Chapter 306: Hirako's Resolution
"Hehehe, old man, the Sixth Division is now firmly in my grasp. You've got no moves left!"
"Now, just lie back and watch as I reshape the Sixth Division in my image!"
In the main residence of the Kuchiki Clan, Satoru sat by the sickbed, boasting triumphantly with a face full of pride.
Ginrei Kuchiki lay on the bed, looking at this former Shin'ō Academy student who had now become a captain, and let out a soft chuckle.
"Back then, I offered to support the Mikami Family's rise as a new Great Noble Clan in exchange for your protection of Sōjun."
"At that time, you didn't even hesitate before flatly rejecting me."
"To be honest, I was somewhat worried back then—afraid that you refused because you had greater ambitions, or didn't want to suffer losses for the Kuchiki Clan."
"Now, I'm finally at ease."
"You, young man, are truly someone worthy of entrusting with responsibility."
Satoru crossed his arms, tilted his head back, and grinned:
"Of course! I, Satoru, am the most reliable person in this world!"
Ginrei Kuchiki fell silent.
This statement... really depended on how one interpreted it.
Sometimes, this kid was indeed the most reliable.
But more often than not, he was actually the least reliable...
He glanced at Sōjun standing nearby and frowned slightly:
"Captain Satoru, if in the future, Sōjun becomes strong enough to serve as a captain..."
"Then I still won't give it to him."
Satoru waved his hand, directly cutting off the old man's words.
Ginrei looked at him in astonishment.
What did that mean?
Was Satoru planning to completely make the Sixth Division his own possession?
If so, Sōjun could do it too—why insist on the Shiba Clan?
Just as he was about to speak, Satoru continued:
"Teacher Sōjun isn't suited to be a captain... putting aside ability for now, his personality simply can't manage people."
"Rather than making him a captain and tormenting him, it's better to wait for Byakuya to grow up and leave the position for him."
"Don't worry, with me here, I'll definitely raise Byakuya into an outstanding adult!"
Ginrei blinked.
Hearing this felt somewhat strange.
What kind of good person could possibly be cultivated by Satoru?
But after thinking about it, those trained by Satoru's group had indeed all become exceptional talents.
After pondering for a moment, he simply stopped worrying about it.
Children and grandchildren would have their own fortunes—he was already an old man, why should he keep agonizing over this?
Satoru shook his head: "Byakuya is like my own grandson to me. I'll definitely give him the most rigorous training to help him grow strong and healthy."
"Just watch, old man. It'd be best if you could see it while you're alive, but if not, you can watch from heaven..."
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Sōjun looked at him.
He saw Satoru frowning deeply, as if he had thought of something.
After that, Satoru chatted casually with the two for a while before standing up to take his leave.
After leaving the Kuchiki residence, he went straight to the Fifth Division.
Aizen was sitting in the captain's study, handling division affairs.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Satoru swept in like a gust of wind.
"Sōsuke!!!"
Hm? Not "Sōsuke Doraemon" this time?
Aizen raised an eyebrow, holding his brush as he looked at the intruder.
Satoru casually closed the door, pulled up a chair, and sat opposite Aizen.
"Sōsuke, you need to figure something out!"
"Figure out how to render you harmless?"
"No... it's about handling dense reishi!"
Satoru frowned.
"Is there any way to allow Shinigami with third-level Reiatsu or higher to merge into the cycle of reincarnation?"
Earlier, while looking at Ginrei Kuchiki lying sick in bed, he had suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Although he had long known about dense reishi and the existence of the Hell Gate, the people around him back then were all young—none of them needed to worry about such things.
Even watching captain-level souls being guided into the Hell Gate hadn't affected him much.
But today, Satoru suddenly realized that death wasn't as distant as he had thought.
Not to mention natural deaths like Ginrei Kuchiki's.
Just the impending battle against the Wandenreich made it impossible for him to guarantee that no one would die.
When that time came, would he personally preside over ceremonies, sending these once-familiar acquaintances to hell?
The mere thought made Satoru feel deeply unsettled.
The Reishi transformation must proceed!
Hearing his words, Aizen stroked his chin.
"Theoretically speaking, it's impossible."
"Once a Shinigami's spiritual pressure reaches the third class, the fundamental nature of the Reishi composing their body has already transformed."
