Diverting Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Attention

"Captain-Commander, a powerful Soul Reaper has recently appeared near Quincy family. Judging from his Reiatsu, he's a stranger." Mayuri Kurotsuchi's tone was deliberately calm, as if he were merely stating a trivial fact.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat upright behind the massive desk in the First Division Barracks, his hands clasped on his cane. His expression remained unchanged; he simply replied, "Is that so? And what do you mean?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi took two steps forward, her modified eyes gleaming eerily in the dim light. "We should put the Quincy under surveillance immediately. I think they should know who that person is; they might even have brought him here."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling squarely on Mayuri Kurotsuchi: "Those Quincy in the World of the Living pose no threat; there's no need to pay them any special attention."

"Captain-Commander," Mayuri Kurotsuchi's tone hardened, "Judging from the residual Reiatsu, that unfamiliar Soul Reaper is no weaker than you, Captain. We must monitor him. If he's cooperating with Quincy, he must be hiding something, so we must investigate thoroughly."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became subtle. The candlelight flickered across Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's face, casting deep shadows. The Captain-Commander remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing something.

"As I've said, the Quincy of the World of the Living don't need much attention," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finally spoke, his voice calm but undeniable. "They no longer actively kill Hollows, so there's no problem with soul loss, and therefore there's no need to pay too much attention to them."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi tilted her head, a strange smile spreading across her purple lips, "Alright, so we don't need to pay attention to that Soul Reaper either?"

"The Second Division's Stealth Force has already investigated," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto replied. "He suppressed his power when dealing with those Hollows, proving that he knew excessive power could damage World of the Living souls. Therefore, there's no need for further investigation."

"The previous defection of the Substitute Soul Reaper caused quite a few Soul Reaper casualties," Mayuri Kurotsuchi persisted, "Are we just going to ignore it?"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's eyes sharpened. "Since he suppressed his strength to avoid damaging his soul, it proves he has no connection with the previous Substitute Soul Reaper. Otherwise, he would have definitely dealt with the subsequent survey personnel."

These words were perfectly worded, explaining why no action was taken against the unfamiliar Soul Reaper, while also hinting at the Captain-Commander's intelligence source—the findings of the Second Division's Stealth Force.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi remained silent for a moment, then reluctantly said, "Alright, I hope you won't regret it, Captain-Commander."

"How's your preparation going with the thing I asked you to research?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto suddenly changed the subject.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression turned somewhat smug. "The room is finished. Would the Captain-Commander like to go and take a look?"

"Chōjirō," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto called out towards the door, "Go and inform Captain Unohana to go to the Twelfth Division."

A respectful reply came from outside the door, "Yes, Chōjirō Sasakibe -Captain-Commander."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood up and picked up his cane leaning against the table. "Let's go to the Twelfth Division first and wait for Captain Unohana."

The two left the First Division Barracks, crossed the streets of Seireitei, and headed towards the Twelfth Division. The Seireitei was exceptionally quiet at night, with only the occasional sound of patrolling Soul Reaper breaking the silence.

When they arrived at the Twelfth Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi led Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto directly to the laboratory area. The architecture here was completely different from the other divisions of the Gotei 13 —cold metal, flashing instrument screens, and complex piping systems were everywhere.

About fifteen minutes later, Retsu Unohana arrived. She still had that gentle smile, but her eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Captain-Commander, Captain Kurotsuchi," Unohana greeted.

"Captain Unohana," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded, "Come with us."

Led by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the three traversed several intricate corridors and finally arrived at the door of a seemingly ordinary room. Unlike the other laboratories, the door to this room was made of heavy metal, with no windows or observation holes on its surface.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi entered a complex password on the control panel by the door, and the metal door slid open silently to both sides. The three entered the room, and as the door closed behind them, the entire space was suddenly illuminated.

This is a special light source—there are no shadows, every corner is evenly illuminated, and there are no blind spots that the light cannot reach. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room are all covered with a smooth white material that reflects the light, making the entire space exceptionally bright.

Unohana carefully observed every detail of the room. "Not bad. Besides the Shadowless One, are there any other devices in this room?"

"Yes," Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice carried a hint of pride, "This room can isolate all Reiatsu, and after it was set up, I conducted a thorough inspection and testing, so there's absolutely no possibility of it being eavesdropped on."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded in satisfaction. "Very good."

