Chaos in the Human World (Seeking Follow-ups!)

Ea!?

For some reason, upon hearing this name, Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba felt the aura of ancient eons, and their minds could not help but tremble slightly.

Following the sound, they saw Gilgamesh and Yoruichi Shihouin walking side by side, stopping before the crater where they stood. Those deep, beautiful, wine-red eyes, resembling rubies, were fixed upon them.

Perhaps it was due to the strength Gilgamesh had displayed, or perhaps it was his inherent Charisma.

In the eyes of Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba at this moment, even though Gilgamesh was clearly just a beautiful youth, he exuded an awe-inspiring presence that commanded respect without anger.

It even gave them the illusion of facing Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, causing their heartstrings to tighten involuntarily.

Taking a deep breath and struggling to calm his taut nerves, Isshin Shiba looked at Gilgamesh and asked with a serious expression, "I wish to confirm one thing."

"Ancient King of Heroes, are you truly capable of seeing the future?"

Isshin Shiba used honorifics in his address.

By now, Isshin Shiba had come to believe that Gilgamesh was indeed the oldest King of Heroes of humanity—Gilgamesh.

As such, Isshin Shiba was merely a junior before the six-thousand-year-old Gilgamesh, so using honorifics was entirely appropriate.

Taking a step back, even if Gilgamesh's identity were false, his strength had already earned Isshin Shiba's respect.

Gilgamesh nodded lightly in response: "I am indeed capable of seeing the future, but for now, I can only passively witness fragments of what is to come."

"Thus, I know of the tragedies in your futures, but I do not know the specific time or place."

Gilgamesh was correct; the original Bleach canon never specified the exact time or location of these two incidents.

Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba exchanged glances, both seeing the weight of the situation in the other's eyes.

When it concerned their family, and specifically their wives, they could not help but be deeply troubled.

Although Isshin Shiba was not yet married and had not even met his future wife, the description provided by Gilgamesh was enough to convey the depth of the bond he would share with her.

He simply had not expected his future wife to be a human.

As the captain of the 10th Division, Isshin Shiba knew very well that Shinigami were forbidden from marrying humans. If discovered, the consequences would be severe; not only would they face pursuit by the Soul Society, but they could even be subjected to harsh punishment.

He did not know what would happen in the future to drive him to overcome such obstacles to marry a human.

But this served as side evidence of the profound feelings he would have for his wife.

After a brief silence, Kaien Shiba suddenly asked, "May I know why you chose to tell me about the future?"

Through the illumination of the Star of Omniscience, Gilgamesh perceived Kaien Shiba's inner thoughts.

He knew that the deeper meaning behind Kaien Shiba's question was, 'Are you not afraid that I might spread this information?'

In Kaien Shiba's view, for someone with such strength as Gilgamesh to join the Shin'o Academy, he must have some ulterior motive.

Therefore, before achieving his goal, it would be best to hide one's true strength and methods, rather than acting as he was now, which left Kaien Shiba feeling puzzled.

Hearing this, Gilgamesh smiled slightly: "The main reason this King has come to the Shin'o Academy is to recruit talent."

"Although the Shiba Clan has declined, the bloodline remains. Their innate talent is incomparable to that of ordinary wandering souls, making them one of this King's targets."

"Telling you of the future is this King's show of sincerity."

Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba looked at each other, both feeling the absurdity of the situation, and for a moment, they did not know what to say.

Although the Shiba Clan had fallen, they were, after all, once one of the Five Great Noble Families of the Soul Society.

As the saying goes, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse.

In the past, no faction had ever dared to ask the Shiba Clan to defect or pledge loyalty, and even if they had, the Shiba Clan would never have agreed.

The Shiba Clan had their own bottom line and pride.

Most importantly, the two of them—the head of the main house and the head of a branch family—were currently serving in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; it was impossible for them to join another faction.

At least, not for now.

Gilgamesh knew that conquering the Shiba Clan would not happen overnight.

Before they could speak, Gilgamesh continued: "This King's sincerity is merely a stepping stone to show you my attitude, not to demand that the Shiba Clan serve me immediately."

"This King is confident that one day in the future, the Shiba Clan will willingly pledge their loyalty to me."

"That is all for today. If I happen to see more of your futures, I will inform you again."

With that, Gilgamesh turned to Yoruichi Shihouin beside him and said, "Let us go."

