Restricted Death

Chapter 246 Zero Squad

Hitsugaya and Rukia were successfully training in the Shihouin family's training grounds using the Transcendent Body technique. Shin also carefully considered which people he knew were suitable for using the Transcendent Body technique. Upon reflection, there were quite a few, but there might not be enough time in the Soul Society at the moment.

After all, war was imminent.

After handing Hitsugaya and Rukia over to Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi, Shin returned to the 10th Division barracks to handle the increased squad duties while waiting for news.

Matsumoto Rangiku has been somewhat absent-minded lately. She has come to me many times to inquire about Ichimaru Gin.

In response, Shin could only say that a decision on whether to acquit him could only be made after the Seireitei's trial of him was over.

Originally, Shin had envisioned that Gin Ichimaru would remain by Aizen's side and turn against him at the most crucial moment, which would be of great use. If Gin did so, he could also prove his innocence to the Seireitei.

However, Aizen's early elimination of Gin Ichimaru put Gin in an awkward position.

This kind of thing can't be proven by Shin alone. It's fortunate that Shin and Hirako pleaded for him beforehand, otherwise Gin Ichimaru would have been convicted and imprisoned in the maggot's nest long ago.

Shin certainly didn't want Ichimaru Gin to be treated this way. Putting aside the fact that he had his own reasons for falling into this predicament, Ichimaru Gin himself was a rare fighting force, and it would be best if he could contribute in future wars.

Three more days passed, and during this time, Xin still made time to visit Zhibo's house as usual.

Upon seeing him, Ichigo excitedly asked if something big had happened in Soul Society, noting the completely different atmosphere and the frequent sight of patrolling Shinigami on the streets.

The Haiyan couple did not tell him the specifics, and Xin naturally couldn't say for sure either.

Ichigo pleaded with Shin, "Sensei, let me become a Shinigami too! I want to do my part!"

Xin laughed and said, "You're just a kid, you're far from good enough. At best, you're just an ordinary squad member. What can you possibly contribute?"

Ichigo retorted, "But Uncle Ganju said I'm strong enough to be a Shinigami!"

Upon hearing this, Xin cursed Yanjiu inwardly.

Looking at Ichigo's young and innocent face, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. In the original story, Ichigo was only in high school when he was caught up in Aizen's crisis, which was about the same as now. But the Ichigo in front of him was not that Ichigo anymore. He did not have the power of a Quincy or a Hollow in his body. Expecting him to save the world was a bit of a pipe dream.

History took a different turn from the moment letters appeared. No one is omniscient or omnipotent, and there is no such thing as everything going smoothly.

The best decision is to do everything possible to ensure Ichigo lives a carefree life.

Shin reached out and touched Ichigo's head, only to realize that the guy had grown to be as tall as him.

"There will be times when you will need to contribute, but not now. What you need to do is to continue your cultivation honestly."

Ichigo was a little disappointed, but he still obediently nodded.

The letter then said to Kukaku, "Try to go out as little as possible for the time being."

Kukaku nodded silently. She knew that something big had happened in Soul Society, but she was not a Shinigami. Although she could use spiritual power, her strength was not particularly outstanding among Shinigami.

The following day, the letter finally arrived. After being summoned, he went to an open area on the edge of Seireitei.

There were already quite a few people waiting here, near the murderous stone wall.

Led by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the captains, including Hirako Shinji and Mukuro Kensei, have been appointed to their positions in this critical time and have donned their captain's haoris once again.

Besides Shiba Kaien, the other captains, Hirako and Kensei, were also familiar to him.

Chojiro Sasaki was also there, along with another vice-captain, the newly appointed vice-captain of the Fifth Division, Hiyori Sarugaki. Today's occasion was special, and in principle, the vice-captain should not have been invited; she had requested to come herself.

Shin glanced around and noticed that Kenpachi Zaraki wasn't there. He wondered if it was because he hadn't arrived yet, or if Yamamoto hadn't sent him.

"Everyone is here."

Kyoraku's words dispelled Shin's doubts.

Shin looked at Shinji Hirako and Kensei Rokusha and chuckled, "The haori actually looks quite good on you two."

Shinji Hirako lazily pursed his lips and replied, "After that bastard Aizen left, I always felt that the Fifth Division wasn't clean anymore. When I went to the barracks yesterday, something was strange."

