Provocation

The moment he stepped outside, some organization he couldn't identify had its eye on him.

Dōsan was shaken by the experience. He didn't have any enemies, either.

Surely no one would keep following and watching him.

He was just unlucky!

"He spotted me!"

On this shift, the one assigned to keep watch at close range was Ryō Genshi, an ordinary member of the Second Division.

It was during his shift that Dōsan Hanyū, who hadn't left his room in over ten days, appeared in his sights.

A gleam of desire flashed through Ryō Genshi's eyes, the only part of his face left uncovered.

Watching Dōsan Hanyū wasn't a great achievement, but it was a good chance to catch the captain's eye.

Born in Rukongai and possessing ordinary talent, he had to seize every opportunity.

But just as he was carrying out every step of his surveillance, nervous and excited, Dōsan Hanyū suddenly vanished from his senses.

Ryō Genshi gripped his sword and stopped concealing his Spiritual Pressure. At this point, he couldn't spare a thought for the Stealth Force's mission regulations.

All he knew was that he had already reported Dōsan Hanyū's appearance in Rukongai to Commander-in-Chief Soi Fon.

He couldn't let this great achievement turn into a serious mistake, much less let him slip away so easily!

While Ryō Genshi was still searching for Dōsan, a surge of Spiritual Pressure soared into the sky not far away.

Dōsan already knew the basics of the Soul Reaper world. With another Soul Reaper tracking him, there was no way he could shake his pursuer by playing hide-and-seek.

He thought back to when he had faced a Hollow and dodged its attacks with movements like a game of hide-and-seek.

Aunt Rangiku had already made fun of him for that many times.

Rather than skulk around, he might as well use Shunpo at full power.

Dōsan released his Spiritual Pressure like a thunderclap piercing the sky, its immense force sending the surrounding crowd staggering.

How could the souls of District 1 in Rukongai not know what Spiritual Pressure was?

At the sight of Dōsan's overwhelming presence, the wandering souls were in no mood even to get angry. They hurriedly scattered like frightened monkeys.

Dōsan had reacted decisively, but Ryō Genshi was just as quick to respond.

As Dōsan Hanyū darted between the houses, he could clearly sense a Spiritual Pressure pursuing him from behind.

Dōsan pushed his Shunpo to its limit, glancing slightly to the side as he moved to keep track of his pursuer.

The man wore black clothes and a mask for nighttime operations. They didn't look like standard Soul Reaper attire, but the Zanpakuto on his back belonged exclusively to Soul Reapers.

"So fast."

Dōsan's expression turned solemn. He knew exactly how good his Shunpo was.

Though his Shunpo wasn't weak, it was still a long way from that of the Soul Reaper elites who specialized in it.

But he had started first, with a head start of about three seconds. For Soul Reapers, that was no short interval, yet the distance between them was shrinking.

"Kid, looks like you're not so impressive after all!"

He was just a soul from Rukongai. It wasn't even certain whether he could get into the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts.

Yet he had been lucky enough to earn the favor of the Shiba Clan, one of the powers that ruled Soul Society.

He had been lucky enough to get a chance to fight Nemu Number Seven.

And now he had caught Captain Soi Fon's eye and earned Lady Soi Fon's favor.

Ryō Genshi wasn't jealous of those nobles, but he was insanely jealous of this lucky kid from Rukongai!

"Closer, closer!"

The intense burst of Spiritual Pressure made sweat break out on Ryō Genshi's forehead, and his high-speed movement sent the veil over his face fluttering in the wind. "Kid, where do you think you're going?!"

"Bakudō #4: Hainawa."

A golden rope shot from Dōsan's fingers and wrapped around the masked man. The masked man watched Dōsan Hanyū continue without any intention of stopping, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. His Spiritual Pressure erupted, but against Dōsan's Kidō, his efforts were useless for the moment.

"Damn it!"

Being bound outright by a kid who wasn't even a Soul Reaper dealt a tremendous blow to Ryō Genshi's pride.

"Are tricks like these all you can do?"

This was merit!

Dōsan had no intention of getting entangled with him. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he could never have guessed that the conflict had started simply because a Soul Reaper captain wanted to meet him.