Yoruichi Shihouin nodded lightly, reached out to carry Gilgamesh, and used Flash Step to depart from the scene.

Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba stood there, watching their retreating figures, speechless for a long time.

Although their inner doubts had just been addressed, even more questions followed in their wake.

What was the faction behind Gilgamesh?

Why did he want the Shiba Clan to serve him?

Why had they never heard of his existence before?

What was the nature of his methods and abilities?

The doubts constantly surfacing in his mind made Isshin Shiba, who never liked to overthink things, rub his throbbing temples and say to Kaien Shiba, "Let's head back first."

Kaien Shiba nodded gently.

Immediately, they both utilized Flash Step and departed.

They shared a tacit understanding not to bring up the events of this evening again.

Although they were willing to trust Gilgamesh, they still found it hard to imagine that the ever-amiable Sosuke Aizen could be the mastermind behind it all.

Because of this, they would not speak of tonight's events until they had investigated the matter thoroughly, so as not to alert the enemy.

And this was exactly as Gilgamesh had anticipated.

10th Division barracks.

Isshin Shiba returned to his quarters in silence. Just as he was about to push the door open, he heard a mature, alluring, yet weary and resentful female voice ring out: "Captain Shiba, you've finally returned!"

Isshin Shiba was startled, then sheepishly looked toward Rangiku Matsumoto, who stepped out from the shadows.

He could feel the boiling resentment Rangiku Matsumoto held toward him.

Over the past two days, because of the situation with Kaien Shiba, Isshin Shiba had dumped all the division's affairs onto Rangiku Matsumoto and played the part of a ghost, appearing and disappearing at will.

Rangiku Matsumoto, meanwhile, had been handling the division's affairs for the past two days, barely getting any sleep.

This had caused her skin and hair quality to deteriorate, and she had even developed dark circles under her eyes.

How could the beauty-conscious Rangiku Matsumoto accept this? She was filled with a bellyful of resentment.

Now that she had finally caught Isshin Shiba, Rangiku Matsumoto intended to vent her frustrations properly.

But before she could vent, she saw Isshin Shiba's disheveled appearance and was taken aback.

His Shihakusho and Captain's Haori were filthy and torn, and his exposed skin, stained with dust, was covered in numerous wounds.

He looked as if he had just been through a major battle.

But how could that be?

If such a battle had truly broken out just now, the entire Seireitei would surely be in an uproar; how could it be as quiet as it was now?

Rangiku Matsumoto froze, and the resentment she had intended to vent faded away before she knew it.

Isshin Shiba certainly knew what Rangiku Matsumoto was thinking, but he would not tell her the truth.

Rolling his eyes slightly, Isshin Shiba preempted her before she could speak, asking in a serious tone, "Rangiku, you came to my quarters so late—is there something important?"

Rangiku Matsumoto replied instinctively, "Not long ago, I received news that Yuki Konno, the Bleach stationed in Naruki City in the Human World, was attacked and killed by an unknown assailant. I wanted to ask the Captain how we should handle this."

Isshin Shiba didn't think much of it; it was normal for Bleach stationed in the Human World to die, and the culprit was usually a Hollow.

Opening his mouth slightly, Isshin Shiba was about to send someone to investigate.

But soon, as if he had thought of something, he changed his tune: "I am aware of this matter. I will go investigate it personally."

Rangiku Matsumoto came to her senses and, ignoring everything else, couldn't help but ask, "Captain, you're going to the Human World? Will the Head Captain agree to that?"

The influence of a Captain-level powerhouse on the Human World was too great; any trip there required the approval of Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

Rangiku Matsumoto did not believe Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto would agree to let Isshin Shiba investigate this matter.

Indeed, while a Bleach had been killed, having a Captain personally investigate was undoubtedly making a mountain out of a molehill; it was completely unnecessary.

To this, Isshin Shiba only offered a mysterious smile: "I have my own ways."

He was determined to go to the Human World.

It wasn't that he placed great importance on this specific death; rather, he wanted to go to the Human World to search for information regarding Gilgamesh.

If Gilgamesh's identity was true, then information about him must exist within the human history of the Human World.

He wanted to see what kind of glorious deeds this King, crowned as the 'oldest King of Heroes in human history,' had truly accomplished.

Most importantly, he hoped to find clues about Gilgamesh's mysterious methods and divine artifacts within his past exploits.