After observing the area for several days, Rei found that Hollows were much less likely to appear here. Hollows like the two Spider Hollows they had slain, which disguised themselves to enter the city, were rare. Most caught lone travelers in the wilderness.
Rei ruled this place out too, because the sanitation was poor. Cesspits were everywhere...
Rei wanted to establish a permanent base, have Maki guard it for him, and then travel the districts alone in search of powerful opponents to fight.
Five more days later, Rei, Maki, and the four laborers pulling their cart had reached the border of District 11. Just ahead lay Rei's destination, North District 10.
The road grew rugged, with cliffs on both sides. This mountain road was only two meters wide, but by the standards of the World of the Living, it would have counted as a national highway.
"My lord, once we cross the valley ahead, we'll be in District 10."
One of the laborers was excited. They would soon receive their wages.
"Mm, keep it up. If we arrive before dark, I'll buy you drinks."
"That's great! Thank you, my lord!"
Rei emerged from his Zan Zen, and a single remark had the laborers brimming with excitement.
He had previously gone without hiring laborers because he wanted to train his stamina. Now that both he and Maki needed to communicate with their Zanpakuto, hiring people to pull the cart was best.
"Wait!"
Just as they reached the valley entrance, the oppressive weight of Reiatsu hit them. Rei told the laborers to stop, and Maki promptly went ahead to investigate.
After finding out what was happening, Maki returned to report. "A large number of Soul Reapers are fighting among themselves. What should we do?"
Rei turned and asked the laborers, "Can we go around?"
The laborers' legs went weak when they heard there was a battle. Their leader said shakily, "We can, but it'll take at least five or six hours, and it's dangerous too..."
"What a pain. We'll go straight through and watch from the side to see how long they can keep fighting."
"Huh? My lord, that's very dangerous..."
"Enough already. I'll raise your pay by twenty percent..."
"Yes, sir!"
At first, the laborers' leader had questioned Rei's order, but as soon as he heard about the extra pay, veins bulged on his forehead. He looked as though he were carrying out a righteous mission, prepared to risk his life...
Once they got closer, Rei saw that the valley was a three-way junction, with an area in the middle that barely qualified as a sizable plain. Nearly a hundred Soul Reapers were split into two factions, fighting to the death.
One faction wore red cords tied around their arms, while the other wore pure black Soul Reaper uniforms. The two sides were locked in fierce combat, and the arrival of Rei's group of ordinary Pluses earned them only brief glances.
"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa!"
"Good evening—Night Cat!"
"Howl—Silver Wolf!"
The Soul Reapers kept unleashing their exclusive Kidō. Some used Hadō, others used Bakudō, and some even released their creature-type Zanpakuto.
The terrain in the valley was damaged again and again. Soul Reapers began to suffer injuries and retreated to the rear to wait for their comrades to heal them.
As though sensing something, Rei looked toward a distant mountaintop. Two figures were standing there, overlooking the battle, and they had long since noticed his arrival...
"Kōga, to avoid involving ordinary souls, go down and bring this battle to a complete end!"
"Yes, Lord Ginrei."
Kuchiki Ginrei, the Sixth Division Captain at the time, had intended to test his son-in-law, Kōga Kuchiki, but changed his mind because of the arrival of Rei and his companions.
This major rebellion within the Gotei 13 had gone on for several months. It had been instigated by the First Division's Third Seat, and more Soul Reapers had joined the revolt along the way. Only now was it drawing to a close.
Rei clearly saw Kōga Kuchiki leap from the mountaintop and reach the battlefield in an instant. The speed made his heart tense.
Red Flower-Wind Gauze fluttered in the wind, and with the Kenseikan above his temple and his present appearance, he looked every bit a handsome man with both strength and bearing.
Seeing someone more handsome than himself, Rei cursed inwardly. What a flashy bastard.
With both strength and good looks, it was no wonder Kōga, who came from Rukongai, had been able to marry into the Kuchiki Clan, foremost among Soul Society's Five Great Noble Clans... There were still five great noble clans at this time; the Shiba Clan declined later, and there was another clan whose name remained unknown.
"Everyone, stand down!"
The cold Kōga Kuchiki ordered the ordinary Soul Reapers to withdraw. Releasing his powerful Reiatsu, he prepared to face dozens of enemies alone.
"Kenseikan? This guy's from the Kuchiki Clan."
"Get him together. Kill him."
"Bakudō..."
The rebel Soul Reapers roared and moved to surround Kōga Kuchiki, sending all kinds of Kidō at him. Kōga Kuchiki remained utterly calm, drawing his sword and murmuring a few words.
Rei felt a faint tremor from his own Zanpakuto. It was a rebellious tremor, and although it was very weak, he could feel it.
The dozens of Soul Reapers surrounding Kōga Kuchiki, however, suddenly began slaughtering one another...
"My Zanpakuto's moving on its own!"
"Damn it, I can't let go..."
"This monster's ability!"
"Run!"
The battle was over almost as soon as it began. Those who had not gotten too close started fleeing wildly, and several of them ran toward Rei.
Rei was stunned by the sight too. The Zanpakuto were controlling their owners and cutting down others, and later even making them commit suicide? Was this some kind of joke?
"Get out of my way!"
Three red-eyed rebel Soul Reapers came rushing toward Rei and his group. The other Soul Reapers shouted warnings and hurried over to save Rei.
Kuchiki Ginrei had been watching the whole scene. He had intended to use Shunpo to get there, and he had the ability to do so, but he seemed to think of something and stopped...
Rei was speechless. The damn road was only so wide, so how was he supposed to get out of the way? But the rebel Soul Reapers didn't care about any of that. The man in the lead fired the Kidō technique Hadō: Shakkahō at them.
