Look, in the distant Shino Prison, a beautiful thing was happening.
*Boom!*
Black and red flames intertwined as they shot into the sky, evaporating the moisture in the air and instantly plunging anyone nearby into a state of parched thirst.
Amidst the rapidly spreading, terrifying heat, the newly appointed Captain Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō unleashed the fastest Flash Step of his life. He left a trail of afterimages behind him, looking almost like a series of clones.
"Rōjūrō, don't run! Come at me!"
Behind him, a figure resembling a vicious demon strode forward, leaving a continuous trail of scorch marks on the ground that extended ever forward.
"Wait a minute, Mr. Naraku, what are you doing?"
"This is too dangerous!"
"I don't understand!"
Facing a senior veteran who was also a high-ranking official of the Seireitei, Rōjūrō appeared exceptionally panicked.
Previously, during his Captain's proficiency test, Yamamoto had ordered him to report to Shino Prison. He initially thought he had made some mistake and was being retroactively punished.
It wasn't until he arrived that he learned Captain Ukitake had been somewhat dissatisfied with his performance during the test, believing there was still room for improvement, and had thus recommended Shino Prison.
According to reliable intelligence, Shino Prison was a prison in name, but an advanced training facility for the Spiritual Arts Academy in practice.
Under the leadership of the new Prison Warden, Naraku Sora, the strength of his subordinates had advanced by leaps and bounds. In a very short period, several squad members had consecutively mastered their Shikai.
There was even a genius Soul Reaper who had mastered Bankai.
His name was something like Urahara Kisuke.
Moreover, the Shino Prison barracks had recently undergone drastic renovations. Many training facilities unique to other Squads had been replicated exactly within its walls.
Because of this, many Soul Reapers deeply yearned to visit this holy ground of cultivation.
Of course, Rōjūrō didn't care much about that.
He was, after all, a Soul Reaper who had mastered Bankai—a powerful existence worthy of being recorded in the history of the Soul Society.
Even if the training courses at Shino Prison were excellent, they wouldn't be enough to help him.
Yet, unexpectedly, Head Captain Yamamoto had specifically assigned him to come to such a boring place.
Even more unexpectedly, the Prison Warden, Naraku Sora, had chosen to entertain him personally.
At first, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō was brimming with confidence.
That was until a monster charged right through his Bankai, leaving him completely dumbfounded.
Compared to Ukitake Jūshirō's method of using Kidō to block his hearing, Naraku Sora's performance was clearly much more absurd and exaggerated.
It even defied the underlying logic of Kinshara.
*'Why is it that even though the ability has clearly taken effect, the ocean currents and the volcanic messengers are completely unable to stop his advance? Just what kind of monster is this?!'*
As Rōjūrō unleashed his Flash Step at maximum speed, he wailed in his heart.
*'Captain Ukitake, you set me up!'*
"You are too weak, Rōjūrō."
A few minutes later, Naraku Sora lifted the exhausted Rōjūrō with one hand, his face written with dissatisfaction.
"If the other Captains are as feeble as you, how are we supposed to protect the Soul Society?"
Faced with this questioning, Rōjūrō merely groaned a few times before decisively giving up.
There was nothing to discuss with a non-human species.
As a former Third Seat, he had frequently led teams on missions outside. Not only had he faced rogue Soul Reapers, but he had also dealt with Menos Grande that had invaded the Soul Society.
He had even sparred with other Soul Reaper Captains.
Such as Aikawa Love of Squad 7.
But compared to Naraku Sora, those people were on a completely different dimension.
He had experienced countless battles, but this was the first time he had ever seen a Zanpakutō strike a Soul Reaper's body and spark like it was hitting metal.
"Let's start your training from the basics."
After sizing up the bruised and battered Rōjūrō, Naraku Sora casually tossed him aside.
"From now on, you will train alongside Sajin and the others. Just matching half of their training intensity will be enough for you."
Hearing this, Rōjūrō immediately frowned.
*'As a Prison Warden on the same level as a Captain, you're strong, so I can accept you looking down on me. But am I really worse than a Soul Reaper who isn't even a seated officer?'*
Seeing Rōjūrō's unconvinced expression, Naraku Sora was instantly amused.
Due to his influence, the competitive atmosphere within Shino Prison was extremely intense. The squad members revered martial prowess and frequently gathered to compare their strength against one another.
Slashing, brawling, slaughtering...
A normal Soul Reaper who had just arrived would absolutely be unable to keep up with their pace.
"Don't underestimate Sajin. Assuming you don't use your Bankai, you might not actually be stronger than him," Naraku Sora kindly advised.
Rōjūrō was exasperated and declared on the spot:
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Soon, at his strong insistence, Komamura Sajin stood opposite him, grinning and revealing a very friendly smile.
The battle erupted instantly. Violent Reiatsu poured out like a breached dam, instantly covering the area.
The moment Komamura Sajin raised his thick arm, a giant blade tens of meters long spanned the entire dojo, exuding a terrifying, heart-palpitating pressure.
Rōjūrō's pupils shrank drastically, and he instinctively raised his sword to block.
But the moment the giant blade fell, an irresistible, terrifying force violently surged into his body.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the ground collapsed. Rōjūrō's feet left the shattered floor as he traced a graceful arc through the air.
With a bewildered and helpless expression, he instantly flew across a distance of hundreds of meters, finally crashing down like a meteorite at the entrance of the dojo. His body rolled and struggled on the floor like a dehydrated fish...
By the time he recovered from his dazed state, the severe pain radiating from his body felt as if he had been run over back and forth by a stone roller dozens of times.
