Yama-jii wasn't telling the whole truth. He didn't mention that Kyōraku hadn't found anything after infiltrating the Kasumioji Clan. He was protecting his disciple and trying to prevent the Kyōraku and Kasumioji Clan, both upper-class nobles, from becoming enemies. After all, there wasn't enough evidence to prove the Kasumioji Clan was guilty...
However, he did tell Kasumioji Yakumo that Zero had been sent to Rukongai to investigate and had seized a Bakōtō '; however, the location of the seizure was too far away, and the owner had committed suicide, so there was not enough evidence to prove that it was made by the Kasumioji Clan.
However, this made Yagumo's pupils shrink slightly, as the Kasumioji Clan's weapon catalog did indeed contain a description of this weapon.
Once crafted using a certain Reishi Arts, it can absorb the user's Reiryoku and then feed back stronger attack power; however, with prolonged use, this blade will completely devour the user's sanity and even life.
"Understood. Thank you for informing me, Captain-Commander. I'll take my leave now. Captain-Commander, rest assured, I will thoroughly investigate the Kasumioji Clan..."
With a worried expression, Yagumo vanished into thin air.
"Hmph, it seems she really didn't know. She knew only the Kasumioji Clan could make this kind of weapon, but without concrete evidence, it's infuriating."
Yama-jii was familiar with these noble families. The head of the family had the most power, but most of the time the elders managed the family. Unbeknownst to them, their power had become no less than that of the head of the family.
The Kasumioji Clan's daily affairs were managed by their Vassal, Kumoi Gyokaku. It's possible that this person was colluding with Yagumo's son and secretly manufacturing this weapon.
"I searched Kasumioji Clan all day but didn't find anything useful. Without evidence, the Central 46 will still protect them!"
Kyōraku looked utterly helpless. There was no evidence to prove that the sword was made by Kasumioji, Central 46 wouldn't suddenly target a high-ranking nobleman.
What if we went into the Kasumioji Clan but didn't find any evidence related to the Bakōtō? That would be so embarrassing! It would undermine the dignity of the Central 46.
Therefore, they would only agree to take action if there was concrete evidence first. Both Yama-jii and Kyōraku knew the nature of Central 46 very well.
"Perhaps the manufacturing location isn't at the Kasumioji Clan? Master Genryūsai, let me go investigate!"
After raising a question, Kisaragi Shingō volunteered to help Yama-jii.
"Having already informed Captain Kasumioji and sent men to secretly investigate, Qin Wu, if you are discovered..."
"This was all my own decision, and it has nothing to do with anyone else!"
As soon as Yama-jii expressed his concerns, Kisaragi Shingō said he understood, since such actions could slightly demoralize his subordinates, even though it was for the safety of the Seireitei.
Kisaragi Shingō's idea was simple: follow Kumoi, the powerful minister of the Kasumioji Clan, and Genki, the young master. These two were highly suspicious; it was possible they were colluding together...
It must be said that Kisaragi Shingō's direction was correct.
After returning home, Kasumioji Yakumo immediately summoned his son, Genki, and the family steward, Kumoi, to inquire about the Bakōtō.
"Mother, I... I don't know what that is..."
Genki, the landlord's foolish son, saw his mother angry, he panicked and quickly tried to distance himself from her.
This was something Kumoi had already advised him to do, so that he would pretend to know nothing and leave the rest to Kumoi.
"The Bakōtō? Your Lord Tsunayashiro, that is indeed a weapon that only our Kasumioji Clan can forge, but it's too dangerous and we're not producing it. This old minister believes there must be something fishy about it, or someone is framing us."
Kumoi looked thoughtful, his reading glasses concealing the cunning in his eyes.
"Hmm? So who do you think it could be?"
Kasumioji Yakumo is capable, but asking her to play these political games and schemes is a bit too much for her.
"The remnants of the Ryūtōji Clan —their main lineage has been exiled, but there's no guarantee that some might still survive. Therefore, this old minister suspects..."
