After replying to the message, Yoriichi Tsugikuni calmed himself for a moment, put away the Messenger Machine, and immediately prepared to depart for the Human World.
There was still some time before the two returned, and during this period, he needed to appease the Kurosaki in the Human World.
Although Chōjirō Sasakibe had already gone, given his personality, he probably hadn't taken any action yet.
Time was short; there was no need to wait any longer.
And at the same moment he set off.
In the Human World, Kisuke Urahara also slowly put away his Messenger Machine, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
He turned around, facing Shiba Isshin, and explained unhurriedly:
"It's done. As long as Yoriichi chooses not to pursue it, you and she probably won't have any more trouble."
"Speaking of which, this can't be entirely blamed on you two. Protecting the weak is human nature."
"Let's start acting now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kisuke Urahara unhesitatingly drew his Zanpakuto, preparing to summon the Senkaimon.
This operation was carried out quietly through the Shihoin Clan's exclusive Senkaimon.
Only this way would it not be noticed by others.
Whoosh.
Light flickered, and the Senkaimon fully opened.
Shiba Isshin carefully carried the unconscious Kurosaki Masaki and followed closely behind Kisuke Urahara, stepping into it.
Soon, the three returned to the Soul Society.
...
"Thank you so much, Tsugikuni-dono."
Outside the Kurosaki household, the Kurosaki couple expressed great joy at Yoriichi Tsugikuni's arrival.
It was wonderful to hear that their daughter was fine.
They had thought she had been abducted by some Shinigami.
They hadn't expected her to be caught up in an incident.
Although being caught in an incident was also very dangerous, at least Yoriichi Tsugikuni's guarantee meant that their daughter would definitely return safely.
They might not trust Shiba Isshin, but they absolutely trusted Yoriichi Tsugikuni, because the latter was the Captain-Commander and held extremely high prestige in their hearts.
The Kurosaki couple wanted to invite Yoriichi Tsugikuni into their home to discuss what exactly their daughter had encountered.
Yoriichi, however, smiled and gently refused. He knew in his heart that this matter should not be told by him.
Once he spoke, if it were to exonerate Shiba Isshin, it would appear biased.
It would be different if Kurosaki Masaki told it.
If their daughter spoke, no matter how biased it was, parents could only accept it and comfort themselves by saying their daughter had grown up.
This would not affect anyone.
After Yoriichi left, he turned to head to the Substitute Soul Reaper's residence.
Because Ginjo was a Shinigami, he had to make choices between work and family, so currently only his wife and child lived in the Human World.
Ginjo returned several times a year, so the mother and son were still doing quite well.
Arriving at the door, Yoriichi Tsugikuni gently knocked.
After a moment, the door slowly opened.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni chatted with the Substitute Soul Reaper for a while, indicating that everything was over and that he did not need to dwell on losing his memories.
After appeasing all the members in the Human World who had participated in the mission and suffered losses, Yoriichi Tsugikuni returned to the Soul Society.
At this time, Kisuke Urahara and Shiba Isshin had also returned.
The two immediately sent Kurosaki Masaki to the Twelfth Division without delay and promptly notified Captain Retsu Unohana of the Fourth Division.
In terms of research, Kisuke Urahara might be skilled.
But stabilizing a patient's vital signs, without using special means, was still best handled by professionals.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni followed closely behind to the Twelfth Division.
He met with Retsu Unohana, their gazes met, they nodded slightly, and then both walked in.
"Kisuke, how are things going?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni saw Kisuke Urahara bustling about, seemingly adjusting some machinery.
Kisuke Urahara heard the voice, looked up, and was about to say something.
Shiba Isshin, however, walked over first.
He bowed slightly, a hint of guilt on his face, and apologized:
"I'm sorry, Captain-Commander, for making you worry."
"...It's fine. Be careful in the future. Just don't make the same mistake again."
Believing Shiba Isshin was referring to the loss of the Messenger Machine, Yoriichi chose not to pursue it.
