XX-level Hokage

"Captain Kuchiki?"

"It is a good thing to be ashamed and then be brave. Being able to realize one's shortcomings and think about how to make up for one's deficiencies and strengths also shows that one is smarter than one looks."

He simply reached out and touched the massive door, and it was pushed open.

Because Byakuya Kuchiki's movements were so subtle, it almost gave the illusion that the door opened automatically upon sensing his hand. In reality, however, it was a demonstration of Byakuya Kuchiki's masterful control of his strength, making it appear effortless.

It's not always necessary to cause massive destruction and create a huge spectacle to demonstrate strength. Sometimes, it's from these seemingly insignificant details that one can glimpse the terrifying extent of a person's power.

Kuchiki Byakuya, who had just opened the door, continued speaking, whether to the squad member or to a man at the door.

"But there are many mistakes. First, forcing the release before the body has fully recovered is somewhat overconfident. Second, going into seclusion to train during this special period is a dereliction of duty, disregarding the Gotei 13 and the Seireitei. Third, expecting to achieve release with only this level of training is extremely arrogant."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

Because the door was tightly closed, the sound was also blocked. But the moment the door was pushed open, heavy breathing could be heard coming from behind it.

Behind the gradually opening door appeared Renji Abarai, drenched in sweat and so exhausted he could barely stand.

He tied up his long red hair, his upper body was naked, and he was only wearing clothes on his lower body, a training habit he had developed when he was in the Eleventh Division.

sound.

He intended to reprimand the squad member who had opened the door without permission, but before that, he heard a voice as clear and cold as cherry blossoms yet as sharp as a blade: "Captain Kuchiki?"

The sounds that came out of his mouth were of hardship and distress.

Perhaps not expecting Byakuya Kuchiki to appear here, Renji Abarai, overwhelmed with emotion, could no longer support his body, and his legs...

He collapsed to his knees, kneeling on the ground.

At the open gate, only Byakuya Kuchiki stood proudly, his haughty gaze fixed on Renji Abarai.

It was definitely not a taunt, yet it served almost the same purpose, the voice escaping from Byakuya Kuchiki's thin lips.

"Then, what will be the result of the training?" Asanami Renji was speechless.

The results of cultivation are just as they are right before your eyes.

There are several well-known characteristics that indicate the attainment of liberation. One of these characteristics has already appeared in Asanami Renji, which is why he judged himself to be capable of practicing liberation.

Just as mastering the art of "Unraveling" allows one to leave their mark on the history of Seireitei, such an honor would not be possible if the training for "Unraveling" were not difficult.

After several days of practice, I wouldn't say there was no progress at all, but the progress was rather impressive.

The original idea of ​​completing the initial solution within a few days, as Byakuya Kuchiki is saying now, was far too arrogant. If he had simply stayed in bed as a patient, no one would have said anything, but since he got up and picked up a sword, he was acting as...

Existing as a warrior.

While existing as a warrior, he hid in the training room, nowhere to be seen, and without any results. It even came to the point where the captain had to come looking for him.

This constitutes a serious dereliction of duty. I understand.

Renji Abarai lowered his head and uttered the words with difficulty.

It's time to realize that it's time to give up here; there's no way to resolve this in this short amount of time. However...

"I never expected to get such a reply. You really disappoint me, Renji Abarai."

Renji Abarai's eyes widened slightly. He looked at Byakuya Kuchiki in shock, not only because Byakuya's words had taken him by surprise.

It was even more because Byakuya Kuchiki actually called him by his full name. How serious and furious would he have to be to do that?

What Renji Abarai saw was Byakuya Kuchiki, expressionless, drawing his Zanpakuto from his side.

He held his Zanpakuto upright in front of him. "Scattered, Senbonzakura."

A biting chill suddenly enveloped Renji Abarai.

"Since you enjoy training so much, then let's continue with the mindset of either succeeding or dying." Pink cherry blossoms filled the entire training room, enveloping Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai.

