Restricted Death

Chapter 196 Cooperation
The shopkeeper was a little confused about the people in front of him. Logically speaking, they were wanted criminals in the Soul Society, especially him, who was personally identified as the culprit by the Central 64.

Within Soul Society, apart from Aizen and his group, no one else should know the truth about that conspiracy from back then. Moreover, so many years have passed, and Soul Society's attitude towards them has not wavered at all. This stubborn "conviction" precisely proves how meticulously Aizen handled the aftermath, almost erasing all traces that could be used to overturn the case.

Aizen and his ilk could manipulate even Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and the 46 Chambers, which symbolized the highest judicial authority in Soul Society, with their methods being virtually flawless.

So, where did this young captain, who suddenly showed up to visit, get the so-called "strangeness" from?
This matter directly concerns the safety of everyone, including Hirako Shinji and the others, forcing the shopkeeper to be on edge. Vigilance and suspicion, like cold snakes, coiled around his heart.

If Yoruichi were here right now, she would have a deeper understanding of this person.

The shop manager remained expressionless, maintaining his usual slightly flippant smile, his paper fan swaying gently in front of his chest: "If we don't listen to the Central 46, then who should we listen to? Mr. Takami's words are quite interesting. Aren't you afraid that the Central 46 will find out and punish you?"

Xin seemed completely unmoved, kneeling relaxed: "I know the manager doesn't trust me,"

His voice was steady and clear: "You're probably also curious about why I'm here."

Upon hearing this, the shop manager exaggeratedly scratched his fluffy blond hair, let out a few dry laughs, and said, seemingly embarrassed and flippant, "Oh dear, am I that obvious?"

He then sighed again, his shoulders slumped slightly, revealing a hint of distress. “Mr. Takami, of course I want to be friends with you. However, we have never had any connection or business dealings. Your sudden visit has really terrified me. Moreover… it’s possible that the moment you leave, I will have to pack up and move out.”

Shin tilted his head slightly: "Are you afraid that the Soul Society will come knocking on your door?"

The shopkeeper looked helpless again: "Yes, I'm a very timid person. You have a high status in Soul Society and have been here twice. What if someone follows the trail and brings this here? Wouldn't that be an unnecessary disaster for me?"

Xin didn't reply immediately, but his slender fingers gently pulled open the collar of his shihachi uniform, pointing to the black daffodil mark on his collarbone and saying, "Are you afraid of this?"

The function of the limited spiritual seal is not only to suppress his own spiritual pressure, but also to locate his position in the mortal world at any time.

The store manager was aware of this, which is why he said that. From the moment he saw the letter again, his cautious nature had left him with a lingering unease.

The room seemed calm on the inside, but who knew if the outside was already surrounded by a large number of Grim Reapers? He was a fugitive, and the person in front of him was the real captain of the Gotei 13. He had to prepare for the worst, not just because he was afraid of being caught, but because he had something in his possession that he absolutely could not let anyone take it from him.

The store manager was constantly on edge.

A slight smile suddenly appeared on Xin's lips. He raised his hand and pointed to a seemingly empty spot near the door, asking the shop manager, "Manager, look over there... isn't there someone standing there?"

The shopkeeper instinctively looked in the direction he was pointing, and in the next instant, a chill ran from his tailbone to the top of his head, and the hairs on his body stood on end! Because right in the direction Shin was pointing, a clearly identifiable and powerful spiritual pressure fluctuation suddenly appeared without warning! And the aura of this spiritual pressure was clearly Shin himself!

Not only the shop manager, but also Tetsuzai was startled. He had been carefully observing the shop manager and Shin, waiting for any sign of trouble to make his move.

The store manager quickly calmed down and looked at the letter.

Xin Youyou said, "As long as I don't want to, the Soul Society can't use the Limited Spirit Seal to lock onto my location."

The room fell into a deathly silence. The shopkeeper remained silent for a long time, and the waving paper fan finally came to a stop.

