Dachun City
"Aizen, huh?"
Ryūjin sheathed his asauchi and watched the Grand Fisher disintegrate like dust scattered by a single snap. A cold glint flashed through his eyes.
Uchiha Ryūjin had never been known for having a good temper.
Still, the whole thing felt strange to him. Why would Aizen suddenly make a move against him?
After thinking about it for a while without reaching any conclusion, Ryūjin gave up on trying to figure it out. There was no point wasting time trying to understand the mind of a scheming genius like Aizen.
It was the same situation as Rukia Kuchiki. If Aizen had not exposed his own conspiracy in the end, she probably would have died without ever realizing she had been manipulated from the very beginning.
"Looks like I'll need to give Aizen a little warning after I get back."
Ryūjin quickly made up his mind.
To preserve the original flow of events, he had intentionally avoided interfering with anything unnecessary besides quietly signing in. He did not want to disrupt the storyline.
But that did not mean he would sit there and let people scheme against him.
That was never his style.
As long as it did not interfere with Aizen's research on the Hōgyoku, Ryūjin would not hesitate to remind him where the line was.
"But first, I should finish this damn Konso internship."
With that thought, Ryūjin put the matter aside and continued guiding the wandering souls throughout Dachun City.
Meanwhile, Ichimaru Gin dragged his battered body back to Aizen.
"Aizen, the mission failed."
Even now, a trace of disbelief lingered in Ichimaru Gin's voice.
"Gin, this is not your fault. Uchiha Ryūjin's strength exceeded our expectations."
Aizen remained completely composed.
"Gin, you're injured," Tōsen Kaname said from nearby.
Although blind, Tōsen's senses were far sharper than most. The scent of blood reached him immediately.
"The spirit concealing cloak was completely useless against Uchiha Ryūjin," Ichimaru Gin said grimly. "This is the first time something like this has happened. I didn't dare use my zanpakutō because I was worried about exposing my identity, so I ended up injured by him."
"Are you certain whether your identity was exposed?" Aizen asked quietly.
Ichimaru Gin shook his head.
"I can't say for sure."
He had no idea how much Ryūjin had actually seen through. Maybe Ryūjin only sensed fluctuations in Spiritual Pressure, or maybe he had directly recognized Gin himself.
"If that's the case, then we need to prepare for the worst," Aizen said solemnly.
The expressions of both Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname darkened slightly.
They understood exactly what Aizen meant.
If Ryūjin had truly identified Ichimaru Gin and reported him to the Captain Commander, then Central 46 would inevitably investigate him.
At that point, Aizen could potentially lose one of his most useful subordinates.
Of course, this was merely the worst possible outcome.
Aizen was simply being cautious.
In truth, he believed the chances were relatively low.
He had observed the operation from beginning to end. Even if Ryūjin recognized Gin's Spiritual Pressure, there was no evidence proving anything.
More importantly, Aizen himself had remained hidden the entire time without leaving behind a single trace.
Even if Gin were exposed, it would not affect him much.
"Aizen, Uchiha Ryūjin's strength is becoming a serious variable. We should prepare early," Ichimaru Gin said seriously.
"Gin, his strength is even greater than you think. After you retreated, I released Subject 22."
"What? Subject 22?"
Shock finally appeared on Ichimaru Gin's face.
Subject 22 was the strongest among Aizen's experimental creations. Very few Captains in the Soul Society could withstand it.
It was also Aizen's most successful experiment.
"And yet, Uchiha Ryūjin killed it in five minutes and forty two seconds," Aizen stated expressionlessly.
Ichimaru Gin fell silent in shock once more.
Anyone capable of killing Subject 22 that quickly would undoubtedly rank among the top Captains in the Soul Society.
Naturally, that ranking did not include Aizen himself.
Even after staying beside Aizen as an undercover agent for so many years, Ichimaru Gin still had no understanding of Aizen's true strength.
He only knew one thing.
Aizen was terrifyingly strong.
As for exactly how strong, Gin had no idea. It was entirely possible that Aizen had already surpassed Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
"Uchiha Ryūjin has already become a dangerous variable. I'll need to prepare ahead of time."
Aizen silently reached that conclusion.
Thanks to his Observation Haki, Ryūjin's Konso internship progressed extremely smoothly. In only a few days, he had already completed his quota.
"Don't worry. You did plenty of good deeds while alive, so you'll definitely make it to heaven."
As he spoke, Ryūjin lightly tapped the forehead of a wandering soul dressed like an office worker with the sheath of his asauchi.
The soul was peacefully sent to the Rukongai.
The final quota was complete.
Without wasting time, Ryūjin immediately used the communication device developed by the Research and Development Bureau to contact the First Division and request the opening of the Senkaimon.
"Please wait a moment, Captain Ryūjin."
Shortly afterward, the Space Gate opened before him.
Ryūjin stepped inside without another word and vanished.
The next moment, he appeared within the First Division Barracks.
"Captain Ryūjin!"
A member of the First Division greeted him respectfully.
"Is Lieutenant Sasakibe around?" Ryūjin asked casually.
