Soi Fon's eyes narrowed slightly as suspicion took root in her heart.
The Ninth Division was the Prison Division, primarily responsible for arrests and interrogations. There was no reason for them to suddenly appear in this remote corner of the Rukongai.
She shared a glance with Hasumi Ren, seeing the same doubt reflected in his eyes. Without a word, they continued to watch in silence.
Tosen Kaname, accompanied by three Ninth Division members, came to a halt not far from their hiding spot.
He looked down, sensing his surroundings. He seemed to detect the anomaly within the house, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"Fifth Seat Tosen."
A Ninth Division member stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.
"Based on our tracking data, Amamiya Shin's spiritual pressure was last detected in this area. He might be nearby."
Tosen Kaname remained silent for a moment before speaking, his voice calm and steady.
"Stay alert. Despite being a member of the Ninth Division, he used prisoners for forbidden experiments, resulting in several deaths."
"Even if he is acting on the orders of a Great Noble, we cannot let him escape."
His explanation sounded reasonable, but Ren felt a chill run through him.
'A deserter from the Ninth Division?'
'And he was conducting forbidden experiments? A dangerous individual with noble connections...'
'And he just happens to show up here, right where these strange disappearances occurred.'
Memories of the original story regarding Aizen and Tosen flashed through Ren's mind.
'Tosen is Aizen's loyal follower. His presence here cannot be a mere coincidence.'
'That so-called deserter didn't escape here by accident; he was likely lured to this spot.'
'The goal is to give Tosen a valid reason to intervene and then cover up or misdirect the investigation.'
'This is almost certainly Aizen's doing.'
That thought sent a shiver down Ren's spine.
He glanced at Soi Fon; she was clearly just as suspicious of the Ninth Division's arrival.
Seeing Tosen and his men about to fan out for a search, Ren and Soi Fon exchanged a look and reached a decision.
A moment later, the two of them stepped out from cover.
The Ninth Division Soul Reapers only then realized they were being watched and drew their weapons in caution.
"Who's there?!"
The hostile atmosphere dissipated slightly once they saw the newcomers' uniforms.
"The Stealth Force?"
"Why is the Stealth Force here?"
Soi Fon remained on guard as she faced the group.
She briefly identified herself as a member of the Executive Militia and exchanged information with the Ninth Division.
Tosen Kaname nodded upon hearing this.
"So the Executive Militia is here on an investigation. What a coincidence."
Tosen turned toward Soi Fon, tilting his head slightly as he spoke in an even tone.
"We are pursuing a deserter and tracked him to this location. Would you be willing to share the nature of your mission?"
"We were ordered to investigate the disappearance of Tenth Division members."
Soi Fon looked him directly in the eye.
"Fifth Seat Tosen, did you notice anything unusual when you arrived?"
"A disappearance?"
Tosen's expression grew solemn.
"I haven't received any reports about that, however..."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The deserter we are hunting, Amamiya Shin, is a cruel man. His experiments involve forced soul modification and spiritual pressure consumption. It is possible he is linked to the disappearances you are investigating."
"Since our targets overlap, would you allow us to join the search? We might find intersecting clues."
Soi Fon's eyes flickered as she weighed the proposal.
Ren, however, was on high alert.
'I'm afraid this is Tosen's real goal—to interfere with our investigation. That deserter is almost certainly a scapegoat.'
"Very well,"
Soi Fon nodded after a moment.
"But we will divide the search areas clearly to avoid interfering with each other."
"Of course."
Tosen nodded.
The two teams kept their distance and began a meticulous search of the abandoned house and its surroundings.
Ren stayed close to Soi Fon, his spiritual senses fully active. He monitored the environment while keeping a close eye on the Ninth Division members.
Once inside the house, they quickly found something odd in the dim light.
Two heavily damaged Shihakusho lay scattered in a corner. The Tenth Division insignia was barely visible on the sleeves, yet there was no trace of blood or tissue.
Further inside, they found strange tools and the remains of burnt paper.
"This is..."
A Ninth Division member knelt to inspect the clothes, his face turning grim.
"That traitor did this! He's actually targeting other Soul Reapers now!"
Another member gritted his teeth.
"The madman... Testing on prisoners wasn't enough; he even dared to attack his own comrades!"
Tosen stood silently, sensing his surroundings before turning to Soi Fon.
"It appears Amamiya Shin was indeed active here and is involved in the disappearances."
"This is a serious matter. We must pursue him immediately to prevent further casualties."
He paused, his tone becoming grave.
"If the Ninth Division's assistance is needed for the follow-up investigation, please do not hesitate to contact us."
Without further delay, he led his three subordinates away, heading in the direction they suspected the target had fled.
Soi Fon remained silent for a moment before looking at Ren.
From the moment the Ninth Division appeared until they left, Ren had remained cautiously silent, his gaze unreadable.
"Ren, do you think things are as they say?"
Soi Fon stepped closer, her voice lowered.
Ren slowly shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the back of the room.
"Judging by the tracks, the deserter was definitely here and performed some kind of Reishi experiment. The missing members' uniforms are here as well."
He connected the dots, offering a logically sound conclusion.
"It's possible the deserter attacked the Tenth Division members, used them for an experiment, and then fled."
"The theory those men proposed is logically consistent."
Soi Fon stared at him for a few seconds, sensing he was holding something back.
"You think there's another possibility?"
"I'm not sure."
Ren shook his head.
"In that case, we'll secure all evidence and report back to Lady Yoruichi. We won't interfere further for now."
"Understood."
However, just as they finished gathering the evidence and prepared to leave...
A dark shadow lunged out of the gloom like a phantom. A cold, chaotic spiritual pressure erupted, aimed directly at Soi Fon's back.
"Watch out!"
Soi Fon spun around, but Ren was faster. His Zanpakuto was already out, blocking the strike behind her.
The screech of clashing metal was accompanied by a crazed cackle that echoed through the dark room.
The attacker wore a black hooded robe. His eyes were bloodshot, and his mouth was twisted into an unnatural grin.
A murky, turbulent spiritual pressure swirled around him. His voice was raspy and unrecognizable, his eyes cold and terrifying.
Soi Fon turned fully, her gaze as cold as a blade.
"So you didn't run after all. You were hiding here the whole time."
"Run?"
Amamiya Shin chuckled low.
"I'll have plenty of time for that once I've killed you lapdogs!"
With that, his spiritual pressure exploded in a chaotic yet fierce burst as he lunged forward once more.