"He's dead," Naraku Sora stated with absolute certainty.
"Dead?" Hearing this, Yamamoto immediately revealed a suspicious expression, staring intently at his rebellious disciple, whose forehead was beaded with nervous sweat.
His intuition told him that this brat wasn't telling the truth.
Although the time the master and disciple had spent together was nothing compared to the long lifespan of a Soul Reaper.
He couldn't ignore the fact that this kid ran over to his place whenever he had free time. Moreover, the Shino Prison and the Squad 1 barracks weren't far apart, and Sora even frequently stayed behind to mooch meals off him.
Coupled with the fact that Naraku Sora was never particularly good at hiding his emotions in front of people he was familiar with, Yamamoto could tell at a glance whether he was telling the truth or not.
However, considering that the kid had selflessly stayed behind alone to cover their retreat, he decided not to bicker with him over such trivial matters.
As long as he was unharmed, that was all that mattered.
Earlier, while the Soul Burial Festival was underway, a Senkaimon had suddenly opened nearby. Immediately after, a burly man reeking of blood had rushed out from within.
It nearly caused the Captains to draw their swords on the spot.
Fortunately, they recognized his identity just in time, preventing a tragedy. Following that, Ōmaeda Marechinmoshin rapidly recounted everything that had transpired in the World of the Living.
Upon hearing the report, Yamamoto stepped into the Senkaimon without a second word, completely disregarding the unfinished ceremony.
No one understood Naraku Sora's true strength better than he did.
Even without using his Shikai, and excluding his trump card, Black Flash, Sora could still suppress Muguruma Kensei, who had recently been promoted to Captain.
Yet, such a powerful existence had been forced into a stalemate, and even pushed into a disadvantage.
This clearly indicated that the enemy was absurdly strong.
Other Soul Reaper Captains, such as Shihōin Yoruichi and Unohana Retsu, had originally wanted to follow him, but they were stopped by Kyōraku Shunsui.
In his words, if it was an enemy that even Old Man Yama couldn't handle, there would be no point in them going over anyway.
With the return of the Lieutenants, the ceremony site became much more chaotic. Everyone was shocked by the opening of the Gates of Hell, and a heavy atmosphere of anxiety settled over them.
"Brat, what exactly was that thing?"
Yamamoto dispersed the flames lingering around his body and sheathed his sword.
Naraku Sora scratched his head, recalling the events.
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
"He called himself Zommari Rureaux. A deceased Hollow that fell into Hell, only to return to the world of the living on this joyous day."
"Oh, right, he was incredibly strong. An average Captain probably wouldn't be a match for him."
Yamamoto fell silent.
*Was it really connected to the Soul Burial Festival?*
Ever since the head of the Mikado family had personally come to visit, he had guessed a few things, but he never expected a dead Hollow to walk out of Hell.
It was precisely because of these considerations that he had put Naraku Sora in charge of the preliminary Spirit Binding Rite.
Although he hadn't seen the root cause of the chaos in the World of the Living, looking at the ruined city, he could indeed sense something unusual.
The chaotic and disordered Reishi, the scattered drifting phosphorus gas, and the collapsed buildings and deep craters visible everywhere.
If they hadn't made preparations in advance and temporarily evacuated the city's residents using Kidō, this single battle would have been enough to plunge human society into unprecedented panic.
Following Yamamoto back to the Soul Society, they continued with the second half of the Soul Burial Festival.
Standing among the crowd, Naraku Sora curiously watched Yamamoto at the very front, whose face was solemn and expression more serious than ever before.
A heavy Reiatsu descended upon the ceremony, and dozens of gazes focused on the front.
The surrounding atmosphere grew increasingly viscous, making people feel as if they were submerged in the deep sea, to the point where even breathing became difficult.
This phenomenon was especially pronounced among the relatively weaker Soul Reaper Lieutenants.
At some point, Aizen had resolved the subsequent troubles and silently appeared within the venue, squeezing through the crowd to arrive at Naraku Sora's side.
Forming threads of spiritual power, and relying on his unique understanding of Tenteikūra, he smoothly transmitted his voice directly into Naraku Sora's ear.
"What stage is the ceremony at?"
"It's time for the sacrifice."
Naraku Sora glanced at him in slight surprise and replied in a low voice.
As soon as he spoke, a tyrannical Reiatsu crashed down like a heavy hammer. The hideous, low-level Hollows were instantly annihilated, turning into Reishi and dissipating between heaven and earth.
As the ceremony progressed, thick, dark clouds shrouded the sky above the entire venue.
Soon, swirling "snowflakes" fell from the sky, landing on the ground, melting into the burning embers, and clinging to everyone's clothing.
In the blink of an eye, they formed a thin, gray layer.
It was fine dust, difficult to distinguish with the naked eye—grains of grayish-white "snow."
Ever since the sacrifices were pulverized into Reishi, the gray snow continued to fall endlessly from the sky, resembling the ash left behind after something had completely burned away.
It fell until it completely covered everything in sight.
It was like shoveling dirt onto a coffin after a funeral, unhurriedly burying everything.
Despite the somewhat eerie nature of what was happening, Yamamoto acted as if he saw nothing, continuing the ceremony at a steady, unhurried pace.
Until finally, he took out a Reiatsu imprint, which emanated an aura that Naraku Sora found familiar.
The imprint shattered.
