The Succession of Kenpachi

Yet that boy's Zanpakuto had clearly not even been drawn, and he had not unleashed any Reiatsu. How had he managed to sense Urozakuro's presence from a distance, and even chat with her without any trouble?! He even seemed to be enjoying their conversation!

At that moment, Sōya Azashiro's interest in Xuanxin was forcibly raised to an unprecedented height.

The exact same scene was also unfolding with Xuanxin as he walked away under his umbrella.

Though the atmosphere on his side was somewhat different.

Meanwhile, as Xuanxin walked through the rain under his umbrella, Miyamoto Musashi's boisterous voice was bombarding his mind:

[Xuanxin! Guess who I just met? I actually got to chat with that poker-faced guy's sword spirit! That woman called Urozakuro is so interesting! We even agreed to go drinking with courtesans next time... no, I mean, discuss swordsmanship!]

Listening to Musashi's noisy boasting in his head, Xuanxin walked through the rain without expression, not so much as raising an eyebrow.

In the past, he might have been shocked and horrified that someone else's Zanpakuto spirit could casually "drop by for a chat" with his own.

But now that he had expected it beforehand, the scene was no longer quite so "horrifying."

Holding his umbrella, Xuanxin spoke as casually as if he were discussing what to have for dinner:

"Oh, really? I see. Don't drink too much, and remember to come back early."

With that, he unilaterally cut off their mental communication amid Musashi's protests and strode steadily back to the Second Division barracks.

Over the next few days, an inescapable pall seemed to hang over the 11th Division barracks.

One after another, 11th Division members who could not accept Kuruyashiki's death submitted requests to leave or transfer to another division.

Sōya Azashiro never stopped any of them from leaving. He did not even say a word to persuade them to stay, merely allowing them to go.

Even so, most of the elite members chose to grit their teeth and stay. Enduring the humiliation, they secretly swore to work as hard as they could, hoping that one day they would defeat Sōya Azashiro and restore the 11th Division.

But as time passed, even the members whose hearts were full of hatred had to gradually accept Sōya Azashiro's presence.

For they discovered that although their new Kenpachi was a man of few words, he always completed the extermination missions assigned by the Seireitei flawlessly, crushing his enemies with overwhelming force.

As for Xuanxin, after that meeting with Sōya Azashiro at the cemetery, the two never crossed paths again. Their lives were like two parallel tracks, each running its course in Soul Society.

Whether the two kindred sword spirits, Urozakuro and Musashi, secretly met behind their masters' backs was another matter, and impossible to know.

Over the following year, Xuanxin completely reined in all the brilliance he had displayed in Hueco Mundo and immersed himself in training that bordered on madness.

During the day, after finishing his heavy workload in the Second Division, he plunged straight into the Stealth Force's private underground training grounds;

Xuanxin also increased his sparring sessions with Old Man Yamamoto and Sister Hana from once a week to twice. Though Yamamoto and Unohana did not know what had happened to Xuanxin, they both chose to go along with it when they saw the serious look in his eyes.

Only Xuanxin knew that the mountain called the "plot" hung over his head like the sword of Damocles.

To have the power to choose in the days ahead, he had to hone himself to the utmost, until he could swing the sword that severed cause and effect!

That same year, Sōya Azashiro methodically fulfilled his duties as captain, rarely venturing out;

As for Kisuke Urahara, who had not been seen in a long time, he was holed up in his private, single-room laboratory deep within the Second Division, dark circles under his eyes as he conducted frantic research unknown to others on a pile of Reishi test tubes glowing with green fluorescence.

And so the days flew by, one after another, beneath a seemingly peaceful surface.

But recently, that fragile peace had been shattered by a minor incident.

Today in Rukongai, particularly in areas where public order was already in chaos, people had begun to disappear mysteriously and with increasing frequency!

If ordinary wandering souls had simply died fighting over water and food, that would have been perfectly normal in Rukongai.

But this time, the number of missing people had surged abnormally, far exceeding the normal population loss.

Moreover, as soon as the disappearances were reported, the Central 46 Chambers had forcibly suppressed the reports on the grounds that "wandering souls rioted and killed one another," and had strictly forbidden anyone from expanding the investigation on their own.