It hurt like hell.
He could barely breathe.
Naraku Sora slowly walked up to Rōjūrō and lifted him out of the deep crater as if picking up a little chick.
This was followed by a skillful application of Kaidō.
Although he was far inferior to Unohana Retsu, he could still manage to simply treat superficial wounds.
"Captain Ōtoribashi, do you have any thoughts now?"
Rōjūrō's face was extremely pale; he was clearly so shocked by Komamura Sajin's performance just now that he was speechless.
*'He's clearly just an ordinary squad member who isn't even a seated officer, yet he erupted with such astonishing power. This is simply unbelievable.'*
After a moment of silence, he slowly stood up and bowed solemnly.
"Lord Naraku, please teach me how to train!"
After handing Rōjūrō over to Komamura Sajin, Tōsen Kaname, and the others, Naraku Sora went to an independent research laboratory.
Inside a massive container was the Eighth Kenpachi, Azashiro Sōya.
Due to the characteristics of his Zanpakutō, ordinary sealing Kidō was completely ineffective. They could only adopt Kurotsuchi Mayuri's method to temporarily seal him away.
Given his extreme ideology, he was no longer just an ordinary mental patient.
A low-level place like Muken couldn't hold him. Naraku Sora had personally proven this point, and he had also reasoned with Yamamoto, explaining the situation with both logic and emotion.
Finally, persuaded by his silver tongue, Yamamoto agreed to hand Azashiro Sōya over to his custody.
But the prerequisite was that the destroyed Muken had to be completely repaired.
Furthermore, if Azashiro Sōya ever appeared in the Soul Society again and committed a crime, everything would be blamed on a certain someone.
To this, Naraku Sora gave his absolute guarantee.
In the end, Urahara Kisuke was sent to repair Muken. Along the way, he pulled a long face, constantly muttering under his breath with a sorrowful expression as if his boss had died.
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was responsible for developing technology specifically targeting Azashiro Sōya, and Aizen also came over to help from time to time.
Both of them were extremely curious about Urozakuro's abilities.
In their eyes, the ability to fuse one's own Reishi into inorganic Reishi held extremely high research value.
If they could study it thoroughly, the difficulties in some of their other ongoing projects would be easily resolved.
However, none of this had anything to do with Naraku Sora.
Right now, he had more important things to do.
Resting his right hand at the bottom of the container, he applied a little force and lifted it directly.
He had already spoken with Mayuri before coming. What sealed Urozakuro's abilities was the special solution inside the container.
It was mixed with the hot springs of Hell and the Reiatsu of other Soul Reapers.
The Hell hot springs ensured the vitality of the Soul Reaper Reiatsu, preventing Azashiro Sōya from fusing into the Reishi and forcing him to stay inside.
But this effect had a time limit and needed to be replaced at regular intervals.
Naraku Sora applied a layer of Kyokkō over his body. Choosing a path with the fewest people, he carried the container straight to the Great Underground Prison.
Opening a vacant cell that had been prepared in advance, he carefully placed the container on the ground.
Azashiro Sōya's strength was immense, far exceeding that of an ordinary Soul Reaper Captain.
Although he was mentally unstable, he still belonged to the good alignment, so his sin value wasn't high.
Feeling his Reiatsu rise another notch, Naraku Sora suddenly realized that First-Class Spiritual Power seemed to be close at hand.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez had been in deep agony lately.
The dual torment of body and mind made him miserable.
Last time, he had gathered the power of several mighty Menos Grande and launched a challenge against Las Noches, aiming to reclaim the land that rightfully belonged to the Menos Grande.
In order to challenge the strong, he had charged forward, taking the lead.
And then, that was the end of it.
That Soul Reaper named Naraku Sora was so outrageously strong it made Hollows bristle with terror. Even though he used every trick in the book, he still couldn't inflict a single scratch on him.
The gap between them was even larger than the gap between him and a Gillian.
But this was not the root of his agony.
As the new King of Hueco Mundo, Naraku Sora did not restrict his freedom. Instead, he would proactively offer invitations to battle during his free time.
Naturally, Grimmjow would not refuse this.
Thus, after a series of exhilarating battles, his heart fell into confusion.
*'If I leave Las Noches, will I still be able to enjoy this kind of ultimate, thrilling slaughter?'*
Moreover.
The multiple high-intensity battles had caused his originally stagnant evolutionary progress to begin growing slowly. The endpoint of Menos Grande evolution no longer seemed out of reach.
On one side was freedom; on the other was amusement.
This was simply not a choice a Hollow like him could make!
Just then, a familiar Reiatsu intruded into Grimmjow's perception. Turning his head, he happened to see the sky shatter, cracking into chaotic fissures.
Naraku Sora forcibly tore open a Garganta and stepped out from the Dangai. He didn't say a word, merely glancing at the white panther lying on the ground waiting.
Then, as if responding to some sort of secret signal, Grimmjow subconsciously stood up and walked enthusiastically toward the desert outside Las Noches.
However, no sooner had he taken a step than he immediately regretted it.
*'Grimmjow, oh Grimmjow, you are a Menos Grande destined to become a Vasto Lorde in the future. How can you waste your precious time in a place like this?'*
*'Even if I leave Las Noches, is it really impossible to find strong opponents to challenge?'*
Naraku Sora turned his head curiously. "Are you scared?"
Hearing these provocative words, Grimmjow's temper flared up instantly. The word 'scared' did not exist in his dictionary:
"Today is the day you die, Soul Reaper!"