Countless minuscule Reishi particles swept upward, rushing toward the sky.
"Takeda Goki."
The moment the deep voice rang out, the density of Reishi in the surrounding atmosphere suddenly spiked.
A faint glimmer swirled, gathering toward the sky like a gust of wind, gradually piecing together a complete human form.
When they clearly saw that translucent face, a commotion broke out among the Captains and Lieutenants below.
Among them, Muguruma Kensei took a deep breath, staring at Takeda Goki's translucent body with a complex expression.
*Farewell, Captain. Although I don't know who murdered you, I will definitely uphold your dying wish and bring glory to Squad 9.*
*Furthermore, I will definitely find the true culprit who killed you and avenge you!*
Just as he was filled with righteous indignation, Takeda Goki seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness and opened his mouth:
"..."
However, before he could even make a sound, he was completely shredded by the suddenly rising phosphorus gas.
Above, in the deep, pitch-black sky, a massive set of doors slowly emerged. The interwoven black and red colors looked like congealed blood.
On both sides of the doors, variously decorated skulls were embedded. Hand bones emitting a faint luster pierced into the crack between the doors, pulling them apart.
A scalp-numbing creak echoed, filling everyone's eardrums like a sharp knife trying to chisel open their skulls and scoop out their brains.
A massive dark red vortex appeared. The Reishi that could not be decomposed by the Soul Society was swept into it, disappearing completely.
Faced with the scene before him, Yamamoto remained calm, having anticipated this long ago.
Without changing his expression, he took out the Reiatsu imprints of the others and shattered them one by one, summoning those Reishi from the earth of the Soul Society.
A cold, gloomy wind howled and swept through the ceremony, and countless Reishi particles, invisible to the naked eye, were entirely sucked into the vortex.
That was, until the funeral rites for Umino Unpei failed.
Yamamoto's movements paused. Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, and he even momentarily suspected that the man had betrayed the Soul Society.
As the ceremony drew to a close, the hollow eyes of the skulls on the doors bloomed with a profound light. The hand bones shifted, violently slamming the Gates of Hell shut.
Amidst a violent tremor, the massive doors turned into a phantom image and gradually dissipated.
The Soul Burial Festival was complete!
Yamamoto slowly exhaled. Although there had been unexpected incidents during the process, fortunately, the ceremony was completed without any real danger.
At the very end, he glanced at Naraku Sora, nodded, and then, leaning on his cane, slowly left the scene like an old man with one foot in the grave.
He had some doubts that needed to be resolved by consulting the archives.
This scene happened to be witnessed by the others.
For a moment, dozens of gazes simultaneously fell upon Naraku Sora, and expressions of gratitude even surfaced on the faces of some Lieutenants.
If it hadn't been for the highly responsible Sir Naraku stepping in, probably very few of them would have made it back.
They would definitely not forget such a favor.
Even though he wasn't a member of the Gotei 13, in their eyes, his status had been infinitely elevated to a level on par with their own Captains.
From time to time, people came up to express their concern for Naraku Sora, asking if he had been injured in the battle. Only after receiving the answers they wanted did they leave in satisfaction.
Aizen stood outside the circle, calmly watching Naraku Sora interact with the crowd.
*Before I knew it, it seems this guy has grown into an existence capable of holding his own.*
*Although it doesn't have much to do with me, I feel an inexplicable sense of gratification.*
*This is probably what a certain someone often meant by hoping to see their child achieve greatness.*
The corners of Aizen's mouth curled up slightly. He retreated behind the crowd, leaving the stage for Naraku Sora to handle freely.
However, just as he left the scene and headed in the direction of the Squad 5 barracks, Hirako Shinji, with his smooth blonde hair, suddenly turned his head.
Watching Aizen's retreating back, a thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.
"What are you doing here again?"
Yamamoto looked at his disciple, who had just vaulted in through the window, and couldn't help but frown. "Also, why do you insist on climbing through the window instead of using the front door?"
Hearing this, a matter-of-fact expression appeared on Naraku Sora's face. "Wasn't this what you intended, old man?"
"At the end of the Soul Burial Festival, you gave me a look and then left leaning on your cane. Wasn't that obviously a sign for me to come find you after I was done?"
Yamamoto: "?"
*I just glanced at you, and you imagined all of that?*
"Forget it, since you're already here."
Yamamoto waved his hand. "Take a seat first. I happen to have some things I need to discuss with you."
Naraku Sora grinned, taking a seat opposite him. He then skillfully drew his Zanpakutō and placed it under the fireplace.
Seeing this, Yamamoto's eye immediately twitched.
In every aspect, this brat was far too similar to him.
He just hoped the kid wouldn't follow down his old path in the future.
"During the Soul Burial Festival, I attempted to perform the funeral rites for Umino Unpei's Reishi, but it was unsuccessful. This clearly shows that the man is not dead."
"However, according to the intelligence provided by the Squad 10 members, his last mission was to head to the Rukongai to exterminate the remnants of the Tsunayashiro clan."
"But since he hasn't returned for such a long time, I have reason to suspect that this guy has mingled with those who managed to escape."
"Considering that the annihilation of the Tsunayashiro clan is connected to you, you need to be cautious in your future actions."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora couldn't help but freeze in surprise.
*If I remember correctly, Umino Unpei should still be stuffed inside Aizen's specially made glass jar right now, shouldn't he?*