Jushiro Ukitake then cautioned, "Captain Hirako, please don't say things like that so casually."

Shin then looked at Kensei Rokusha. He hadn't seen Shuhei for the past few days and wondered what Shuhei's expression would be when he saw his idol again.

He asked, "Sixth vehicle captain, have you seen my friend?"

Kensei Muguruma certainly remembered the person the letter mentioned, and he kept an eye on the matter when he went to the 9th Division barracks.

He nodded after hearing this and said, "He's a good guy."

The group waited in place for a while, when suddenly they heard Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni say, "They've arrived."

The captain looked up, and everyone else looked up as well. They saw a black dot suddenly appear in the previously clear sky. The black dot was growing rapidly, as if something was falling quickly.

A moment later, everyone could see clearly that it was a huge stone pillar.

boom!
The stone pillar crashed heavily onto the ground in front of the crowd, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

“This is…” Shiba Kaien was quite surprised.

Kyoraku explained, "The Heavenly Pillar Carriage is the Zero Division's means of transportation."

The Zero Division has only five members, no squad members, and all of them are captains. Their overall combat strength exceeds that of the entire Gotei 13.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the Heavenly Pillar Chariot stood on the ground, and everyone then discovered that there was a door beneath this enormous pillar.

With a creak, the door slowly opened.

Five figures slowly walked out.

The leader was a burly, bald man with thick eyebrows and a beard reaching his chest. He had a broad nose and wore a white, wide-sleeved haori, a shihaka-style robe, with the Zero Division crest embroidered on the back. He wore a large, deep red rosary around his neck and high-heeled wooden clogs.

This person is Hyosube Ichibei, the leader of the Royal Special Agent Zero Division. He was given the name "Eye Monk" by the Spirit King, which was later changed to "True Name Monk". He was born in the chaotic world millions of years ago and was one of the few special life forms at that time. He was a contemporary of the Spirit King and the five noble ancestors.

At the same time, he was also the original namer of everything in Soul Society. The moment Asauchi was handed over to the Shinigami, he knew their names.

The moment the five men stepped out, one of them, a thin-faced man with a spiky hairstyle, raised a white flag with four stars and waved it vigorously. Another man, wearing sunglasses and dressed in avant-garde clothes, was doing his best to dance a hip-hop dance.

An elegant woman with six skeletal arms, each arm holding a different musical instrument and playing music, serves as the background music for her entrance.

This rather bizarre and comical scene left many of the Shinigami present speechless. Many who had never seen the Zero Division before wondered to themselves, "Are these unreliable guys really the mysterious and powerful Zero Division...?"

"Here he comes! He's finally here! Squad Zero has arrived! It's been a long time! Kids of the Gotei 13, have you been eating and sleeping well? How have you been lately?"

Hirako Shinji couldn't help but complain, "This is so different from what I remember..." Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped on the head by a very voluptuous purple-haired woman.

"It's been a long time, Mako. Ah, Hiyori is here too."

As she spoke, she pulled the somewhat bewildered Hiyori Sarugaki into her arms and roughly squeezed her.

Hirako Shinji was a little angry. "Who are you, auntie? Why did you hit me?"

The voluptuous woman pointed to herself and said, "It's really hurtful that you call me that. Don't you recognize me, Kiryu?"

"Eh?"

Hirako Shinji froze on the spot. Not only him, but many of the people present also recognized Hikifune Kiryu. They all stared wide-eyed at the woman in front of them who looked completely different from the beautiful woman in their memories.

"The... the captain of the towboat?"

Hiyori Sarugaki, who was being held in Kiryu's arms and was almost out of breath, stammered as she spoke.

What happened to the boat-pulling captain?

Looking at her, Hirako Shinji couldn't help but ask, "Are you Ms. Kiryu? I can't say we look exactly alike, but we're completely unrelated!"

At this moment, Shiba Kaien moved closer to Shin and couldn't help but whisper, "Shin, are these guys really reliable?"

letter:"……"

"Hey, kid!"

Suddenly, Oetsu Nimaiya, dressed in avant-garde attire, glanced over with an unfriendly expression. He strode up to Kaien Shiba and demanded aggressively, "What are you whispering about? Are you talking badly about Captain Zero?!"

