Kuchiki Residence.
Shinji was called out early in the morning by Byakuya Kuchiki.
His older brother glanced expressionlessly at Nilu, who was still in Shinji's room, then simply said, "Let's go. We're heading to Karakura Town," before turning around and walking off.
Seeing this, Shinji scratched his head, got up, and put on his Shinigami uniform and the Captain's haori.
Behind him, Nilu also had a brand-new 10th Division uniform, so she didn't have to wear the same clothes anymore.
"It suits you quite well,"
Shinji nodded as he looked at Nilu naturally.
Though he was taller than Nilu and didn't have to worry about her wearing his clothes, still, she was really quite small in stature.
Well, in terms of figure, Nilu was very well-endowed, definitely top-tier among all women.
After putting on Shinigami outfit, her chest was practically bursting at the seams.
"Kuchiki Hibiki… ugh…"
Thinking about the mission, Shinji sighed and dragged his palm across his face.
Why did he have to be dragged into such a troublesome task?
He'd only gone to the Captain's meeting to make up the numbers, but ended up being assigned instead.
"Shinji Shinji, I want to go to the human world too~."
After changing her clothes, Nilu leaned over with a smile and took Shinji's hand.
"Well, then let's go together."
Shinji thought for a second and nodded.
He was already mentally prepared for this mission.
When they found Kuchiki Hibiki, Byakuya would be the one to take charge, and he and Nilu would just play support roles.
Credit?
No way he was fighting over that. He wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.
Whoever wants it can have it!
Shinji had already made up his mind, he was going to coast all the way through this mission.
Leading Nilu to the Kuchiki household's Senkaimon gate.
Byakuya Kuchiki was already standing there waiting.
"Let's go."
Glancing at Shinji and Nilu beside him, Byakuya said calmly: "Shinji, the existence of Kuchiki Hibiki has tarnished the Kuchiki family's name. This time, we must either seal or kill him again."
"So, don't hold back."
Looking directly at his brother, Byakuya spoke slowly.
As for Shinji's strength
Could he really not know?
Of course not.
As the head of the Kuchiki family, what went on within his household was something he understood better than anyone.
(…Well, maybe except for those outrageous female Shinigami.)
Shinji's late-night training, practicing kendo and Zanjutsu in the dojo, Byakuya had quietly observed it all.
He was cold on the outside, but warm on the inside.
He had personally witnessed Shinji's growth and understood better than anyone just how terrifyingly powerful his younger brother had become.
In the Captain's assessment, Shinji had defeated two Captain-level Shinigami one versus two, and even killed one of them. That alone was proof of his strength.
Moreover, Byakuya had sensed Shinji's spiritual pressure during a moment of intense observation of the Tsunayashiro family.
spiritual pressure.
Even Byakuya himself shuddered when he felt it.
Kuchiki Shinji was strong. Very strong.
"Ah… that's really… so annoying."
Shinji replied dully.
Being given a pep talk by Byakuya before the mission should've been motivating… but it really wasn't!
He just wanted to go with the flow.
Sighing again, Shinji reluctantly nodded.
At that moment, a smile briefly appeared on Byakuya Kuchiki's face, but it vanished almost instantly.
With himself, the head of the Kuchiki family and Captain of the Sixth Division, along with his younger brother Kuchiki Shinji, Captain of the Tenth Division…
And Nilu, a Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar…
Such a luxurious lineup meant the outcome of this mission was already predetermined.
Even if the enemy was a Captain-class Shinigami
They wouldn't stand a chance against these three.
Putting aside his thoughts, Byakuya raised his Zanpakutō and tapped the Senkaimon.
In the next instant
Like ripples across a mirror, the gateway to the human world opened, revealing the portal.
Byakuya Kuchiki stepped in.
At that moment
"Wait. You go ahead, I'll catch up," Shinji suddenly called out.
Byakuya turned slightly, his brows furrowed.
In his line of sight, Shinji seemed a bit puzzled, as if he had sensed something off.
Did he detect something?
Byakuya quietly released his spiritual pressure, but sensed nothing out of the ordinary.
Seeing this, a flash of surprise passed through Byakuya's eyes, but it vanished in a blink.
It appeared that Shinji's Reiatsu had now far surpassed his own.