He paused, his gaze shifting from Kurosaki Masaki to Shiba Isshin, and continued,
"Regarding that Fullbringer, do you know his identity?"
"Someone will come to find you later. Please describe his physical characteristics in detail so that we can proceed with our follow-up work."
"Of course."
Shiba Isshin nodded without hesitation.
Cooperating with organizational work was his duty as a Captain, even if only a temporary one.
He had already decided that regardless of whether Kurosaki Masaki recovered, he would stay by her side until the matter was completely resolved, to prevent any further accidents.
This was his responsibility as a man.
Therefore, continuing to serve as Captain would not be appropriate.
Of course, he had not yet told Yoriichi Tsugikuni this idea.
After all, it was too sudden and also against the rules.
If heard by someone with ill intent, they might believe his feelings for a Quincy exceeded his feelings for a Shinigami.
At that time, if someone used this as an excuse to attack the Shiba Clan, it would be bad.
As their conversation ended, the air fell into a brief silence, with only the continuous sound of Kisuke Urahara operating machinery in the room.
Retsu Unohana walked with light steps to Kurosaki Masaki's side and observed her carefully.
Seeing the unusually balanced reishi within her, a smile of interest appeared on her face.
After exchanging a few words with Kisuke Urahara and confirming Kurosaki Masaki's current condition, Retsu Unohana roughly understood the purpose of her visit.
Soon, the treatment began.
...
Deep within the chaos of her consciousness, Kurosaki Masaki felt her eyelids were incredibly heavy, as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing down on them.
The sounds in her ears were very noisy, intermittent, as if coming from a distant place, unclear.
She was full of doubts, not understanding what was happening to her.
In her memory, she was clearly striving for peace in the Human World.
She had finally defeated the enemy, but then everything went black, and she inexplicably fainted.
Shiba-sensei must be very worried...
Her subconscious told her to open her eyes as soon as possible.
But no matter how much she urged herself, her brain received no signal.
The surroundings gradually darkened, and eventually she could only see four fireballs of different colors in front of her eyes...
No, to be precise, they were fighting under her eyelids.
One blue fireball felt very familiar to Kurosaki Masaki, but because her thoughts were somewhat muddled, she couldn't recall it for a moment.
She could only watch quietly.
She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't blink, and her limbs gradually became cold, as if encased in a layer of ice.
After an unknown amount of time, the seemingly evenly matched battle of the four fireballs finally showed a slight change.
Among them, the blue fireball grew larger, suppressing the red.
The red fireball seemed to be resisting the invasion of the white.
But due to this event, the red fireball's power was weakened, allowing the white fireball to seize the opportunity, begin to erode the blue, polluting it and turning it white.
With each bit of erosion, Kurosaki Masaki felt an increasing emptiness within, as if her soul was being slowly drawn away, and the fear and helplessness grew stronger.
Kurosaki Masaki had a premonition that when the blue fireball was completely eroded by the white fireball, that would be the moment she faced danger.
She really wanted to act, to change the fate of the blue fireball.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free from the shackles of the surrounding void, as if she was confined by an invisible force.
At this moment, she could only focus her attention on the green fireball.
The three sides were fighting, but only it was not participating, like an observer.
Move... Hurry and move...
She urged anxiously in her heart.
Although she didn't know what the outcome would be if the green fireball joined, it was better than the current situation of waiting to die.
However, the green fireball remained indifferent, as if oblivious to everything.
Gradually, negative emotions from the Hollow filled her heart; despair and suppression, like a tide, drowned her.
A hole had been opened in her chest, but she herself was unaware, her consciousness gradually blurring in this endless darkness.
Just as Kurosaki Masaki thought she was about to face misfortune, an unexpected event occurred silently.
As if someone had poured gasoline out of thin air, the red fireball suddenly flared up.
The flames were incredibly fierce, completely suppressing the white fireball, almost extinguishing it in an instant...
