Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

"This is really... a mess." Unohana Retsu muttered to herself, her tone unreadable, neither reproachful nor anything else.

She began to unleash the highest level of Returning Dao, a soft green light like a fountain of life, completely enveloping Kenpachi, and the horrific wounds stopped bleeding at a visible speed.

However, while receiving treatment, Retsu Unohana's gaze fell on Kenpachi's face, which still wore a satisfied smile even in his unconscious state, and she felt a moment of unease.

The dust of time seemed to have been blown away by the wind.

She seemed to see it all, on that bloody battlefield countless years ago.

A boy, equally scarred, with an endless thirst for battle burning in his eyes.

Dragging his broken Zanpakuto, he stood amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and roared a challenge at her, who was then known as "Kenpachi".

He was so pure, so wild, so... delightful back then.

But all of this was just a moment. When she raised her head again, all that remained in her eyes was the calmness and gentleness of the fourth division captain.

"The injuries are severe, but not life-threatening. Take her back to the Fourth Division to recuperate," she said calmly to Yachiru, while continuing to steadily channel her Returning Dao power.

In another area, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the 12th Division, along with his vice-captain Nemu, were also on their way.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi seemed indifferent to the potential dangers ahead, the shocking news of the Captain-Commander's imprisonment, and Byakuya Kuchiki's "betrayal."

His mind was completely focused on "data collection" along the way, and... "assessment" of the current state of his own Zanpakuto.

Yes, his Zanpakuto, "Pishisojizo," also materialized and betrayed Muramasa under the influence of Muramasa's power. It was even forcibly activated by Muramasa in the hill battlefield, releasing a large-scale poisonous fog.

But Mayuri Kurotsuchi's reaction was completely different from the other captains.

"Betrayal? Ha."

"The tool develops an unexpected sense of autonomy, thus deviating from the pre-set program framework. This is just a common phenomenon of variables getting out of control during the experiment."

Is this surprising? No, this precisely demonstrates the limitations of 'Pishosa Jizo' as an early work of mine; its design is flawed.

His attitude toward Zanpakuto was no different from his attitude toward any experimental instrument in the Technology Development Bureau.

They are all "tools," items manufactured and used to achieve a purpose.

An item has developed its own ideas? Then correct it, or activate a pre-set self-destruct program if it gets out of control.

Just as these cold thoughts were swirling in his mind, a familiar spiritual pressure appeared in front of him.

"Oh? So you've come looking for me." Mayuri Kurotsuchi stopped in her tracks, her eyes behind her mask looking ahead with great interest, as if she were waiting for a long-awaited experimental demonstration.

It was his materialized Zanpakuto—Pishisogi Jizo!

Its enormous mouth opened and closed repeatedly, dripping viscous venom, its eyes gleamed with hostility, and it emitted a low growl full of resentment from its throat.

"Have you felt the joy of 'freedom'? My foolish creation."

Far from being afraid, Mayuri Kurotsuchi took two steps forward, scanning Hikikomori Jizo up and down with the same critical gaze one would use to examine an experimental subject.

"It seems that Muramasa's ability only amplifies the 'resistance' and 'resentment' emotions belonging to lower beings deep within your spirit, without endowing you with truly constructive wisdom. How pathetic."

"Roar—!!" The giant body of the Hikari Jizo seemed to be enraged by his words, and it trembled violently, letting out an angry roar.

The spiritual pressure around him fluctuated violently, and his poison glands were clearly beginning to swell, indicating that he was preparing to launch an attack!

It still remembers the "master" who treated it as a "tool" and imposed various restrictions and modifications on it!

"Lord Mayuri, danger," Nemuru whispered a warning.

"No need to be nervous, Nemuru." Mayuri Kurotsuchi waved his hand, his tone even carrying a hint of boredom.

"Having the right tools to handle things out of control is a basic skill for users, especially when... you anticipate that it might get out of control and have prepared to 'clean it up' in advance."

He slowly took out a remote control device.

"In the end, I reconstructed the soul structure of 'Pishakujizo' myself, and I know every single one of its spiritual nodes like the back of my hand."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice was eerily calm, as if he were reading an experimental report.

“Muramasa’s ability can amplify ‘dissatisfaction,’ but it cannot rewrite the self-destruct program that is imprinted at the deepest level of my soul as ‘Pishisogi Jizo’.”

He looked at the imminent, destructive Hikari Jizo before him, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at a vial of expired, failed reagent.

As he pressed the remote control, the massive body of the Jizo, which was about to pounce, suddenly shuddered violently and exploded into spiritual dust!

Throughout the entire process, from the appearance of Jizo's Pissaji to its self-destruction and annihilation, there was only one side's cold and ruthless control and destruction.

Nie Yinmeng watched all of this silently, seemingly unsurprised by the scene.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the broken piece of the blade with two fingers.

