Watching the suddenly excited Naraku Sora, Kujō Nozomi tilted her head in curiosity.
*'This powerful, net-like Reiatsu should be Tenteikūra, right?'*
*'To be able to transmit messages directly from the Seireitei to the Rukongai, an ordinary Soul Reaper wouldn't have this kind of strength.'*
*'Could it be that the Head Captain, who has been missing for so long, has returned?'*
Nozomi's eyes lit up, suddenly filled with anticipation for her upcoming fate.
*'With Mr. Naraku's strength, combined with Head Captain Yamamoto, who is known as the strongest Soul Reaper, they will surely be able to easily thwart Inaba Kagerōza's conspiracy and thoroughly save the Soul Society.'*
However, before that, she also had to do what she could to add more chances of winning to their upcoming operation.
Thinking of this, the young girl said with a serious expression, "Lord Naraku, I know who the mastermind behind this Seireitei turmoil is."
Sora didn't even turn his head as he replied, "Kagerōza, right? We've known that for a while. Do you have any more valuable intelligence on your end?"
Nozomi froze for a moment, unable to process this right away.
In her eyes, Inaba Kagerōza had gone to the lengths of splitting his own soul, devoting himself to research, and hiding for years just to exact his revenge on the Soul Society.
Before officially launching his plan, he had definitely made ample preparations.
It should have been almost impossible for the higher-ups of the Soul Society to learn the truth.
At most, they should only have a few clues right now.
Yet, Naraku Sora had directly stated the other party's name.
Didn't this make Inaba Kagerōza seem a bit too much like a clown?
Nozomi pondered for a few seconds before probing, "Then do you know Inaba Kagerōza's abilities and strength?"
"Also, he's hiding a trump card capable of turning the tide at a critical moment!"
Hearing this, Sora finally perked up a bit.
He didn't really care about Inaba Kagerōza's strength.
Before executing his plan, he had already 'banned' Old Man Yama. No matter how strong Kagerōza was, how strong could he really be?
At best, he was on the same level as Komamura Sajin.
But a trump card was something worth listening to.
Having spent a long time with Aizen and Urahara, he clearly had a better understanding of the 'scientist' species.
These kinds of people might have average combat strength, but their ability to create unexpected surprises was definitely top-tier in the Soul Society.
Let alone an ordinary Soul Reaper Captain, even Old Man Yama could suffer an unexpected defeat if he let his guard down.
Under the curious gazes of the two men, Nozomi poured out everything about Inaba Kagerōza's specific abilities, along with some details about the Reigai.
"Actually, there is a very crucial reason why Inaba Kagerōza launched the Reigai Project so quickly."
"What is it?"
At this point, Nozomi gritted her teeth, her small face tightening in an expression of deep abhorrence.
"I don't know where he got it, but he acquired Zanpakutō forging technology and integrated its core concepts into the Reigai technology. This caused his progress to advance by leaps and bounds, allowing him to complete his original goal in just a few short years."
Sora's eyes widened, and he said in furious indignation, "Such a thing actually happened?!"
"Don't worry. Once everything is over, I will definitely investigate this matter strictly and show no leniency."
Beside him, Komamura Sajin turned his head away, rolling his eyes hard.
The straightforward dog was too embarrassed to expose his superior's little scheme to his face.
Looking at the entire Shino Prison, who didn't know that the Zanpakutō forging technology was brought back personally by you from the Soul King Palace?
"As for Inaba Kagerōza's trump card..."
Nozomi's expression turned serious. "Although I don't have exact intelligence, I suspect there is a very high probability that it is a Reigai clone of Head Captain Yamamoto."
Komamura Sajin was left speechless.
Sora raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Are you saying he even cloned the old man?"
Nozomi nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
Sora suddenly became impatient. Without a word of explanation, he reached out a large hand, grabbed Nozomi, and instantly—no, skillfully—hoisted her over his shoulder.
After calling out to Komamura Sajin, he dashed off in the direction of the Seireitei.
Resting on his broad shoulder, Nozomi's expression was a bit strange.
*'Why does Lord Naraku seem more like a villain?'*
*'Speaking of which, since he's acting like a villain, will he do something even more outrageous?'*
Seemingly thinking of some indescribable scenes, the young girl couldn't help but blush.
Watching Nozomi's constantly changing expressions, Komamura Sajin, trailing behind them, couldn't help but scratch his head.
*'My clansmen are much easier to understand. Human girls are just too weird.'*
When powerful Reiatsu erupted one after another within the Seireitei, the noble district in the Sixth District once again fell into chaos.
Although the nobles had cultivated plenty of private armed forces in their daily lives, compared to a true military organization like the Gotei 13, they were still far too lacking.
The two sides were simply not on the same level.
Now that a crisis had struck again, they had no choice but to cast their pleading gazes toward the fiercely fighting Soul Reaper squad members.
They hoped a portion of the troops could be diverted to protect them.
