Gin Ichimaru

"Well, well, so this is your illusion, Master? It falls under hypnosis too, but it's quite different from Captain Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu. How should I put it? Each has its strengths."

A fox-faced man in a moon-white robe appeared beside Ye Uchiha, an unremarkable short sword at his waist. He wore an utterly insincere smile and spoke with an odd inflection.

Gin Ichimaru was a popular character from the anime Bleach and the former captain of Squad Three in the Seireitei, possessing extraordinary talent and strength. His favorite food was dried persimmons, and he disliked dried taro. His Zanpakutō, Shinsō, could suddenly extend to stab an opponent, freely lengthening and retracting to deliver attacks with tremendous impact.

He had followed Aizen since childhood. After Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions broke into the Seireitei, Aizen staged his own murder through a series of schemes, deceiving the Soul Reapers before seizing the Hōgyoku inside Rukia at the crucial moment. Gin then defected to Hueco Mundo alongside Aizen and Kaname Tōsen.

In truth, his years of service had been driven by his desire to reclaim what had been taken from Rangiku in childhood, as well as his own one-sided devotion. Later, an unexpected development ruined his attempt to assassinate Aizen. Aizen pierced his chest, and he died in Rangiku's arms, bringing his tragic life to an end.

Although he had died at Aizen's hands, his strength was not to be underestimated. Gin Ichimaru had nearly assassinated Sōsuke Aizen in his Hōgyoku-enhanced form. Had Aizen not used the Hōgyoku to evolve on the brink of death, Bleach's story might have ended early, leaving its protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, with nothing more to do.

As for why Gin Ichimaru had appeared here, Ye Uchiha had summoned him, of course.

After the Waves ended, Ye Uchiha had skipped the banquet. Considering how little support he had, he weighed the current advantages and disadvantages and chose to summon another Servant.

After all, Princess Kaguya, the first Servant Ye Uchiha had summoned, was difficult to command. In terms of strength, she could crush a hundred of him with one hand, but he could not get her to do anything. She could only serve as a mascot.

Although their bond had barely reached the level of acquaintances after spending these past few days together, and he could beg Princess Kaguya for help if he encountered something he could not handle, Ye Uchiha still could not swallow his pride as a man.

After all, hiding behind a woman made him look like a pretty boy living off her, no matter how he looked at it. As a proud man of the Uchiha Clan, Ye Uchiha firmly refused to do that. Well... unless he had absolutely no other choice.

Ye Uchiha was quite satisfied that he had summoned Gin Ichimaru. His strength alone qualified him to join Ye Uchiha's organization, and with the system and Command Spells keeping him in check, there was no need to fear his betrayal.

As he edited everyone's memories, Ye Uchiha asked casually, "What, are you that curious? Want to try it yourself?"

"I'll pass. That's more than I can handle." Gin Ichimaru's smile stiffened, and he immediately refused.

As a man who called himself a snake, waiting for the right opportunity to deliver a fatal strike, how could Gin Ichimaru readily expose a weakness to someone else?

After finishing the changes to everyone's memories, Ye Uchiha finally breathed a sigh of relief. His vision blurred, and a faint, stabbing pain crept into his eyes. His entire field of view seemed covered by a thin veil of mist, leaving everything indistinct. He immediately deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan and closed his eyes, hoping to ease the pain for a while.

Just as I thought... is the drain on my ocular power this severe because these aren't the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?

Feeling his eyesight deteriorate, Ye Uchiha sighed inwardly and instinctively touched his hot, aching eyes. An intense longing for the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flared within him once again.

Overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan damaged one's eyesight. The more often and frequently it was used, the sooner blindness would come. That was probably the price of gaining such immense power. Only obtaining the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan through fusion or possessing Hashirama cells could prevent that outcome.

There was only one way to obtain the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan through fusion: after awakening one's own Mangekyō Sharingan, one had to transplant another pair. Moreover, this could only be done between close blood relatives within the Uchiha Clan.

Ye Uchiha was an only child, and both his parents had long since died in the war. As an orphan, he had naturally lost his chance to awaken the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Unless he stole Madara Uchiha's eyes, he could forget about obtaining the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in this lifetime. However, considering both the gulf in strength between himself and Madara and the possibility that Madara's eyes might reject him, Ye Uchiha ultimately abandoned the idea of taking them.

Just look at Nagato Uzumaki. After receiving Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan, using their abilities had drained him until he was little more than a skeleton. Although the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan would not be that severe, there would surely be some backlash. After all, however good something was, it was never as good as one's own.

As for transplanting Hashirama cells, the minuscule success rate meant Ye Uchiha truly did not dare gamble with his life. Perhaps it would be feasible with help from Orochimaru, the Shinobi World's Great Scientist, but in the era he had lived in, even Orochimaru's parents probably had not been born yet.

Without Ye Uchiha's Mangekyō ocular power sustaining it, the Phantom Blood Moon in the night sky gradually lost its crimson hue. Those hypnotized by Pseudo-Infinite Tsukuyomi began showing signs of waking.

"They're waking up. Get me out of here." Ye Uchiha held his slightly dizzy head, gritted his teeth, and ordered Gin Ichimaru.

The drain on his ocular power this time was more severe than ever. Perhaps it was a side effect of relying too heavily on his Mangekyō Sharingan in previous battles.

His eyesight had deteriorated to at least one or two diopters of nearsightedness. He was getting another taste of the troubles he had experienced with myopia in his previous life on Earth. Unfortunately, no one sold glasses here.

"Well, well, you certainly know how to order people around."

Gin Ichimaru's tone held a note of complaint, but his movements did not slow. He roughly hoisted Ye Uchiha over his shoulder, took a step, and vanished.

"Uh... what happened to me?"

Before long, everyone began breaking free of Pseudo-Infinite Tsukuyomi. They shook their heads and looked around blankly, unable to recall what had happened before.

"Strange. I keep feeling like I just forgot something. Why can't I remember anything?"

The Pope, now awake, held his forehead, feeling a slight stabbing pain in his head. He looked around, but could detect nothing unusual about his body, and murmured softly.

Perhaps I've simply worn myself out trying to keep up with all the church's affairs lately.

The Pope gently rubbed his temples as the thought crossed his mind.

I hope this generation of heroes isn't too terrible. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to purge them on my god's behalf!

His gaze swept across the four heroes present, carrying a cold, appraising edge. He was like a lofty god looking down upon his lambs, utterly merciless.

Especially when he saw Naofumi Iwatani and the Small Shield bound to his arm, undisguised disgust flashed in his eyes.

This... Shield Demon!