Chapter 277: Kisuke, Desperate Situation!
Second Division, Mikami Technical Bureau.
Although Satoru had left the Second Division many years ago, this building representing the pinnacle of Soul Society's technological achievements had never been relocated.
The squad members all expressed admiration for this "selfless" behavior.
Unlike them, Kisuke would never entertain such thoughts.
He knew perfectly well that Satoru didn't take the Technical Bureau with him simply because it would be useless if he did.
Did the Eleventh Division have anyone who could lead scientific research?
Hell no!
Rather than moving to the Eleventh Division, it would make more sense to move to the Fifth Division.
Mr. Mikami might appear careless usually, but when it comes to weighing pros and cons, he's quite shrewd...
While mentally complaining, Kisuke moved stealthily through the night.
Cloaked in a black mantle, his entire face was shrouded in shadow.
Avoiding patrolling Shinigami along the way, he reached an empty laboratory.
Flash Step, enter, turn, close the door—all in one fluid motion.
After confirming no one had spotted him, he breathed a sigh of relief and approached a large screen.
Suppressing his slightly accelerated heartbeat, he took out a USB drive and plugged it in below the screen.
Then, pulling out the control panel, he began operating rapidly.
The virus program quickly took effect, breaking through firewall after firewall.
He had used these Technology Development Bureau computers for countless years and knew exactly what defense programs they used and what was likely stored in their virus databases.
Soon, the entire Technology Development Bureau's permissions lay bare before him, revealing a system that could be manipulated at will.
Without hesitation, Kisuke accessed the data backends frequently used by Satoru and Aizen.
The moment he pressed the button, a wave of emotion washed over him.
He had finally become a traitor.
Although Satoru often bullied him and assigned him various tasks, when it came down to it, Satoru had helped him far more.
By doing this, there was no turning back.
Though he felt some regret, he had no remorse.
Through years of observation, he had become increasingly certain that Satoru and Aizen were definitely plotting some conspiracy.
It wasn't just petty struggles for power and profit.
It was something truly terrifying, capable of affecting the entire Soul Society, even the order of the three realms!
If it were anyone else, he might have thought they were insane.
But... Satoru and Aizen—he knew all too well what these two were capable of.
Sōsuke Aizen, a genius in scientific research, a genius in strategy, a genius in Kidō development and application.
Though he appeared ordinary, that was merely the facade he deliberately presented.
Once you saw past the surface and glimpsed even a fraction of his true nature, you realized what terrifying undercurrents lurked beneath the calm lake.
Normal people, when they gained great power or achieved impressive research results, couldn't resist showing off, wanting to prove themselves and display their extraordinariness.
Aizen was completely different.
This guy seemed to have no trace of vanity whatsoever.
He willingly hid in someone else's shadow, never flaunting, never boasting.
Compared to his other abilities, this unbelievable capacity for patience was what frightened Kisuke the most.
As for Satoru, there was even less to say.
This guy was a genius in combat.
Within fifty years of graduation, he had already become one of the top combatants among the captains. When he went berserk, he could even spar with the Captain-Commander.
Not only that, but this guy also had the ability to recruit talent and win people over.
Whether intentionally or not, the number of talented individuals around Satoru kept growing.
Kenpachi Zaraki, Komamura Sajin, Kaname Tōsen, Ichimaru Gin...
Each was a one-in-ten-thousand genius, a powerhouse capable of holding their own.
It was no exaggeration to say that under Satoru's management, the Eleventh Division could rival half of the Gotei 13!
But what concerned Kisuke more than their strength was these people's sense of belonging.
These seated officers of the Eleventh Division were mostly discovered by Satoru from obscurity—it was Satoru who pulled them from ordinary lives into the world of Shinigami.
After becoming Shinigami, they had continuously received Satoru's training and care.
Without a doubt, Satoru was their true allegiance.
If one day Satoru were to truly wage war against the Gotei 13, which side would these people choose...
Kisuke didn't dare to ponder this deeply.
He spent nearly half a year creating a virus that would leave no traces, designed to breach the Mikami Technical Bureau's database.
Then, he waited another two months for a day when both Satoru and Aizen were absent.
Today, he would finally uncover what these two were plotting and how far they had progressed.