The erosion stopped, her life was saved, and the hole in her chest stopped spreading.
She didn't know why, but Kurosaki Masaki instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the next second, she felt something was wrong.
Because... the aura emitted by the red fireball when it erupted felt somewhat familiar.
...
At the Twelfth Division, Shiba Isshin stood slightly hunched over the control panel.
He was panting heavily as he looked at Kisuke Urahara and asked, "Was it successful?"
At this moment, he was covered in sweat, which trickled down his cheeks and soaked his collar.
Clearly, the previous operation had consumed a great deal of his physical strength; even his lips were almost white, and he looked quite exhausted.
Kisuke Urahara glanced at the current readings of Kurosaki Masaki's vital signs.
A trace of relief flashed in his eyes, and a smile appeared on his face as he turned and nodded slightly to Shiba Isshin, indicating:
"Congratulations, you succeeded. Her life is saved."
"Currently, with the reishi you just transferred to her, it can probably extend her lifespan by nearly fifty years."
"After fifty years, you can extend it again, repeating this a few times, and I believe she can last until her natural death."
At this point, Kisuke Urahara put away some tools.
He slowly walked to Shiba Isshin's side, patted his shoulder, and changed the subject, "However, this will be hard on you, Isshin."
"Although anyone's reishi could work, you insisted on taking this responsibility yourself."
"In other words, every fifty years, you will have to overdraw a portion of your reishi, which will undoubtedly cause an unavoidable weakening of your strength."
"Knowing this, do you still want to continue?"
"Of course."
Shiba Isshin looked up, calmed his breathing, and spoke with determination, as if he had made a certain resolve.
He was mentally prepared; everything started because of him, and everything must end with him.
"Good."
Kisuke Urahara was quite satisfied with Shiba Isshin's attitude.
He tilted his head slightly, looking at Yoriichi, confident that Yoriichi would also be pleased with this.
Because this was the responsibility a Captain should have.
Even if this news were to inadvertently spread and be known by Kurosaki Masaki's parents in the Human World.
Given their personalities, they probably wouldn't be too harsh when they took action.
Kisuke Urahara removed his hand from Shiba Isshin's shoulder, turned around, and reiterated a few instructions:
"It's good that you have such determination."
"Although this will permanently reduce your strength, once every fifty years, the cost isn't too heavy."
"Besides, in terms of reishi, Kurosaki Masaki's strength isn't very strong."
"The reishi consumed to suppress it once can be fully recovered through training."
"Keep going, not just for her, but for you too."
After speaking, Kisuke Urahara left the laboratory.
Kurosaki Masaki was about to wake up, and he didn't want to be an awkward third wheel there for the upcoming time.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Retsu Unohana also left one after another.
Soon, Kurosaki Masaki, lying on the laboratory bed, slowly woke up.
The light was a bit dazzling, and she blinked blankly.
Before she could even assess her current situation, she suddenly saw a face so familiar she couldn't be more familiar...
...
Outside the laboratory.
As time passed, Kisuke Urahara received a more detailed inspection report on Kurosaki Masaki from his assistant.
He glanced at it, clicking his tongue in wonder:
"This is incredible, it's my first time seeing a soul like this."
"Captain Shiba's reishi not only transformed her spiritual body, making her immune to Hollow poison, but also enabled her to use some Shinigami Kido techniques."
"The Hollow's reishi was completely suppressed, but a trace still remained."
"Using this trace, combined with a Quincy's constitution for absorbing reishi, she might even be able to use a Cero..."
"The remaining X-cution is currently unclear, but clearly, Kurosaki Masaki's soul is completely different from before."
"She alone can use all the abilities of a Shinigami, a Quincy, and a Hollow..."
"Even Nemu can't compare to her in this regard, it's truly remarkable."
At this point, Kisuke Urahara raised his eyes and looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni beside him, a questioning look in his eyes,
"Captain-Commander, what do you think should be done with her future arrangements?"
