Urahara Kisuke had been in a very good mood lately.
For some unknown reason, his certain inhumane superior had been frequently disappearing for days at a time recently. This left him with absolutely no desire to work, completely immersing himself in slacking off and unable to extricate himself.
He had even neglected his ongoing experimental research.
But one could never get enough of the good life. Once accustomed to slacking off, mustering the energy to throw oneself back into work became exceptionally difficult.
Coupled with the fact that he had been ruthlessly oppressed by a certain someone before, now that he finally had a chance to relax, he naturally wanted to rest enough and thoroughly enjoy himself.
For the past few days, he had been going to bed very early.
Before the sun even set, he would return to his private courtyard, warm a pot of sake, set out a few plates of snacks, and admire the moonlight. Even his tense nerves had completely relaxed.
*How wonderful it would be if days like this could last forever.*
Expectations were beautiful, but reality was harsh.
Urahara Kisuke knew very well that this was nothing more than an extravagant hope.
Besides, slacking off for a few days occasionally was fine, but doing it for a long time actually made him feel a bit unaccustomed.
After all, both his body and mind had grown used to the process of being exploited. If a certain someone really didn't show up for a long time, he would instead start worrying that the guy was brewing up some massive scheme.
However, judging from his rich experience in dealing with Sora, that guy wouldn't be showing up anytime soon.
After all, they had just completed an organ transplant surgery. There weren't that many problems in the Soul Society waiting for him to discover.
*Forget it, I won't think about it anymore.*
*I'll rest early and continue slacking off tomorrow.*
Filled with contentment, Urahara Kisuke hummed an unknown tune as he returned to his room. Closing his eyes and kicking off his shoes, he drifted beautifully into dreamland.
*Hopefully, I won't have any nightmares tonight.*
"Kisuke, Kisuke!"
A voice like a devil demanding his life rang in his ears. Urahara Kisuke broke out in a heavy sweat, tossing and turning in his bed as if he were experiencing sleep paralysis.
It wasn't until undisguised footsteps echoed in the courtyard that he jolted awake, opening his eyes to look out the window.
Under the hazy moonlight, a nightmare-like figure stood outside the window, his mouth stretched wide in a ghastly, demon-like grin.
Most of Urahara Kisuke's sleepiness was scared right out of him, and he instantly became wide awake.
"Lord Naraku..."
Recognizing the visitor's identity, Urahara Kisuke sighed and rubbed his forehead. He got up, opened the door, and let the hideous demon into the room.
To be fair, if you said this guy didn't respect him, he at least knew to wait outside.
But if you said he did know respect, just look at what time it was! Peeping through someone's window in the middle of the night—wasn't he worried about the squad members gossiping?
*Oh, right, no one dares to gossip about him. Never mind then.*
"Even though I know you're full of energy, you should consider others. The neighbors still have to work tomorrow."
Before Naraku Sora could even sit down, Urahara Kisuke struck first, employing a guilt trip.
"To ensure Captain Ukitake wouldn't suffer any lingering side effects, I haven't slept for three days and three nights straight. If this keeps up, someone is actually going to die."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora sneered disdainfully, completely devoid of any moral compass.
"You rascal. I knew you would use a similar excuse to brush off this Prison Warden. Long before coming to find you, I already went to see Mayuri."
"He explicitly explained it to me. Senior Brother Ukitake's rehabilitation treatment didn't require any effort at all. It was nothing more than recording physical data and comparing the parameter changes."
"Let alone you, even Ashisogi Jizō could do it."
Urahara Kisuke's eyes twitched, and he immediately gritted his teeth, wishing he could go make trouble for Kurotsuchi Mayuri right this instant.
*What beastly behavior!*
*The other party didn't even interrogate you, yet you spilled all our secrets! How is this any different from pushing someone to their death?!*
"Actually, there's no need to be so afraid."
Naraku Sora sat down on a chair, reached into his robes, and pulled out a stack of blank paper and a pen. He placed them on the table and pushed them over.
"I came this time to bring you a gift."
"I specially prepared it when I went out a few days ago."
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke's heart immediately skipped a beat.
Based on his understanding of Naraku Sora, a so-called "gift" was likely something others wouldn't have the fortune to endure. Furthermore, it would be extremely troublesome, and the slightest carelessness could plunge one into a life-or-death crisis.
Before he could open his mouth to refuse, Naraku Sora pointed at the paper and pen on the table.
"I speak, you write."
Urahara Kisuke sighed helplessly. Dragging his heavy body, he sat down at the table with the tragic solemnity of a man marching to the execution grounds.
"The most important materials are, respectively, the furnace fire, the forging hammer, the coolant, the soul..."
At first, it wasn't anything special. Naraku Sora's thoughts were unconstrained, speaking whatever came to mind. The resulting text was rather messy and lacked any real structure.
But as the recorded content increased, Urahara Kisuke's expression gradually grew strange. Sweat drops the size of soybeans seeped from his forehead, sliding down his temples and soaking his pajamas.
*No, what the hell is all this?*
*Who put these words under his pen?*
The essentials of forging using a Soul Reaper's soul as material. The hammering process required absolute focus without any distraction; will and spiritual pressure were both indispensable.