Accepting this, Byakuya nodded, a rare trace of pride in his gaze, then disappeared into the Senkaimon.
"Shinji, what's wrong?"
Nilu asked curiously as she clung to his side.
She had also noticed the strange look on his face just now.
"Hmm… maybe it was just my imagination. But to be safe, I want to check something out."
In the realm of dark manipulation, Unohana Retsu might be meticulous…
But Nilu's specialty was tailing people.
Even so, when it came to caution, Shinji had the final say.
For just a brief instant…
Shinji had sensed a spiritual pressure that definitely should not be there, then it vanished immediately.
"Maybe… it really was just an illusion."
Shinji scratched his head, and vanished with a flash step.
Nilu puffed her cheeks, not wanting to lose sight of him, and quickly accelerated to catch up.
She'd already decided, wherever Shinji went, she would follow.
---
"Damn, damn, damn it! Did he notice me?!"
"Kuchiki Shinji, that damned little brat!"
In a narrow alleyway, a cloaked figure whose entire body was concealed rushed through the Seireitei.
His speed was absurd, inhumanly fast.
This was speed on par with a Captain-level Shinigami.
What's more, he was clearly very familiar with the layout of the Seireitei.
While dashing, he made several rapid directional shifts.
Finally, he stopped at a high vantage point and looked toward the Kuchiki residence, his breathing becoming hurried.
Without any hesitation, he leapt down.
Then
Something shocking happened.
The cloaked figure began to fade, gradually turning transparent, and then blended into the wall.
He vanished.
---
"Hey, the Reiatsu Shinji mentioned is gone."
Swish!
Nilu landed gracefully at the intersection, her long green hair flowing, golden-green eyes full of curiosity and confusion.
Then
As if teleporting, Shinji appeared beside her piece by piece.
"That's weird, Shinji. He disappeared."
Nilu leaned against Shinji and clung to his arm naturally, pouting. "Nilu's so useless… he got away."
"It's not your fault, Nilu."
Shinji smiled and gently stroked her long hair while glancing around.
it was normal for her not to notice someone good at suppressing their presence.
But
To escape his eyes?
That was unrealistic.
Shinji, who had already entered the third stage of fusion with the Hōgyoku, could no longer be judged by ordinary Shinigami standards.
"They hid well. But it's a shame…"
Shinji smiled faintly, and disappeared.
The next second
BOOM!
The wall tens of meters away on the left suddenly collapsed, and Shinji's arm pierced straight through it, raised in a grasping posture, as if he were holding something.
"Eh???"
"What's that??"
This time, Nilu also sensed it.
She leapt to Shinji's side, staring curiously at the seemingly empty air in front of them.
Suddenly, a burst of green Reiatsu surged forth!
And then
As if being painted in with a marker, the invisible figure was gradually outlined.
It was a man in a cloak, his face obscured.
He was identified as male only because he was angrily shouting something.
"Damn you, Menos Grande! Damn you, Kuchiki Shinji!"
"Why?!"
"Why did you still notice me?!"
"I even used a specially made fake skin to replicate the exact color and texture of the environment, allowing my body to blend seamlessly into the scenery!"
"My Reiatsu was completely masked by special paint! How did you still find me?!"
The resentful voice echoed.
Shinji's eyes twitched slightly, there was a flicker of surprise in them.
That voice... could it be... Kurotsuchi Mayuri?
But... how was that possible?
Frowning, Shinji grabbed the man's cloak and pulled it off
Then silence.
It really was Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
The weird paint smeared all over his face, those golden eyes, that manic expression, who else could it be?
"Weren't you dead?" Shinji asked, confused.
He had been struck by Shinji's Zanpakutō while in the "Collapsed Second Fusion State"... His body had been virtually obliterated. Flesh destroyed. Internal organs crushed by the shockwave of the sword strike.
Just to be certain, Shinji had landed a final hit—straight through his chest.
That kind of damage… Even a Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar with High-Speed Regeneration wouldn't have survived.
So who exactly was this?
"You're… who? Mayuri's twin?"
Shinji asked skeptically.
"Na…Nani?! A twin?!"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's face twisted, his voice cracking: "How dare you insult me like that, you brat?!"
"Kuchiki's damn brat! You're clearly mocking me, aren't you?!"
"I, Kurotsuchi Mayuri-sama, would never have such a disgraceful subordinate!"