"If we just send her back, I don't think it's appropriate; she's too dangerous."
Although Kisuke Urahara had similar thoughts before, nothing was as intuitive as the current report.
Moreover, if Kisuke Urahara remembered correctly.
What he told Shiba Isshin back then was.
Only if Shiba Isshin chose the first option, would she be sent back to her parents after Kurosaki Masaki woke up safe and sound.
Now...
Yoriichi Tsugikuni crossed his arms over his chest and spoke slowly with a calm expression:
"Danger is not absolute. Vasto Lorde are also very dangerous, but I still brought them into the Soul Society back then."
"No matter how powerful a force one possesses, stability and order are the most crucial qualities."
Saying that, he took the report from Kisuke Urahara's hand and glanced at it, his gaze still unperturbed,
"Don't mention detention again. While this is the Shinigami's way of doing things, it's the old generation of Shinigami's way."
"I am not a teacher, so naturally, I will do things my way."
"First, let her live in the Soul Society for a period, not long, about a week will do."
"This week will allow us to assess her current physical condition and also let her learn more about the Soul Society."
"This way, even if an accident truly occurs and her soul comes to the Soul Society, she won't be completely clueless about the situation."
In Yoriichi's heart, one must always prepare for the worst.
As the first soul to fuse four powers, no one knew how long Kurosaki Masaki's current healthy state could last.
Fifty years was just a rough estimate, based on the normal rate of Shiba Isshin's reishi consumption.
Once an accident occurs and the reishi is diminished.
Then, in less than fifty years, around thirty years, the Hollow's reishi would regain the upper hand.
At that time, if no one timely infused Shinigami reishi again, Kurosaki Masaki would surely lose her life.
This was also why everyone left the laboratory earlier, unwilling to be a third wheel.
It could be said that this accident completely bound the two of them.
As for... why Kurosaki Masaki couldn't find someone else.
Firstly, having absorbed Shiba Isshin's reishi, few Shinigami could satisfy her in terms of reishi quality.
Secondly, no one could determine when an accident would occur.
Hollow poison leads to death in at most five minutes.
In these five minutes, Kurosaki Masaki couldn't even return to the Soul Society or enter the Seireitei.
Clearly, at that time, she could only rely on those around her.
Kisuke Urahara nodded thoughtfully: "I see... please excuse my presumption, but if that's the case, then everything will be done as you say, Captain-Commander."
"A week is indeed enough, but just in case, I think we should arrange another group of people to monitor her."
"Of course, I will ensure they are all female, after all, I am not Mayuri Kurotsuchi."
Most of what Mayuri did, Kisuke Urahara was unwilling to do.
Although he also saw no gender distinction, peeping was simply too vulgar.
Monitoring bacteria was one thing, monitoring spores another, monitoring mosquitoes...
Whenever he thought of these things, Kisuke Urahara felt a bit awkward.
Fortunately, those monitored Shinigami hadn't come knocking, otherwise, the Twelfth Division would be criticized endlessly, and even he, as Captain, would be implicated.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni glanced at Kisuke Urahara and did not deny Kisuke's monitoring remarks.
But out of humanitarianism, he added a few words: "Even if you monitor, the behavior cannot be excessive. Set a time limit."
"Also, privacy and such things are out of the question."
"Just ensure that she doesn't encounter any accidents in the Human World."
Kisuke Urahara thought for a moment and finally accepted the order.
Unless it was a special circumstance, he also didn't want to pry into others' privacy.
After Yoriichi Tsugikuni left, about three minutes later, one or two members dressed in Inner Court uniforms appeared in the Twelfth Division.
They directly took Shiba Isshin, who was reminiscing with Kurosaki Masaki, out.
Reminiscing could happen anytime; understanding everything that happened to Kurosaki Masaki was the top priority.
...
It was two days later when Yoriichi Tsugikuni found the Fullbringer.
Because he died too early, the news couldn't reach the Soul Society in time.
