The Mastermind, Azashiro Kenpachi! (Revised)

More than half a year has passed since Azashiro Kenpachi assumed the position of captain of the 11th Division.

Yet, even so, in the hearts of all the members of the 11th Division, this Kenpachi remains an extremely mysterious figure.

The relationship between the many members and him has not grown any closer.

In daily life, one rarely even sees the man himself.

Even Natsuki, as the 3rd Seat, who frequently goes to the captain's office to assist the lieutenant, Gosu Sho, finds this to be the case, let alone the rest of the members.

Recalling that report and combining it with the Reiatsu sensed this time, a few guesses immediately formed in Natsuki's mind.

Thus, two choices were laid out before him.

The first choice was to ignore it.

The second choice was to investigate the matter thoroughly.

However, after pondering for a moment, Natsuki chose to ignore it.

After all, the intersection between him and Azashiro Kenpachi was limited to just that.

He had not established any particularly deep connection with this world, either.

The only person he had some relation to, Watanabe Yuji, had also returned to the Expeditionary Force.

Meddling in other people's business did not seem like a good thing.

Earlier, he had discovered the whereabouts of Azashiro Kenpachi out of curiosity; thinking back on it now, it seemed a bit reckless.

There was no need to pay attention to the traces of Azashiro Kenpachi's Reiatsu once again.

He would just pretend he had never discovered this matter.

That was what Natsuki thought.

However, he did not know that the moment he discovered Azashiro Kenpachi's Reiatsu, the man had actually already discovered him.

In a residential house in the Rukon District.

The soul living within let out a painful scream. As he screamed, white substance continuously surged out from his body. In just a short moment, his body underwent a heaven-shaking transformation; compared to before, it had expanded by a large margin, and his entire appearance was closer to a monster than the human form he had previously held.

"Did it fail?"

A figure wearing a captain's haori whispered to himself.

After he spoke these words, a sharp woman's voice mocked him incessantly in his ear: "Ehehe, is this our Kenpachi? It's truly laughable. After such a long time, you haven't succeeded even once. And yet, you still firmly believe that you can transform these souls of the Rukon District into weapons?"

"I advise you to give up sooner rather than later."

"If you give up now, you are still the captain of the 11th Division, a person of undisputed status!"

"Hahahaha!"

First came the mocking words, and then, she burst into loud laughter.

If it were someone with a slightly worse temper, they would absolutely be unable to endure such cold sarcasm, but Azashiro Kenpachi endured it. His expression was calm, without the slightest hint of anger.

This was because he had been with the woman for a very long time; from the moment his Zanpakuto first awakened, the woman had been by his side.

At that time, all of his family had died.

It could be said that it was the woman's existence that allowed him to feel the last trace of warmth, keeping him from being lonely and desolate.

Therefore, he could tolerate the woman's foul mouth.

Watching the soul before him that was constantly changing and on the verge of evolving into a Hollow, Azashiro Kenpachi raised his hand. A Zanpakuto condensed from Reishi appeared in his hand. With a single slash, the other party's painful voice came to an abrupt end, eventually turning into Reishi and dissipating completely.

He left the house.

The man was preparing to find other souls to continue his experiments.

This was the Rukon District; if there was one thing they didn't lack, it was souls.

Just at this moment, the man's brows furrowed slightly.

Behind him, the woman's voice rang out again, "Aiya, it seems to be that young man from before."

"It seems he is the 3rd Seat of your division."

"He appears to be in the vicinity. Has he discovered what you have been doing?"

The man did not speak. He remained expressionless, not knowing what exactly he was thinking.

In the Rukon District, after Natsuki sensed Azashiro Kenpachi's Reiatsu, he prepared to leave and act as if he had never discovered these matters. In any case, even if Azashiro Kenpachi did something excessive, the Gotei 13 would handle it themselves.

It had nothing to do with him.

He only needed to keep to himself.

However, just at this moment, a cold voice reached his ears: "3rd Seat Natsuki, are you looking for me?"

When Natsuki heard this voice, his pupils contracted slightly, and then he looked sharply in that direction.

"Captain Azashiro!"

Natsuki addressed the man.

After finishing the greeting, Natsuki feigned ignorance and said, "Captain Azashiro, why are you here?"

Azashiro Kenpachi replied coldly, "I am conducting an experiment here."

"I see. Then please continue, Captain Azashiro; don't mind me." Upon hearing this, Natsuki prepared to take his leave.

However, Azashiro Kenpachi had no intention of letting him off so easily.

"Do you not wish to know what kind of experiment I am conducting?" he asked Natsuki.

Natsuki replied, "Whatever a captain does must have its purpose. I am merely a Seated Officer; it is not my place to concern myself with such matters."

"Is it that you cannot concern yourself, or that you have discovered a clue but are unwilling to invite trouble, and thus choose not to interfere?" Azashiro Kenpachi's sharp gaze fell upon Natsuki.

"Why would you say that, Captain Azashiro?" Natsuki asked.

Azashiro Kenpachi provided an explanation, "You clearly sensed my Reiatsu earlier, yet you deliberately avoided approaching this area, and there was a moment of hesitation. This suggests that you have likely guessed some things, yet you do not wish to acknowledge them."

These words left Natsuki's mind in a state of shock.

He had indeed sensed Azashiro Kenpachi's Reiatsu.

Of course, it was not this that shocked him.

It was the fact that Azashiro Kenpachi seemed to be standing right beside him, fully aware of everything that had transpired.

How exactly did the other party know?

That was right; back in the division, he had always felt something was strange.

Even when Azashiro Kenpachi was not present, he always seemed to know the ins and outs of every situation, down to the smallest detail.

Azashiro Kenpachi continued, addressing Natsuki, "You are a very clever person."

"I asked you some questions previously, yet I did not receive a clear answer from your lips."

"However, it matters not. Since you have discerned some of the things I have been doing in the Rukon District, regardless of whether you wish to interfere, the moment you became aware of them, you could no longer escape."

Azashiro Kenpachi spoke to Natsuki in a cold, indifferent tone.

Natsuki took a deep breath.

He knew he could not escape today.

So, why did his Spiritual Perception have to be so sensitive?

Why did he have to come to the Rukon District to carry out a mission today?

Facing Azashiro Kenpachi's aggressive pressure, he could only calmly admit that he had formed some suspicions.

He continued, "Recently, there have been many incidents of souls disappearing in the Rukon District. Is Captain Azashiro aware of these matters?"

His original intention was merely to probe and give Azashiro Kenpachi a way out.

He had not expected the other party's answer to be so unexpected.

"These things were done by me."

Azashiro Kenpachi admitted it frankly.

Natsuki was stunned once again. After a long silence, he asked Azashiro Kenpachi in a complicated tone, "Why?"

"As the captain of the 11th Division, bearing the name of Kenpachi, and judging by your attire, you are clearly of noble birth. I cannot understand what the significance of doing these things is for you."