After receiving Kotetsu Isane's Tenteikūra message, the captains of every division began rushing toward the Senzaikyū.
Even Ukitake Jūshirō, who spent most of his life being a regular patient, suddenly became energetic.
But just now, when Kazuma's reiatsu swept across the entire Seireitei, everyone hurrying along briefly stopped in their tracks.
"Oh my. What exactly is going on here? He only just came back, and he's already causing this much commotion.... Honestly, this is giving me a headache."
Kyōraku Shunsui's originally relaxed figure suddenly froze the moment that fierce wave of reiatsu surged over him, as if some invisible force had pinned him in place.
He narrowed his eyes and carefully sensed that reiatsu, both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
A moment later, a bitter smile slowly appeared on his face.
He had no choice but to release his own reiatsu to resist it, trying to keep himself steady under the violent pressure.
...
"Captain! Is it really you? Captain Kazuma!"
Komamura was full of excitement.
His rough face glowed with emotion, and his eyes shone so brightly that tears almost came spilling out.
He completely ignored the violent trembling of his body caused by the impact of Kazuma's reiatsu.
His heart was filled only with joy and shock at the return of his former captain!
He gripped the Zanpakutō in his hand tightly, as if he wanted to express the excitement in his heart through that action alone.
...
"Hmph. That man who supposedly died long ago is actually still alive?"
Suì-Fēng's petite body trembled nonstop beneath the powerful reiatsu, making her look especially fragile.
Even so, her proud personality had not changed at all, and she still wore a look of disdain.
Back when Kazuma had asked her to take over as captain of the Second Division, she had still been a somewhat shy and timid little girl.
Now, the years had left their mark on her.
She had become far more confident, yet that proud and stubborn air had never faded.
She raised her head slightly, a complicated look flashing through her eyes as thoughts drifted through her mind.
...
"The greatest experimental material actually slipped back in without anyone noticing? How surprising. Once things calm down, I should find an opportunity to carefully plan something and trick him into giving me some of his fresh blood! If I can obtain even a small piece of his body tissue too, that would be wonderful. Perhaps it could lead to a major breakthrough in my research…"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri muttered to himself, fanatic light flashing in his eyes, as if those precious experimental materials were the key that would open the door to an unknown realm.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri truly was an honest man.
The moment Kazuma returned to the Seireitei, his mind full of experiments and research immediately turned toward someone else's body.
He knew very well that Kazuma's body contained all kinds of possibilities.
That constantly strengthening presence made him feel pressure, but it also stirred the desire for the unknown deep inside him.
...
"This brat's reiatsu is growing stronger and stronger. Just look at the reiatsu he's releasing now. It feels like it's about to pierce the sky.... It seems this old man truly is starting to fall behind the times.
But if he takes over the Gotei 13 in the future, perhaps this force really can become even better and stronger.
The only problem is that slacking habit of his, which appears from time to time. I'll need to find a way to correct it properly. I can't just let him keep acting however he pleases, or he'll delay important matters."
As Captain-Commander Yamamoto sensed that reiatsu, his face first filled with anger.
His dignified presence seemed powerful enough to intimidate everything around him.
But as time passed, the anger in his heart gradually faded, replaced by a helpless smile.
It was as if he had seen his own younger self.
There was relief in his heart, along with expectation for the future.
...
Inside the Fourth Division medical room, Zaraki Kenpachi, who had been lying on a hospital bed, was now struggling to get up with a flushed face, as if a fire were burning inside him.
Although his body had not fully recovered, the impulse rising from the depths of his soul made it impossible for him to keep lying there quietly.
"I want to see who's releasing reiatsu like this!"
Zaraki Kenpachi muttered, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement.
He could not wait to know who had caused such a powerful fluctuation of reiatsu.
Deep in his heart, his craving for battle grew even stronger.
However, the others in the medical room were not excited like Kenpachi.
On the contrary, all of them looked pained and uneasy.
Inoue Orihime especially had turned as pale as paper.
Her hands were clamped tightly over her ears, and her eyes were full of fear and helplessness.
She had never experienced anything like this before, and her heart was filled with terror.
Beside her, Chad, Ishida Uryū, Shiba Ganju, and the others all had solemn expressions as well.
They could feel the oppressive force brought by that powerful reiatsu.
Faced with something like this, they had no idea how to respond to it and could only silently endure the impact of that terrifying power.
At this moment, the entire Fourth Division medical room was shrouded in a tense and suffocating atmosphere.
Everyone was silently enduring the fear and unease in their hearts, waiting for this unknown storm to pass.
'Is this the person Father mentioned? How can someone be this strong with reiatsu alone?'
Ishida Uryū had a guess in his heart.
At this moment, what Quincy glory? What "all Shinigami deserve to die"?
Bullshit!
When the enemy was this strong, what were they supposed to fight with?
Their heads?
If even the captains were like this, there was no need to mention the lieutenants, seated officers, and ordinary squad members.
Every Shinigami below seated officer level was frozen in place by this sudden reiatsu.
The worst-hit place was still the Shin'ō Academy, where the teachers were cursing loudly.
"Who the hell is going crazy inside the Seireitei?! The students can't hold on much longer!"
Inside the First Division's waiting room, almost all the lieutenants were on standby there, and they too had failed to escape being swept up by the reiatsu.
"Whose reiatsu is this? Did someone invade the Seireitei at a time like this?"
Among the new generation of lieutenants, only Matsumoto Rangiku, Iba Tetsuzaemon, and Kurotsuchi Nemu had dealt with Kazuma before.
The others only knew from records that a person named Kazuma had once existed.
Beyond that, they knew almost nothing.
"Don't panic! The one releasing this reiatsu is my Seventh Division's former captain, Captain Kazuma."
Iba Tetsuzaemon's heart was churning like stormy waves.
He knew very well what this sudden situation meant.
The heavy pressure on his shoulders felt as if it might crush him, yet he still endured it and slowly spoke while half-kneeling on the ground.
On his usually serious face, there now appeared the faintest trace of a smile.
That smile seemed to contain countless complicated emotions, making it difficult to read.
"Captain Kazuma?!"
The gathered lieutenants were immediately stunned.
Their faces filled with confusion.
In their memories, Captain Kazuma had already been killed by Aizen more than twenty years ago.
How could he suddenly appear here?
This unexpected turn of events left them at a loss for a moment, and they exchanged bewildered looks.
"Captain…"
Kotetsu Isane, who was treating Kuchiki Byakuya and Matsumoto Rangiku, began trembling violently.
Her usually practiced emergency response became clumsy, as if her mind had gone blank.
"Isane, leave this to me. Use your reiatsu to withstand the pressure first."
Unohana promptly took over Isane's treatment work and softly comforted her, allowing her to temporarily set aside her panic and focus entirely on mobilizing her reiatsu.
"Captain, whose reiatsu is this?"
For the first time, Isane truly felt that unfamiliar and overwhelming reiatsu.
Cold sweat kept forming on her face, and her heart was filled with unease.
However, when she looked at her own captain, she found that Unohana had no reaction at all, which only confused her more.
Did her captain know the owner of this reiatsu?
"This reiatsu belongs to Captain Kazuma of the Seventh Division. Isane, you don't need to worry too much."
Unohana spoke gently, a barely noticeable light flashing through her eyes, as if she were recalling all kinds of things from the past.