He slowly raised his eyes, the flippancy and probing in his gaze fading considerably, replaced by a deep calm and inquiry: "Mr. Takami... what exactly do you intend to do? Please be frank." This was practically a showdown.

The letter gently tapped the low table in front of him, the subtle sound clearly audible in the room.

"Do you know anything about Gin Ichimaru?"

Gin Ichimaru?!

The name was like a pebble thrown into calm water, instantly stirring ripples in the shopkeeper's heart. The man who was once the third seat of the Fifth Division and is now Aizen's adjutant, always with a fox-like smile, is, like Tosen Kaname, Aizen's most capable henchman.

When the incident occurred, that silver-haired youth stood beside Aizen. The shopkeeper still vividly remembers the cold glint in his narrowed eyes—cunning, treacherous, and unfathomable.

Seeing that the shopkeeper remained silent, Shin continued, "He is not truly loyal to Aizen, and he harbors a great grudge against Aizen. He has been working under Aizen all along, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge."

Upon hearing this, both the shop manager sitting there and the man standing at the door, Wakami Tessai, widened their eyes in surprise.

The word "faith" reveals a great deal of information.

Beyond the literal meaning of the words, it also implies that he believes Aizen to be the true person he is!
The shopkeeper forced himself to calm down, sitting stiffly on the spot like a rock, with only his eyes fixed on Xin, as if trying to penetrate his skin and see the true nature of his soul.

Shin added, "Similarly, Aizen doesn't completely trust Gin Ichimaru either. He's extremely arrogant and doesn't trust anyone but himself. He only keeps Gin Ichimaru by his side because he feels he can completely control him."

The store manager asked calmly, "Did Yoruichi tell you all of this?"

Xin chuckled lightly: "Whether she knows these things or not, you should know better than anyone else, right?"

The shopkeeper remained silent. Yoruichi knew almost as much as they did, and perhaps even more, because she could freely enter and leave Soul Society and was more aware of recent events there.

However, Yoruichi would never be able to easily discover the inside story of Aizen's inner circle, especially the extremely secretive personal motives of someone like Gin Ichimaru.

The shopkeeper's suspicions deepened, and he pressed on, "Then how did you learn about these things? Since you know Aizen's true nature, why didn't you inform the Captain-Commander and the Central 46?"

Shin countered, "What do you think the Captain-Commander would do if I told him about this?"

The store manager began to ponder.

Before he could answer, Shin slowly revealed the answer himself: "First of all, I don't have enough confidence or evidence to prove to the Captain-Commander that what I said is true. The Captain-Commander will investigate the events of that year again, but doing so will most likely not escape Aizen's notice, and will only alert him."

The shopkeeper said in a deep voice, "So what? Do you think Aizen and the others are a match for the Captain-Commander?"

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni is the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, and no one doubts this. Even if Aizen is strong, he can't possibly be stronger than the Captain-Commander.

“It’s not that simple,” Shin said. “Aizen’s power is not just his own, nor just his two subordinates in Soul Society, but also the entire Hueco Mundo.”

"What did you say?!" The store manager's eyes widened immediately.

This is purely due to a lack of information; it's normal that he didn't know about this.

According to the original story, Aizen must have already taken control of Hueco Mundo by this time.

From the previous incident involving a Hollow during his internship in the human world, and... the murder of Hoshino Toru, it can be seen that Aizen is already able to control Hollows.

Shin explained to him, "Aizen has already taken control of all the high-end combat forces within Hueco Mundo, including Vasto Lordes." Vasto Lordes...

The Hollows are ranked from bottom to top as Gillian, Adjuchas, and Vastod, with the Vastod at the top possessing power exceeding that of a captain.

The shopkeeper didn't know exactly how many Vasto Lordes were in Hueco Mundo, but even if it was just one or two, if Aizen could control them, they would pose a great threat to Soul Society!
Not to mention the countless Hollows. If Aizen discovers the Soul Society's suspicions about him beforehand, it could escalate into a major war between the entire Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society!
The shopkeeper's eyes flashed intensely, and his usual smile vanished without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. He remained silent, his hand tightly gripping the paper fan, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

The air inside seemed to freeze, with only the heavy breathing of Tetsuzai faintly audible. The shopkeeper's brain was working at lightning speed, piecing together, verifying, and deducing the fragments of information provided in the letter with known information. This massive amount of information required time to digest.