The Ryūtōji Clan mentioned by Kumoi was a family of gunsmiths from hundreds of years ago. Back then, it was not the Kasumioji Clan that forged and guarded weapons for the royal family, but the Ryutoji family.
Later, the head of the Ryūtōji Clan went mad while researching powerful weapons and turned himself into a weapon.
Feeling extremely threatened, the Central 46 ordered their exile, which then gave the Kasumioji Clan, as a superior noble family, the opportunity to take over their positions.
They've been exiled for over a thousand years, Kumoi is still throwing mud at them; it's truly immoral...
Several pre-fabricated false clues were provided by Kumoi to Kasumioji Yakumo, so that the head of the family could pass them on to the Captain-Commander and his Captain-Commander for a thorough investigation.
As long as the Captain-Commander and his team investigate, their attention will be diverted, and the clues will naturally run dry. By the time they look back at their side, they'll already be perfectly law-abiding citizens...
Kumoi's idea was quite good, but unfortunately, Kasumioji Yakumo insisted on investigating himself to prove the Kasumioji Clan's innocence... while the Captain-Commander's gaze was still on him.
As night fell, the nobles in Seireitei reveled in song and dance, especially in the so-called 'Noble District,' where the lights were dim and the noise was deafening. Soul Reaper, who needed to relax after various missions, gathered here, making it a lively and bustling place.
Located not far from the upper-class noble Kasumioji Clan, in the home of a minor noble, Kumoi arrived here through the sewers. This was his secret base, and the place where the Bakōtō was made was also located here.
Kisaragi Shingō, who followed along by 'Kakushitsuijaku,' was unaware that he had already been noticed by someone...
Without the help of the Kidō Corps, Zero and his subordinates had to run back to Seireitei on foot. This journey took half a month, but they only made it to the 26th ward of the South Rukongai.
They were already very close to the Seireitei, and Zero was no longer worried that his team members would encounter any powerful attackers. He planned to take the Bakōtō back to report to Yama-jii on his own.
Zero's speed alone is definitely much faster; with such immense Reiryoku, Shunpo is practically a given.
As he returned alone to District 24 in the south, Zero passed through a village under the cover of night without stopping. However, just as he was about to pass through, several Kidō attacked, shattering the village's deathly silence.
Kidō missed Zero, but it stopped him. Zero carefully observed his surroundings and realized that the village was completely lifeless, having been abandoned after being attacked by Hollows.
"We're looking for you bunch of bastards, and here you are, robbing us on the road? Trying to steal this knife back?"
A large group of masked men in black appeared before Zero, dressed identically to the group testing the swords. They did not answer Zero's question. Five skilled individuals approached using the Shunpo and drew their swords to strike.
The fact that they can use Shunpo to fight normally indicates that their Reiryoku is very high. In terms of Reiryoku alone, they are at least at the level of a tenth- Seated Officer. Those with less Reiryoku would probably be able to collapse on the ground panting after one or two short-distance Shunpo.
"You're asking for it!"
Zero held a box in his left hand and wielded Greatsword in his right, instantly killing two and sending three flying.
"Roar!"
A roar like that of a wild beast rang out, and a figure descended from above, wielding a knife and slashing down at Zero. The immense force was too much for Zero to withstand, and he was struck on the neck by the blade.
The Reiatsu shockwave rippled outwards, and all the masked figures stopped moving and moved slightly away from the point of impact. Once the turbulent Reiatsu subsided, they witnessed a horrifying scene:
Kisaragi Shingō's Bakōtō Nangong Kenpachi's neck, but couldn't penetrate an inch. It didn't even break the skin. Ling then kicked him away.
"Has Kisaragi Shingō lost his reason?"
Looking at the tentacles wrapped around Kisaragi Shingō, Ling knew he was beyond saving; even his Hakusui, Saketsu, and heart had been pierced by the tentacles of the Bakōtō.
"Roar!"