"Don't even think about damaging my belongings! Blood Drink!"
They could clearly have jumped over, but they just had to fire a Hadō at the cart. Rei flew into a rage. Without even using a release command, he released his Zanpakuto and swept the Shakkahō aside, then swung the Blood Drink greatsword at all three of them at once.
With a clang, all three rebel Soul Reapers were sent flying. At that moment, the Shakkahō's energy exploded, lighting half of Rei's face red. The terrifying scene behind him stunned the three rebels as they tried to get up.
They were caught off guard and captured by several Soul Reapers who had hurried over. The Soul Reapers who caught the rebels also had respect in their eyes—respect for a strong man.
"Was that Shikai just now? His Reiatsu was quite impressive the moment he released it. What an amazing young man!"
Kuchiki Ginrei's old eyes widened as he muttered to himself. By then, Rei had already sealed his Shikai.
The old man thought Kōga Kuchiki was too impatient. A lapse in the battle had allowed three rebels to escape, and he had intended not to intervene, letting the rebel Soul Reapers accidentally injure Rei and his companions so he could use it as an excuse to teach his son-in-law Kōga Kuchiki a proper lesson.
Unfortunately, things had gone awry. Rei's sudden Shikai had lessened the seriousness of the matter somewhat, though Ginrei could still reprimand Kōga. Kuchiki Ginrei was also now a little curious about this young man in red with a red sword...
"Are any of them alive? Execute them..."
"Wait."
Kōga Kuchiki arrived using Shunpo. Seeing that three people had actually escaped him and nearly harmed innocents, he was furious and was about to order their execution on the spot. Kuchiki Ginrei arrived in an instant and stopped him.
Kuchiki Ginrei sighed. "Kōga, you are indeed very strong, and I know that full well. But your temper is too rash and arrogant. How can you shoulder great responsibilities like this?"
"Just as on this occasion, if this young man had not been strong, innocent people would already have been harmed during the suppression of the rebellion. Think it over carefully..."
Reprimanded by his father-in-law in front of everyone, Kōga Kuchiki could only lower his head and listen to the lesson. The Soul Reapers had all tactfully left before Ginrei started berating him, leaving only Rei and his companions to listen.
Rei guessed that Kōga's Zanpakuto ability was to control other people's Zanpakuto. The rebels killing themselves against their will had already made that clear.
The attire of the older and younger members of the Kuchiki Clan looked familiar to Rei, but he couldn't remember which character it resembled... The six episodes of Bleach he had watched covered the Arrancar invasion of the World of the Living, when the top three Espada fought a decisive battle against a group of Soul Reaper Captains there.
"I am Kuchiki Ginrei, the current head of the Kuchiki Clan. Young friend, your strength is quite impressive. I wonder if you would be interested in joining my Kuchiki Clan as a retainer?"
After lecturing his son-in-law, Kuchiki Ginrei turned amiably to Rei. His old face might as well have had the word "sincerity" written on it.
With Kuchiki Ginrei's eye for people, he could tell that Rei had only recently become a soul. His body was still full of vigor, and his future accomplishments were sure to be considerable. He was qualified to become a vassal of the Kuchiki Clan and serve them loyally...
Recruit me as a vassal? Dream on, old man.
Though he had already cursed Kuchiki Ginrei inwardly, Rei remained unruffled on the surface and gave a slight salute. "Thank you, Captain. Even on my own, I will one day stand at the peak of Soul Society. I don't need anyone else's help."
Rei had already shown them considerable courtesy by describing the other man's offer to take him as a vassal as an offer of help.
After all, he couldn't beat them, so he had to show them courtesy whether he wanted to or not. It was just like a fellow in his previous life who, upon hearing that his business couldn't be handled, flew into a rage and tried to flip the table. When he found he couldn't budge it, he could only calmly ask the others to carry on.
When Kōga heard that Rei had actually refused, he was about to mouth off, but Ginrei stopped him with a look. In Kōga's view, the head of the Kuchiki Clan had already shown Rei great respect by inviting him personally.
"In that case, we won't impose."
With that, the two departed using Shunpo. Ginrei was not angry; he was broad-minded enough for that. He had just recalled the information about Rei: the young man who, during Hueco Mundo's invasion last year, had held out against thousands of Hollows until Captain Kuruyashiki arrived as reinforcement.
Rei's current impression of the Gotei 13 was that they could be called decent. At least no one had forced him to join, and no one had considered him a threat to be eliminated for not joining.
Along the way, Soul Reapers weaker than him had even told him to flee when they encountered Hollows. They believed that slaying Hollows was solely a Soul Reaper's job and had nothing to do with those who were not Soul Reapers.
In recent days, Rei, who had been saved by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, had been changing his impression of the Gotei 13 bit by bit. His dream of rebelling and becoming king had wavered a little; the world he created might not be better than the Seireitei.
Perhaps all he needed to do was join them and clear out the parasites once he became the boss...
Ginrei returned and reported what he had seen and heard that day to the Captain-Commander. He reported not only Kōga's achievements, but also discreetly mentioned his mistake and Nangong Ling's move to Rukongai's District 10.
This made Old Man Yamamoto open his aging eyes, in which an inexplicable light flashed.
Ten days later!
"This is the place! Everyone, get to work. Build a big castle out of stone. Wood can only be used for the floors..."
Rei was very satisfied with Rukongai's North District 10. The city had fewer people than North District 13, but its roads were all paved with stone bricks, and its sanitation and sewage systems were also very good.
He bought a large plot of land from a minor noble family to build a house...