“It’s 5th Seat Tosen!” A Shinigami from the 9th Squad recognized the newcomer.
It was indeed Kaname Tosen, the current 5th Seat of the 9th Squad.
Hovering effortlessly in mid-air, Kaname Tosen drew his Asauchi, holding it horizontally in front of him as he chanted his release command: “Cry, Suzumushi!” “Suzumushi, First Form.” As Tosen’s voice fell, an invisible wave of high-frequency oscillation pulsed outward from the blade.
The Giant Hollows that had just been rampaging through the field instantly froze in their tracks.
The Shinigami who had been locked in a bitter struggle took the opportunity to fall back.
Then, Tosen slowly swung his sword.
The slash wasn’t fast, yet it bizarrely produced trailing afterimages.
“Suzumushi, Second Form: Benihiko!” Suddenly, a storm of countless blades rained down from the sky like a swarm of locusts, aggressively bombarding the Hollows below.
With just that single technique, the Giant Hollows were riddled with holes and killed instantly.
“As expected of 5th Seat Tosen!
To wipe out so many Giant Hollows so effortlessly!” a pudgy Shinigami flattered.
Tosen flickered using Shunpo, reappearing among the crowd.
He spoke slowly to the fat Shinigami, “Yashita, you will stay here to pacify the civilians.
I must go report this Hollow ambush to the Captain.” With that, Tosen vanished from the spot.
Not a single person noticed that as he left, he had discreetly palmed several grain-sized crystals radiating a faint blue glow.
No one except Makoto Ito!
So it really is Sosuke Aizen pulling the strings!
The moment Makoto saw Tosen arrive and sneakily harvest those crystals from the dead Hollows, he was absolutely certain that the mastermind behind this Hollow outbreak was none other than Sosuke Aizen.
“Oh my, peeking from the shadows like that isn’t very polite, you know!” Just as Makoto was preparing to head back to his residence, a jarringly lazy voice drifted from right behind him.
Makoto snapped his head around.
Standing there was a silver-haired boy, looking around thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a Shihakusho.
The boy was staring at him with a wide smile, his eyes narrowed into twin crescents.
Gin Ichimaru!
Looking at the smiling youth and feeling the monstrous Reiatsu rolling off his body, Makoto felt a massive headache coming on.
If his main body were here, he might not have feared the Gin Ichimaru of this timeline.
But right now, his body in the Soul Society was nothing more than a newly reincarnated soul with a large Reiatsu capacity.
He definitely couldn’t defeat Gin, who was already the 3rd Seat of the 3rd Squad and fully armed with his Zanpakuto.
For all Makoto knew, this version of Gin might have already mastered his Bankai.
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and play dumb.
“What terrifying Hollows!
You Shinigami really work so hard to protect us!” Makoto patted his chest rapidly, putting on a flawless act of a terrified civilian.
Gin Ichimaru simply maintained his creepy, eye-closed smile, watching Makoto without a word.
Suddenly, Gin’s expression shifted.
His slitted eyes snapped open, revealing a piercing icy blue.
The short, wakizashi-like Zanpakuto in his hand elongated in a fraction of a second, shooting straight toward Makoto’s face!
The blindingly fast blade grazed right past Makoto’s left ear, cleanly piercing the skull of a Hollow that had been trying to ambush them from behind.
Makoto immediately threw himself to the ground in mock terror, trembling violently as if he were too scared to speak.
“The outskirts are quite dangerous these days.
You really shouldn’t be running around,” Gin’s lazy, drawling voice echoed again.
He smoothly sheathed his blade and walked away without looking back.
A few minutes later, Makoto finally stood up.
The look of abject terror vanished from his face without a trace, replaced by cold indifference.
With his Adjuchas-level spiritual senses, Makoto had obviously detected that Hollow long before it got close.
He just couldn’t act on it because Gin was standing right there.
He refused to blow his cover; if a newborn soul who hadn’t even attended the Shin’o Academy showed combat awareness or used Kido, anyone would be suspicious!
Besides, that Hollow was incredibly weak, just a basic Newborn Hollow.