Yoruichi Shihōin immediately noticed this unusual development.

At first, Yoruichi thought the high-and-mighty noble lords simply could not be bothered whether the people of Rukongai lived or died and wanted to sweep the matter under the rug.

Thus, unable to tolerate such darkness, she concealed her actions from the Central 46 and launched a secret investigation of her own through the Stealth Force's private channels.

But as her investigation progressed, Yoruichi was shocked to discover that this was no ordinary matter of public order!

The deeper she dug, the greater the resistance became. The scenes of the disappearances had all been thoroughly cleaned, without the slightest trace of a Menos Grande's lingering Reiatsu or a Soul Reaper's battle.

Clearly, this was no longer something a simple organization could have accomplished. Several of the excellent scouts she had sent out had even nearly lost contact during their investigations.

Faced with this difficult stalemate, Yoruichi finally realized that conventional intelligence gathering alone could no longer uncover the truth.

It was then that she finally thought of Xuanxin, whom she had mercilessly abandoned amid piles of paperwork and who had been a "paperwork machine" for a full year.

Second Division, Executive Militia commander's office.

Heavy files were piled as high as small mountains. Brush in hand, Xuanxin rubbed the sore spot between his brows as he quickly signed his name on a supply requisition form.

"Bang!"

The office door was gently pushed open. Yoruichi Shihōin slipped in like a light breeze, carrying a tray of delicate tea and snacks, a "fawning" smile on her face.

"Oh, Xuanxin, thanks for all your hard work! Here, have some tea and a piece of cherry blossom cake to soothe your throat! I made it myself."

Yoruichi eagerly pushed the refreshments in front of Xuanxin, then even went around behind him of her own accord and began kneading his shoulders with both hands.

Xuanxin glanced at the object called "cherry blossom cake" and said nothing more about it.

Then, feeling the pressure on his shoulders, neither too light nor too heavy, Xuanxin paused his brush without even raising his head. His voice was utterly flat:

"Uncalled-for favors mean someone's up to no good. Go on, then, Lady Yoruichi. Which top-secret document did you lose this time? Or did you blow up Kisuke Urahara's laboratory again and need me to sort it out?"

"Tch! Is that really how you see me?! You've changed~"

Yoruichi pouted in displeasure, but quickly put on a pitiful expression. She walked around to the front of Xuanxin's desk and pressed her palms together beneath her chin.

"Xuanxin~ I'm sorry! I know it was wrong to leave you alone in the office to handle the paperwork. But this time, I'm really in big trouble. Please help me~"

Seeing Yoruichi yield so uncharacteristically, Xuanxin put down his brush and sighed softly. He knew that anything capable of making the young lady of the Shihoin Clan bow her head and apologize was definitely no small matter.

"Is it the disappearances in Rukongai?" Xuanxin went straight to the heart of the matter.

Yoruichi's golden eyes widened. "How did you know?!"

Hearing that, Xuanxin gave her an irritated look and said, "Don't you know all the paperwork comes to me now? Did you think I wouldn't know you sent out scouts? Go on, how far has your investigation gotten?"

Yoruichi then told Xuanxin everything she had learned from her secret investigation over the past few days.

After listening to her account, Xuanxin's gaze gradually grew deeper.

This was definitely no simple case of disappearances. There had to be some kind of conspiracy behind it.

In the end, after Yoruichi repeatedly promised to "absolutely take half the paperwork from now on" at great cost to herself, Xuanxin agreed to spend his nights secretly investigating with her after finishing his daytime duties.

Night fell, and Xuanxin and Yoruichi, dressed in the Stealth Force's night outfits, landed soundlessly on the roof of an abandoned courtyard where a disappearance had recently occurred.

Sure enough, there was no smell of blood, no violent Reiatsu from a Hollow, not even a Soul Reaper's Reiatsu. It was as though nothing that had once been there existed at all.

Just as Xuanxin frowned deeply and prepared to extend the range of his perception,

Miyamoto Musashi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly shouted from deep within his mind: [Stop looking, Xuanxin. Someone's tampered with this place.]

Xuanxin's heart sank, and he immediately responded in his mind, "Do you know something, Sister Musashi?"

