We Meet Again, Kaien!

"Ahhhhh! No, stop!!!"

Rukia finally snapped out of her daze at this moment, letting out a sharp, sudden cry.

Even the Zanpakuto in her hand began to swing wildly toward Aoto.

But in the next second, a hand-chop struck the back of Rukia's neck, finally knocking her unconscious.

Ukitake Jushiro caught Rukia's falling body, his gaze filled with apology as he looked at Aoto, "I'm sorry, Aoto, Kaien, he..."

Forcing Aoto to kill Kaien with his own hands made Ukitake Jushiro's already ailing lungs feel even more constricted, leaving him struggling to catch his breath!

"I know, Captain Ukitake. This was a battle for Kaien's dignity!" Aoto transformed his club back into the shape of an Asauchi, responding with a detached expression, "Although I have never agreed with this method, since it was Kaien's own decision, I have no objections, even if it costs him his life."

Having said this, Aoto turned to leave.

"Cough, cough, let's head back together! Kotsubaki Sentaro and Kotetsu Kiyone will be here soon." Captain Ukitake struggled to control his condition, refusing to collapse just yet.

Aoto thought for a moment, then spoke to the captain with great seriousness, "Captain Ukitake, I need to go see someone now... Urahara Kisuke."

Upon hearing that name, Ukitake Jushiro jerked his head up, his eyes suddenly filled with hope, "You mean..."

Aoto nodded, "Kaien is still alive. He is currently being held in the jaws of a Hungry Ghost, not yet swallowed or decomposed. Only Urahara Kisuke can treat this situation where a Soul Reaper and a Hollow's souls have fused!"

"Then hurry, Aoto!" Hearing that Kaien had not yet perished, Ukitake felt a surge of spirit, and an expression of wild joy broke across his face, "Go now, I..."

"Captain Ukitake, I need to clarify something with you..." Aoto looked at Ukitake Jushiro, his expression extremely grave, "Even if Kaien is saved, he will never be able to return to the Gotei 13!"

Watching the captain's expression shift, Aoto continued, "His situation is the same as those captains from over fifty years ago. Even if he is rescued, if it is discovered that he harbors a Hollow's soul within him, he will be executed immediately!"

"So, let it be assumed that he is already dead! Even if I find Urahara Kisuke and save him, he will only be able to live in the World of the Living from now on! That is the price he paid for betting his dignity."

Ukitake Jushiro looked at Aoto, gradually calming down, "So, you intend to take on the role of the murderer who killed Kaien?"

"Yes!" Aoto looked at the unconscious Rukia in Ukitake's arms, "So, Captain Ukitake, please do not tell Rukia the truth. Let her remain the witness who saw me commit the deed!"

Ukitake looked at Aoto and couldn't help but offer a bitter smile, "You and Kaien are truly... He wanted Rukia to help him end his own life, and you, while preventing Rukia from killing Kaien, still let her become a witness to his death without knowing the truth..."

"Both of your hearts are truly ruthless!" Ukitake Jushiro shook his head, "And Rukia is one thing, but how will you face Kūkaku and Ganju in the future?"

Aoto gazed at the moon in the sky and murmured, "If Kaien is saved, then in a dozen years or so, I will tell them the truth."

"And now," Aoto pulled out a wooden sword, threw it to the ground, and turned away, "I am leaving, Captain Ukitake!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Aoto vanished from before Ukitake Jushiro at top speed.

However, Ukitake Jushiro's attention had already been drawn to the wooden sword.

The wooden sword began to float, emitting a spiritual pressure identical to Aoto's.

"Captain Ukitake!"

The voice was also exactly the same as Aoto's.

Ukitake Jushiro immediately recognized what this was, "A Mod Soul?"

"I am Blue Oni!" this Aoto said, "I am one of the spirits within Aoto-sama's Zanpakuto!"

Ukitake Jushiro nodded, indicating he understood.

So that was it. The reason Aoto's Zanpakuto had so many variations was that he had incorporated Mod Souls into his blade, allowing each spirit to develop an independent consciousness.

Even without using Bankai, he could significantly increase his combat power.

It was precisely because of this that this spirit could survive outside of the Zanpakuto.

He was truly worthy of being someone who had once studied Mod Souls under Kirio Hikifune, possessing his own unique research results.

And to use the fruits of his research to enhance his own strength—this behavior was not so different from the styles of Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri!

Just then, Kotsubaki Sentaro and Kotetsu Kiyone finally arrived... their Flash Step was simply a significant cut below Aoto's.

They saw the situation on the scene and couldn't help but ask...

"Where is Lieutenant Shiba?"

While suppressing his own spiritual pressure, Aoto headed toward Urahara Kisuke's location.

Looking up at the moon in the sky, Aoto murmured to himself in his heart...

Original self, will this level of change damage your plans?

It shouldn't, right?

Otherwise, why didn't you stop me?

World of the Living, Urahara Shop.

Urahara Kisuke was bored and preparing to close up shop when he heard the wind chime at the entrance ring.

"Customer, we are..." Urahara Kisuke hadn't finished his sentence before he saw that the person walking in was Aoto.