Shiba Kaien waved his hands repeatedly and said with an embarrassed laugh, "No, no! You misheard!"

Shine——

Nimaiya Oetsu suddenly moved and drew Shiba Kaien's Zanpakuto from his waist. Kaien was immediately shocked. He hadn't seen the other party's movements at all, and the fact that his Zanpakuto had been taken away made him feel a chill.

Nimaiya Oetsu examined the sword in his hand and said, "The sword's name is Nekihana, and its Bankai is Makatsu Nekihana: Water Prison Eight Views. Kid, it took me a lot of effort to forge this sword. Have you been using it properly?"

Shiba Kaien's eyes widened immediately: "You... what did you say?"

Nimaiya Oue immediately looked displeased: "Don't these kids know anything about us anymore?"

Xin then smiled and came to Haiyan's rescue, saying, "You don't need to be angry. After all, so much time has passed, and the fact that we don't know you also means that the enemy doesn't know you."

"Oh?" Nimaiya Wangyue fixed his gaze on the letter, his eyes seemingly full of meaning, and his expression somewhat strange.

His attitude struck me as odd.

Hyosube Ichibei then walked up to Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and said with a smile, "Yamamoto, you've gotten so old."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni said calmly, “Having lived for so long, aging is inevitable. Unlike you who are favored by the Spirit King, I will die sooner or later.”

Hyosube Ichibei laughed heartily upon hearing this, but he did not respond to Yamamoto's statement about his own demise.

Sasakibe Chojiro, standing to the side, respectfully said, "Lord Hyosube, are you all aware of the situation? The Soul Society is facing an unprecedented disaster, and we must all lend a helping hand."

Hyosube Ichibei looked at Chojiro Sasakibe and said, "Chojiro, you've matured a lot. We already know what happened, but before we get down to business, I'd like to resolve a question that's been bothering me."

doubt?

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was taken aback.

Then Hyobu Ichibei bypassed Yamamoto and headed straight for Shin.

All eyes were on him. When Shiba Kaien saw this Zero Division leader walking towards him, he felt a pang of dread. Had he angered the other party because of his disrespect earlier?
Hyonshube Ichibei stood next to Nimaiya Oetsu, and together they fixed their gazes on Shin.

"Tachikawa Shin, is that right?"

His faith stirred slightly, and he replied, "Yes."

Hyosube Ichibei asked, "What's the name of your Zanpakuto?"

This question immediately surprised Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Kyoraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jushiro, and others, as they were familiar with Hyosube Ichibei's powers.

After a brief silence, Xin replied, "This shore, the other shore."

Hyosube Ichibei then asked, "Can I take a look?"

"..."

Without much hesitation, Xin withdrew the spiritual power that had been present on his body to disguise his appearance, and two swords, one red and one white, one long and one short, appeared at his waist.

This change shocked everyone except for Retsu Unohana, the only one who had ever seen the letter's sword.

Dual swords?!
Although Kyoraku learned about Shin's Zanpakuto from the Great Spirit Book Corridor, this was the first time he had seen its full form.

Hyobu Ichibei stared intently at the sword at Shin's waist, his gaze calm and collected.

Nimaiya Oetsu suddenly reached out his hand, seemingly intending to pull out the knife from the letter as before, but stopped abruptly just before touching the other side.

After a short while, he withdrew his hand.

“Indeed, just as I thought…” Nimaiya Oetsu said calmly, “This is not a sword I made.”

Hyosube Ichibei's face broke into a smile again: "I don't know it either, no, I don't know their names..."

Compared to the turmoil in the hearts of the others present, Xin was much calmer.

From the moment he first obtained his Zanpakuto, Shin had this suspicion: he didn't awaken his Zanpakuto through Asauchi; perhaps his own sword was bestowed upon him by his own system.

The title "This Shore, That Shore" was not written by Togami Nimaiya Oetsu, nor was it given a name by Hyosube Ichibei.

Nimaiya Oetsu then asked, "Can they achieve Bankai?"

Xin nodded slightly: "Yes, do you need me to demonstrate?"

Hyosube Ichibei shook his head: "No, if I don't know, it means there is another person who doesn't know. Your Bankai will be the biggest secret in the world. You must not use it lightly unless it is absolutely necessary."

(End of this chapter)