Heading to the Mortal World

The process of Aoto and Shiro fighting... there was no process to speak of.

Shiro would try to attack, and Aoto would suddenly appear at his side, striking Shiro's stomach with the hilt of his blade, knocking him unconscious instantly.

What? Your Zanpakuto is powerful?

Isn't it enough if I just don't let you use it?

Shiro would still be defiant after waking up, so the same result followed, only this time Aoto switched to a kidney strike.

The human body has far too many weaknesses; Aoto could repeat the same scenario on Shiro dozens of times without issue.

Moreover, the key point was that the gap in their spiritual pressure was simply too vast!

Even if Shiro used his spiritual pressure to coat his entire body for defense, Aoto could pinpoint a single spot and shatter that defense without the slightest effort.

After spending most of his time unconscious for three consecutive days, Shiro finally understood the gap between himself and his master.

Shiro suspected that his master refused to explain exactly what level his spiritual power was at just to find excuses to beat him up.

"Good, you're not stupid!"

After Aoto finished laughing, he found another opponent for Shiro.

The 8th Seat of the 11th Division, Ganjuro.

His Zanpakuto was of the ice and snow type; after Shikai, it could coat the blade in freezing cold winds, rapidly lowering the temperature of whatever it struck. Generally speaking, the lower the temperature, the more brittle an object becomes, so not to mention Hollows, it could even easily slice through steel alloys... so it could be considered a direct-attack type.

Since it shared the same elemental attribute as Shiro's Zanpakuto, sparring would surely be interesting.

Although Shiro was not yet a seated officer, Ganjuro knew he was extraordinary because he was a disciple of the 4th Seat Hyakume and was already capable of Shikai!

Aoto patted Ganjuro on the shoulder and smiled as he entrusted him with the task, "I'll leave Shiro to you for a few days!"

"Don't worry, Lord Hyakume, I will teach Hitsugaya well!" Ganjuro replied to Aoto very respectfully.

"Actually, I'm worried about you!" Aoto whispered to Ganjuro, "Shiro's strength fluctuates wildly. Keep an eye on him whenever you fight, and if an emergency arises, don't hold back—put on that armor of yours!"

"Yes! Boss Hyakume!" Ganjuro responded earnestly.

He was also discovered by Aoto and was a very loyal subordinate.

"Master, where are you going?" Shiro asked, puzzled, as there were no emergency missions for the 11th Division recently.

"It's a mission in the World of the Living!" Aoto yawned, "The 13th Division conducts regular inspections of the World of the Living every few years, and the 11th Division is required to assist in case of any emergencies. Ever since that guy Shiba Kaien became a lieutenant, he's requested my help every single time!"

Aoto flashed a smile at Shiro, his teeth reflecting a white glint, "Although it's a hassle, I can bring back some things from the World of the Living! I can sell them for a huge profit every time!"

"Isn't that just smuggling?" Shiro rolled his eyes.

Aoto raised his voice, "How can the affairs of a Soul Reaper be called smuggling? This is, at most... well, it's a perk for us. The Central 46 hasn't said anything, so why are you running your mouth, kid?"

Ruffling Shiro's hair into a bird's nest, Aoto headed toward the 13th Division barracks, feeling refreshed.

Shiro watched Aoto's departing back with annoyance, an unnameable emotion swirling in his eyes.

"Don't worry! Lord Hyakume will be fine," Ganjuro said, truly respectful of Aoto, "His strength is no weaker than an average captain's!"

Hearing this, Shiro turned back to look at Ganjuro, "Are you saying Master can use Bankai?"

"He definitely can!" Ganjuro nodded firmly, "But Lord Hyakume has never shown us his Bankai. It is said that because his Bankai is too powerful, he was forbidden from using it within the Seireitei before becoming a captain."

"And after becoming a captain?"

"Captains are forbidden from using Bankai within the Seireitei in the first place!"

Oh, so regardless of who it is, Bankai isn't allowed to be used casually in the Seireitei!

The rules really are strict.

Shiro thought about the Soul Reaper regulations he had learned over the past few days and felt that his master staying at the position of 4th Seat was truly wise.

It saved him from quite a few constraints!

"I really envy you, Aoto. Even though you're stronger than me, you don't have to have your spiritual pressure sealed."

Inside the Senkaimon, Shiba Kaien looked at the very relaxed Aoto and couldn't help but sigh.

When captains and lieutenants of all divisions pass through the Senkaimon, they have the division's flower crest branded onto a part of their body as a restrictive spiritual seal, reducing their spiritual pressure to one-fifth of its original level to prevent large-scale destruction in the World of the Living.

Currently, a Snowdrop mark had appeared on Shiba's arm.

Aoto, however, had nothing on him.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Aoto shot a glare at Shiba Kaien, "You're a lieutenant, and I'm only a 4th Seat; how could I possibly be stronger than you?"

As long as the Central 46 needed Aoto to monitor Zaraki Kenpachi, he would not be transferred to another division to serve as a lieutenant.

And since the duo of Zaraki Kenpachi and Yachiru Kusajishi could not be broken up, Aoto remained at ease.

Shiba Kaien didn't know what to say to Aoto anymore... he could only continue to express his envy!

"Alright, since we've arrived in the World of the Living, I'm going to go into hiding!" Aoto said, looking at the other members of the 13th Division, "If there's anything wrong, contact me using the Command Divine Machine, and I will arrive as fast as I can... That is all!"

With that, Aoto vanished from the sight of the 13th Division members.

The 13th Division members who had been to the World of the Living with Aoto before said nothing.

This had already become the standard procedure!

The reinforcements from the 11th Division remained hidden; should anything truly happen, these concealed reserves exerted a far greater deterrent effect than those walking openly by one's side.

Of course, only Kaien knew that these were all just excuses.

That guy Aoto was simply going to meet an acquaintance of his!

Landing atop a building in the World of the Living, Aoto leaped into the shadow of a large tree, only to jump back out again a moment later.

However, once Aoto had been gone from the spot for a short while, another Aoto emerged from the shadows.

He was now wearing a Gigai suited for the World of the Living, completely sealing off his spiritual pressure so that it was impossible to tell he wasn't a human being.

Looking at the attire on his body, Aoto felt quite repulsed.

After wandering around for half an hour using the movement methods of a human, Aoto arrived outside an abandoned munitions factory.

But the moment he opened the Gate of Opening, Aoto was met with an attack.

"Why are you so slow! Big Eyes!"

A young girl in red clothes delivered a flying kick directly to Aoto's head.

It was strange, as such an attack should have been easy to dodge, yet Aoto did not evade it in the slightest.

His head spun a full circle as a result.

"Hey, Hiyori! I put a lot of effort into crafting this Gigai! If you break it, you're paying for it!"

With a terrifying display of manual labor, he twisted his head back into place and roared at the girl.

Even though she was hundreds of years old and had a terrible temper, a girl was still a girl!

"What did you say?" Having been shouted back at by Aoto, the girl in red was furious.

Even if she wasn't in the right, she would still shout back.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be who she was—Sarugaki Hiyori!