As a result, after his death, he was assigned to the seventy-something district by an unsuspecting Shinigami.
The seventy-something district was extremely vast, and hiding deep in the mountains made him genuinely difficult to capture without some effort.
Fortunately, the Soul Society was the Shinigami's territory.
Even if the opponent's anti-reconnaissance abilities were strong, he ultimately fell under the abilities of certain Zanpakuto.
After capturing him, Yoriichi learned that this series of changes stemmed from his unwillingness.
He only transmitted the Hollow's reishi to the Quincy to take someone down with him before he died.
He had fought a Quincy before, so he clearly knew the Quincy's weakness.
In his opinion, Kurosaki Masaki was sure to die, and killing one of those who ambushed him was a form of revenge.
However, perhaps due to excessive blood loss and a very blurry consciousness.
He accidentally sent out the Soul King fragments he had absorbed from others, mixed with the Hollow's reishi.
By the time he realized it, it was too late; his consciousness was about to dissipate, and there was nothing he could do.
He wasn't sure what the fragment's effect was, but if it gave Kurosaki Masaki a chance to live, then his death would be in vain.
At the last moment, he also sent out Shinigami's reishi, intending for Kurosaki Masaki to explode.
In his opinion, no one's body, except his own, could contain four completely different powers.
This understanding was actually correct. What was wrong was that before transmitting the reishi, he absorbed a portion of the Quincy's reishi from Kurosaki Masaki's body.
Without this action, Kurosaki Masaki would not have lasted until Kisuke Urahara arrived.
Because Shinigami power and Quincy power are difficult to merge without external intervention.
Once Quincy power gains the upper hand, it's when it loses the upper hand and perishes.
Mutual generation and mutual restraint are like this, similar to rock-paper-scissors; once paper eliminates rock, scissors win.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni listened to all this without missing a beat and couldn't help but marvel at Kurosaki Masaki's incredible luck.
However, thinking about it carefully, this was also natural.
Among everyone, only Kurosaki Masaki seemed the weakest, so when it came to mutual destruction, she naturally became the sole target.
"So, what's the situation with that Fullbringer now?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni regained his composure and asked Chōjirō Sasakibe beside him.
Chojiro nodded slightly, his expression serious: "He's already locked up, please rest assured, Captain-Commander."
"Although that Fullbringer sent out some of the Soul King fragments from his body, the danger still exists."
"If he were allowed to remain at large, it would inevitably cause great unrest."
"He'll probably be imprisoned for over a thousand years, to wear down his murderous intent and hostility."
Yoriichi nodded lightly, feeling that this punishment was fair.
As for why he wasn't sent to hell after killing so many people, it was probably due to the X-cution.
Those people died due to soul weakening, and there was only an indirect relationship, not a direct one, between their deaths and his absorption of reishi.
Similar to being tricked into losing everything and then jumping off a building...
It can only be said that hell is too rigid in judging sins.
Fortunately, the Shinigami compensate for these loopholes elsewhere.
Knowing the predicament the Fullbringer was about to face, Yoriichi Tsugikuni then started discussing Shiba Isshin with Chōjirō Sasakibe.
As they were talking, Shiba Isshin, dressed in his Captain's haori, came to visit the 1st Division and submitted an application.
Four days later, which would be when Kurosaki Masaki left the Soul Society, Shiba Isshin would resign from his Captain position and settle in the Human World with Kurosaki Masaki.
Of course, not cohabiting; their relationship hadn't developed to that point yet. It was just that Shiba Isshin couldn't rest easy.
As for who would take over the Tenth Division Captain position after he left, and who would look after the Shiba Clan branch family...
Shiba Isshin had arranged everything.
He recommended Shiba Kaien.
And because of this.
Along with this application came Shiba Kaien's assessment report, stating he had learned Bankai and was applying for a Captain position.
...
Seeing these, Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Chōjirō Sasakibe both fell silent.