Makoto hadn’t cared about it at all.
Unlike the Giant Hollows from earlier, this weak Hollow didn’t drop one of those faintly glowing blue crystals upon death either.
Dusting off his clothes, Makoto headed straight back to the residential district.
Meanwhile, deep within a dense forest somewhere in the Rukongai, a man wearing a Shihakusho and black-framed glasses stood with his hands resting casually behind his back.
A faint, gentle smile graced his lips, making him look exceptionally elegant and approachable.
Two figures slowly approached him.
It was Kaname Tosen and Gin Ichimaru.
Upon seeing the man, Tosen immediately dropped to one knee.
Offering up the faintly glowing blue crystals with both hands, he spoke with a hint of frustration, “Lord Aizen, the experiment was a failure.
Those Giant Hollows were still unable to maintain their sanity for long.
Furthermore, one Giant Hollow carrying a fragment strayed from the main group.
It was likely killed by members of another squad.” Sosuke Aizen simply smiled gently and accepted the crystals from Tosen’s hands.
“It is perfectly fine, Kaname.
The experimental data we gathered this time is already excellent.” Aizen then turned to look at Gin standing off to the side.
“Gin, did you discover any anomalies on your end?” The young Gin smiled and scratched the back of his head.
“Just a stray Newborn Hollow trying to sneak away.
I took care of it.
Everything else is completely normal!” District 57, East Rukongai.
Makoto Ito, Eri Iwasaki, and Granny Mihana were gathered around a small table, enjoying a thank-you feast Granny Mihana had prepared for Makoto.
Eri was lucky enough to benefit by association.
The older residents who lived in the surrounding houses obviously didn’t receive such special treatment.
Eri looked at Makoto with sparkling eyes.
“Makoto-kun, you’re so amazing!
I can’t believe you managed to carry both of us so far in the blink of an eye!” “I must have been an athlete in my past life!
That’s the only way I could burst out with that kind of speed in a life-or-death crisis.
It took everything I had just to lure that monster away, and I had to hold out for ages until the Shinigami finally showed up to kill it!” Makoto lied through his teeth without missing a beat.
Clearly, Granny Mihana and Eri had completely missed the part where he instantly obliterated the Giant Hollow on the rooftop.
Granny Mihana patted her chest, still shaken by the ordeal.
“Those Seireitei Shinigami are absolutely useless!
We pay them so much in taxes every year, and they can’t even guarantee our basic safety.
If it weren’t for Makoto, this old lady would’ve been a goner today!” The three of them chatted away, bonding over their shared complaints about the Seireitei.
Perhaps because they had survived a near-death experience together, Eri and Granny Mihana had become incredibly close despite having only met a few hours ago.
After the food and drinks were mostly cleared, Makoto suddenly asked, “Granny, I want to take the entrance exam for the Shin’o Academy.
Do you know how I can register?” Hearing this, Eri froze for a moment, a hint of loneliness flashing across her face.
Granny Mihana stayed silent for a while.
Eventually, she stood up slowly, walked over to a cabinet in the back, and pulled out two envelopes, placing them directly into Makoto’s hands.
“I really can’t do anything with you.
As a brand-new arrival in the Rukongai, you absolutely aren’t allowed to apply to the Shin’o Academy for your first three years.
Take this old lady’s recommendation letters and go find Yu Oda.
He will make an exception and let you participate in the trials.” “Thank you so much, Granny!” Makoto thanked her with absolute sincerity.
“You cheeky brat, swindling this old lady’s treasures after only knowing me for a day!
Let me make this clear right now: my letters will only get you an early entry to the exam.
The trials themselves are brutally difficult, with a passing rate of less than ten percent.
Whether you actually make it in is entirely up to your own skills!” Makoto nodded continuously, accepting her warning.
When Granny Mihana gathered up the empty bowls and plates to wash them, both Makoto and Eri immediately stopped her.
“Granny, let us do the dishes for you!” Standing there empty-handed, having been outmaneuvered by the two youths, Granny Mihana stared blankly into space, as if lost in distant memories.
“What energetic children…
If Genta were still alive…”