The Lawless Land of the Soul Society Outskirts

Yue left Kakushi, left this district which was considered quite good by those in exile.

This baffled the others at the orphanage. If Yue couldn't stand the poverty and wanted to move to a safer, more prosperous district, it would be even more difficult. Unless Yue had connections, like getting to know some important figure. The closer the district number was to the center of Seireitei, the stricter the management became, and they wouldn't casually accept outsiders, because influential families lived in walled estates... They looked down on 'stray dogs' brought from barren lands.

In Soul Society, because nobles were so high and mighty, the class system was particularly prevalent, though not as obvious.

But it was deeply rooted.

This left Yue with only one option: to go to a more dangerous area with a higher district number than Kakushi.

To others, this was undoubtedly suicide.

After all, Yue was just a child.

The next day, in the room.

Gin Ichimaru, unusually, didn't go to work in the streets. Instead, he sat by the window, gazing at the street, his mind somewhat elsewhere.

"Are you going to look for him?"

Rangiku stood behind Gin, her face full of worry.

Gin turned his head at her words and smiled faintly, "It's fine."

"He'll be fine... He's Yue."

Rangiku bit her lip, wanting to say more but holding back.

She knew that Yue was irreplaceable to Gin.

Meanwhile, a few days later.

Yue was on the way to another district when he was stopped by several thugs.

"Yo, what kind of little brat are you? Are you lost?"

Several adults blocked Yue's path. The leader, a guy wearing a black eye patch, grinned maliciously.

Although Yue's clothes were old, they had no patches, and his exposed skin was fair and clean, not dirty. This didn't look like a child from the local districts.

"Is District 75 ahead?"

Yue wasn't scared at all; instead, he asked.

"Heh heh."

The man didn't answer, exchanging a smile with his companions. "From today on, you belong to me."

With that, a fat man beside him sneered and walked forward, intending to grab Yue.

Children like Yue had many added values in lawless districts; they could be sold for a small amount of money.

They could be kept and made to do their bidding, such as theft or robbery. Or they could be resold to wealthy individuals with peculiar tastes, organizations, or groups... If they could gain favor with influential families through certain channels, they could even make a small profit. Although such hope was very slim, judging by Yue's appearance, he wasn't bad.

At least he looked more presentable than the stray children in their district, quite pleasing to the eye.

The fat man didn't take a little brat like Yue seriously. As he got closer, he directly reached out with a large hand to grab Yue's hair, his movements quite crude.

As the hand came down, Yue nimbly dodged to the side and retaliated with an elbow strike to the fat man's stomach.

The man immediately let out a cry, spitting out saliva. His eyes bulged with rage as he clutched his stomach and knelt on the ground, covered in sweat.

"How... how is this possible?"

The fat man stared at the composed little brat in front of him in disbelief.

Where did such great strength come from?

The pain in his abdomen made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"A few pieces of trash who can't even hold their ground in the district and have to resort to camping out in the wilderness... It seems I've finally found the right place," Yue said calmly.

"Go."

Realizing this little brat was not simple, the eye-patched man urged them on.

His companions let out a soft shout and closed in on Yue together.

But Yue, using his small and agile body, shifted his position a few times within the limited space. After a series of heavy punches and kicks, all the adults curled up on the ground, clutching their vital points and losing their ability to move.

"Ah."

Seeing this, the eye-patched man immediately backed away in fear, swallowing hard.

Then, with a scream, he turned and ran, not even caring about his companions.

Yue didn't pursue.

After all, he had been honing his physical techniques at the Ninja Academy, and even at the Hokage's home, he often sparred with his father, so dealing with a few ordinary people was not a problem.

As for physical ability, due to the special structure of the Fuma Clan's ninja tools, he needed to possess strength far beyond his peers to control and use them.

"Not enough."

He looked down at the thugs, their eyes filled with fear, and frowned.

He couldn't sense any spiritual pressure from them.

The only thing he could be sure of was that this place was more chaotic than Kakushi.

He pulled the dagger that hadn't been removed from its owner, spun it freely in his hand, and claimed it for his own.

Then, he continued on his way.

In less than half an hour, he arrived at District 75.

Walking along the road, he keenly noticed that the people here had begun to show undisguised malice in their eyes, and everyone's expression was filled with vigilance. The houses lining the streets were even more crudely constructed than those in Kakushi… but fortunately, everyone was relatively 'restrained,' and the situation was still normal, remaining an 'orderly' district.

Yet, a subtle sense of danger had begun to permeate the air.