Before the cherry blossoms, like a tidal wave, engulfed Byakuya Kuchiki and disappeared from Renji Asanami's sight, the last words Renji Asanami heard were...

"If you don't want to die, learn how to undo it." - First Squad Barracks.

The corridor of the team's first meeting room.

The sound of slightly hurried footsteps came from that direction.

A slender figure, with a vice-captain's badge on his left shoulder. The person who came was somewhat unexpected.

A girl with black hair, her bangs swept to the left and secured with a hair clip, wearing glasses, and carrying a book instead of a Zanpakuto, hurried over.

"Ah, Nanao, what brings you here?" Unohana asked softly. "Ah, it's the Unohana team." Nanao Ise was stunned before she could finish her sentence.

She saw the smiling girl standing next to Unohana. "Where's the Kyoraku captain, Nanao-chan?" Mashiro asked with a smile.

Upon hearing that familiar address and voice, Ise Nanao was momentarily stunned. Then, she glanced at Unohana Retsu and, seeing Unohana's calm expression, Ise Nanao instantly realized what was happening.

"Please forgive us that the band leader is unable to come at the moment."

Ise Nanao bowed slightly to Mashiro. She answered Leng Qing's question in a soft voice.

Then he greeted Shinji, saying, "It's been a long time. Welcome back, Shinji-sama."

"Long time no see, Nanao." Mashiro replied with a smile, then continued, "...I hope the Kyoraku captain hasn't gone off to slack off somewhere again?"

Thinking of this, Mashiro turned around and glanced at the door of the team leader's meeting room, which had been open ever since the Jingling Wall fell, afraid that she might be mistaken. In fact, Kyoraku Shunsui was sitting inside writing and waiting, or rather, slacking off.

However, Ise Nanao also said that Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't come for the time being, which effectively ruled out that possibility. What a cunning old fox.

Chapter 110: Sound Dream

Sometimes, people trust their own understanding and subconscious judgment more than what others say.

"Even if Kyoraku were in a bad situation, he wouldn't be running around like this. Really, just as I expected, the moment the old man closed his eyes and I left, he..."

Became a slacker

Upon hearing this, Ise Nanao couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

"In fact, the band leader of the Jing Band has already been using his own methods to investigate."

I don't know if it was to protect her captain's dignity and face, but she still offered a forced explanation. Of course, it would have been better if her tone had been more firm.

However, in front of Mamoru, who practically grew up watching Kyoraku Shunsui, even the most resolute words seemed useless. "Tell me what exactly happened."

Mashiro patted the empty seat next to her, indicating that Ise Nanao could sit down first and talk later, there was no rush. Ise Nanao looked at the seat Mashiro was patting, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded slightly and sat down.

"Today, a member reported that a strange object, which we had never seen before, was found somewhere in the Eighth Division's base, so we immediately went to investigate."

Ise Nanao, who had just sat down, immediately began to explain the situation.

The phrase "one doesn't visit the temple unless there's a reason" is somewhat inaccurate, but it conveys the same idea.

Even though the First Division has changed from its former self, becoming the busiest place in Seireitei with a constant flow of Shinigami and Soul Butterflies, these dozen or twenty captains are unlikely to be here unless something has happened to them, or they've genuinely failed in their solo missions and are only considering coming here.

I hope there's some new information that might give me some inspiration or enlightenment, otherwise I wouldn't have sneaked over here like this.

Especially someone like Ise Nanao, the vice-captain who basically acts alongside Kyoraku Shunsui whenever something happens.

Because something was discovered that needed to be reported, and it wouldn't be considered sufficiently significant if a regular squad member reported it, they sent Ise Nanao over. Kyoraku Shunsui, however, needed to stay at the scene and couldn't come along.

Mashiro was surprised to see Ise Nanao acting alone, and that was the reason. "The captain is on site controlling the situation right now."