After a long while, the shopkeeper finally let out a long, slow sigh, as if to expel all the heaviness in his chest. He reopened the paper fan in his hand, his movements carrying a hint of barely perceptible hesitation.

"You're telling me all this because you want to cooperate with me, right?"

After much thought, he had figured out many key points—what the person in front of him said was very likely true.

Therefore, Xin's motives seem to become understandable. No Soul Reaper who knows Aizen's true nature could remain indifferent. On the contrary, this person did not rush to report it but chose to act in secret. This calmness and consideration makes him seem more rational.

But what can these "traitors" who have fled Soul Society do?

He himself can't even enter the Soul Society now.

In fact, he didn't have much hope of finding a way to "take revenge." He felt that Aizen would be exposed one day, and then the Captain-Commander would be able to punish him.

All he needs to do is ensure that what he creates is not taken away by outsiders.

However, the current situation seems to have far exceeded his expectations, and he still underestimated Aizen's power.

Shin then said, "It's not just you, but also those people you brought to the present world, Captain Hirako Shinji and the others."

The store manager was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and said, "Hirako is no longer the captain."

He isn't either.

The shopkeeper looked at the letter again and said calmly, "Do you think there's any possibility of cooperation between us? We're just a group of fugitive criminals who have already severed ties with Soul Society. Why would we help Soul Society?"

Draw a clear line?

Xin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then what's the point of you opening this shop, store manager?"

"..."

Xin picked up the teacup again, took a sip, and put it down.

"I'm not asking you to help the Soul Society, I'm just asking you if you want revenge!"

"revenge?"

The shopkeeper's eyes suddenly narrowed, like a ghostly fire being ignited. He let out a short, light snort, and the paper fan "whooshed" open fully, the fan surface almost covering half of his face, revealing only his eyes that shimmered with complex light.

"By you? By us?"

His words were full of skepticism and an almost absurd tone.

Xin sighed and said, "Never mind then. Since you didn't mean it that way, store manager, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"..."

The store manager was taken aback.

Seeing his slightly surprised expression, Xin calmly added, "Actually, I had other plans even without your help. It's just that after learning about what happened back then, I wanted to lend you a hand. Since you don't want to accept my thanks, then forget it."

"..."

The store manager fell into a deeper silence.

Tetsuzai's gaze shifted from Shin to the shopkeeper, his eyes filled with inquiry and seriousness. He was clearly also disturbed by Shin's suggestion and sudden concession. The air in the room seemed to freeze, with only a silent tension permeating the atmosphere.

Time ticked by. The paper fan in the shopkeeper's hand had stopped waving at some point; he was simply holding it tightly.

Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice carrying a cautious solemnity: "This is not a decision I can make alone, and I cannot give you an answer immediately."

Xin said, "Alright, we can go see Captain Hirako and the others together."

One of his goals for this trip was to see Yadomaru Lisa and Sarugaki Hiyori once again.

"..."

The store manager unconsciously frowned slightly, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He quickly adjusted his expression and said, "No rush. Since you want to cooperate with us, why don't you tell us your plan?"

Shin casually said, "We can bring that Gin Ichimaru I just mentioned over here."

Upon hearing this, the store manager pondered for a moment, carefully considering all the words in the letter.

He couldn't help but ask, "If Gin Ichimaru really harbors ill intentions towards Aizen, why doesn't he tell the Captain-Commander? If he also wants to deal with Aizen, it's difficult to do it alone. He should try to get some allies for himself."

Xin met the store manager's scrutinizing gaze with composure and shook his head: "I don't know about that."

The store manager, exasperated, asked again, "Do you really think we can turn him to our side?"

Xin chuckled softly, looking at the other person with a slightly teasing expression.

"You'll know if you try it."

(End of this chapter)