Kisaragi responded to Zero's question with a roar, then continued to slash with her sword.
Zero was surprised to find that Kisaragi Shingō, who originally had Reiatsu at most at the Vice-Captain level, had now forcibly erupted to the Captain-level, only lacking rationality.
"Tch, then don't blame me."
Zero was somewhat helpless; in this situation, killing him was the only option.
Following closely behind Kisaragi Shingō's attack were more than a dozen masked men. Among them, one instantly unleashed the Kidō 'Hainawa', attempting to restrain Ling's movements, but he couldn't even slow down her; the difference in Reiatsu was too great.
Clang! Splat!
This time, Ruyue was not sent flying again. Instead, as Zero shattered the Bakōtō, his Saketsu and Hakusui exploded, and blood and Reiryoku were released, which were then sucked up by the Blood Drink Sword.
"Is this because the Bakōtō is damaged, causing its enhanced power to become uncontrollable? I should have stabbed him in the chest first..."
Zero felt a pang of regret... This thought was somewhat cold-blooded; even at this point, he was still thinking about absorbing Reiryoku first. After all, the other party was Master Yama-jii's disciple, and he had encountered him long ago after the battle with Zaraki...
The Soul Reaper's Hakusui and Saketsu located above and below his chest. Both are important acupoints for generating Reiryoku. If one of them is damaged, the rate at which Reiryoku dissipates will always be faster than the rate at which it is generated, which will cause the Soul Reaper to become an ordinary Pluses.
The more Bakōtō is used, the more severely it corrodes the user's body, especially those specially made Bakōtō.
In the original timeline, Kanui Hanza was in a similar situation to Kisaragi Shingō. Because the amplification power was too strong, although he still retained some rationality, his body could not withstand it and exploded.
At this moment, more than a dozen masked men tried to snatch the box in Zero's left hand, but they were too slow and Zero treated them like roadside weeds and hacked them away.
Until one of them, who could use Shunpo, desperately grabbed the blade as he was stabbed through the chest, and another Shunpo also grabbed Zero's right hand, they bought time for their other comrade.
In their eyes, Nangong Kenpachi had a strange fetish: he liked to pierce people's chests with his Greatsword, causing those pierced to die faster...
In reality, Zero was absorbing Reiryoku, but the assassins seized upon that fleeting opening.
"Bastards, I'll shatter you all..."
Just as Zero was about to break the seal and annihilate them with an overwhelming Reiatsu, the person on the left who was fighting with Zero for the box suddenly muttered something under his breath, then roared at Zero with a single palm, "Hadō #73, Sōren Sōkatsui!"
By the standards of the 11th Division, Zero estimates this person's Reiatsu to be around that of a Ninth Seat. The fact that he dared to use the fully chanted Seventy-Five Hadō requires a Reiryoku level of at least Fifth Seat to unleash. This person truly deserves to be called a suicide soldier; he's willing to risk his life.
Sure enough, the white light was not emitted; instead, an explosion began from the man's palm, forming a white pillar of fire with a diameter of over ten meters.
The intense light illuminated the area, engulfing the two individuals who controlled Zero. They were burned to a crisp by the intense Reiatsu, dying a gruesome death.
"Cough cough, these idiots have definitely been brainwashed by a pyramid scheme. With skills like that... wouldn't it be better to be alive?"
Zero was choked by the smoke and dust; the sleeve of his left hand was completely ripped apart, but he was not injured—this was the benefit of having strong Reiatsu.
The box was also broken, the Bakōtō was broken, and the 'core' that seemed to have a life of its own was destroyed, making it look like an ordinary weapon.
"Now it seems their target wasn't me, but rather to destroy the Bakōtō..."
Zero was a little annoyed after realizing that this group hadn't targeted him from the start; they were all dead, but their objective had been achieved.
"Nangong... my lord, I... I have something to say..."
Several near-death cries rang out; it was Kisaragi Shingō, who wasn't quite dead yet, as Ling approached.
