Power Discovered / The False Shikai Seen Through

He walked at a leisurely pace toward the river in Junrinan.

He had chosen not to return to the barracks because he had seen that familiar black figure by the river.

Whenever this guy showed up nearby, modified Hollows would attack.

Who would complain about having too many Reishi Orbs?

Chapter 65: Power Discovered (Please Keep Reading)

Sure enough, three more Hollows appeared out of nowhere—from the river, the bushes, and the sky—and attacked Tokoyo Misao.

Tokoyo Misao dispatched them with swift efficiency.

He reported nothing to anyone. After killing the Hollows, he simply sat by the river, gazing at its shimmering surface and resting in the breeze.

In the woods not far away, Sōsuke Aizen had arrived at some unknown point.

A dark-skinned, blind man stood behind him.

If Tokoyo Misao turned toward the woods now,

he could use Aizen's purple Spirit Ribbon to determine that the black Spirit Ribbon that had kept appearing nearby to watch him all this time belonged to Kaname Tōsen, Captain of the Ninth Division.

Kaname Tōsen spoke respectfully. "Lord Aizen, Tokoyo Misao definitely has a means similar to a Quincy's."

At first, while watching Tokoyo Misao, Tōsen had not noticed him doing anything else after killing the modified Hollows.

That had remained the case until two months ago, when the Twelfth Division sent a large number of people to investigate the Reishi traces left by the modified Hollows.

After careful study, the captain of the Twelfth Division discovered something suspicious:

Although some modified Hollows had died and left a certain number of traces, the traces seemed to have been deliberately created by someone.

This suspicion led the Twelfth Division captain to believe it was a taunt from the traitor Kisuke Urahara.

So the Twelfth Division captain was now devoting his full efforts to researching how to detect these Hollows mixed with Soul Reaper Reishi in advance.

After hearing the news, Tōsen began paying close attention to Tokoyo Misao.

Although he never detected anything wrong, the Twelfth Division captain's instruments still found inconsistencies.

Only the Hollows killed by Tokoyo Misao left such inconsistent traces, so the answer was obvious.

Tokoyo Misao had the ability to directly manipulate external Reishi.

This ability usually belonged to the Quincy.

But some Soul Reapers possessed it as well.

For example, Kenpachi Azashiro, who was imprisoned in Muken of Central Great: The Jail, was the only such case.

"Tokoyo Misao, what an interesting fellow." Aizen's gaze remained fixed on the figure by the river.

After his last lesson in Zanjutsu for Tokoyo Misao, he guessed that the man was certainly no fool.

Manipulating the modified Hollows' Reishi so frequently was very likely deliberate.

"It's quite possible that this is the power of the Tokoyo Clan."

Hearing Aizen's words, Tōsen frowned. "Lord Aizen, are these great nobles really born with such powerful abilities?"

Manipulating one's own Reishi and manipulating external Reishi were two entirely different things.

This meant that as long as Tokoyo Misao was in an environment rich in Reishi, his combat strength would increase enormously.

Tōsen spoke again. "Are these great nobles truly more noble than us?"

"Kaname, don't be impatient, and don't doubt yourself," Aizen said softly. "After all, there's nothing surprising about the technological power these great nobles have accumulated over the tens of millions of years their clans have endured."

"You must believe in your own sense of justice."

"Yes, Lord Aizen." Tōsen bowed his head slightly in respectful agreement.

"But you're right. Although the research is progressing steadily, if these great noble families have special powers, they might prove useful to it."

"We'll stop observing Tokoyo Misao for now. Let's begin with the Tsunayashiro Clan. I'm a little curious how much they've manipulated history, too."

Aizen smiled gently, turned, and left the woods.

Tōsen, standing where he was, abruptly clenched both fists.

His body trembled incessantly, and he parted his lips slightly.

He stood there in the woods until daybreak, unaware of when Tokoyo Misao had left.

Only when the sunlight fell on his sightless eyelids did he come back to himself and murmur softly:

"Kakyō..."

Tokoyo Misao did not know that, because of him, Aizen had reevaluated the Five Great Noble Clans and decided to investigate their powers.

The Aizen of the past had paid the Five Great Noble Clans no mind.

After all, in his eyes, the strength of the heads of the Kuchiki, Shiba, and Shihoin Clans was not worth mentioning.

Let alone the Tsunayashiro Clan, which no longer had anyone worth showing off.

All along, he had walked the path toward his own goal, regarding all these nobles as ants.

But after becoming increasingly interested in Tokoyo Misao, he also wanted to look into the other Four Great Noble Clans for any technology or power he could use.

After all, even a sheet of toilet paper had its uses.

As a result, the once-frequent appearances of modified Hollows in Rukongai gradually became less common.

From once every ten or fifteen days, they came to appear only once every three to five months.

That was because Aizen had found something interesting in the Tsunayashiro Clan and had turned his attention there for the time being.

Because of this, Soul Society enjoyed a period of ordinary, peaceful days.

Five years later.

A tavern in Junrinan.

Tokoyo Misao raised his cup and spoke with a gentle smile:

"Congratulations on graduating, Red-Haired Baboon, Momo, Lemon."

After raising his cup to the three across the table, he downed its contents in one gulp.