As data rapidly streamed across the screen, Kisuke's eyes lit up.
Got it!
Satoru's database was easily breached.
It contained nothing useful—game saves, lewd images, and the like.
Aizen's database, however, was insanely fortified.
Kisuke exhausted all his skills to barely tear open a gap.
As he read through the contents line by line, his expression grew increasingly grim.
Breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows...
Adjuchas Cultivation Manual...
Three Hypotheses on the Source of the Soul King's Power...
Seireitei Patrol Map...
Analysis of Yamamoto Shigekuni's Power...
Each entry sent chills down his spine.
Sōsuke Aizen, just what is he planning?!
Kisuke's breathing quickened as he directly opened "Breaking the Boundary Between Shinigami and Hollows."
As expected.
After just a few lines, he realized Aizen had arrived at the same idea as him.
Truly worthy of Aizen—he had thought of the Hōgyoku before Kisuke himself.
Kisuke had always considered himself the pinnacle genius of the Soul Society, nearly impossible to surpass in research.
Only today did he realize how narrow his perspective had been.
Not only had someone else conceived the same ideas, but they had even advanced further!
He scrolled down rapidly, his pupils trembling with shock.
Aizen and Satoru... killed Baraggan and took control of Hueco Mundo?
You've got to be kidding me?
Using the identity of Hueco Mundo's ruler, they conducted countless experiments and even successfully created a batch of Arrancar Menos Grande?
Damn it, I'm so jealous—why don't I have such conditions?!
No, no, why envy this? This is a crime, a crime!
Kisuke quickly shook his head, dispelling those dangerous thoughts.
The Three Great Espada, the Privaron Espada...
Not only had they successfully created so many Arrancar, but they had even formed an organized structure.
Kisuke's breathing grew heavier.
Earlier, he had thought Satoru's forces only consisted of the Eleventh Division members and the noble families backing him.
Now it seemed Hueco Mundo was the real powerhouse.
If the Three Great Espada and Privaron Espada were truly as strong as the data suggested, then the power wielded by Satoru and Aizen might even surpass the Gotei 13!
Absurd, utterly absurd!
How could this be?!
Unconsciously, he had become completely engrossed in these documents.
Whether it was the Shinigami Hollowfication experiments or the Hollow Arrancar Transformation experiments, they were like sweet poison to him, constantly luring him into a trap.
He lost track of time while reading.
When Kisuke finally snapped back to reality, his stomach was growling fiercely.
"Ugh... damn it, I'm so hungry."
Kisuke shook his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds.
"No, I can't keep reading any further."
"Mr. Satoru and the others only left for one day. If we don't hurry and leave, we'll be finished if discovered."
"These materials are already enough to prove their issues..."
While muttering to himself, he downloaded these documents.
Halfway through the process, he suddenly felt puzzled.
Since Mr. Satoru had already taken over Las Noches, why not store these materials in Hueco Mundo?
It would be both convenient and secure.
Keeping them in Seireitei meant they could be completely exposed at any moment, just like now.
...Such a thing might escape Satoru's notice, but how could an old fox like Aizen overlook it?
In an instant, Kisuke thought of two possibilities.
First, there might be even more unreliable individuals in Hueco Mundo who could also steal their secrets.
For example, that "Szayelaporro" mentioned in the documents seemed exactly like such a person.
Second, they might have intentionally stored the materials here to lure others into searching.
As for who in Soul Society would be so familiar with this place and willing to specifically come rummaging through the archives...
It seemed only himself?
Kisuke let out a dry laugh, breaking out in cold sweat.
No good, I must leave quickly.
If I don't go now, I'm afraid it'll be too late...
With his heartbeat accelerating, he pulled out the USB drive, preparing to leave.
Just then, a voice rang out:
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Seeing you're hungry, I've prepared some food for you."
Thump-thump-thump!
Hearing this voice, Kisuke's heart and lungs seemed to stop.
He turned his head in shock, like an old machine long out of service and lacking lubrication, his neck emitting eerie cracking sounds.
There sat Satoru, wearing a black cloak, cheerfully looking over while sitting backwards on a chair.
"Mr... Satoru..."
Kisuke murmured.
