In a secluded cave somewhere in Hueco Mundo, Ito Makoto sat cross-legged, applying Kidō to treat his injuries. He winced with each movement but couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips.
"Hiss, so I'm that strong!"
Ito Makoto was both amused and impressed as he reflected on his earlier battle. The fight between his clone and main body had revealed just how powerful his main body truly was at this moment.
After a brief but effective treatment with Kidō, most of Ito Makoto's injuries had healed.
Once the pain subsided, Ito Makoto closed his eyes in a meditative state. He had a specific task in mind now: using his spiritual pressure to sense the presence of Kido in Hueco Mundo the Kido aura of the Shinigami. He sought to find the expeditionary force, or rather, a specific individual within the force.
When the Gotei 13 dispatched their expeditionary teams to Hueco Mundo, each member was implanted with a special Kido that allowed them to reunite with others, even if separated. This Kido would mask their Reiatsu, effectively shielding them from detection by the Menos Grande and ensuring they could meet with their fellow members.
Despite not having the Kido implant, Ito Makoto, being a Shinigami, had the natural ability to detect this spiritual signature more easily than his main body could. By tapping into his Reiatsu, Ito Makoto surged forward with purpose.
With his Reiatsu amplified by 50% of his main body's power, Ito Makoto scoured Hueco Mundo, using his heightened senses to locate the expeditionary force.
Days passed more than half a month. The vastness of Hueco Mundo made it nearly impossible to pinpoint the force immediately, even with his augmented Reiatsu. He moved from location to location, continually sensing for the Kido presence.
Then, on a quiet evening, as Ito Makoto sat cross-legged, his eyes snapped open. A spark of excitement lit his gaze.
"Found them!"
In the dense thicket of the Great Hollow Forest, a faint trace of Shinigami spiritual pressure had appeared. Ito Makoto's intuition had led him here.
Meanwhile, on a hill south of Las Noches, Halibel was sparring with Raizen Kō, her master.
Under Raizen's tutelage for the last half month, Halibel's skills had drastically improved. While previously, facing someone of Raizen's caliber would have ended in defeat within seconds, she could now last thirty seconds, even though she still wasn't strong enough to win. Even with Ito Makoto borrowing 30% of his main body's spiritual pressure, Halibel felt confident she could put up a much better fight than before.
"Bang!"
A sharp whip of Raizen's lightning energy sent Halibel flying, crashing into a nearby rock crevice.
Raizen Kō instantly appeared beside her, using Sonido to avoid the debris and help her to her feet. Gently, he brushed away some dust from her face, his expression softening as he gazed at her.
The two had shared countless training sessions, and Halibel's progression had been both swift and profound. Raizen couldn't help but admire her determination.
"Arrancarization must be put on the agenda," he muttered, reflecting on Halibel's potential. He could sense the dormant power within her, waiting to be unleashed once she was freed from her Hollow form. Becoming an Arrancar, he thought, would be a key step in the evolving war for dominance in Hueco Mundo.
Though still an Adjuchas, Raizen's spiritual pressure had already surpassed that of the Vasto Lordes. In his pursuit to ascend to even greater power, Raizen understood that devouring more Vasto Lordes was not the answer. Hueco Mundo simply did not have enough of them.
However, becoming an Arrancar would give him the ability to improve his power significantly and rapidly. His thoughts drifted to Grimmjow, the one who had followed this path before him, becoming an Arrancar before ascending to Vasto Lorde.
Aizen's control of Las Noches added urgency to Raizen's plans. If he was to stake a claim in the coming events, he needed power. And becoming an Arrancar would be the quickest way to gain it.
"Halibel," Raizen spoke softly. "I have matters to attend to. Stay here. Don't venture near Las Noches."
"Yes, Lord Raizen," she answered, her voice filled with admiration and trust.
The Great Hollow Forest
Elsewhere, in the Great Hollow Forest, a group of Shinigami were engaged in a heated battle with a group of Gillian. The weakest among them held the rank of Seat Officer, but there was one among them who stood out a man dressed in a Squad Captain's haori. His spiritual pressure radiated from him in waves, powerful enough to rival the Gotei 13's strongest.
However, something about this Captain was strange: His haori bore no squad number. Despite his intimidating presence, there was something mysterious about his identity.
As the Gillian fell under the Shinigami's blades, six large Adjuchas emerged from the shadows. They each fired Cero beams at the Shinigami in the field.
"Not good, we've been ambushed!" an older Shinigami shouted as the six Cero shots neared their targets.
The man in the Squad Captain's haori calmly tossed his Zanpakuto into the air, and it transformed into a dozen shurikens, each rhombus-shaped. The shurikens flew toward five of the Adjuchas, impaling them instantly.
"Pfft!"
With a single strike, the Adjuchas fell. Behind the Captain, the last Adjuchas finished charging its Cero, a black-red beam aimed directly at his back.
In that moment, a young man from the Shinigami squad stepped forward, his disheveled hair blowing in the wind. He raised his Zanpakuto.
"Sever, Raikazuchi!"
His Asauchi transformed into a white weapon with a hooked tip, crackling with flame power. With a swift Shunpo, he charged forward and split the Cero in half with his blade. The young man then drew a steel fork-like weapon from his waist and thrust it into the Adjuchas' skull, ending its life instantly.
"This is Squad Captain Osaki Masahiro's Flying Shuttle, and Squad Member Tsubaki Izusuke's Raikazuchi! The cooperation between them is simply flawless!" a nearby Shinigami remarked, watching in awe.
Osaki Masahiro turned to the young man, Tsubaki, and nodded in approval. "Tsubaki Izusuke, well done! I can always rely on you!"
The young Shinigami, Tsubaki, scratched his head sheepishly. "Just doing my job, Captain!"