"Your request is akin to turning gold into silver, or water into fire."
"To use popular terminology... this falls within divine authority, not something you or I can currently intervene in."
Hearing Aizen's words, Satoru's eyes revealed disappointment.
If even Sōsuke said so, it was likely hopeless.
He pressed his lips together and made a resolution.
In that case, until he grew powerful enough to rival "gods," he would focus on protecting everyone around him.
Whether facing the Wandenreich or any other threat... he wouldn't allow a single person close to him to die.
Having reached this clarity, Satoru's lips curved upward.
Indeed, if he lacked even this much confidence, how could he hope to change the world?
Watching Satoru swiftly transition from dejection to fiery determination, Aizen smiled faintly.
This was exactly what made the fellow so enviable.
Setting down his brush, he said:
"Don't be hasty. I only said it's theoretically impossible."
"But... rules are meant to be broken."
"Before me, no one ever imagined that those who had reached the Shinigami's limit could advance further through Hollowfication."
"In the face of true talent, nothing is impossible!"
Hearing this, Satoru's eyes lit up.
He quickly stood up, poured Aizen a cup of tea, and presented it with both hands:
"Please teach me, sir!"
"Hmph."
Aizen curled his lips, reached out to take the tea, and took a sip.
Then he frowned, made no comment, casually set it aside, and didn't touch it again.
He said calmly, "Although heavy Reishi has changed in nature, its essence is still Reishi."
"Do you remember what you told me before about Sōya Azashiro?"
Satoru was slightly taken aback:
"Sōya Azashiro? What about him... that peeping incident?"
Aizen raised his hand to his forehead.
He averted his gaze, unable to look Satoru in the eye.
That pure gaze, untainted by knowledge, gave him an urge to throw a punch.
"Why was Sōya Azashiro so weak when he fought you?"
"Because he converted the majority of the Reishi constituting his body into Reishi identical to that of the natural world, dispersed it throughout every corner of the Seireitei, and integrated it into various objects to serve as his eyes and ears."
"Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
Satoru pondered for two seconds.
Then his gaze darkened, and his face showed what seemed like Araki lines:
"The peeping dog must die?"
"I think you should die first."
Aizen's gaze was icy, as if looking at some single-celled organism.
"What I mean is, Sōya Azashiro could use his Zanpakutō's ability to convert his body from heavy Reishi into ordinary Reishi."
"His Reiō level is undoubtedly second class, and even among the second class, he's top-tier."
"If he directly dispersed the Reishi constituting his body without some conversion... such powerful heavy Reishi would be easily detected by others."
"Based on this hypothesis, I can initiate a research project."
"Using Sōya Azashiro's body and Zanpakutō, develop a special device capable of filtering heavy Reishi into ordinary Reishi... this way, deceased captain-level individuals wouldn't need to be sent to Hell; they could directly return to the cycle of the Three Realms."
Hearing Aizen's words, Satoru laughed.
"As expected of Sōsuke, I knew you'd have a way!"
"Don't rush to praise yet. This is just an idea; whether it can be realized depends on subsequent research."
Aizen thought for a moment: "You suddenly came to ask about this today... hmm, you must have just returned from the Kuchiki Clan."
"Rest assured, before Ginrei Kuchiki dies, I'll give you the preliminary research results."
"Tears in my eyes, Sōsuke, you truly are my lifelong best friend!"
Satoru grabbed Aizen's hand, his face full of emotion.
Aizen looked at him calmly.
Then he said, "Speaking of which, you previously made a promise to the Satoru Group, didn't you? That if they secured the Sixth Division captain position, you'd grant them one request."
Satoru was slightly stunned, recalling.
Then he nodded: "Oh, right, that did happen."
"Mm, then this makes things easier."
Aizen pulled open a nearby drawer and took out a document.
"This is signed by Shiba Isshin. He transferred the right to make the request to me."
"Satoru, you owe me one condition now."
Looking at the document Aizen had produced, Satoru showed a surprised expression.
If he remembered correctly, these conditions were supposed to be for Komamura and Gin—when had they been extended to Isshin?
Though it seemed a bit strange, it ultimately made no difference. At least from the result, the Sixth Division captain position had been secured by their side.
