Is it him?
Shūsuke clenched his fists as he watched the departing figure, secretly vowing to investigate the truth behind his father's death.
Years later, a man hiding his real name infiltrated the Gotei 13...
That's how it is...
Zero, who had returned, stood before Yama-jii once more and recounted all of Kisaragi Shingō's experiences and how he lost his mind and was killed by Shan Ye. Everyone now knew who was at fault.
After hearing Zero's words, Yama-jii's Reiatsu increased or decreased with each breath, the fluctuations being extremely terrifying. At this moment, even ordinary Soul Reaper who were near the First Division felt that their breathing was having some problems.
"Teacher, please calm down. We don't have conclusive evidence yet!"
Ukitake, who was present, advised Yama-jii- Ya Kyōraku and Sasakibe were also there, and they all sensed Yama-jii's anger; of course, this anger was not directed at Rei.
"Shunsui, go investigate that noble courtyard Qin Wu mentioned. Don't miss a single clue, and report back as soon as you find anything..."
Yama-jii calmed down a bit, but everyone knew that more than ten days had passed since Kisaragi Shingō disappeared, Kumoi had probably moved all his belongings away long ago.
In the original timeline, Yama-jii was able to take action against the Kasumioji Clan solely because of Aizen's betrayal; all Central 46 were slaughtered and not fully recovered. Furthermore, Kumoi, believing he had the support of Captain-level figure, began to jump around, prompting Yama-jii to order a thorough investigation of the Kasumioji Clan...
Even though the chances were slim, Yama-jii still hoped to gain something. This was just a small noble family's villa, not a high-ranking or Great Noble. Even if Kyōraku was discovered while investigating, it wouldn't matter, given his status and position.
Zero also excused himself, as he didn't want to be constantly overwhelmed by Yama-jii's Reiatsu; being so close to him was a bit uncomfortable.
Kyōraku went to search the small nobleman's villa alone, and as expected, it was already empty... Meanwhile, the clues that Kasumioji Yakumo was investigating had also gone cold, and Kumoi manipulated the high-ranking Gotei 13 with his own schemes and tricks.
Subsequently, Yama-jii gradually resumed his dealings with the Kasumioji Clan. Since he couldn't find anything for the time being, he could only pretend to be polite, and he had that much patience.
After searching his family several times without finding anything, Kasumioji Yakumo gradually lowered his guard.
Just as a minor disturbance had subsided in Soul Society, Hueco Mundo was experiencing a revolutionary development.
After a five-year search, Grimmjow and his high-ranking Adjuchas finally found the solitary and uncommunicative Vasto Lorde.
A strange Reiatsu emanated from within the Quartz Tree. It wasn't Hollow Reiatsu, yet it resembled it. The Adjuchas present all sensed something different.
In Hueco Mundo, where time seems to stand still, Ulquiorra felt as if he had only closed his eyes for a short while when more than a dozen powerful Reiatsu appeared outside.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and the Reiatsu around him increased to another level, making it somewhat difficult for the Void beings outside to withstand it.
"He's out. You guys step back. If you can't communicate with him, I'll kill him."
"I'll stay and talk to you; you're a bit irritable."
Under Grimmjow's orders, only Dordoni requested to stay as a diplomat. Grimmjow was told he was irritable, but after a cold snort, he did not force him to leave.
As Ulquiorra stood up, he looked at the Zanpakuto beside him. It was formed from the excess Reiryoku that had overflowed from his body during his years of slumber, and it was the core of his power as Arrancar.
The wings and other components transformed into Reishi and merged into the Zanpakuto. In Ulquiorra's memories, he needed to use Resurrección to unleash this overwhelming power once again.
Within the quartz cluster, Ulquiorra broke off branches with every step he took. Suddenly, the view opened up, and he found himself outside the cluster. His large green eyes scanned his surroundings, Menos Grande he had never seen before...
From Grimmjow's and other unseen perspectives, a white figure emerged from the Quartz Tree. His skin was very pale, and the mask on the right side of his head was broken, revealing black hair and tear stains on his cheeks beneath it.
The mask on the left side of its face is still there, along with the same tear stain... For whom did this Menos Grande cry? No one can answer that question.
"The mask is mostly broken? Could this guy be Arrancar?"
Grimmjow stared at the suddenly appearing Menos Grande form, noticing that it was missing half of its mask, which made him tense.
"A large number of shattered masks, and weapons in hand; they must be the legendary Arrancar."
Dordoni recalled Zero's description of the Arrancar, which consisted of only these two simple points.
In reality, Zero knew absolutely nothing. The little bit he knew was all hearsay. When he watched those few episodes of Soul Reaper, he only thought the fight scenes were well-done, and didn't care much about anything else.
'What are they talking about? What Arrancar? My own situation? By the way, are they here to kill me too? What a boring world, I've long since given up on going forward...'
"What... are you going to do?"
Ulquiorra's mind raced with various thoughts, but when they reached his lips, they turned into a simple question. This was the first time he had spoken, and his pronunciation was a little strange.
"Huh? What for? I'm here to take you away, of course... Uwao-ru..."
"Of course, we're here to invite you to join us. What's your name?"
Grimmjow meant to say, 'I'll take you under my command,' but a gust of wind blew past his lips, distorting his words, and Dordoni finished him off.