As expected, what Nanao Ise said next was exactly what Mashiro had guessed.

As she spoke, Ise Nanao opened the book she carried with her, took out a piece of paper tucked inside, and handed it to Mashiro. Mashiro took the paper from Ise Nanao and drew a picture and some annotations on it.

Ise Nanao didn't just run over to report something strange; it must have been after the Eighth Division conducted a thorough investigation and determined that they couldn't handle it on their own before reporting it to their superiors.

Therefore, some basic information must have already been obtained and organized, and brought over by Ise Nanao. What was drawn on the paper was... no, it should be said that many cubes.

In the very center is the largest cube, and on each of the six faces, three cubes of decreasing size extend outwards from the midpoint. Because

The pattern is drawn in great detail, showing that each cube is exactly half the volume of the one before it, from largest to smallest.

This is a strange object composed of 19 cubes. These cubes are not glued together, but rather maintain a stable state based on some kind of energy.

In addition to the gaps between the cubes, there are many intertwined energy arcs outside the cubes, which, when arranged, seem to put these cubes into a larger sphere.

Our initial tests suggest this wasn't constructed using Death's technology. "Hmm?"

Upon hearing Ise Nanao's words, Mashiro immediately perked up, seemingly guessing something. She sat up slightly, not asking any questions, but listening attentively.

“I sensed spiritual particles and spiritual pressure similar to those of a Hollow from it, but I couldn’t find anything similar in any of the past records, and the Hollow has never used such an object that is clearly made of technology.”

Ise Nanao didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was conveyed.

With the Seireitei completely sealed off, preventing anyone from entering or leaving, it's impossible that this item was transported in from outside the Seireitei. It's only possible that it was already inside the Seireitei from the beginning.

Anything related to the virtual, whatever it may be, must be taken seriously, especially at this critical juncture.

That's why it was reported immediately. But the story doesn't end there.

We didn't handle it ourselves because after a brief inspection, the captain concluded that while it appeared to be a stable structure, it was actually experiencing intense energy conflicts internally at all times. If not handled properly, it could explode and cause massive destruction.

"So... it's a bomb?" Mashiro narrowed her eyes slightly.

Ise Nanao nodded silently.

Ise Nanao described it as something she had never seen before, meaning it wasn't that she hadn't noticed it before, but rather that it didn't exist before, so now it exists.

What was the purpose of placing a bomb related to Hollows in the 8th Division? Was it to severely damage the 8th Division?

But if that's the case, why let the Eighth Division find out? Wouldn't it have been more straightforward to detonate it at the same time as throwing it?

It's not just the nature of the cube bomb itself that's at play; the motives of the person who dropped it are also quite intriguing. Taking all factors into account, reporting the issue to higher authorities for a decision is inevitable.

The purpose of sending Ise Nanao over was to make Mashiro realize the importance of this matter and to prevent him from treating it as a minor issue and handing it over to his subordinates.

The reason Kyoraku Shunsui didn't come was probably to control the scene and prevent anyone who was unaware of the situation or had ulterior motives from touching that thing.

Pinching her chin, Mashiro didn't immediately respond.

After thinking for a while, he finally spoke—more like he was thinking and organizing his thoughts as he spoke—speaking somewhat slowly.

"Have you contacted him? Ask him to do technical analysis; he loves that kind of thing." "I've already contacted the Technology Development Bureau, but haven't received a response yet."

Mashiro was slightly taken aback.

As long as Mayuri Kurotsuchi isn't killed on the spot and utterly destroyed, he'll be fine with the backup plans he's made for himself.

Based on Mashiro's understanding of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, that's how it is. But why hasn't the Technology Development Bureau responded yet?

Are they investigating what's causing their inseparable bond? Or is it that Mayuri Kurotsuchi, though alive, is in a precarious situation and is adjusting herself?

This is really interesting. Did Aizen make his move ahead of time? Or was it something else?