Dōsan rose onto his toes to use Shunpo again, but his white eyebrows suddenly knitted. His Spiritual Pressure surged, and he stopped to regulate his breathing.

Meanwhile, Ryō Genshi, still trapped, suddenly shouted, "Kudō, stop him!"

Another Soul Reaper from the Second Division had arrived.

Kudō surveyed the situation and immediately recognized Dōsan Hanyū, but he was somewhat confused.

Their mission this time was surveillance, not execution.

For the Punishment Force, which placed its missions above all else, they had no right to attack a target on their own initiative when they hadn't received orders to do so.

But while Kudō was still trying to make sense of it all, his teammate suddenly said, "Stop the target."

What choice did he have?

With the hand speed of a man who had been single for three hundred years, Kudō gripped the hilt of the Zanpakuto on his back, stepped forward and lowered himself, then drew and slashed in one fluid motion.

But he was too slow.

The Zanpakuto's force swept forward like a rainbow. Its edge came within a centimeter of Dōsan's nose, and Dōsan even felt the stroke shave off a few fine hairs.

The black-clad man named Kudō was so decisive and ruthless that Dōsan was momentarily startled.

Having missed, Kudō drew his sword back, its spine sliding slowly along his arm toward his wrist. Compared with Ryō Genshi, who seemed to be acting crazy, Kudō was even more decisive and ruthless. Holding his Zanpakuto point down, Kudō coldly said:

"Mission change. Execution."

Bang.

Having broken free of the Bakudō, Ryō Genshi's Spiritual Pressure gradually rose. He too drew a short blade. "Now let's see if those tricks of yours still work!"

Dōsan lowered his head slightly and touched the tip of his nose. When he looked up again, the whites of his eyes had turned pitch-black, as if dyed. With white brows above and black eyes below, he looked eerie yet harmonious.

"Isn't it better to stay alive?"

Soi Fon didn't leave the Seireitei directly like a certain Tenth Division captain who wished to remain unnamed.

After that incident more than ten years ago, after something so contrary to the rules, Soi Fon had come to place increasing importance on them.

Even if she had to use deception, she would complete all the procedures before passing through the Hakutōmon.

"Captain Soi Fon, your request to leave has been approved. Please stay safe."

Soi Fon nodded slightly, her looped braids swaying in the wind and her haori fluttering with it. Though she was small, every step she took brought a presence down on the surrounding Soul Reapers like mountains and seas, leaving them struggling to breathe.

"Jidanbō, open the gate!" A Soul Reaper in charge had already given the order to the guard at the Seireitei's Hakutōmon.

Soi Fon used Shunpo, her figure vanishing each time she lifted her foot and reappearing hundreds of meters away each time it landed.

Yet her movements were so smooth that they felt as though they were watching an ink-wash film.

Listening to the rustling sound left in Soi Fon's wake, the Soul Reapers couldn't tell for a moment whether it was the wind or the sound of Lady Soi Fon cutting through the air faster than sound.

As she traveled through Rukongai, Soi Fon received a steady stream of messages from her division members.

"Buying vegetables?"

"And mostly leafy greens at that."

Damn it!

Those evil nobles.

Poor kid. He probably never had a decent meal at the Shiba Clan's place.

Soi Fon instinctively touched Suzumebachi at her waist. Her hatred of the Seireitei's highest nobles could be traced back to that incident more than ten years ago.

The Central 46 Chambers, also known as the "Noble Council," had bypassed the Thirteenth Division and sentenced the Soul Reaper captains involved to death.

Even if they had really become Hollows, they hadn't committed any monstrous crimes. Compared with the Central 46's usual conduct in previous years, the judgment had been outrageously blunt and heavy-handed.

There were things the captains didn't say, but that didn't mean they didn't think about them.

That had been the Gotei 13's strongest period, when even half its lieutenants possessed strength comparable to that of current Captain-level fighters.

It was also a time when the people of Rukongai knew only the Soul Reapers and acknowledged no nobles.

Of course, the balance of power and the trust built among the public at that time had all collapsed that night.

Who had benefited the most?

In any case, Captain-Commander Yamamoto had subsequently placed a ban on the matter.

No records, no investigations, and no spreading word of it.

"The Five Great Noble Clans really are all the same!"