"So that's how it is..."
Gaoyu narrowed his eyes, then asked, "Can I go take a look?"
Aizen looked up at Gaoyu. "I was planning to send Tanimoto to check it out. But if you want to go, that's fine."
The Fifth Division was a rescue squad, so there was nothing wrong with going to support another division at a time like this.
Gaoyu had never met Shiba Miyako before, so he wasn't particularly saddened by her death.
Gaoyu...
Even now, he only felt any real connection to the world through the people around him.
But if Shiba Miyako was dead, Shiba Kaien would surely seek revenge.
And if that happened, Shiba Kaien might die.
This was a great opportunity to raise Shiba Kaien and Kuchiki Rukia's Affection.
Besides, the Hollow behind this might be White. Gaoyu wanted to go and take a look. What if Shiba Kaien killed White?
He hadn't raised White's Affection to eighty yet. If he didn't get it to eighty, he wouldn't be able to obtain the ability to Hollowfy without injury.
Two hours later, Gaoyu had arrived at the Thirteenth Division.
He also met Jūshirō Ukitake for the first time.
Jūshirō Ukitake's ability was... "Host."
"Host: You can assimilate an object into your soul and gain its properties."
"Note: When Affection is below eighty, the assimilated object will be expelled after three days. When Affection reaches eighty or above, it can be assimilated permanently."
This ability...
It suited Jūshirō Ukitake's circumstances rather well.
Jūshirō Ukitake was the captain of the Gotei 13's Thirteenth Division, but at the same time, his soul also contained Mimihagi, the Soul King's right arm.
His ability would let Gaoyu fuse with an external object, too. He wondered if it could contain a Zanpakuto.
If it could, would that mean he'd reached the Person-Blade Fusion realm outright?
It didn't seem worth it. It would be a waste.
Gaoyu thought it over. He had other ways to fuse with a Zanpakuto—for example, he could obtain Final Zanpakuto Fusion from Isshin Shiba, break through the limits of a Soul Reaper, or perform the ancient Person-Blade Fusion ritual in Seireitei.
There was no need to waste a use of the Host ability.
The ability's description said he could assimilate an object into his soul. That should include both living and nonliving things, meaning he could even assimilate another soul into his body.
If he could assimilate Aizen into his soul, wouldn't that make him invincible?
Gaoyu chuckled to himself, then said to Jūshirō Ukitake, "Captain Ukitake, Captain Aizen knows how serious this matter is, so he sent me to offer assistance. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Jūshirō Ukitake still looked somewhat sorrowful. After all, the dead woman had been the Thirteenth Division's Third Seat.
He had even planned to step down and let Kaien take over as captain, which showed how much he valued Kaien.
When Gaoyu arrived, Ukitake was also surprised. He hadn't expected Aizen to send his own Vice-Captain to help them.
Jūshirō Ukitake nodded. "This opponent is different from the Hollows we've encountered before. He's very cunning, and we're doing our best to pinpoint his location."
"I've already asked the Eighth Division for help. I'm sure it won't be long before we find out where he is."
The Eighth Division handled intelligence. They were the right people to ask when it came to tracking someone down.
Gaoyu nodded. "I'll remain on standby here at the Thirteenth Division. Captain Aizen told me to follow your orders."
Before Ukitake could respond, the door swung open. Shiba Kaien, wearing a Shinigami Uniform, hurried inside. Anger and sorrow were written all over his face.
"Captain!"
"Let me handle this alone!"
"Captain Ukitake! Vice-Captain Kaien!" Kuchiki Rukia called from behind him.
Rukia had run in after Shiba Kaien, but she was surprised to see Gaoyu in the office as well. She then stood behind Kaien without saying a word.
"..." Ukitake looked at his grieving subordinate and sighed softly. "Kaien, this is no ordinary incident."
"Thirty-four members of the Thirteenth Division and sixteen members of the Fifth Division who came to support us have all been killed. Our opponent isn't an ordinary Menos. His strength is terrifying, and he's also cunning! This isn't something you can handle alone."
"So what?!" Shiba Kaien shouted. "They're all dead! If I can't avenge them with my own hands, then what was the point of becoming a Soul Reaper?"
"..." Ukitake was moved by the determination in Kaien's eyes.
They stared at each other, and in the end, Ukitake nodded.
"Once we've found out more about our opponent, I'll let you know immediately."
"Thank you, Captain..." Shiba Kaien said softly.
Then he left.
Kuchiki Rukia glanced at Gaoyu, then hurried after Shiba Kaien.
"I'm sorry. Miyako's death has left Kaien quite distraught," Jūshirō Ukitake said quietly to Gaoyu.
"That's only natural..."
Gaoyu spoke just as softly. "The one who died was Vice-Captain Shiba's wife, after all. No one else can truly understand his grief."
"I'm glad you understand," Ukitake said. "So I accept your Fifth Division's kind offer, but... this is still a matter for the Thirteenth Division to resolve."
"I refuse," Gaoyu said. "People from the Fifth Division died in this incident, too. I understand Vice-Captain Shiba's grief, but at the very least... I should see that Hollow destroyed with my own eyes."
"Very well." Ukitake nodded.
"I'll let you know when we learn anything."
Gaoyu didn't return to the Fifth Division after that. Instead, he waited at the Thirteenth Division.
That day, he saw many of the Thirteenth Division's seated officers.
He also saw the Soul Abilities of Kotsubaki Sentaro and Kotetsu Kiyone.
Although there were two of them, their Soul Abilities had the same name.
"Captain Assistant ①: When used while assisting your captain and completing tasks assigned by your captain, you'll do your very best."
"Captain Assistant ②: When used, you can quickly appear beside your captain."
Well, that was useful. Very much a background-character kind of ability.
Although the two of them were supporting characters with a fair amount of prominence in the original story, they barely had any presence. They were basically just Jūshirō Ukitake's two accessories.
Gaoyu wasn't surprised that they had abilities like these.
Besides, he thought both abilities were pretty good.
Captain Assistant ① would make Gaoyu more capable when carrying out tasks—provided they were assigned by Aizen.
Captain Assistant ② was even better: it let Gaoyu appear right beside Aizen regardless of distance, which was basically teleportation.
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