He wanted to greet him with his usual cheeky smile but found himself unable to speak.
Satoru sat backwards on the chair, arms resting on the backrest:
"So, are you satisfied with the materials I prepared for you?"
As expected... it was all prepared?
Kisuke twitched the corner of his mouth: "Since when have you been here?"
Satoru chuckled: "Probably since you started plugging in the USB drive."
"You took too long reading, and I got bored waiting, so I went out for a stroll."
Kisuke found it hard to believe: "How could that be? Although I was fully focused on reading, if someone had entered through the door, I would definitely have noticed!"
Under his gaze, Satoru stood up and snapped his fingers.
The next moment, a patch of black shadow spread beneath his feet.
Satoru silently sank into the shadow.
Then slowly emerged from behind Kisuke.
"I used this technique back then to discover the hidden Wandenreich... Those who know about this move are only my teacher, Sōsuke, Captain Kyōraku, and a few people in Hueco Mundo."
"It's understandable that you overlooked the shadow world."
"After all, this falls under an absolute intelligence gap, unrelated to strategy."
Kisuke fell silent, seemingly accepting his fate.
After a few seconds, he showed a somewhat helpless smile.
"I've lost, Mr. Satoru."
"Do with me as you will, whether killing or slicing."
"But before you kill me, I want to know... what exactly are you and Aizen planning?"
"If you wish to rule the Soul Society, with your current abilities, you could eventually inherit the Captain-Commander position. There's no need to go through such elaborate measures."
"Could it be... your ultimate goal is to become that existence in the heavens?"
Looking at Kisuke, Satoru pondered for two seconds.
Then he shook his head: "It's Sōsuke who wants to stand above the heavens. I have no such ambition."
"What I want is merely to change the Soul Society's corrupt system."
"Wanting to achieve a utopia in one step is certainly unrealistic... but we should at least catch up with the progress of the living world."
Hearing words like "system" coming from Satoru's mouth, Kisuke momentarily felt a sense of unreality.
Satoru continued:
"Thinking about it, you're right."
"The reason the noble system exists is because of the Soul King's existence."
"To completely end the noble system, we must make the Soul King 'speak'."
"From this perspective, my goal also concerns the one in the heavens."
Kisuke took a deep breath.
He slightly furrowed his brows, showing a thoughtful expression.
"But, Mr. Satoru, have you considered one question?"
"What question?"
"What if the Soul King's existence is different from what you imagine, and he..."
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly flicked his wrist and drew his sword with a swish—
"Cry, Benihime!!"
With his shout, red lasers burst forth from the short Zanpakutō!
Instantly, Satoru's figure was engulfed in the light erupted from Benihime.
Without hesitation, Kisuke turned and fled.
A mere Shikai attack could never kill Satoru.
It might not even be able to injure him.
Seizing this chance, he had to make a run for it!
He yanked off the hood of his cloak.
Hiding his Reiatsu was meaningless now.
Rather than concealing it, what he needed to do was unleash his Reiatsu.
Attract more people—ideally, even the Captain-Commander!
BOOM!!!
He desperately unleashed all his Reiatsu, forming a blue pillar of light that shot straight into the sky!
Hurry, someone! Notice the anomaly here!!
In Kisuke's fervent hopes, many Second Division members, along with other patrolling Shinigami passing by outside, turned to look.
Seeing such terrifying Reiatsu erupting within the Second Division, everyone was startled at first, adopting battle-ready stances.
"What's going on?!"
"An enemy attack?"
"Let's go check it out!"
But then, they realized the Reiatsu was coming from the Mikami Technical Bureau.
They also recognized the Reiatsu—it was Kisuke's.
Smiles spread across their faces.
"You scared me—I thought something was wrong."
"It must be Captain Mikami beating up Third Seat Kisuke Urahara."
"Let's disperse, everyone back to your duties."
"Hey, after we're off duty, let's grab a drink in Rukongai…"
Chatting about various topics, the Shinigami gradually left.
Sensing no movement outside, Kisuke was shocked.
It's over.
The Second Division… has probably been completely wiped out!
As his heart sank, Satoru Mikami's figure materialized beside him.
"Kisuke~ Where are you trying to run off to~"
Eek!!!!!