He shook his head. "Fine, since we're fulfilling one person's wish anyway, it doesn't matter whose it is."
"Then, my devout follower, come and tell this deity your wish!"
"Oh, let me state in advance—the request must not violate the code of the jianghu nor go against one's conscience."
Aizen chuckled softly.
He was well aware that Satoru did have a conscience—and quite a strong one at that.
As for the code of the jianghu... hearing those words from Satoru's mouth felt like an insult to the very concept.
Under Satoru's gaze, he replied calmly:
"Don't worry, it involves neither."
"My request is simple."
"If someday in the future, I ask you to do something you don't understand or even oppose at that moment... you must do it."
"So, can you do it?"
"Or is the peerless Satoru incapable of keeping his own promises?"
Facing Aizen's intense stare, Satoru showed a puzzled expression.
"Sōsuke, have you been eating something strange lately?"
"Stop joking around."
Seeing that Aizen wasn't kidding, Satoru also grew serious.
"Sōsuke, I will always believe in you."
"There's no need for such a promise to bind me... if you say it, I'll definitely do it."
Hearing this, Aizen was momentarily taken aback.
After a few seconds, he grunted in acknowledgment.
"Good that you understand."
"Alright, if there's nothing else, get going. I still have work to attend to."
Waving his hand, he shooed Satoru away.
Just as the latter reached the door, Aizen seemed to remember something and added:
"Oh, the Fifth Division cafeteria has some new dishes today—improved based on your suggestions last time. Go try them."
Satoru cheered and pushed the door open.
Watching the idiot's retreating figure, Aizen shook his head with a light laugh and returned to his writing.
...
...
While Satoru was causing trouble in the captain's study, in a secret room of the Fifth Division, Shinji Hirako sat at a desk, his brow furrowed.
During his previous visit to the Soul King Palace, he had been secretly received by the Head Monk.
In their meeting, the Head Monk's words clearly indicated he was paying attention to—and even wary of—Satoru.
Unlike the Head Monk, Shinji believed the biggest problem wasn't Satoru, but his own vice-captain, Sōsuke Aizen.
It was evident that Aizen was plotting something major.
The recent competition for the Sixth Division captaincy was the perfect example.
On the surface, Komamura, Ichimaru Gin, and Shiba Isshin were all part of the Satoru faction.
However, through his investigations over the years, Shinji had concluded that Shiba Isshin was less a member of Satoru's group and more like Aizen's "private soldier."
During the final match of the tournament, Aizen had shown up at the arena and spoken with Shiba Isshin.
Afterward, Isshin—who should have withdrawn due to severe injuries—forced himself to continue fighting.
He secured victory in a rather bizarre manner.
Shinji would bet anything that Aizen had a hand in it.
Although Satoru had been continuously nurturing his subordinates, he harbored no desire for power struggles. Almost all the subordinates he trained were kept within the Eleventh Division, never deployed elsewhere.
As Aizen gradually emerged from the shadows, everything changed.
First was the Twelfth Division.
Through his investigation, Shinji Hirako discovered that although Mayuri Kurotsuchi had not previously been a member of Satoru's faction, he was a key figure in the research and development team.
In other words, he was closely associated with Aizen!
Realizing this, Shinji Hirako broke out in a cold sweat.
Look—within just a few decades, three new captains had taken office in the Soul Society:
Satoru, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Shiba Isshin.
Stepping back to view the bigger picture, all of them were individuals that Sōsuke Aizen could control!
People said Satoru was on the path to controlling the Seireitei.
But only he alone knew this was merely an illusion!
The one truly aiming to control the Seireitei was Sōsuke Aizen!
Once he confirmed this, Shinji Hirako acted almost without hesitation, sending a message directly to the Soul King Palace.
He couldn't turn to Yamamoto—Yamamoto had already been charmed by Satoru's charisma and had indirectly become Aizen's man.
Now, the only ones who could save the Soul Society were the Zero Division!
However, after waiting for many days, he found that the Zero Division seemed to have vanished entirely. Not only was there no specific reply, but there wasn't even a hint of a response.
Shinji Hirako felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
Could it be… that Aizen had used some special method to cut off the connection between the Seireitei and the Zero Division?
No, this couldn't go on any longer!
Gritting his teeth, Shinji Hirako resolved to fight alone!