A Mission Has Arrived

Gaoyu sat cross-legged, placing his Zanpakuto on his lap.

He closed his eyes. Despite having drunk quite a bit earlier, his mind was remarkably clear at this moment.

Faintly, he seemed to hear a voice – the voice of his Zanpakuto!

"...My name is..."

The voice was distant yet near, strong yet weak. Sometimes it sounded as if it were right beside his ear, and other times it felt like a shout from a mountaintop directed at ants below.

Gaoyu tried to grasp the voice, but he couldn't.

My name is...

RUMBLE...

As the name was about to be spoken, it was as if thunder struck from the heavens, the violent roar drowning out the name.

Gaoyu slowly opened his eyes.

Though it felt like a short time, an hour and a half had passed in the outside world.

During this long period, he only felt that he had taken one step closer to Shikai.

But it wasn't enough to fully unleash his Asauchi!

Theoretically, battles between life and death would accelerate this process, but most Shinigami spent their time within Seireitei. Where would they find such life-or-death battles?

Sometimes you'd notice a peculiar situation: before Ichigo Kurosaki arrived, Seireitei seemed to have remained unchanged for hundreds, even thousands, of years.

Then, after Ichigo Kurosaki arrived, Captains who hadn't progressed much in over a decade or even decades suddenly began to grow stronger at an astonishing rate.

This wasn't strange at all.

The speed of improvement through mere training was very slow. This kind of orthodox training was far less effective than high-intensity combat.

Especially combat where one's very soul faced the crisis of disappearing.

When the soul faces the crisis of disappearing, Spiritual Power becomes much easier to increase. Therefore, after experiencing battles for survival, every Shinigami would become stronger.

After Ichigo Kurosaki's arrival, the Gotei 13 truly began to engage in continuous battles. With each battle, not only Ichigo Kurosaki was improving, but the members of the Gotei 13 were also progressing.

If Gaoyu wanted to become stronger quickly now, he had to consider this level of combat.

Although he had the Kirin Child skill, even if he grew stronger in sync with Tōshirō, he would only possess Captain-level Spiritual Power at the start of the story.

This wasn't what he wanted.

He needed to become stronger.

Moreover, he knew he would definitely have opportunities to go to the battlefield.

Aizen...

He had already become interested in him.

Gaoyu's heart sank.

Today, Aizen had appointed him as the Ninth Seat. While it wasn't a high position, it was enough to prove his previous guess was entirely correct.

Aizen really had his eye on him.

Metastacia was sent by him to deal with Gaoyu, and after Gaoyu easily defeated Metastacia, Aizen's interest grew even greater.

That's why he arranged for Gaoyu to be the Ninth Seat.

Being targeted by such a person clearly meant his future would not be smooth sailing.

However, what surprised him was that for several months afterward, Aizen didn't have him do anything significant.

He used these months to develop himself vigorously. First, he focused on building good relationships with the people in his division, as well as the "Shino Academy Four" and Rangiku and Shūhei.

As for Shunsui Kyoraku...

He had mentioned Kyoraku to Rangiku and Shūhei. Shūhei was still a bit reserved, but Rangiku casually said she had already had drinks with Shunsui Kyoraku several times.

So, he later secretly invited Kyoraku for drinks a few times, but his favorability increased very slowly. Even now, Shunsui Kyoraku's favorability towards him was only thirty.

Therefore, Gaoyu had basically given up on this Captain. This guy truly lived up to being an old man who had lived for hundreds of years, his main characteristic being a deeply fortified emotional wall.

During these months, he had raised Shūhei's favorability to 79, just a little short of 80.

There was no helping it; the higher it got, the harder it became to increase.

Those who suddenly jumped to eighty like Tōshirō were ultimately the minority.

Just as he thought his peaceful life could continue, at the end of the year, he received an order when he went to the division.

"A large-scale soul disappearance incident has occurred in the 'Flower Withering' district of Rukongai, East Sector 62. It is suspected to be a recurrence of the soul disappearance case from seventy years ago!"

"Shinigami from the Ninth Division have already been dispatched there, but the Captain-Commander is concerned about potential issues, so the Fifth Division will dispatch an additional small team."

Tetsu Tanimoto, Sixth Seat, patted Gaoyu's shoulder and said casually, "Don't worry too much. Although this is your first mission since becoming a Lieutenant, with Vice-Captain Gin Ichimaru here, everything will be fine."

It's precisely because he's here that I'm worried.

Gaoyu glanced at the眯眯眼 Gin Ichimaru, completely unable to guess what this man was thinking at the moment.

If anyone believed this mission wasn't arranged by Aizen, even the gods wouldn't believe it!

This soul disappearance case, wasn't it Aizen's doing?

And District 62, isn't that where Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku came from, and also where Aizen used to collect souls!

But, is it finally coming?

Aizen's next test, or should I say...

A game?

This time, the Fifth Division's support team includes Vice-Captain Gin Ichimaru, Fourth Seat, Fifth Seat, Sixth Seat, and Ninth Seat, along with over sixty Fifth Division members.

This lineup can be considered quite luxurious.

However, this is in response to the soul disappearance case from sixty to seventy years ago that caused several Captains to 'Hollowfy'. While it might not be the same case, even a slight possibility is enough for the Gotei 13 to take it seriously.

"Are we leaving now?"

Gaoyu asked, feigning nervousness.

"Yes," Toru Tanimoto nodded. "Let's go, Captain Ichimaru should be waiting for us already."

Gaoyu quickly followed Toru Tanimoto to the assembly point. Gin Ichimaru was sitting on a step, leisurely greeting the arriving Shinigami.

"Everyone, rest assured, as long as I'm here, you won't be in any danger."

The Fifth Division members couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Toru Tanimoto said loudly, "With Vice-Captain Ichimaru here, it's not a problem even if the mastermind of the original soul disappearance case, Kisuke Urahara, were still here!"

"Yeah, I heard Captain Ichimaru has already mastered his Bankai. As soon as a Captain position opens up, he can become a Captain in another division."

"Captain Ichimaru is truly a genius. I heard he graduated from Shino Academy in just one year!"

People began to discuss excitedly. The members of the Fifth Division greatly admired Aizen, and by extension, they also trusted Vice-Captain Ichimaru, who looked rather cunning.

Gaoyu joined the discussion. With a glance out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Gin Ichimaru smiling with his eyes narrowed...

Looking at him!