Musashi's voice, tinged with pride, rang out in Xuanxin's heart:

[Of course I do. They hid it well, but there are definitely traces of that person's Zanpakuto left here.]

Xuanxin's pupils contracted slightly. "Who?"

[The Eighth Kenpachi, Sōya Azashiro.]

Chapter 38: The Succession of Kenpachi

[Hey~ Xuanxin, based on what I learned about Urozakuro's ability, "that person" probably already knows~]

Xuanxin froze upon hearing this, then grabbed Yoruichi's wrist. Under her startled gaze, he shot off in the direction they had come, using Shunpo.

Yoruichi stumbled as Xuanxin pulled her along, but out of trust, she followed him away from the scene despite her confusion.

"Xuanxin, what's wrong? Did you find something?" Yoruichi pressed.

"Don't speak yet. I have a rough idea who it is, but this isn't the place to talk. I'll explain when we get home," Xuanxin answered, without slowing his steps in the slightest.

"All right."

Seeing Xuanxin act this way, Yoruichi also realized how serious the situation was and silently picked up speed.

Just as the two raced along, preparing to put this trouble spot behind them in one go,

"Boom—"

Suddenly, a Sōkatsui wrapped in blue flames came from the distance and struck precisely in front of their escape route!

"Watch out!"

Xuanxin reacted swiftly, yanking Yoruichi's arm. The two skillfully dissipated each other's momentum and managed to stop in front of the fiery pit.

Seeing their path blocked, they understood that their opponent had no intention of letting them leave easily.

They stopped there, drew the Zanpakuto at their waists in tacit agreement, and warily watched the surrounding woods.

Then a voice so flat that no emotion could be detected rang out from the trees around them. "Since you've already come, why the rush to leave, my two guests from the Second Division?"

"A rat who can only hide behind tricks! Who are you?!" Yoruichi gripped her short blade tightly, golden Reiatsu surging fiercely around her body as she challenged the dark woods.

Just then, Xuanxin stepped forward, shielding Yoruichi behind him. His eyes fixed on the depths of the forest, he spoke word by word:

"Come out, Sōya Azashiro."

At that name, Yoruichi's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh? You guessed my identity so quickly. It seems Urozakuro has been letting quite a bit about me slip."

With a soft sigh, a figure wearing a white haori emerged from the distant forest. Yet his calm face showed not the slightest embarrassment at having his identity exposed.

Sōya Azashiro looked quietly at the two before him, undisguised appreciation even showing in his eyes as he remarked:

"Your intuition and ability to act are truly astounding. Compared with the parasites in the Central 46 Chambers who know only how to fight for power and profit, the difference is like heaven and earth."

But faced with the current Kenpachi's praise, neither of them showed the slightest excitement. Instead, their expressions grew even graver. After all, however they looked at it, earning the appreciation of a deeply calculating genius could hardly be a good thing.

"What an honor! Now tell us, what exactly are you after? Where did all those innocent wandering souls go?" Yoruichi sneered and questioned him mercilessly.

Sōya Azashiro did not grow angry at Yoruichi's questions. He merely raised both hands slightly, as if showing the two of them the world around them.

"Innocent? No, they will be the foundation of this new world."

"You should know that the struggle between Soul Reapers and Hollows began when this world came into being, has continued to this day, and will continue still. Such sacrifices are meaningless. So if these wandering souls can be turned into weapons, it will become possible to destroy Hueco Mundo completely, and there will be no more needless sacrifices."

Looking down at the two, he offered them an olive branch:

"So I sincerely hope to have your support and assistance. Those vermin in the Central 46 have already begun to suspect my plan. But with the Shihoin Clan's help, I believe it would go a little more smoothly. So..."

But before Sōya Azashiro could finish, Xuanxin mercilessly interrupted him. Raising his Zanpakuto toward Sōya Azashiro, Xuanxin said:

"Use the lives of those wandering souls to fill the bottomless pit that is Hueco Mundo? Sōya Azashiro, don't you think that's far too absurd and unrealistic?"

"Your so-called order and peace are built on nothing but the bones of countless innocents! You've deprived them of their existence and treated them as expendable resources for your ambition. How is that any different from the Hollows that devour souls?!"

Hearing Xuanxin's rebuttal, Sōya Azashiro wore an expression that said he had expected as much.