In the rain.
Three figures stood silently in the center of the deserted island.
"It won't be easy to restore Kurotsuchi Mayuri's position as captain."
After hearing that Shinji had intentionally withheld some details about their cooperation, Byakuya Kuchiki shook his head solemnly.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's situation was... quite unique.
First of all, he violated the rules of the Soul Society by releasing his Zanpakutō within Seireitei.
That alone wasn't completely unprecedented.
There had been captains who released their Zanpakutō in the past in defiance of regulations, and most only received a reprimand or a minor punishment.
But Mayuri's mistake was far more severe: he used Bankai.
Bankai and Shikai are worlds apart.
When a captain-class Shinigami fully releases their Zanpakutō, the resulting damage can be catastrophic, the spiritual pressure alone is enough to suffocate ordinary Shinigami and Soul Reapers.
And Mayuri chose to unleash his Bankai inside the Shin'ō Academy.
That's the very heart of Soul Society's future, where almost all Soul Reapers are trained before entering the Gotei 13.
There are many talented students there who are expected to become seated officers, lieutenants, and even future captains.
But that wasn't the worst part.
After releasing his Bankai, Mayuri recklessly unleashed a massive amount of toxic gas, completely disregarding the lives of students and nearby Shinigami.
Such insane behavior… even if Shinji hadn't struck him down, the punishment waiting for Mayuri would have been unimaginably harsh.
Whether he could retain his posts as Captain of the 12th Division or Director of the Research and Development Bureau was highly doubtful.
Even now
If Mayuri dared show his face in Soul Society, Byakuya Kuchiki could say without hesitation that he'd be immediately hunted down and arrested.
Given that reality
Shinji's suggestion of restoring Mayuri's identity as captain, of allowing him to return to the 12th Division and resume command, it sounded like a fantasy.
"It's not entirely impossible," Shinji said softly, glancing over at Nilu.
For Nilu to advance beyond the Vasto Lorde level, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's expertise was absolutely critical.
"You mean…"
Byakuya's expression shifted slightly as realization dawned.
"Yeah. Isn't this a perfect opportunity to reinstate Kurotsuchi Mayuri?"
Shinji gazed into the deep pit in front of them and smiled faintly.
He wasn't naïve enough to believe that Soul Society would simply forgive Mayuri's past crimes out of kindness.
And going to Captain-Commander Yamamoto to ask for a favor?
That would be suicide.
Shinji imagined the scene and chuckled inwardly: the old man would probably slice him down on the spot for daring to suggest it.
What about asking the Kuchiki Clan to intervene?
Also impossible.
The Kuchiki Clan had political weight, yes, but they would never waste that influence on someone as unpredictable and dangerous as Mayuri.
So what's the only option left?
Merit.
If Mayuri could make enough of a contribution to offset his crimes, then he could receive a lesser sentence, something like a public apology and probation.
That's why…
"We need to find Kuchiki Kōga as soon as possible. He's just escaped from his seal, and his strength hasn't fully returned yet," Byakuya said seriously.
"Yeah. If he starts causing chaos again, we'll be in big trouble," Shinji nodded.
Kuchiki Kōga's Zanpakutō was called Muramasa.
Its ability was terrifying.
As long as the user calls out "Muramasa" from the depths of their heart, a materialized version of Muramasa would appear with a Zanpakutō in hand, and no matter the distance, it would return to its master in an instant.
Even more frightening, Muramasa could speak directly to other Zanpakutō, manipulate them by amplifying their buried dissatisfaction or suppressed instincts, and cause them to rebel against their owners.
This made Kuchiki Kōga the bane of all Shinigami.
That was why Captain Yamamoto and Kuchiki Ginrei had sealed him away in a location where Muramasa could no longer sense him.
But now
Shinji's expression turned pensive.
How had Kōga escaped?
Muramasa shouldn't have been able to find him…
Unless someone intentionally released him.
But why?
What purpose could that serve?
The thought gave Shinji pause.
---
Meanwhile, in the Tenth Division Barracks:
"Ugh… This is so annoying! Kuchiki Shinji, you jerk, running off to the Human World and leaving me here!"
Matsumoto Rangiku groaned dramatically as she stared at the mountain of paperwork in front of her.
Slumped over her desk, she whined and rolled side to side, before finally smacking her forehead against the table.
Bang!
"V-Vice Captain Rangiku, are you okay?" a hesitant voice came from the door.