"Don't speak yet. Your Saketsu and Hakusui are rotten. It's impossible for you to use the Kaido to draw upon your Reiatsu to recover and let your wounds heal on their own. But I can slow down your death..."
Ling had studied the Kaido and knew whether this person could be saved. The two damaged acupoints were the most important parts of the soul, even more important than the heart.
This is why Soul Reapers prefer to strike their opponents in the chest during battle; a solid cut, even if it doesn't completely destroy them, can still overwhelm their Reiryoku...
Kisaragi Shingō's condition was more serious than Ling had imagined. His heart was also torn open, and he was only able to slightly stop the wound by relying on the little bit of Reiryoku remaining in his body to turn into Reiatsu.
Even so, his heart continued to bleed with each beat, and if his Reiryoku was exhausted, he would bleed to death on the spot.
In such cases, professional suturing is usually required, but unfortunately, Zero only knows the Kaido, and Ruyue is no longer able to generate Reiryoku to assist in the treatment.
After Ling suppressed his wounds with her Reiryoku, she signaled that he could speak. Kisaragi Shingō didn't give his final instructions, but instead began to recount his experiences after following Kumoi...
Kisaragi Shingō infiltrated the Kasumioji Clan alone to track Kumoi. After losing track of him, he used the Kidō to follow him and eventually found a large number of Bakōtō in the home of a minor nobleman who was loyal to Kasumioji.
However, Kisaragi Shingō did not expect that he had already been exposed and was captured on the spot by a group of people, who forcibly put the specially made Bakōtō on him.
Kumoi's orders to him were to intercept and kill Zero, with the minimum objective being to destroy the Bakōtō in Zero's hand, and then have Kisaragi Shingō forcibly use the Ninety-Sixth Hadō together with Zero.
But Zero was too strong. Ruyue was defeated before the battle even began, leading to their complete annihilation. They barely managed to destroy the Bakōtō during this time...
Do you have any last wishes?
"Take my body home. My home is in Qingliu Town, the seventh district of South Rukongai. It's on the way..."
After understanding the cause and effect, Zero was completely relieved and, without saying a word, turned the knife-giving-off into a gift-giving-off-person.
At least if I tell Yama-jii about this, he won't blame me for killing his disciple!
As the morning sun began to illuminate the earth, it was the fifteenth day that Kisaragi Shūsuke for his father at the training ground. He could only console himself that his father had an urgent mission and hadn't had time to tell him.
But in the past, his father would always tell him if he wasn't coming home at night, and he would remind him several times before going on a mission that lasted more than ten days. This time, however, he didn't say a word.
After watching the sunrise, Shūsuke walked home alone. He needed to practice his kendo, which his father had taught him.
Shūsuke had just picked up his wooden sword in the courtyard when someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was his father returning, he happily ran to open it, only to witness a scene he would never forget...
A handsome man stood in front of the door, while his father lay quietly on the wooden steps, his pale face expressionless.
"Kisaragi Shingō asked me to tell you to live well, for the sake of..."
Shūsuke wasn't listening to what Zero relayed; tears blurred his vision, and his ears were ringing.
"Father! Father, what's wrong?"
"Poor child..."
Shūsuke threw himself on his father, screaming his heart out. Seeing that he wasn't listening, Zero turned and left.
He rushed here using the Shunpo, and even though he was exhausted despite his Captain-level Reiryoku, he wanted to let Kisaragi Shingō see his son one last time. But unexpectedly, he died halfway On the Road.
"Who? Who did this? I will never forgive him..."
Coming to his senses, Shūsuke looked up at the spot where Zero had just stood, wanting to ask Zero a question... but Zero had already turned and left, and even if he hadn't left yet, he probably wouldn't have explained anything to Shūsuke.
Shūsuke's fierce gaze searched around, only to see that the man from before was already a hundred meters away, with a dark red double-edged straight sword on his back. Through the straight Shūsuke saw two more numbers... eleven!