*Is this something a lowly seated officer like him should be looking at?*
Urahara Kisuke was terrified, yet he couldn't suppress his inner curiosity.
Even though he only needed to open his mouth to refuse Naraku Sora's "gift," he simply couldn't utter a single word.
"There shouldn't be any omissions. That's the general gist of it."
Naraku Sora clapped his hands and gestured.
"I'll leave the task of preparing the basic tools to you. As for the important materials needed for forging..."
"The one thing our Shino Prison doesn't lack is Soul Reaper souls. Don't waste those stubborn inmates. Make the most of them, utilize their final value, and strive to master the forging techniques as soon as possible."
"When the time comes, we'll build a little Spirit King..."
Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was covered by a profusely sweating Urahara Kisuke.
"You can't just spout nonsense like that! If Central 46 or the Head Captain finds out about this, you'll end up committing suicide by stabbing yourself in the back eight times."
He had long known that his superior was a natural-born rebel who constantly coveted the Head Captain's position.
But he hadn't expected that he had still underestimated the guy.
*He didn't just have a rebellious bone in his body; his rebellious bones had a Naraku Sora attached to them.*
Naraku Sora swatted away Urahara Kisuke's paw, looking at him with utter disgust.
"Kisuke, since when did you become such a coward?"
"It's just a sword-forging method. Is there a need to make such a fuss?"
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke smiled bitterly.
"It's easy for you to say, Lord Naraku. Don't you know that a Zanpakutō is the very foundation of a Soul Reaper?"
"Even the Zanpakutō of Soul Reapers who leave the squads are forcibly confiscated. They are kept for a period of time before being returned to the Zero Division member who forged them, where they are reverted back into Asauchi."
"Some souls with spiritual talent, upon receiving an Asauchi, only need to train diligently for a period of time to obtain a Zanpakutō, which serves as their Soul Reaper power."
"No matter where you got this forging method, these things are an absolute nightmare to handle. Let alone anyone else, even Head Captain Yamamoto probably wouldn't tolerate it."
Naraku Sora thought for a few seconds, then said dismissively,
"But, this is what Ōetsu taught me."
"Did I not tell you that I went to the Soul King Palace a while ago?"
Urahara Kisuke: "?"
He suddenly had the urge to curse.
*No wonder Shutara Senjumaru also disappeared; no wonder the power residing in Ukitake Jūshirō's body vanished, yet Naraku Sora remained unfazed; no wonder the Head Captain flew into another violent rage a few days ago...*
*Everything makes sense now.*
After figuring out the key details, a strong sense of envy welled up in his heart.
*Is this kid the incarnation of Tamamo-no-Mae from some ghost legend? Why does everyone favor him and treat him so specially?*
"After all that talk, do you want this gift or not?"
Naraku Sora slapped the table in dissatisfaction. "If you don't want it, hand it over. I'll go give it to Mayuri."
Saying so, he reached out to snatch it back.
But Urahara Kisuke was quick-eyed and deft-handed, directly stuffing the organized documents into his robes.
"Thank you for the gift, Lord Naraku. This subordinate will certainly not disappoint. I will thoroughly master the forging method as soon as possible."
Naraku Sora nodded in satisfaction.
"By the way, did you just say that Soul Reapers who leave the squads have their Zanpakutō forcibly confiscated?"
Urahara Kisuke nodded subconsciously, but in the next second, his expression drastically changed.
Before he could stop him, Naraku Sora grinned and said, "Then, if I remember correctly, our Shino Prison should still have a batch of squad members without Zanpakutō, right?"
"The heavy responsibility of assisting our colleagues in becoming Soul Reapers again is entrusted to you."
"You won't let me down, will you, Kisuke?"
At this point, it was a bit too late to refuse.
The method of forging a Zanpakutō was essentially experimental research related to souls, which involved a project he was currently trying to conquer.
It concerned whether he would be able to achieve true peace of mind in the future.
Giving up was absolutely out of the question, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.
As for whether the forged Asauchi would have any flaws, that remained unknown.
"The difficulty is a bit high. I can't guarantee I can complete it. After all, this is the authority of the 'God of the Sword'."
"I'll do my best."
Urahara Kisuke muttered softly, completely lacking his previous momentum.
Although his superior acted inhumanely most of the time, this was indeed a rare and precious gift.
"Alright, then I won't bother you anymore."
Naraku Sora patted his butt and prepared to leave. It wasn't very appropriate for two lone men to be together in the middle of the night.
"Rest early."
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke couldn't help but complain, "How could I possibly have even a shred of sleepiness left? I'm going to the Department of Research and Development right now to call Mayuri."
Naraku Sora thought for a moment and followed along.
There might be some deviations in his verbal descriptions. When they summarized it later, he might need to correct some details.
Once Urahara Kisuke finished organizing it, he would ask for a copy in passing and deliver it to Aizen when the time came.
However, when the two rushed to the laboratory, they found that the other two members were already there.
Seeing one of them, Naraku Sora grinned.
"I was just about to go looking for you, Sōsuke."
"I've been busy these past few days and forgot to tell you some things."
Looking at a certain someone's seemingly innocent smile, Aizen suddenly had a rather bad premonition.
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