Fine Weather

~

"BOOM!"

One earth-shattering roar after another rang out continuously within the forest of Ryugan in East 37th District of Rukongai!

The sounds continued unabated for a full two days, only coming to an abrupt halt on the morning of the third day.

Once the thunderous noise faded, a Soul Reaper from the Gotei 13 hurried over with his Zanpakuto in hand to investigate.

When this Gotei 13 squad member saw the miserable state of the Ryugan District in Rukongai before him, a chill immediately ran up his spine. He could not help but say, "Damn it, did this place suffer some kind of natural disaster?! What on earth happened to turn the entire forest into such a ruin?"

In the Soul Reaper's eyes, the once neatly arranged forest had vanished. Tree after tree lay scattered across the ground like wheat cut down by a sickle. The earth was riddled with crater after crater, as though it had been relentlessly battered by endless heavenly lightning.

This Soul Reaper had never seen such a terrifying sight. Even the usual sparring matches between the captains of the Gotei 13 would not inflict such devastating, disaster-like destruction upon an entire area of Rukongai.

"Ugh..."

"How am I supposed to report this to my superiors?"

"Am I supposed to tell the captain that Ryugan District in East 37th District of Rukongai was struck by a massive, unexplained 'thunderstorm'?!"

"The captain isn't that easy to fool, you know?!"

After carefully examining the entire area, which had been blasted into ruins by some unknown attack, the Soul Reaper stared at the stretches of scorched earth and sighed helplessly.

Right now, there was good news and bad news!

The good news was that, for the time being, he had not encountered any danger that threatened the lives of Gotei 13 members. Simply put, this place was not dangerous.

The bad news was that he could not come up with a reasonable explanation for the land before him, which looked as though it had been swept by the Captain-Commander's Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka...

He could not exactly tell his superiors, "Maybe the Captain-Commander went berserk in Ryugan District?!" They would twist his head off for that...

And that left him utterly unsure of how he was supposed to report the situation before him to his superiors.

"What am I supposed to do?!"

For a moment, the young Soul Reaper was at a loss over the scene before him.

"Hmm?!"

Just as the young Soul Reaper was racking his brains over how to bluff his way through the investigation report, a pitch-black shadow in the distant forest caught his attention.

"Buzz!"

Without hesitation, the Soul Reaper used Shunpo and chased after the shadow in the woods.

"..."

Within the forest, a young boy dressed in ragged, patch-covered clothes kept glancing in the Soul Reaper's direction.

Just when the boy believed he had been careful enough not to draw the Soul Reaper's attention, the Soul Reaper vanished from his sight with a mere blink.

"What?"

The boy froze as he stared at the empty ruins, alarm bells blaring in his heart.

"Hey! Kid, what are you looking for?"

Just as the boy wondered where the Soul Reaper had gone, a cold voice slowly sounded from behind him.

"Uh..."

In an instant, an endless chill surged from the boy's heels straight to the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong! I didn't mean to spy on you!"

"I was only gathering wild vegetables in the forest to fill my stomach tonight. I happened to see you and looked at you a few more times. I meant no harm at all, so please don't kill me."

Without hesitation, the boy spun around as fast as he could and apologized sincerely to the person behind him, prostrating himself in the humblest possible posture.

The boy did not need to think to know that the Soul Reaper had discovered him. As expected, avoiding a Soul Reaper's notice was still far too difficult for a wandering soul his age.

"Get up! I'm not some evil spirit. You don't have to be so afraid of me..."

The Soul Reaper sighed helplessly at the boy's practiced, heartbreaking manner of apologizing. This world had always been endlessly cruel to the residents of Rukongai, especially boys of this age!

"Please don't kill me!"

The boy did not relax because of the Soul Reaper's words. His body remained tense as he continued pleading with him.

"What a troublesome brat!"

"Since you said you came to this area to gather wild vegetables to fill your stomach, you must know this place well, right?!"

"Then tell me! What do you know about this land that looks like it was ravaged by a natural disaster?"

The Soul Reaper frowned. He first grabbed the prostrating boy by the collar and hauled him up from the ground, then questioned him about the scorched land behind them.

"Uh..."

After hearing the Soul Reaper's words, a trace of suspicion flashed through the boy's eyes. He clearly knew something, but hesitated over whether to tell the truth.

"You want to live, don't you?"

That single calm sentence from the Soul Reaper made the boy confess everything honestly.

"Perhaps you won't believe me, Lord Soul Reaper! But I really saw it!"

"It was a person, a man holding a Zanpakuto. Bathed in Lapis Lazuli light, he destroyed the entire forest and turned it into this."

Hearing that, the boy did not dare delay and truthfully told the Soul Reaper everything he knew.

"Huh?!"

"Was a member of another squad training his Bankai here?"

"Looks like he even succeeded..."

"Seriously, training Bankai without notifying the other squads first. He's made me look like such an idiot."

The Soul Reaper immediately thought of something upon hearing this.

A person holding a Zanpakuto, bathed in Lapis Lazuli light, and capable of destroying an entire forest—there was no doubt that such a Zanpakuto had to be a Bankai.

At that thought, envy flashed in the Soul Reaper's eyes. That was Bankai, after all! The highest stage of a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto release, an advanced technique that not many people in the entire Gotei 13 could master. It was a symbol of Spiritual Pressure and power.

"Um, do you know where that lucky guy who successfully trained his Bankai went afterward?"

Although the Soul Reaper had already guessed that the man was most likely a member of the Gotei 13, he still asked the boy before him.

"Oh, that big brother wearing white clothes went in that direction."

The boy pointed toward Seireitei as he spoke to the Soul Reaper.

"Mm, as expected, he went to Seireitei."

"Wait, what did you say he was wearing?"

The Soul Reaper looked in the direction the boy pointed and wore an unsurprised expression.

Then the Soul Reaper suddenly realized something. Lowering his head, he looked at the boy and asked.

"White clothes..."

The boy thought for a moment before answering truthfully.

"White clothes? Not Shinigami Robes?"

"Damn it, don't tell me that guy isn't a member of the Gotei 13 at all?"

The Soul Reaper muttered to himself, as though he had thought of something incredible.

"Thanks. Take this money and buy yourself some food!"

As he spoke, the Soul Reaper casually tossed several unique coins gleaming with Reishi Glow to the boy, then immediately rushed toward Seireitei.

I hope my instincts are wrong. I hope it isn't too late.

As he sprinted with Shunpo, the Soul Reaper spoke silently in his heart.

In the blink of an eye, only the boy holding several coins remained in the forest.

"Th-thank you for your generosity!"

Looking at the Soul Reaper who had vanished without a trace, the boy deeply bowed in the direction he had fled, sincerely offering his thanks.

Elsewhere...

Outside Seireitei, where the nobles who had held power since before the birth of Soul Society were stationed, the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 stood guard.

Araki, Zanpakuto in hand, stood outside the grand, massive city. Looking at the blazing sun shining in the distant sky, he muttered, "What fine weather today~"

As Araki spoke, he vanished from where he stood.