"Hey, do you want to die? I'll grant your wish."
After the wind subsided, Grimmjow was furious. He jumped behind Dordoni and placed his claws on Dorudoni's head.
"Have you forgotten our purpose again? Not every strong person can be as accommodating as Lord Nangong..."
Dordoni had been threatened countless times before, so he wasn't worried and simply brought up the guy who had put them together as a team.
"Stop bringing up that bastard all the time, you bastard!"
Zero is probably the only person Grimmjow is grateful to. Every time he brings Zero up, he shouts that he wants to kill Zero as well, but everyone can see what he really does.
"Please excuse my poor manners. Our leader is a bit short-tempered. Could you tell me your name?"
Dordoni turned to Ulquiorra and asked again.
But Ulquiorra's eyes were filled with doubt: 'They're so strange. Was that stronger Menos Grande provoked? They didn't kill the lower-ranking one, but resolved the issue with just a few words? Because of the 'Lord Nangong' mentioned by the Lesser Hollow...'
Ulquiorra grew increasingly puzzled. He had never seen such a relationship within the Menos Grande Clan before; it was too strange.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, there's something strange between you two... Why?"
With that slightly hesitant pronunciation, Ulquiorra voiced the question that had been bothering him.
"Strange? This is normal for comrades. My name is Dordoni, this is Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, let's become comrades!"
"For those of us born of fear, fear is all we face every day, which is why we must work together to overcome it."
"Whether it's the fear of loneliness or the fear of regression, as long as you become stronger and have stronger companions, everything will be resolved."
"Come with us! Let's reshape this world floating on a sea of blood, so that it will no longer be a place of only darkness!"
If Grimmjow is the force of this team, then Dordoni is the one responsible for ideological education and mediating the entire team.
In the past, Zero would always make empty promises to the two of them, saying that he would become the rule-maker of the world and then rewrite the rules of the world so that there would be no more killing in Hueco Mundo... Over time, Dordoni has also imitated this approach quite a bit.
Centuries of observing the world have only filled Ulquiorra's cup of knowledge a little, far from full.
He didn't know how to describe the relationship between Grimmjow and Dordoni; he could only describe it as 'strange'.
But today, he learned a new word—companion; and because of this word, Ulquiorra chose to join them.
"So you've joined already? You're not going to put up a fight before you give in?"
Grimmjow felt a deep sense of regret; he genuinely wanted to test just how strong the Arrancar really were...
The current Ulquiorra is only a half-autonomous Arrancar, and his strength is not as great as it would be after he met Aizen in the future.
"I don't think Ulquiorra is a bloodthirsty person; he's much more rational than some of them."
Are you talking about me, you bastard!
"How dare I!"
'A strange relationship is called companionship. Arguing with companions doesn't require physical violence. Hmm, I've learned something...'
Ulquiorra has begun to study again; he has regained his interest in the world, and perhaps he can find different answers.
"This is our new companion, Ulquiorra. His existence proves the existence of the Arrancar. I wasn't lying to you."
Really?
"The Reiatsu is so strong, I can't take it anymore."
"If I become a human after Arrancar, will I still have a chance to become handsome again?"
As Dordoni explained, more than a dozen mid-level Menos Grande whispered among themselves. They had regained their sanity; the only thing that remained was the fear of regression.
That kind of fear could drive Adjuchas to attack Vasto Lorde, that kind of fear could shatter flimsy alliances and turn them into mutual slaughter and devouring.
Ulquiorra was a natural-born strongman who did not understand these fears until he finally became Arrancar and was able to communicate with people, only to learn about them from Dordoni and the others.
Where are we going?
"After hunting and becoming stronger, he went to the center of Hueco Mundo to Baraggan's rule, and then began to change Hueco Mundo."
The Blood Panther Group's strength has risen to a new level. Such a force, possessing both Arrancar and Vasto Lordes, has never appeared in Hueco Mundo before.
Inside the 11th Division's Dōjō, the Squad Members and Seated Officers chattered incessantly, talking about the interesting things that had recently happened in the Seireitei.
For example, the Tsunayashiro Clan designated the eldest son of the deceased Hideaki Tsunayashiro as the family heir, while the other descendants were immediately transferred from the direct line to a branch family.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro was one of them. Not only did he become the last seat, but he was also ordered by the Elder Council to marry a woman named Kakyō.
This woman isn't beautiful, but she's quite powerful. According to information secretly given to Tokinada Tsunayashiro by the Elder Council, Kakyō has a fragment of the Soul King inside her, Tsunayashiro Clan needs to use for experiments!
In order to slightly improve his status, Tokinada Tsunayashiro agreed to the higher-ups' demands, and this marked the beginning of his ambition...
Two heavy, oppressive auras emanated from Zero as he and a red-haired man walked side by side into the Squad Barracks. This was Seigen Kyōshiba, the Fifth Division Captain, who was originally a fallen nobleman living in Rukongai, and currently had a fairly good relationship with Zero.
At least in Zero's opinion, he was better than Kyōraku, who seemed unrestrained but was actually ruthless, because Seigen didn't pretend too much.
After several years of preparation since becoming Kenpachi, Zero is finally about to complete the classification and detection of Reiatsu levels.
The classification of normal Reiatsu levels has existed for a long time, but the accurate detection has only been fully completed today...