Seireitei, West, outside the Hakutōmon Gate.
Nagasawa Masaru, dressed in a tattered hemp robe, quietly gazed at the massive complex of buildings before him, as if surrounded by the Wall of Maria.
Soul Society is vast; it would take a normal Soul at least a month to walk from beyond Rukongai's Sixtieth District to the Seireitei.
However, after activating the Peak Shinigami Experience Card, this journey, akin to traveling to the capital for an examination, was almost instantaneous.
Of course, the barrier surrounding the Seireitei was not some Wall of Maria; if anything, it was a tangible class barrier.
Inside the wall and outside the wall were worlds as different as heaven and earth.
Damn it, I don't even get a share!
After spitting lightly, Nagasawa Masaru gently brushed his palm over the invisible barrier before him. With his powerful Spiritual Pressure, the subtle spiritual particle fluctuations almost instantaneously constructed a bird's-eye view of the Seireitei in Nagasawa Masaru's mind.
The wall, constructed from Sekkiseki, releases spiritual power-decomposing waves, creating a spherical protective shield that guards the Seireitei from the sky to the ground. It not only prevents ordinary Souls from entering but also serves as an alarm when external enemies invade.
Conversely, when one's Spiritual Pressure reaches a certain Realm, this Sekkiseki wall becomes a living map for invaders. He almost instantly located the Spiritual Arts Academy.
It's only natural to think about it; this wall was originally built to prevent ordinary spiritual bodies from entering the territory of the noble gentlemen. Against strong individuals, whether this wall exists or not makes no difference; in the end, it's the Gotei 13 who are dispatched.
However, Nagasawa Masaru was clearly not preparing to attack Soul Society. If he couldn't join the Gotei 13 today, even if he were to become the Soul King...
Bah, he wouldn't want to be that idiot!
"Kid, this isn't the place for you. Go back."
Just as Nagasawa Masaru was about to move towards the Spiritual Arts Academy, a shadowy figure, as if obscuring the sky, suddenly appeared above him, followed by a booming sound like a great bell.
West Hakutōmon Gate Guard, "Hero" Jidanbō of the Ikkansen.
Perhaps because of Nagasawa Masaru's current youthful appearance, Jidanbō, who also hailed from Rukongai, chose not to attack immediately but opted for persuasion.
However, in the face of Jidanbō's kindness, Nagasawa Masaru merely looked up, his neck aching slightly as he gazed at the nearly ten-meter-tall giant, then offered an apologetic smile.
The next second, Jidanbō felt a blur before his eyes. The young man who had been standing at his feet vanished in a blink. When he subconsciously reached for the twin axes at his waist, the vanished young man had already leaped to the level of his eyebrows.
"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Please take a nap for a while."
The boy's slightly childish voice drifted into his ears. Jidanbō's brain didn't even have time to react before he saw the boy bend his slender middle finger, like a "toothpick," and "gently" flick his forehead. Immediately, Jidanbō's eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness, his massive body falling straight backward.
However, Jidanbō's enormous body made no sound after he fainted.
Nagasawa Masaru, who had just been hovering in front of Jidanbō, once again used Shunpo to appear behind him. With a slight lift of his slender arm, Jidanbō's massive body, which was falling backward like a collapsing mountain, was miraculously stopped from falling.
After gently "helping" the unconscious Jidanbō lean against the Sekkiseki wall and slowly sit down, Nagasawa Masaru even had the leisure to arrange him in a sleeping pose similar to the "Sleeping Kogoro" from Detective Conan.
From a distance, Jidanbō at this moment looked like a famous detective currently apprehending criminals.
Ahem...
Nagasawa Masaru wasn't afraid of being pursued by Shinigami if his infiltration of the Seireitei was discovered.
His goal was to join the Gotei 13 at the Spiritual Arts Academy's graduation ceremony to save his life.
What if the graduation ceremony of the Spiritual Arts Academy was canceled due to the commotion he caused? Who would he cry to then?
He never considered his life worthless; he cherished it greatly.
The spherical protective shield generated by the Sekkiseki wall could fully detect the sky above and the ground below the Seireitei. The only way to enter undetected was to openly pass through the four gates: East, South, West, and North.