After all, wasn't the duty of the Gotei 13 to protect the nobles?
Amidst their hopeful waiting, the nobles finally welcomed a protective force.
However, it was slightly different from what they had imagined.
It wasn't the Gotei 13, but rather the Shino Prison organization responsible for the Inner Court.
The leader was a gloomy-looking man with a painted face. The black and white makeup smeared across his face concealed his original appearance while making him look extremely eerie.
Furthermore, the Soul Reapers accompanying him mostly had fierce and vicious appearances.
This led some nobles to believe that they were acting on Naraku Sora's orders, coming to settle scores with them.
"Everyone, please do not be nervous."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri softened his tone, revealing what he considered to be a very amiable smile as he addressed the nobles present.
"I have come under the orders of the Acting Head Captain to protect the Sixth District. Please rest assured, as long as we are here, those lawless elements will not be able to harm you."
"B-But..."
"Before that, I must explain something to you all."
"The core of this turmoil in the Seireitei is actually a certain ambitious individual using special technology to create a batch of clones."
"Before the turmoil began, he breached the communication lines of the Denreishinki, transmitting false orders to the Captains of the Gotei 13."
"He ordered them to head to the Dangai to investigate an abnormal situation."
"Then, using this time gap, he had the clones usurp their positions, replacing them and gradually taking control of the Seireitei."
At this point, Mayuri's eyeballs made a squelching rolling sound. Paired with his black-and-white face, he looked incredibly bizarre.
"The previously widespread rumor of Head Captain Naraku's betrayal was actually part of the conspiracy orchestrated by the mastermind hiding in the shadows."
"Now, the Seireitei is crawling with clones, having already fallen into an unprecedented crisis."
"You are all pillars of the Soul Society, truly noble individuals. You absolutely must not be harmed because of this."
Hearing this, the ugly expressions of some nobles immediately softened significantly.
However, others raised doubts about this.
"This is nothing but your one-sided story. Since there's no evidence anyway, who knows if your new Gotei 13 is just eliminating dissidents, replacing the original Gotei 13, and taking control of the Seireitei while you're at it."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the others couldn't help but change.
Judging from Naraku Sora's usual way of doing things, it wasn't impossible.
Mayuri didn't refute it immediately. Instead, he grinned at the man, his golden teeth sparkling under the sun. The atmosphere instantly became extremely eerie.
Just as the nobles were preparing to continue their questioning, the man who had initially raised the doubt suddenly froze in place. Immediately after, his flesh began to writhe, as if living creatures had burrowed under his skin.
As his body continuously expanded, under the utterly terrified gazes of the crowd, the man's head directly exploded like a blooming flower.
The sudden turn of events instantly threw the nobles into a panic.
Just as they were about to scatter and flee, they suddenly realized that the headless body was crumbling apart like clay, scattering all over the ground.
Mayuri stepped forward, picked up an irregularly shaped gemstone from the pile of dust, and calmly explained:
"Everyone, this is the core of a clone."
"The reason the mastermind is acting out of desperation is because we have already mastered the key technology to identify the fakes!"
"Now, does anyone else have any objections to us taking over this place?"
The nobles took a deep breath, their expressions easing considerably.
If Naraku Sora had been the one saying these things, they might not have believed it.
But Kurotsuchi Mayuri was different.
Long before Naraku Sora appeared, this man was already a renowned researcher in aristocratic circles.
The crowd was relatively convinced of Mayuri's skills and character. At the very least, the several noble families who had collaborated with him were full of praise for him.
As long as he took the money, he would definitely solve the problem for you.
Whether it was concocting poisons, modifying human bodies, or researching taboo subjects.
There was nothing he couldn't do, only things you couldn't imagine.
Although Mayuri had now been labeled as Naraku Sora's subordinate, due to his previously accumulated reputation, the nobles were still willing to believe him.
Such a universally praised scientist would certainly not succumb to the brute force of a meathead.
The only reason he stayed in the Shino Prison was entirely out of respect for that woman, Shutara Senjumaru.
"So that's how it is!"
"Then we will rely on Mr. Kurotsuchi for our safety."
"Captain Kurotsuchi, are there any other malicious clones among us?"
Mayuri's expression turned solemn, and he said in a low voice, "Naturally, there are..."
Before his voice even faded, several figures dashed out from the crowd, fleeing in different directions.
However, before they could even reach the end of the street, their bodies exploded like fireworks, completely losing all signs of life.
Looking at the clay scattered all over the ground, the nobles felt their scalps tingle with fear.
They had actually been staying with clones this whole time. How was this any different from handing their heads over to someone else?
Mayuri clapped his hands, his face calm, as if he had merely done something insignificant.
However, the more he acted this way, the heavier the gazes the nobles directed at him became, evidently treating him as their sole lifeline.
"Next, I ask that everyone wait patiently."
Mayuri revealed an eerie smile. "Not only will I protect your safety, but I will also drag out the bugs hiding in the shadows one by one and crush them to death..."