had no shortage of death-defying soldiers. This led to many people rebelling on the spot the day they learned of Shihōin Buji's death.
The already strained manpower now faced even more significant vacancies.
Yoruichi rubbed her temples and said tiredly:
"I need to requisition a Soul Reaper from another squad who can suppress the Maggot's Nest. The basic requirement is the ability to defeat those guys barehanded."
Hearing this, the young girl beside her began to think hard about Soul Reapers who met this requirement.
In fact, there were quite a few people in the Gotei 13 who could do it, but all of them held important positions and had no time to suppress the Maggot's Nest.
"Well, actually, there's no need to stress over it too much."
Yoruichi reached out and patted the girl's shoulder, grinning as she said:
"I've thought of a suitable candidate, though it might require paying a bit of a price."
"What price?"
"Probably something like promising oneself to him."
"?"
A look of total bewilderment appeared on Fong Shaolin's pretty face.