Aoto, who was still not wearing a Gigai and had entered in his Soul Reaper form.

And without waiting for Urahara Kisuke to say anything, Aoto released his Zanpakuto.

Urahara Kisuke snapped his fan shut, his expression turning grave.

Yoruichi also appeared on the nearby counter in her black cat form.

Aoto had no time for explanations; he simply had the Hungry Ghost open its mouth, releasing the unconscious Shiba Kaien.

"Save him!" Aoto said earnestly to Urahara Kisuke.

Seeing Shiba Kaien already in the state of "soul suicide," Urahara Kisuke's expression grew even sterner. "What happened?"

"It should be Aizen's doing," Aoto said, devoid of emotion. "When Shiba Miyako was killed and Kaien went to seek revenge, a Hollow's soul invaded his spiritual body."

Urahara Kisuke turned to look at Aoto. "Then why bring him to me? Aren't you afraid of Aizen..."

"Save him, stop the chatter, hurry!" Aoto's expression was even more severe!

Urahara Kisuke said nothing more. After leading Aoto and Kaien to the room behind the shop, he pulled out a syringe and injected its contents into Shiba Kaien's body.

These were human souls, used as a vaccine to neutralize the Hollow.

Drawing on his previous experience with the Visored, Urahara Kisuke found saving him this time to be effortless.

Shiba Kaien's rapid breathing finally slowed; it seemed the "vaccine" was working as intended.

However, Urahara Kisuke added a few auxiliary reagents as a booster shot. After working for quite a while, he finally managed to completely reverse the "soul suicide" condition in Kaien's body.

Treating Shiba Kaien provided Urahara Kisuke with firsthand data on Aizen's research into Hollowfication.

"Done!" Urahara Kisuke unfurled his small fan and said with a grin to Aoto, "Mr. Shiba has been saved. However, just like Hiyori and the others, the Hollow soul within him cannot be completely eradicated. He can no longer return to the Soul Society!"

"I know," Aoto's expression remained indifferent. "Before coming here, I already made it clear to Captain Ukitake! Whether he survived or not, Kaien would be treated as having died in the line of duty!"

"Yo, Mr. Hyakume is truly very wise!" Urahara Kisuke's face once again wore that smile that annoyed Aoto.

But Aoto still reached into his robes, pulled out an item, and tossed it to Urahara Kisuke. "This is the medical fee!"

Urahara Kisuke was about to catch it, but Yoruichi snatched it away first.

Aoto didn't care if they were flirting or not; he sat down beside the still-unconscious Kaien, waiting for him to wake up.

At this moment, Hachigen Ushoda walked over carrying a tray with some food and water.

Aoto took it directly. "Thank you very much, Grand Kido Chief!"

Hachigen Ushoda nodded, then left without a word.

That Grand Kido Chief really is a man of few words!

When Urahara Kisuke finally managed to retrieve the "medical fee" from Yoruichi, he discovered it was Aoto's own research data on Mod Souls.

Specifically, research on extending the lifespan of Mod Souls.

Compared to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's "Nem Project," which aimed to make Mod Souls completely independent and give birth to a true self, Aoto's research focused on making Mod Souls completely dependent on their users.

As long as the user did not die, the lifespan limit of the Mod Soul would vanish; whether they continued to exist depended solely on whether they received enough Reishi from the user.

As long as the Reishi wasn't exhausted, the Mod Soul could exist indefinitely.

It was a very unique study, one that provided Urahara Kisuke with some fresh inspiration.

"Looking at your expression, it seems you've made a huge profit!"

Yoruichi only said this after seeing the drool-worthy look on Urahara Kisuke's face.

"It gave me a lot of inspiration!" Urahara Kisuke tucked the research data away like a weasel that had successfully stolen a chicken. "This medical fee from Mr. Hyakume will even allow me to add on some follow-up treatments."

However, Urahara Kisuke knew that Aoto hadn't given him all of his research findings.

After all, the most important part of this research—the method for Mod Souls to continuously increase their combat power—was not mentioned.

If they couldn't increase their combat power, the length of a Mod Soul's lifespan held no value to most Shinigami!

After all, in the Rukon District, there were countless souls who lived for hundreds of years without any combat ability.

If one really needed cannon fodder, it wasn't impossible to just go and capture them!

The cost of a Mod Soul was certainly higher than that of an ordinary soul!

When Shiba Kaien opened his eyes again, he heard a most familiar voice.

"We meet again, Kaien!"

Hearing this voice, Shiba Kaien sat up abruptly and saw Aoto sitting not far from him.

Shiba Kaien was stunned. "I... didn't I die? How can I still see you?"

Aoto replied testily, "Because we are in Hell now. You committed so many evils that you fell into Hell, and I was dragged along with you!"

"Ah?" Shiba Kaien's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"You actually believed that!" Aoto knocked him on the head with his fist, letting him know he wasn't dreaming. "Congratulations on surviving, Kaien!"

Shiba Kaien stared blankly at Aoto, then revealed his signature smile. "Thank you very much, Aoto."

"Thank you for saving me!"