Before successfully blending into the Spiritual Arts Academy's graduation ceremony, Nagasawa Masaru's top priority was to ensure the smooth conduct of the graduation ceremony.
Quietly opening a tiny gap in the Hakutōmon Gate, Nagasawa Masaru slipped in like a ghost.
The Hakutōmon Gate quietly closed, and the guard, Jidanbō of the Ikkansen, sat leaning against the wall. Everything seemed as if nothing had ever happened.
After entering the Seireitei, relying on the map constructed in his mind, Aizen's method of concealing Spiritual Pressure, and Tenjiro Kirinji's Shunpo, which was even more covert than that of the Stealth Force's leader.
On his way to the Spiritual Arts Academy's graduation venue, Nagasawa Masaru even managed to sneak up behind a Central Academy graduate who was about to be late. He not only knocked out the unlucky-looking child but also pulled off the upper-white, lower-blue kimono uniform they were wearing.
"Sakamaki Hiroshi of Class 7, Six-Year Students?"
Looking at the wooden tag in his hand, which was like a student ID and bore a name, it made him think of a certain cat-loving individual who protected love and peace.
Gazing at Sakamaki Hiroshi, who was tightly bound by the thick, snake-like chains formed by Bakudo No. 63, Sajō Sabaku, Nagasawa Masaru quietly said "Sorry" in his heart. Then, he casually pulled out a strip of cloth to cover his face completely, and without caring about the surprised looks of others, he boldly blended into the graduating class of Six-Year Students, Class 7.
As they drew closer to the Spiritual Arts Academy's graduation hall, the chatter of the Shinigami cadets grew louder.
A burly, seemingly outgoing young man walked along, complaining to his companion, "Hey, hey, have you heard? That young master Kuchiki, who for some unknown reason studied at Central Academy for six years and was always the top student, became the Third Seat of the Sixth Division right after graduation!"
His companion was a slender boy of about 16: "Isn't that obvious? Not to mention Kuchiki Byakuya's terrifying strength, the Sixth Division is the Kuchiki family's stronghold! What's so surprising about being a Third Seat? If his father wasn't the current Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division, I wouldn't be surprised if he directly took over the Vice-Captain position after graduation."
Saying this, he cast a disdainful glance at his companion.
Listening to his companion's slightly dismissive words, the outgoing young man didn't get angry. He just held his head in greater distress and groaned softly, "Damn it! His family is already one of the Four Noble Families, and his talent is so outstanding. Is he not leaving any room for us ordinary folks to live?"
Seeing his companion start to act silly again, the slender young man could only shake his head helplessly: "Tsk, don't envy him. But you know what, speaking of Geniuses, there's a monster this year whose talent is no less than Kuchiki Byakuya's, and is even subtly more terrifying than him."
"Hmm?"
His companion's words caught the attention of the outgoing young man. He quickly asked, "What? Another monster? Who is it? How come I've never heard of them?"
Saying this, the outgoing young man didn't forget to look around at the Six-Year Students who were heading to the graduation venue with him, as if trying to find the monster Genius his companion spoke of among them.
"Pa!"
Perhaps the slender young man was already used to his companion's erratic personality. He merely put a hand to his forehead and then casually pointed in a direction.
The conversation between the two had clearly caught Nagasawa Masaru's attention, especially the name Kuchiki Byakuya.
The moment the slender young man extended his finger, he subconsciously followed the direction of the other's finger.
At the same time, the slender young man's voice echoed in his ears once more.
"See that silver-haired squinty-eyed guy? He only took one year to graduate successfully from the Central Academy, and he also became a Seat Officer right after graduation. He seems to be even younger than Kuchiki Byakuya. Now, that's a true Genius."
Looking at the silver-haired young man, who was squinting his eyes, keeping his hands tucked into his sleeves, and walking slowly, even the outgoing, rough young man was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, squinty-eyed people are all Geniuses.
However, contrary to the two, after seeing that iconic silver-haired, squinty-eyed man, Nagasawa Masaru's heart instead showed a thoughtful expression.
"So that's how it is…"