It was Saitō Yanagawa, a junior officer. His voice was cautious, and his expression even more so.
When Rangiku was in a bad mood… well, things could get dangerous.
As that thought crossed his mind
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Rangiku had already appeared before him and delivered a flying kick!
Boom!
Saitō flew backward, crashing into the desk and landing in a heap beneath it.
"You came at just the right time, Yanagawa," Rangiku said cheerfully, dusting off her hands. "I just remembered I have a very important mission. So I'll be leaving all this paperwork to you."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and bolted, disappearing in seconds.
"I knew it…" Yanagawa groaned.
He sighed and dragged himself into the chair.
"I'm just a squad member… not even seated. Is it really okay to leave team management to me?"
He flipped through the documents with a gloomy face.
"The Captain's not on any official mission either… and Vice-Captain Rangiku is clearly just running off to drink again…"
Another sigh.
Yanagawa glanced down at a report in his hands.
"Some Shinigami have reported hearing strange sounds… supposedly from their own Zanpakutō?"
"What kind of nonsense is this? Why are we even collecting this kind of report?"
He complained out loud, but he knew the answer.
The 10th Division was the "Special Agent Division."
Its job was exactly what the name implied: to gather information, analyze anomalies, and respond to unusual threats.
All intelligence was routed to the captain's office.
But since their captain, Shinji, was always off somewhere, the day-to-day management usually fell to Vice-Captain Rangiku.
And when she was busy skipping out…
Well, that left Saitō Yanagawa.
He groaned again.
"I'm just a low-ranking soldier. Why am I stuck with all this?"
"When Captain Shinji comes back, I have to ask for a promotion! I've gotta rise through the ranks!"
"If I don't get stronger, how will I ever keep up with someone like Captain Shinji?"
With that motivation, Saitō straightened his back and dove into the paperwork, eyes shining with determination.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Seireitei:
"Hey there, Miss Rangiku!"
On a road in the Court of Pure Souls, Abarai Renji waved enthusiastically as he spotted Rangiku walking alone.
He wasn't alone.
With him were two very distinct figures:
One was bald-headed, with sharp, narrow eyes and red eyeshadow, fierce-looking and clearly not someone to mess with.
The other had long middle-parted hair, a feather ornament at the corner of his eye, a connected neck and wrist guard, and a stylized high-collared Shinigami uniform, Ayasegawa Yumichika.
These were the 3rd Seat and 5th Seat of the 11th Division, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika.
Renji had transferred to the 11th Division because his Kidō was weak, but his swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and Shunpo were top-notch, perfectly suited for Squad 11's battle-loving ethos.
He had quickly become friends with Ikkaku and Yumichika.
They were out today to grab some drinks and spar for fun.
"Oh, Abarai Renji," Rangiku greeted with a smirk. "How's your 'Great Snake King' training coming along?"
She was clearly teasing him, referencing how Renji had once accidentally blown himself up during a training session.
"Eh? Great Snake King?" Yumichika blinked. "What's that?"
Matsumoto Rangiku squinted and smiled, "That's Abarai Renji's Shikai."
Hearing this, Ayasegawa Yumichika became even more curious: "But isn't his Shikai Zabimaru?"
As he said this, he looked at Abarai Renji.
Immediately, Abarai Renji's face darkened: "Miss Rangiku, please don't bring up that black history, it's really embarrassing."
Thinking about how his Shikai had exploded in front of everyone during a soul burial practice, Abarai Renji couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his eye.
Damn it, that was beyond humiliating!
"It sounds like a very interesting story. Could Vice-Captain Rangiku kindly share it?" Ayasegawa Yumichika flattered, "A beautiful lady like you surely wouldn't mind telling us about it?"
Hearing the compliment, even though she knew it was intentional, Rangiku couldn't help but smile.
"It happened just over a month ago. He was trying to use Shikai during a soul burial training, but he messed up the release chant, and boom, he blew it up."
"Blew… blew it up?" Yumichika blinked.
As Abarai Renji's face grew darker, Madarame Ikkaku burst out laughing, eventually falling to the ground with tears in his eyes.
"Enough, Ikkaku!"
"And you too, Yumichika, I don't deserve this!"
Abarai Renji's forehead bulged with veins as he complained, "Miss Rangiku, why are you being so serious? Why are you telling them this kind of embarrassing story?! I…"
"Are you blaming me, Abarai Renji?" Rangiku's voice suddenly dropped in tone, turning icy.
