Tamaki Chizuru's actions were highly efficient. After relaying Young Master Hiroki's command to head to Rukongai, her primary task was to notify the guards—after all, a dangerous area like Rukongai, filled with all sorts of people and even hidden Hollows, was not a place someone of the Young Master's status could easily set foot in.
Before long, Chizuru's respectful voice came from outside the sliding paper door: "Young Master, everything is prepared. We may depart."
Hiroki stepped out. The scene at the estate's entrance showcased the heritage of the Shihōin Clan. A magnificent yet sleek carriage, clearly designed with practicality in mind, stood waiting. It was drawn by two tall, steady steeds with glossy coats, but the guards surrounding the carriage were even more eye-catching.
Eight guards dressed in matching black combat attire stood silently around the carriage like statues. Hiroki was all too familiar with their attire—it was the standard uniform of the Onmitsukidō force, the Onmitsukidō! With leather waistbands tightly cinched and a streamlined design for ease of movement, each man carried a sharp sense of near-emotionless precision.
As Hiroki's gaze swept over the short swords at their waists and the hidden weapons in their sleeves, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly: The Shihōin Clan really uses the Onmitsukidō as their private army. In the end, Seireitei's funding is helping them raise a family guard! They've certainly mastered the use of noble privilege.
Two equally capable-looking members of the Onmitsukidō were already seated in the driver's position, controlling the horses. Including Tamaki Chizuru herself, there were actually ten people in the party, all serving Hiroki, a "Matrilocal son-in-law" who had just entered the family and held a delicate status. Despite Hiroki's internal complaints, he had to admit this display was truly grand.
"Let's go," he said, suppressing the slight sense of absurdity as he signaled to Chizuru. Tamaki Chizuru immediately stepped forward to open the heavy carriage door for him. Hiroki stooped to enter the relatively spacious carriage, and Chizuru quickly followed through another door to attend to him. With a low shout, the steeds began to trot, the wheels rattling on the stone road as they carried Young Master Hiroki's party away from the Shihōin estate toward the edge of Seireitei.
The journey was smooth. After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally stopped before an enormous white gate. Its towering grandeur far exceeded any gate Hiroki had seen before. Beneath the giant gate stood a figure like a small mountain. This person had rocky, bluish-gray skin, bulging muscles, wore heavy armor, had a rugged face, and held a Zanpakuto shaped like a giant axe.
Hiroki searched through his memories, but the original host's life had been extremely narrow. He was certain this person was not the famous "Jidanbō" who guarded the West Gate, but he couldn't figure out which gate this guard belonged to—anyway, in the original host's nearly non-existent knowledge of Rukongai, the concept of "knowing the way" simply didn't exist.
Tamaki Chizuru hopped lightly off the carriage and walked up to the giant guard. Without saying much, she pulled a token from her robes and held it up before him. The token was made of a special material with a deep luster, clearly engraved with the exclusive crest of the Shihōin Clan.
The giant guard grunted in response and turned toward the massive white gate, which was as thick as a city wall. He didn't draw his sword; instead, he let out a loud shout, his arms bulging like two massive stone pillars as he thrust them deep into the gaps at the bottom of the gate's structure, his muscles instantly swelling like mountain ranges.
"Heave—!"
Accompanied by a low growl like a rockslide, that heavy gate, which seemed enough to shut out the world, was actually hoisted up inch by inch by his terrifying strength! The door hinges groaned in agony, stone dust trickled down, and light filtered through the rising gap, illuminating the scene behind the gate—a landscape that appeared much more desolate and empty than the interior of Seireitei.
"How spectacular..." Inside the carriage, Hiroki watched the giant hoist the towering gate through the window. Even while complaining about the original host's lack of memories, he couldn't help but let out a low, heartfelt exclamation of wonder. That sense of pure power was incredibly impactful.
The gate was fully raised, revealing a passage wide enough for the carriage to pass through. Tamaki Chizuru returned to the carriage, and the convoy set off again. Under the silent gaze of the giant guard, they smoothly drove out past the thick high-wall barrier of Seireitei. The concentration of reishi seemed to undergo a subtle change.
As soon as they entered the territory of Rukongai, the sensory difference became clear. On both sides of the emptier road were only barren wilderness and scattered, simple dwellings. The most obvious change occurred in the guards. The eight guards from the Onmitsukidō entered a state of combat readiness almost instantly. Their eyes became as sharp as hawks; they were no longer just a silent ceremonial escort keeping their distance. Instead, they leaned forward slightly, hands on their weapons, eyes alertly scanning every inch of ground around the carriage and every horizon, like taut bowstrings, keeping the carriage firmly protected at the center. An invisible spiritual pressure seemed to diffuse slightly, acting as a probe and early warning.
A trace of confusion flickered through Hiroki's mind: Is Rukongai... really this dangerous? The behavior of these elite Onmitsukidō members didn't look like an act. Could there really be something hidden in those seemingly peaceful wilds or simple houses that required such vigilance? He had no way of judging, as the original host's memory bank was completely empty in this regard.
The carriage continued to travel smoothly, the steeds maintaining a steady pace. Inside the carriage, there was a slight swaying. Tamaki Chizuru stood quietly to the side. The exhaustion of the past few days—the shock of transmigrating, the fatigue of maintaining his persona, the emotional ups and downs of his encounter with Yoruichi, the joy and trouble brought by the system information and that scroll, and the worries about future plans—all came rushing in like a tide during this moment of steady travel. Hiroki felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and his once-straight back began to slump slightly.
Unconsciously, his body tilted to one side, his head dropped slightly, and he rested it on Tamaki Chizuru's soft and supple lap. A faint fragrance of flowers and grass lingered at the tip of his nose, and that sense of security almost instantly shattered his forced mental state. A faint snore sounded as he fell into a deep sleep, temporarily putting the troubles of Seireitei and the future placement of the Uchiha behind him.