Trade

"Alright, I know you're good, let's talk about serious matters."

Tsuna honestly said that Aizen was indeed powerful; even with his Zanpakuto's title sealed by its spirit, he was still able to find a path to become stronger.

But to Aizen, these words sounded completely off. They were meant to be a compliment, but they didn't make him happy at all.

"You know that's good. Besides, it was you who steered the conversation off-topic!" Tsuna's words, whether affirmative or negative, sounded strange, so Aizen could only respond with a nonchalant tone.

"I haven't strayed from the topic. Your strength is crucial to the content of our upcoming transaction. Clearly, I've gained more weight in my hands now."

Seeing Tsuna pointing to his own chest, Aizen knew that Tsuna was indicating the progress of the Hogyoku fusion. But the fusion of the Hogyoku wasn't something that could be learned as easily as Bankai.

It had already taken Aizen a great deal of effort to get the Hogyoku to accept him as its host. As for the deeper integration that followed, Aizen couldn't rush it; he knew there was still a long way to go.

"A deal? I had no idea you had anything that would interest me."

Actually, there are some. For example, Aizen was very interested in the training method of Zanpakuto fusion that Tsuna just mentioned. However, firstly, he didn't have a sword spirit, and secondly, he had just said that his method was more suitable for him. Even Aizen was too embarrassed to immediately ask Tsuna for details.

"Of course we came to you because we were somewhat confident." Tsuna Urahara Kisuke and said, "Manager."

Urahara Kisuke pulled a small jar from his pocket and threw it at Aizen. Aizen didn't catch it with his hands, but instead used his dense spiritual pressure to hold the jar in place in front of him.

"Don't worry, there are no traps inside. Surely Aizen isn't too afraid to even open a jar?" Urahara Kisuke said sarcastically with a smile.

"Joke!"

With a flash of cold light, Aizen cleaved open the seal of the jar with a single stroke, revealing a small piece of mud inside.

A rich Reishi clung to the soil, and even amidst Aizen's spiritual pressure, this scent was clearly perceptible.

"Seireitei?" Aizen immediately understood the bargaining chip Tsuna and the others were using. "You've found a new Seireitei?"

A large amount of Reishi are the key material for creating the King's Body, and the protective suit made by the King's Body is the key to passing through the Soul Society and the Soul King Palace.

The simplest way to complete the King's Key in the shortest time is to use a piece of Seireitei as raw material, thus avoiding the need to spend a lot of time collecting Reishi.

Aizen's original target was Karakura Town in the World of the Living, but his deal with Tsuna on Sogyoku Hill forced him to find another way.

During his time in Hueco Mundo, Aizen has focused all his energy on fusing the Hogyoku. Now that the Hogyoku has been initially fused, he is preparing to find another Seireitei during this long fusion period.

If he can't find it, it's not a big deal. Aizen and Tsuna's deal was just a verbal agreement. Once he fully integrates with the Hogyoku, he won't need to worry about Little Ichi Sawada Tsunayoshi.

At least that's what Aizen thought before he met Tsuna.

To Aizen's surprise, Sawada Tsunayoshi seemed to have mastered the power of Zanpakuto fusion, and they even presented him with clues to another Seireitei.

"Are you trying to fool me with Karakura Town?" Aizen demanded.

He asked this because Kaname Tōsen had already set off to find a new Seireitei, but the best location at present was still Karakura Town.

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Do you think I'd mess with you for no reason? Let me tell you more, this was found in Hueco Mundo."

"Impossible!"

Aizen immediately refuted Tsuna's statement. Kaname Tōsen searched almost the entire Hueco Mundo but had not found a suitable place. Kaname Tōsen trusted Aizen unconditionally.

(This is really abstract. Kaname Tōsen could observe the Forest of the Hollows with a telescope, then was he blind or not?)

"Nothing is impossible. This is a new sample that the store manager and I have created," Tsuna said.

"Conversion?" Aizen immediately grasped the crux of the problem. "How much can you provide?"

Aizen didn't even ask about the key technologies. Since Tsuna was there to make a trade, he could just ask him what he was trading. He didn't want the Seireitei that Tsuna provided to be unable to even make a single piece of protective gear.

Tsuna silently calculated in his mind that the Forest of the Hollows was buried deep underground, and he really didn't know its exact extent, "It shouldn't be much worse than Karakura Town."

"Should?"

Aizen was somewhat dissatisfied with this statement, but as long as it could be compared to Karakura Town, and being able to produce one person's share of the King's Key was enough.

"What you're trading is the Seireitei, right? State your terms."

Tsuna and Urahara Kisuke could provide Seireitei, Aizen wouldn't mind making a deal with them, mainly because Sawada Tsunayoshi's strength was somewhat troublesome.

With Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto already giving Aizen a headache, adding Sawada Tsunayoshi on top of that makes it even less certain that he can seize the land in Karakura Town.

"The conditions are easy to discuss."

"First, hand over that fox under your command; second, the Soul King's Fingertip; third, after you complete the King's Key, Las Noches and the Espada will be managed by Soul Society."