The restrained Mayuri struggled furiously.
"No, seriously—if you're really Mayuri, then how the hell are you still alive?" Shinji pressed.
"Why should I be dead, you bastard?!"
"And more importantly, how the hell did you detect me?!"
Mayuri growled, his eyelids twitching.
"Didn't you die from that kind of injury?"
Shinji scratched his head.
How freakishly tough was Kurotsuchi Mayuri's body?
"Well… to be honest, I almost died because of you."
"If Nemu hadn't replaced my entire body—cloned organs and all, I would've been diced into bits for sure."
Mayuri collapsed to the ground.
There was unmistakable fear in his eyes.
Real, genuine fear!
That sword pressure… it was just too horrifying!
Kuchiki Shinji, he was a monster!
Monster Reiatsu. Monster defense. Monster strength. Monster speed.
All of it.
An incomprehensible powerhouse.
His body had been utterly shredded, internal organs liquefied by the shockwave, brain nearly destroyed, finally skewered clean through the chest.
This kind of injury…
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had, for all intents and purposes, been dead.
Later, his remains were secretly retrieved by Nemu and taken to the Twelfth Division's lab.
In a hidden chamber there, Nemu used pre-cloned tissues and replaced practically every organ and limb, bringing Mayuri back to life.
Even so…
He had floated in a nutrient tank for days before he could stand again.
Yet now—
After only briefly poking around near the Kuchiki estate, Kuchiki Shinji had instantly locked onto his Reiatsu and gave chase.
Unbelievable!
Mayuri had literally covered himself in a special Reiatsu-blocking paint that made him invisible to even captain-class Shinigami.
Yet…
Shinji saw right through it.
Kuchiki Shinji… was not normal.
"So that's it. No wonder Nemu didn't act strange when she saw me."
Shinji rubbed his chin, suddenly understanding.
He had "killed" Kurotsuchi Mayuri and taken over as the 10th Division Captain, often encountering Nemu afterward.
Logically, since he killed her "father," Nemu should have shown at least some hostility.
Even though she's supposed to be a cold, emotionless combat-type Shinigami, the truth is, Nemu has emotions.
She hides them well, but they're there: joy, anger, jealousy… the satisfaction of being needed.
So how could she act normal after Mayuri's death?
And yesterday at the Women's Shinigami Association swimming event, Nemu had looked at him without even a flicker of hatred.
At the time, Shinji found it odd, but he brushed it off.
Now it all made sense.
Her "father" was never dead.
"Ohhh, I see now."
Shinji clapped and drew his Zanpakutō.
"Wait, wait! What are you doing?! Don't tell me you're gonna kill me again?!"
Mayuri's eyes bulged, pointing at the blade with trembling fingers.
"Of course I am."
Shinji replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:
"You're still alive, so just to be safe, I'll kill you again."
"Don't worry. I'll do a better job this time."
"I'll slice you up so cleanly, there won't even be a single scrap left."
"…"
…???
How is that something a person says?!
Sweat poured down Mayuri's forehead, dripping to the ground.
He backed away slowly, eyes wide in terror.
Fight? Impossible. Their Reiatsu weren't even close, Kuchiki Shinji's spiritual pressure was on another dimension entirely.
Escape? Forget it. Shinji's speed was ghostly fast and could lock on to him instantly.
Poison? Ha! That had failed once or twice already, Kuchiki Shinji was completely immune. Poison had zero effect.
There was no way to counter this monster.
Kuchiki Shinji was a being with no weaknesses, no openings at all!
After being "killed" once, Mayuri had totally given up on fighting him, or even annoying him.
Too scary.
Mess with Kuchiki Shinji, and you really will die.
He doesn't care who you are, doesn't care if you're a captain, if he sees you as a threat, he'll cut you down without hesitation!
"Come to think of it, your life-saving skills are pretty crazy." Shinji walked forward, Zanpakutō in hand. "Compared to Urahara Kisuke, I'd say you're even more impressive in terms of surviving death."
As if he'd touched a nerve, Mayuri looked like he was having a stroke.
He barked back: "Urahara Kisuke?! That good-for-nothing?! He knows nothing about true science! Scientific research is my domain!!"
Shinji: "???"
A huge question mark basically popped up over Shinji's head.
Are you actually serious right now?