He examined it closely, his eyes narrowing slightly as if scanning every crack and trace of residual energy.

"Alright, that's the end of the little episode. Let's move on, Yinmeng. The real 'large sample size' is still waiting for us ahead."

Chapter 147 Gin Ichimaru's Resolve

Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru, the captain of the Third Division, walked alone and unhurriedly through the wilderness.

The captain's white haori was spotless, and his footsteps were so light they were almost silent, as if he were simply taking a walk under the moon.

That face, which was always narrowed into two thin slits, seemingly indifferent to everything, still wore that enigmatic, ambiguous smile.

Suddenly, he stopped.

A figure stood silently blocking the middle of the road ahead.

It was a man whose face resembled Gin Ichimaru's by seven or eight points, but who was much younger.

He also had short, silver-white hair, only it was more messy and unruly.

What sets him apart most are his eyes—not the squinting shape of Gin Ichimaru's.

Instead, it opened its eyes completely, revealing a pair of golden vertical pupils that seemed to see right through people's hearts.

It is the materialized Zanpakuto—Shinso.

He stood there quietly, his golden vertical pupils calmly looking at Gin Ichimaru, his gaze devoid of the anger commonly seen in other materialized Zanpakuto.

"..." Gin Ichimaru's smile remained unchanged, not even the curve of his narrowed eyes, as if he was not surprised at all by the appearance of the "divine spear".

He simply stared silently at his Zanpakuto, but the battle erupted without warning in an instant!

"call out--!"

The spearman's figure suddenly blurred! Like a venomous snake baring its fangs after a long lurking, it thrust straight at Gin Ichimaru!

Gin Ichimaru moved almost simultaneously!

The "divine spear" was drawn instantly, meeting the thrust with perfect precision without dodging or evading!

"bite--!!!"

Sparks flew! The two spiritual pressures collided violently!

After the first strike, the two figures crossed paths and instantly separated by more than ten meters, facing each other again.

The sharp light in the spear's vertical pupils flickered slightly, as if he was somewhat surprised that Gintoki had been able to block his attack so accurately.

Gin Ichimaru kept his eyes narrowed and his smile unchanged, only his fingers tightened slightly around the sword.

Without pause, the second and third blows followed in quick succession!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"

Two flashes of sword light clashed and collided wildly in the wilderness!

Wherever the blade flashed, the earth was silently cut and pierced.

The materialized divine spear's attacks are like a living silver serpent, sometimes thrusting from impossible angles, sometimes transforming into countless afterimages that envelop the opponent.

Meanwhile, Gin Ichimaru seizes the opportunity to fight back fiercely, or uses Kido to maneuver.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Sizzle—!"

The clanging of metal against metal blended with the sharp sound of blades slicing through the air.

Gin Ichimaru's white haori was slashed in several places, and a shallow bloodstain was cut on his cheek by the sharp wind of the blade.

The battle was fierce and extremely dangerous, but the two did not exchange a single word.

Only the clash of blades, the exchange of glances, and the silent "questioning" that permeated the air.

Finally, after an even more violent collision, the two separated again, this time at a greater distance.

The materialized divine spear slowly opened its mouth.

"So many years have passed..."

He paused, staring directly at Gin Ichimaru, his gaze seemingly piercing into the depths of his soul.

Is it worth it for you to do this?

This brief question caused a great stir in Gin Ichimaru's heart.

does it worth?

These three words were like a key, instantly unlocking the heavily disguised door to his memories deep within his soul.

The torrent of time flows backward, to a desolate and barren land, in the most remote corner of Rukongai.

A silver-haired boy met a little girl with beautiful orange hair who was starving and on the verge of death.

He hesitated for a long time before finally carefully handing her the dried persimmons he was holding.

The girl wolfed down her food, and her dull eyes regained their sparkle.

That day, the boy said to the girl, "Let's celebrate your birthday today." The girl's name was Matsumoto Rangiku.

However, during one of his wood-gathering trips, he witnessed a scene that he would never forget:

A bespectacled Grim Reaper is whispering with three other Grim Reapers.

In a clearing in the woods not far away, he saw the orange-haired girl lying in a pool of blood, with a terrible wound on her chest, her breath faint, and a few wisps of residual spiritual energy scattered around her.

Although the girl ultimately survived, that scene, like the deepest mark, was etched into the boy's soul.

From that day on, young Gin Ichimaru had only one thought in his mind: to become stronger, to become a Shinigami, to get close to that man, to take back what Rangiku had been taken from him, and to avenge Rangiku.

He displayed astonishing talent, graduating from the Shinigami Academy in just one year, shocking the Seireitei.

He voluntarily chose to join the Fifth Division, which was then headed by Aizen as vice-captain, and quickly gained Aizen's "trust" through his smooth interpersonal skills and strong abilities.