"Why aren't you congratulating me?" Rukia Kuchiki stretched out her little fist in some displeasure and punched Tokoyo Misao's upper arm.

"All right, then congratulations on successfully joining the Thirteenth Division and becoming a Soul Reaper." Tokoyo Misao curled his lip.

"Hmph, I became the twelfth seat right away!" Rukia folded her arms across her chest and proudly raised her head.

"Rukia, you're amazing. But I managed to join the Fifth Division too. Even though I have to start as an unseated officer, I'll do my best!" Momo Hinamori said with a beaming smile.

She had joined Captain Aizen's division as she had wished, and now she was very happy to see him in person every day.

"I joined the 11th Division, so I can keep honing my combat skills," Renji Abarai said, unwilling to be outdone.

"Even though I've only accompanied them on two missions, I've been through some really harsh real combat."

"Renji, the 11th Division's death rate is still twenty percent. You really need to be careful."

Izuru Kira, dark circles under his eyes, cautioned Renji Abarai.

He turned to Tokoyo Misao. "Big Brother Misao, I originally wanted to join the Tenth Division, but the Third Division captain came to invite me personally, and I couldn't very well refuse."

"You're lucky to have been invited by Captain Gin Ichimaru. Watch and learn as much as you can. Captain Gin Ichimaru is formidable."

Tokoyo Misao replied to Izuru Kira with a smile.

"Anyway, Rukia, the young lady of the Kuchiki Clan, is picking up the tab today, so everyone, drink as much as you like."

"Hey, I don't have that much money! Don't just drink all you want. Enough is enough!" Rukia cried out loudly.

For a while, the tavern was filled with noise and excitement.

Chapter 66: The False Shikai Seen Through

The Tsunayashiro Clan residence on Noble Street in Seireitei.

As usual, almost no sound of conversation came from the house, and it was utterly quiet.

The members of the Stealth Force stationed outside the residence remained hidden in the darkness.

Their gazes were not directed at the residence, but at various points along the street.

Under the dim yellow light of the ancestral residence's main hall, Sōsuke Aizen sat cross-legged in the very center, an ancient-looking Zanpakuto before him.

He smiled, reached out to grip the hilt, and said softly, "Kaname, is it done?"

In the darkness behind Aizen, Kaname Tōsen slowly emerged and replied with great respect, "It's been taken care of completely."

"Not one left."

"I don't recall giving that order." Aizen raised the ancient Zanpakuto to eye level and examined its blade.

"Lord Aizen, such sinful beings have no value whatsoever."

Tōsen immediately knelt on one knee and replied respectfully, his tone somewhat panicked.

More than three years had passed since they came to the Tsunayashiro Clan, taking complete control of the place and making it one of their bases.

They had found this ancient-looking Zanpakuto here three years ago.

It was Enrakyōten, a Zanpakuto passed down through generations of the Tsunayashiro Clan.

It was also one of the oldest Zanpakuto in Soul Society.

Aizen had not wiped out the Tsunayashiro Clan. He had merely killed a few members and taken control of the rest.

He was very interested in the secret intelligence the Tsunayashiro Clan possessed, so he had tasked Tōsen with prying information from them.

Three years had passed, and Tōsen believed there was no more information to be dug out. He had killed them all, a decision he had made on his own authority.

How much of it was for justice, and how much was for his friend Kakyō, was impossible to know.

When he personally cut off Kakyō's husband's head, Tōsen himself did not notice the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"Kaname, I told you back then that I would let you walk the path of your own justice and see it through. It's all right. Get up."

Aizen spoke softly.

Tōsen, however, remained kneeling, showing no intention of getting up.

Only then did Aizen turn sideways and display the Zanpakuto Enrakyōten in his hand.

"The Tsunayashiro Clan's Zanpakuto has a very peculiar ability. It requires the sacrifice of a soul to grant permission to use it."

"It can imitate other people's Zanpakuto. It can even imitate several at once, possessing the abilities of multiple Zanpakuto simultaneously."

"Lord Aizen, do you mean it can imitate Ryūjin Jakka and still possess other abilities at the same time?"

Tōsen raised his head in shock. Although he could not see, he could still sense the Zanpakuto's presence and approximate shape through his spiritual perception.

If Enrakyōten really could imitate the abilities of multiple Zanpakuto as Lord Aizen said, then its power was heaven-defying.

Tōsen lowered his head again and snorted. "It's a good thing you decided to investigate the great nobles, Lord Aizen. That scum doesn't deserve to use such a powerful ability."

Aizen stood up and took a white Spiritual Power orb streaked with red from his sleeve.

It was something he had recently developed, made by directly compressing and combining Soul Reaper Reishi and a Hollow into a basic Spiritual Power orb.

He placed the orb against Enrakyōten's blade, and the instant it touched, it melted into the sword.

Aizen gripped the hilt and chanted softly, "Sip the four seas, lie in wait at the ends of heaven."

"Overwrite and cut down all things in creation."

"Enrakyōten."

The next moment, the blade emitted a Reishi light that enveloped the entire hall.

But none of this could be seen from outside. The entire Tsunayashiro Clan estate was now hidden.

From outside, nothing seemed amiss.

After five or six seconds, the light gradually receded.

Enrakyōten had not changed at all. It looked just as it had before, resting quietly in Aizen's hand.