Aizen squinted, his fingers tapping incessantly on the armrest, and rejected Tsuna's condition without a second thought.

"One Seireitei in exchange for three conditions? Sawada Tsunayoshi, aren't you being a bit too far-fetched?"

While saying this, Aizen was also silently calculating the legitimacy of the deal. The fox undoubtedly referred to Gin Ichimaru, and the Soul King's Fingertip was probably also something he had asked for from Gin Ichimaru.

To be honest, Gin Ichimaru was just a useful subordinate under Aizen, unlike Kaname Tōsen. Aizen knew all along that this fox had approached him with an ulterior motive.

Just like Sora Inoue, Aizen didn't care whether Gin Ichimaru had ulterior motives or not, as long as it was useful to him. No matter what their purpose was, they were no match for him who possessed the Hogyoku.

As for the Soul King's Fingertip, it was originally used to research the Hogyoku, but Aizen incorporated it into the Hogyoku. Now that the Hogyoku is complete, this fingertip has become dispensable.

Even if you remove your fingertip from the Hogyoku, the Hogyoku can always manifest new power to fill the gap in your fingertip.

As for Las Noches and the Espada, they were merely byproducts of Aizen's research. After Aizen merged with the Hogyoku, these Arrancar had only one value: to delay the Bleach from hindering his progress.

In other words, whether it's Gin Ichimaru, the Soul King's Fingertip, or the Arrancar organization, they are all things that Aizen can discard.

Aizen had to admire Tsuna's idea: exchanging a bunch of useless things for the vital Seireitei, which hit him right where it hurt.

"Strictly speaking, there are only two conditions. One and two can be combined. That fox came for the fingertip. If I take it, it will naturally follow the scent." Tsuna explained, holding up two fingers.

The number of conditions was reduced from three to two, which significantly decreased the acceptable level of acceptance.

Reminded by Tsuna, Aizen recalled the image of the hot-bodied Vice-Captain of the 10th Division. It turned out that Gin Ichimaru had approached him for Rangiku Matsumoto's sake. This was not just a fox, but a venomous snake, who had been deeply hiding his true purpose.

Aizen couldn't possibly remember the relationship between Rangiku and Gin Ichimaru when they were young; taking the Soul King's Fingertip was a trivial matter to him.

Because the Soul King's Fingertip was taken from Rangiku's body, and since it already contained Rangiku's Reishi, Aizen recognized Rangiku back in Soul Society.

Aizen only sensed that Gin Ichimaru was rebellious, but he didn't know why Gin Ichimaru would betray him. During the Seireitei period, Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku maintained a distance, so he naturally didn't connect the two. Now, the clues have connected.

"What? Is that fox worth all this help? Or have you taken a fancy to Rangiku Matsumoto?"

Aizen was in a rare mood to joke. Tsuna's conditions were practically nothing to him; he got a piece of Seireitei for free, and he couldn't be happier. He even forgot about how Tsuna had accelerated his progress.

Aizen's casual joke didn't cause much of a stir for Tsuna, but it did stir the heart of a certain fox lurking in the shadows.

A faint tapping sound rang out on the wall. Everyone present was a powerful individual, and such a commotion could not escape their ears.

"Stop joking, that woman who loves to get drunk, I don't like her at all." After saying that, Tsuna turned his head and called out to the shadows, "Since you're here, come out for a stroll, we can talk about you."

A series of heavy footsteps sounded, and Gin Ichimaru, dressed in the uniform of Las Noches, emerged from the shadows. He still had his eyes narrowed, but the smile on his lips was gone, and his mood was very complicated.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, why did you do this?" Gin Ichimaru asked.

"Who told me I can't stand seeing women cry?" Tsuna said helplessly. "I promised Rangiku I'd bring you back safe and sound. She seems carefree, but her heart is always with you. You worrisome fox."

Gin Ichimaru's clenched fist trembled beneath his long sleeves. He knew Rangiku's feelings, of course, but to protect Rangiku, he never dared to confront Rangiku, fearing that Aizen might discover them one day and use them as a tool to threaten him.

"Don't overthink it. Your idea of stabbing someone in the back is pointless. You'll risk your life and still not get back what's important to Rangiku." Tsuna patted Gin Ichimaru on the shoulder and said, "Just take your fingertips and go back. There's a woman waiting for you in Soul Society."

In Tsuna's opinion, it would be a waste to use Gin Ichimaru's life to ambush Aizen. His Shinsō, like Rukia's Hollowfication ability, has a terrifying first-meeting killing effect.

When it comes to fighting the Quincy, as long as Gin Ichimaru stays hidden and suddenly fires a Shinsō, he can at least take down a member of the Knights of the Order. If he's bolder, it's even possible to take down an entire Royal Guard.

With such a useful assassination genius, Tsuna wouldn't bear to leave him by Aizen's side as a double agent. Wouldn't it be better for him to return to Soul Society sooner to gather intelligence from the Quincy and develop assassination plans, rather than have him do menial tasks for Aizen?