The Hueco Mundo Expedition Team's Recommendation (2)

In his Inner World, his eyes are "sealed"—not that he is truly blind, but Tulu and Life-Taker will interfere with his visual perception in various ways.

He must rely on his hearing, touch, Reiatsu perception... to fight.

At first, he was beaten horribly.

But gradually... he began to adapt.

"Left!"

"No, it's on the right!"

"Above!"

"Under!"

The sounds of Tulu, like a drill sergeant, constantly corrected his mistakes.

The Life-Taker gently instructed from the side, "Don't rely solely on your hearing... The flow of Reiatsu, the vibration of the air, the tremors of the ground... these are all your 'eyes'."

Days passed by.

Liu Ziyun's "life as a blind man" is becoming increasingly "comfortable".

Until this day--

"Ziyun!" Tazawa Kentarō rushed into the clinic, his face grave.

"What's wrong?" Liu Ziyun turned his head, feigning confusion. "What happened?"

"The Hueco Mundo Expedition Team... is now recruiting!"

Liu Ziyun's heart tightened. "And then?"

I heard... someone recommended you!

Liu Ziyun: "..."

[Holy crap! I'm blind and you still won't leave me alone?!]

He gave a wry smile and said, "Recommend me? I'm blind now. It's fine in the team, but on a long expedition... wouldn't that just be holding them back?"

Tazawa Kentarō shook his head. "But they don't think so! I heard it was recommended by the Sixth Division —they said your Zanpakuto ability is more suitable for frontline healing, which can ensure reduced personnel losses during battle."

Liu Ziyun cursed inwardly: [Damn it! It's those nobles again! Are they determined to kill me?!]

But all he could say was, "Sigh... I've already gone blind, and they still won't leave me alone. They're really trying to kill me..."

Tazawa Kentarō hesitated for a moment. "But... Captain Kuchiki probably wouldn't think that way, would he?"

He was referring to the captain of the Sixth Division, Kuchiki Ginrei — Byakuya Kuchiki's grandfather and the current head of the Kuchiki Clan.

Liu Ziyun sneered, "Who knows? The Kuchiki Clan is one of the Four Great Noble Clans. Who knows if they will stand up for the Tsunayashiro Clan?"

He paused, then continued, "Even if it wasn't his original idea, other nobles mediated between us, persuading him to recommend me."

He sighed, "Damn it, I was thinking... if his family ever needed help, I could lend a hand. But with him doing this... I guess I'll just have to watch the show."

Tazawa Kentarō was taken aback. "What could possibly happen to his family?"

Liu Ziyun casually remarked, "He has a son-in-law, did you know that?"

"I know him, Kuchiki Kōga —he's supposedly a genius, and they seem to be grooming him to be the next head of the family."

Liu Ziyun scoffed. "Genius my foot. A guy blinded by power."

He paused, then lowered his voice. "Just wait... a brute with considerable strength, and still a son-in-law. Other nobles certainly won't let this opportunity to suppress the Kuchiki Clan pass by. And some people within the Kuchiki family... will definitely be unhappy about a son-in-law rising to power."

Tazawa Kentarō was stunned. "Y-you're sure? You're not just guessing, are you?"

Liu Ziyun chuckled, "I'm blind right now... but do I even need to guess about something like this?"

He analyzed, "Someone is obsessed with his own power and confident that his strength can change everything... but he doesn't consider this—he may be strong, but which of the Thirteenth Division captains is a coward? No matter how strong he is, can he be stronger than those captains?"

He paused, then continued, "As long as someone sets a trap... he'll fall into it. And then he'll find... every captain of the Thirteenth Division could easily defeat him."

He "predicted": "Then... he'll just have to wait to die. Well, he might not die, but he'll be locked up for a while. But it depends on whether he can come to his senses—if he can, he'll only be locked up for a short time at most. If he can't... he's not far from death."

Tazawa Kentarō broke out in a cold sweat. "So you're saying... no one in the Thirteenth Division can clear his name or prove his innocence?"

Liu Ziyun sighed, "The Thirteenth Division has been infiltrated by nobles to the point of being riddled with holes. Haven't you seen me afraid to say much in the division? I'm just afraid of being targeted..."

He paused, then said, "If any group of people were to set up this scheme, and we could both vouch for each other... if he doesn't die, who will?"

Tazawa Kentarō remained silent.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Alright... then tell me... should I go to the expedition? If I go, I can retire when I come back."

Liu Ziyun immediately objected. "Don't go! Isn't it better to stay in the team? The expedition team isn't a good thing either—nobles, Central 46, and the Thirteenth Division have all gone in, all sorts of power struggles. They might stab you in the back, and you won't even know who did it!"

Tazawa Kentarō hesitated. "But..."

"But what!" Liu Ziyun glared at him (though his eyes were bandaged), "Even an ordinary Void Spirit could kill you! You'd be nothing but cannon fodder if you went!"

Tazawa Kentarō retorted, "I shouldn't be... that bad, right?"

Liu Ziyun sneered, "Then, the first time we met... who almost died? Wasn't it you?"

Tazawa Kentarō: "..."

[That really hurts, bro!]

Liu Ziyun earnestly, "Alright, stop dawdling. Go tell the captain you're not going. Even an ordinary Void Spirit can kill you; if you go, you'll just be feeding him."

Tazawa Kentarō was persuaded, "Alright... I'll go find the captain."

"Okay, go ahead." Liu Ziyun his hand. "I still need to think about how to deal with this... Damn it, I'm blind, and they still won't leave me alone."

After Tazawa Kentarō left, Liu Ziyun paced around the clinic (actually, he tossed and turned on his sickbed).

[Is this expedition team... the one Amagai Shūsuke?]

[If I go with them... I'll miss a lot of the plot when I get back.]

[But if I don't go... those nobles definitely won't let it go.]

[And going with them... who knows if we'll even come back alive—they're all lackeys of nobles!]

The more he thought about it, the more his head ached.

Finally, he gritted his teeth—

No! I have to go find Huajie!

He groped his way out of bed, put on his shoes, and, "holding onto" the wall, "struggled" his way toward Captain Unohana's office.

We encountered many team members along the way.

"Ziyun, where are you going?"

"I'm going to find the captain... I need to talk to him."

Do you want me to help you up?

"No need... I can manage on my own!"

He "resolutely" refused help and continued to "grope his way forward."

That figure, both stubborn and tragic.

It evokes... sympathy in one's heart.

But nobody knows--

In his mind, the "blind man" was furiously cursing: [Damn it! The first thing I'll do when my eyesight is restored is to slaughter all those nobles! Leave no one alive! Especially that Tsunayashiro Tokinada... you just wait!]

He gritted his teeth and made his way to the door of the Captain's Office.