Thirteenth Division, Reception Room
"Ito, Fourth Seat? Are you certain you want to participate in the Human World Garrison mission? The Station missions are already fully staffed, and rotation isn't scheduled yet."
Ozawa Renzaburo, in charge of assigning Station missions for the Thirteenth Division, regarded Ito Makoto with a sharp glint in his eye. He immediately sensed the truth: this Fourth Seat sought the Human World not for duty, but for personal amusement.
"Please, Ozawa Squad Member… mainly because I heard the Human World has all sorts of foods and books that don't exist in Soul Society," Ito Makoto said, his tone casual yet persuasive.
As he spoke, he pulled the few spirit coins he had accumulated from his pocket and pressed them into Ozawa's hand.
Ozawa's lips twitched in a knowing smile. He discreetly slid the coins into his sleeve.
"Ito Makoto, Fourth Seat… I just recalled that the Garrison Shinigami in one sector recently completed their shift change yesterday. I was about to assign replacements…"
Human World - Yuhua Town
A flash of white light cut through the night sky. A finely crafted sliding door materialized midair. Slowly, it opened, and Ito Makoto stepped through, entering the city below.
Looking out, his eyes widened slightly. Even after spending spirit coins, he had managed to secure a three-month Garrison assignment an unusual but precious opportunity.
"This place… a modern society already?"
Although Ito Makoto had visited the Human World before, he was still taken aback. Nearly a century remained before the events of the original timeline, yet the city was already bustling with towering buildings, neon signs, and the hum of modern life.
Despite the late hour, lights reflected in every window, and the roads teemed with cars. The familiar cacophony stirred a profound sense of déjà vu in him echoes of his past life.
"Roar!"
A sudden, guttural roar snapped Ito Makoto from his thoughts.
"A Hollow?"
He traced the sound to a nearby parking lot. Perched atop a bus, a monstrous Hollow shaped like an enormous cockroach loomed over a terrified boy. Dark yellow ichor dripped from its mandibles.
"Help… ah!"
The boy's shriek echoed in the empty lot as the Hollow advanced, its six clawed legs hammering the metal roof before launching into the air.
Ito Makoto reacted instantly.
"Hado #4 Byakurai, White Lightning!"
A concentrated bolt of pure white reiatsu shot from his palm, piercing the Hollow's skull with a loud crack. It convulsed and fell.
The boy froze, staring wide-eyed at his savior.
"Thank you… for saving me!"
Ito Makoto looked down at the small figure a filthy, snot-streaked child barely seven years old and raised an eyebrow.
"You can see me?" he asked, disbelief softening his voice.
Quickly, he sensed the child's reiatsu. Shock coursed through him.
Eight-Grade Spiritual Power.
Comparable to a standard Gotei 13 member.
No wonder such a potent Hollow had been drawn here in the Human World, where spiritual particles are scarce, an Eight-Grade human was astronomically rare.
Ito Makoto exhaled, rubbing the back of his head.
"This is going to be troublesome…"
He pulled the memory converter from his arm a gift from Ozawa Renzaburo and activated it, aiming at the boy's face.
A small puff of black smoke erupted. The child, however, remained upright, calm as if nothing had happened.
"Seriously? This thing isn't even working?"
He shook his head, muttering under his breath.
Clearly, the Technological Development Bureau's devices left much to be desired.
The boy, seeing Ito Makoto's irritation, obediently collapsed to the ground and feigned unconsciousness, though it was more instinct than instruction.
Ito Makoto sighed.
"Forget it. If you remember, you remember."
He turned to leave.
From behind came a timid voice.
"Big brother… thank you for saving me. My name is Ginjō Kūgo… may I ask your name?"
Ito Makoto paused, slightly surprised. He turned back, examining the boy.
"Say that again?"
"Um… my name is Ginjō Kūgo…"
Through conversation, he learned: Ginjō was seven years old. Orphaned early when a gas explosion claimed his parents, he had been placed in Yuhua Orphanage.
His unusual spiritual awareness had always isolated him: he saw monsters others could not, causing accidental injuries to those around him. Even the caregivers kept their distance.
On this night, he had tried to escape the orphanage during dinner, but the powerful Hollow intercepted him before he could reach safety.
Ito Makoto's mind raced.
Ginjō Kūgo, a century before the timeline of the original plot… alive, yet hidden.
With only one Shinigami attribute, humans can survive for hundreds of years. But this boy possessed Shinigami power, Hollow power, and Fullbring potential simultaneously a unique convergence. Survival would be easy, and mastery, inevitable.
Ito Makoto recognized him immediately.
This was the first Soul Reaper Agent to later absorb Kurosaki Ichigo's Fullbring power one of the original three major Soul King candidates.
In canon, Ginjō Kūgo had been underestimated; even Ichigo had struggled against him. Now, in this timeline, he was a latent powerhouse.
"If I can recruit him under my command, he'll be invaluable in the future," Ito Makoto thought, a softer expression forming on his face.
The boy's tragic childhood explained the gloom he carried.
Ito Makoto considered the cause of his parents' deaths. Likely Hollow-induced Fullbringers are natural attractors for low-level Hollows in the Human World.
Understanding this, Ito Makoto's resolve solidified.
This boy would be more than an ally. He could be a cornerstone of his plans in the centuries to come.