Renji turned and looked at Rangiku, who now had black aura lines pulsing from her, and the rest of his words died in his throat.
He dropped to his knees.
"I'm sorry, Miss Rangiku! Please forgive me!"
She was just too scary.
Abarai Renji broke into a cold sweat.
Rangiku might not be as terrifying as Unohana Retsu in terms of cruelty, but she was still plenty dangerous in her own right!
"I didn't expect Renji to have such a funny little secret… It's quite unsightly." Yumichika covered his mouth and laughed gracefully.
Hearing that, Abarai Renji complained, "But Yumichika, your laugh just now was really creepy!"
"Huh? Are you calling me ugly?"
Yumichika's face darkened.
To someone who values beauty above all else, ugly was the greatest insult imaginable.
"Compared to bald-headed Ikkaku, you're way more annoying," he added, eyes glinting red.
"Hey!" Ikkaku yelled, clearly offended. "If you two wanna fight, go ahead, but leave me out of it!"
What's with calling me bald all the time?
I am bald, but how is that hurting anyone?
"Shut up, baldy!"
"You wanna go?!"
"Fine! Let's do this, you two ugly freaks!"
"Yumichika, you just called Ikkaku bald. Don't drag me into it!"
"Try calling me bald one more time!"
"Baldy!" ×2.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH TODAY!!"
As the three of them tangled in a chaotic street brawl, Rangiku silently covered her face with her hand and sighed.
"As expected of the 11th squad… even their personalities are completely chaotic."
After a while of wrestling and rolling around
The bruised and dusty trio stood up.
"Let's fight for real!"
"We need a duel!"
"Loser buys the drinks!"
"Deal."
The agreement was reached in seconds. They stared each other down, weapons still sheathed, preparing for a mock fight.
But
In the next moment, Madarame Ikkaku's expression suddenly changed.
Bang!
He struck Abarai Renji on the head with his sheathed sword, sending him flying.
"Ikkaku?!" Yumichika shouted in shock.
Sure, they'd just been roughhousing, but that was just 11th squad camaraderie.
The 11th squad was known for being macho and competitive, but their brawls were always friendly at heart. Even when sparring, they used bamboo swords or kept the blade sheathed.
So what was Ikkaku doing now?
Why such a serious attack?
Yumichika rushed over and saw blood on Renji's forehead. "Are you crazy?!"
Then
Another strike from Ikkaku came crashing down.
Boom!
Dust flew.
Rangiku immediately stood between them with a serious expression and asked, "Madarame Ikkaku, what's going on with you?!"
Ikkaku's body twitched, and he shouted in a panicked voice:
"I don't know either! My hand… it won't stop! You guys need to run!"
No, It wasn't just his hand.
It felt like his Zanpakutō was controlling his hand, forcing it to attack!
Ikkaku looked at his sword in shock.
Could that even happen?
"Out of control?" Rangiku said as she blocked another attack, rapidly analyzing the situation while backing up.
Given their relationship, there was no way Ikkaku would attack like this over a trivial fight.
So it had to be some kind of incident.
But what exactly had caused Ikkaku to suddenly lose control of his actions?
As her thoughts raced
Ikkaku's attacks became fiercer.
Then, in the widened eyes of Rangiku and Yumichika, the scabbard suddenly slipped off Ikkaku's Zanpakutō.
The next strike was no longer a blunt one.
Ikkaku noticed this and shouted, "What the hell is happening?! I can't control Hōzukimaru anymore, it's controlling me!"
In just a few moments of combat, Ikkaku had clearly realized, it wasn't his body acting on its own, but Hōzukimaru pulling him into battle.
And the scariest part?
No matter how much force he used, he couldn't stop it.
"What the hell…"
Rangiku kicked him back and created some distance.
Then
The Zanpakutō in Ikkaku's hand erupted with crimson Reiatsu.
It Shikai-ed!
Hōzukimaru released its Shikai without Ikkaku doing anything.
No chant. No command. Nothing.
"What…?" Ikkaku's eyes widened in shock.
Then, determination appeared in his eyes.
If Hōzukimaru was already out of control…
Then maybe letting go would stop it.
With that thought, Ikkaku gritted his teeth and released his grip on Hōzukimaru just as it slashed toward Rangiku and the others.
In the next moment
To everyone's horror
The dropped Hōzukimaru exploded with crimson light.
Then
A figure slowly emerged from the glow.
Hōzukimaru… had materialized!