"I don't understand, Captain-Commander," Mayuri Kurotsuchi turned around and looked directly at Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, "Why did you ask me to make a room like this?"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto looked at Unohana: "You should speak."

"Okay," Unohana replied, turning to Mayuri Kurotsuchi, her smile fading slightly. "Captain Kurotsuchi, this room is to isolate us from our future enemies' surveillance."

"An enemy?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow. "Where did this enemy come from? It's not in the shadows, is it?" His tone was clearly mocking.

Unohana, however, did not laugh, "Yes, it's the enemy hiding in the shadows."

These words caused Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression to freeze instantly. His modified eyes narrowed slightly, revealing intense interest. "An enemy lurking in the shadows? Tell me more."

Unohana began her narration, her voice calm yet each word carrying weight. "A thousand years ago, after the King of the Quincy Yhwach was defeated, they used their abilities to carve out a space in the shadow of the Seireitei, calling it the Wandenreich. There, they developed for a thousand years, preparing to wage war once more in the future."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes grew brighter, with the excited gleam unique to scientists discovering new fields of research. "If that's the case, then why not let me monitor the Quincy of the World of the Living?"

Unohana explained, "The Quincy of the World of the Living have broken away from Yhwach. They no longer wish to be enemies of the Soul Reaper —although they dislike us Soul Reaper and even hate us because of the war, they will be our allies in the future. Therefore, neither the Captain-Commander nor I want you to target them anymore."

"Oh?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi her head, seemingly pondering the logic. "Since they hate the Soul Reaper, how could they become our allies?"

"Yhwach's power comes from ordinary Quincy," Unohana patiently explained. "Only by stripping ordinary Quincy of their power and soul can he become stronger. Therefore, when Yhwach reappears, the Quincy of the World of the Living will be his primary targets. For survival, they will undoubtedly become our allies."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Was that Soul Reaper you sent out before?"

Unohana and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto exchanged a glance, then Unohana answered, "I guess so. But we didn't send him out; he's currently a wanted criminal in Soul Society. So, you shouldn't pursue this matter any further."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto continued, "Your primary task now is to figure out how to find those guys in the shadows, and how we can infiltrate them to fight in the future. We can't let them emerge from the shadows at any time to attack us without any means of countermeasures."

"Tch," Mayuri Kurotsuchi clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, "If you, Captain-Commander, had killed that guy a thousand years ago, none of this would have happened."

Unohana chuckled softly, "It's not that the Captain-Commander didn't want to kill them, but that we lacked the means to do so, so we could only defeat and seal their power."

"Does it have some special ability?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi pressed, his researcher's instincts fueling his curiosity about any unknown abilities.

Unohana shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure about his abilities. But the Quincy in the World of the Living should have a way to deal with him."

"Alright, I understand." Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice carried a hint of reluctance, but his eyes gleamed with excitement—the technology of the Wandenreich had piqued his interest.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said seriously, "Only the three of us know about this right now, so don't leak it anywhere. Otherwise, the consequences could become uncontrollable."

"I understand." Mayuri Kurotsuchi waved his hand impatiently, but his tone was serious.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded. "Then we'll be leaving. You can now organize the technology in this room, and we can build one in the First Division when needed."

The three left the room, the metal door closing silently behind them. Mayuri Kurotsuchi watched Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Unohana's departing figures, a complex light flickering in his eyes.

[It seems impossible to touch those Quincy in the World of the Living,] Mayuri Kurotsuchi thought to herself. [However, I do have some materials on hand that I can study. The ability to create a world within the shadows is truly remarkable technology!]

A smile spread across his face as he turned and walked deeper into the laboratory, his mind already beginning to formulate a new research plan.

After leaving the Twelfth Division, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto returned directly to the First Division. Unohana, on the other hand, headed in another direction—she was going to the Thirteenth Division to find Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba.

The Thirteenth Division's barracks were located on the edge of the Seireitei, in a quiet and secluded area with various plants growing in the courtyard. When Unohana arrived, Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba were discussing something at a stone table in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Unohana arrive, both of them stood up and bowed.

"Captain Unohana," Jūshirō Ukitake greeted gently.

Unohana responded with a smile, then got straight to the point. "We've already spoken with Captain Ukitake, Vice-Captain Shiba, Captain Kurotsuchi. He won't be targeting Quincy in the World of the Living anymore."