At the same time, he entered the Sign-in System.
"System, sign in at the First Division."
"Ding! Sign in successful. Reward obtained: Bakudō #81, Dankū!"
Ryūjin's mood instantly improved.
Bakudō was a form of Kidō, and the techniques above level eighty were already considered high level spells.
Dankū, especially, was an exceptionally powerful defensive Kidō.
Ryūjin was very satisfied with the reward.
"Captain Ryūjin, Lieutenant Sasakibe has been waiting for you," the First Division member replied.
Ryūjin nodded and headed directly toward Chōjirō Sasakibe without wasting time.
After conducting the necessary inspections on Ryūjin's asauchi and confirming that thirty Konsos had indeed been completed, Sasakibe nodded.
From this moment onward, Ryūjin's Konso internship was officially finished.
The instant Ryūjin stepped out of the First Division Barracks, a cold light flickered in his eyes.
It was time to settle some accounts.
Soon afterward, Ryūjin arrived outside the Third Division Barracks.
"Captain Ryūjin, may I ask why you've come to the Third Division?" the Sixth Seat, Katakura Asuka, asked politely.
"Is your Captain here?" Ryūjin asked directly.
"The Captain just returned."
"Then announce me."
"Captain Ryūjin, please wait a moment..."
"No need."
A voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
Ichimaru Gin appeared silently, his narrow eyes and eerie smile making him look every bit as unsettling as usual.
At first glance, he looked exactly like the kind of person nobody should trust.
It was no surprise his reputation throughout the Seireitei was terrible.
Whether that image was genuinely his nature or simply the role Aizen crafted for him, nobody could really say.
"What business does Captain Ryūjin have with me?" Ichimaru Gin asked coldly. "I don't remember us being close."
"Funny. I'm also surprised Captain Ichimaru Gin likes following me around so quietly," Ryūjin replied meaningfully.
Ichimaru Gin's expression did not change, but his thoughts stirred slightly.
Ryūjin had just returned from his Konso internship, yet instead of returning to the Eleventh Division first, he came straight to the Third Division.
That alone said enough.
Combined with Ryūjin's pointed words, Ichimaru Gin was now certain his identity had been exposed.
Ryūjin had not merely sensed Spiritual Pressure fluctuations through the spirit concealing cloak. He had identified Gin directly.
"Come inside," Ichimaru Gin said before turning and walking into the barracks.
The two eventually entered an empty room.
"Captain Ryūjin seemed to imply something earlier," Ichimaru Gin said carefully.
"There's nobody else here, so drop the act," Ryūjin replied coldly.
His gaze sharpened.
"That attack in Dachun City, you planning to explain it or what?"
An enormous pressure filled the room as Ryūjin stared at Ichimaru Gin.
"Captain Ryūjin, how can I explain something that never happened?" Gin replied smoothly.
"You think saying it never happened makes it disappear?"
Ryūjin sneered.
"If there's no evidence, then nothing happened, right?" Ichimaru Gin remained completely composed.
"Yeah, sure. I don't have evidence," Ryūjin said with a dismissive laugh. "But I never cared about that in the first place."
He casually drew his asauchi.
"I just want a reason to cut you. Fight me once, and I'll pretend none of this happened."
Ichimaru Gin remained silent briefly before drawing his own zanpakutō.
"As you wish."
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
The blade instantly shot forward at terrifying speed, thrusting toward Ryūjin like a silver flash.
Both its force and speed were astonishing.
Yet Ryūjin did not dodge.
With a casual swing of his asauchi, he effortlessly deflected Shinsō aside.
It looked absurdly easy.
"Is this seriously all you've got? Use your Bankai already. Don't embarrass yourself with Shikai in front of me."
Ryūjin's tone was openly mocking.
"Yubisaki!"
Ichimaru Gin's zanpakutō rapidly extended and retracted at blinding speed.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A storm of blades erupted toward Ryūjin, completely sealing off the space before him.
"Pathetic."
Ryūjin reached forward with one bare hand.
"You're asking to die!"
Ichimaru Gin's eyes narrowed sharply.
No one in the entire Seireitei had ever dared catch Shinsō with their bare hands.
This bastard was absurdly arrogant.
Smack!
In the next instant, the countless flashing blades disappeared completely.
Ryūjin had caught Shinsō in his bare hand.
Like steel clamps, his fingers locked around the blade without moving an inch.
"This is impossible!"
For the first time, Ichimaru Gin's eyes widened completely in shock.
To catch Shinsō during Yubisaki with bare hands and remain unharmed was beyond unreasonable.
Ryūjin's speed was monstrous.
Not only that, the Spiritual Pressure concentrated around his palm formed an overwhelming protective layer.
His control and power were terrifying.
A sudden force ripped through Gin's hand.
His zanpakutō had been forcibly torn away and thrown aside.
Whoosh!
Ryūjin instantly appeared beside Ichimaru Gin and swung his asauchi downward.
The overwhelming Spiritual Pressure froze Gin's body in place.
He could not dodge.
Slash!
A massive wound tore across Ichimaru Gin's body as blood sprayed violently into the air.
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