Rukongai Hollowfication Incident

"Yoru Machi, this is Vice-Captain Shiba Kaien of our Thirteenth Division. Kaien is a man of righteousness and loyalty, admired and respected by many of our members. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask him."

Due to his frail health, Ukitake was essentially a shut-in. If not for this sudden incident, he would rarely step out of his quarters. An ordinary captain wouldn't bother explaining so much to a mere newcomer, but Ukitake had his reputation as a kind-hearted soul, and since Yoru Machi was also one of the victims this time, he received special treatment. Now that Shiba Kaien had arrived to take over, Ukitake eagerly retreated to his own barracks to rest.

"Don't worry about the captain having any issues with you or anything. Because of his health, Captain Ukitake rarely handles captain duties; we subordinates have always managed things. My name is Shiba Kaien. I was actually only recently promoted to Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division; before that, I was just the Third Seat. Nice to meet you."

"Not at all. I should be the one asking Vice-Captain Shiba for guidance. I'm a new arrival to the division today, Minami Yoru Machi."

This was Yoru Machi's first meeting with Shiba Kaien, and it was also his first real understanding of this tragic figure.

Time passed swiftly. Two years after Yoru Machi became a member of the Thirteenth Division, Captain Ukitake Jushiro was once again forced to leave his retirement haven for an urgent captain's meeting at the First Division.

"Yoru Machi, what do you think the Captain-Commander is calling this meeting for?"

Standing beside Yoru Machi and asking the question was Vice-Captain Shiba Kaien of the Thirteenth Division. Over the past two years, Yoru Machi and Shiba Kaien had built a fairly solid friendship.

Shiba Kaien was originally the current head of the Shiba Clan, one of the five great noble families of the Soul Society, though the clan had since fallen into decline. In the original story, there wasn't much detail about Shiba Kaien's character, but after two years of interaction, Yoru Machi realized that Rukia's deep admiration for Kaien was not without reason. As a noble-born, Shiba Kaien treated every member of his division equally, regardless of their status or background. His impartial attitude endeared him to both noble-born and Rukongai-born officers alike.

Moreover, Kaien was a genius. At the Shino Academy, he completed the six-year curriculum in just one year. He entered the Thirteenth Division as the Third Seat from the start and rose to Vice-Captain in only five years. From any angle, with talent, connections, and personality like his, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he would succeed Ukitake as captain of the Thirteenth Division in a few decades.

During these two years, Kaien, with his keen observation skills, had also noticed something special about Yoru Machi. Out of concern for newcomers, he initially planned to give Yoru Machi extra training, but during sparring sessions, he discovered Yoru Machi's hidden true strength. After learning of Yoru Machi's concerns, Kaien didn't mock him for being overly cautious or paranoid like Ikkaku and Yumichika did. Instead, he smiled and expressed understanding. The Soul Society might seem calm on the surface, but beneath it, currents ran deep—something Kaien, as a former head of one of the five great nobles, understood well. He also believed that being cautious wasn't a bad thing. His wife, Shiba Miyako, had died because of carelessness against a Hollow. (PS: I see many people confused—it's not that I haven't read the original story. The reason I arranged for Kaien's wife to die early is because I plan to revive her later.)

Over the years, Kaien had always felt there was something suspicious about his wife's death. Logically, she was the Third Seat of the division, an elite Shinigami who had mastered Shikai. How could she have been killed by a low-level Hollow appearing in the Rukongai? That in itself was baffling.

"I've heard some rumors. There's been a sudden surge of Hollowfication among souls in the Rukongai. Captain Kensei Muguruma of the Ninth Division and Vice-Captain Hiyori Sarugaki went to investigate, but it seems something happened to them. With a captain and vice-captain—top-tier combatants of the Seireitei—going missing, the Captain-Commander naturally called a meeting. I suspect more captains will be dispatched to investigate this time."

Kaien wasn't surprised by Yoru Machi's inside information. As someone from the Rukongai, Yoru Machi seemed to have good connections in that chaotic place. And within the Gotei 13, Yoru Machi was equally well-liked. Kaien's popularity was limited to the Thirteenth Division, but Yoru Machi got along well across all divisions. This wasn't hard to understand. Yoru Machi was, after all, a transmigrant. Though he hadn't discovered his cheat yet, knowing the plot gave him insight into these characters' personalities. As long as he played to their interests, building relationships wasn't difficult.

"Mass Hollowfication in the Rukongai? Could this be related to the matter I asked you to help investigate?"

Hearing about the mass Hollowfication, Kaien's expression turned serious. Souls occasionally turning into Hollows in the Rukongai wasn't rare. But the Hollows that appeared there were usually low-level ones, barely enough to trouble fresh graduates from the Spirit Training Academy. For one to kill his wife, a Third Seat, and now for a captain and vice-captain of the Ninth Division to go missing—that clearly pointed to something abnormal.

"Probably not... The time gap between these two incidents is a bit long."

Hearing Kaien's guess, Yoru Machi couldn't help but admire the man's sharp intuition. He wanted to say that, yes, both incidents were orchestrated by a certain Hair Gel Boss behind the scenes. Whether it was the Ninth Division's captain and vice-captain or Shiba Kaien's wife, they were all sacrifices in Boss Aizen Sōsuke's experiments. But he couldn't speak the truth now. If he revealed these secrets, he might end up being investigated and imprisoned by the Onmitsukidō himself. Besides, while Kaien's strength was decent now, heading to the Rukongai would only lead to his death.

Even without being at the captain's meeting, Yoru Machi knew that the Captain-Commander would dispatch Captain Kaname Tōsen of the Third Division, Captain Shinji Hirako of the Fifth Division, Captain Love Aikawa of the Seventh Division, Vice-Captain Lisa Yadōmaru of the Eighth Division, Hiyori of the Twelfth Division, and Vice-Commander Hachigen Ushōda of the Kidō Corps to form a special task force for the investigation. And without a doubt, even this team of captain-level fighters would all fall before Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyōka Suigetsu, becoming test subjects for his Hollowfication experiments. With so many captains and vice-captains already doomed, Yoru Machi didn't think adding one more vice-captain like Kaien would change the outcome. So, naturally, he tried to dissuade him from going to the Rukongai to his death.