"From District 78 onwards, food is almost impossible to find. The right to survive for all souls… can only be obtained through killing and fighting," Yue said, his gaze lowered, his mind calm.

Passersby also occasionally glanced at the unfamiliar young boy, seemingly sensing that this little fellow was somewhat 'different.'

Because his eyes exuded a sense of "keep away."

He also had a sharp weapon tucked at his waist.

It was too conspicuous.

"Hey."

Just as Yue was about to step out of District 75, a boy of similar age timidly called out to him.

"You're from another district, aren't you?"

"Don't go any further. The situation over there has been quite chaotic lately."

The boy was clearly trying to warn Yue out of goodwill.

The "over there" he referred to was naturally the lawless area of the Soul Society Outskirts.

In fact, within District 75, there was no longer any such thing as 'elders.' Only seemingly venerable elders exercised perfunctory control, which had already become a mere formality.

Yue slowly turned, offering a smile to the boy who seemed a little afraid of him, and then continued on his way without the slightest pause.

If this were Kakushi, and Yue had walked by so brazenly, an adult would surely have inquired or offered help. But here, the only one who dared to speak out was a child like himself.

Eastern Soul Society Outskirts, District 76 Gyakukotsu.

It was already late at night when Yue arrived here.

To his surprise, this was the last line of defense for the outer districts of the Soul Society Outskirts, bordering the lawless zone, yet the situation wasn't as chaotic as he had imagined. In the darkness, although many homeless vagrants or drunks lay on the street, it was still 'orderly.'

The sense of danger was actually weaker than in District 75.

"It must be because of this."

After wandering for a while, Yue stood outside a shrine.

He noticed that even at this hour, people were still outside, bowing to the shrine's closed doors, murmuring to themselves with devout expressions.

Where there are shrines, there are naturally shrine priests.

Not only in the Soul Society Outskirts but even for the entire Soul Society, the lineage of shrine priests held a special status.

The most famous, naturally, was the Ise Clan, to which Nanao Ise belonged.

The shrine before him enshrined the Great God Mimihagi, the right arm of the Soul King. Jushiro Ukitake, captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, obtained this power to treat his illness.

"A fragment of the Soul King..."

Seeing this, Yue couldn't help but think of Rangiku.

Fragments of the Soul King were undoubtedly absolute treasures.

Obtaining even one was a stroke of great fortune.

And there were still many scattered throughout the world.

"However, it's better to believe in yourself than in gods."

Yue glanced again at the person still praying, left a remark outside the shrine, and left with a smile.

If any major trouble occurred within the jurisdiction of District 76 of the Soul Society Outskirts, to the point where the locals couldn't quell it, the nobles of Seireitei would still intervene or send people to interfere. However, beyond District 76, it was basically a place that even the nobles couldn't be bothered with.

Unless something like a Hollow appeared, the people living here were left to fend for themselves.

This area had already entered the lawless zone, which was, to put it bluntly, a great dyeing vat of an infinite vicious cycle. It didn't matter what kind of poisonous insects or monsters festered here.

Yue rested briefly in the outskirts for a few days to recuperate.

When he arrived at District 77, as soon as he stepped into the intersection, he sensed a different atmosphere than before.

Dilapidated houses, poorly clothed commoners, thugs, madmen, thieves, and the like… like walking dead souls, roamed everywhere on the streets. Most notably, people here had begun to carry knives and other crude weapons, and the foul-smelling stagnant water flowing by the roadside emitted a strong stench.

The eyes of everyone here, without exception, carried a multitude of emotions such as madness, fear, deathly stillness, vigilance, and greed.

Most people were too lazy to even take shelter in the houses that offered no protection from the wind and rain. In broad daylight, they would simply find a spot to sit, like lone wolves licking their wounds, resting in silence.

Yue's gaze shifted, and he saw not far away, a ruffian dragging a gaunt, tearful woman into a collapsed shack that resembled ruins, beginning to commit a lewd act… and about ten meters further, a group of people were fighting with knives, the battle fierce.

The others seemed unfazed, merely keeping a safe distance and turning a blind eye.

"If I go any further, I probably won't even see houses..." Yue chuckled.

He was very happy.

Because the smell of blood was stimulating his brain's nerves.

Moreover, he could feel pressure from some people on the street.

These were all truly desperate individuals!

Even though he was an orphan, his clothes and appearance were already unremarkable in other districts, but to the hyenas living here, they could tell at a glance. This little brat who suddenly appeared was clearly 'new' and didn't belong here.

"You're quite something, soft skin and tender flesh... how did you end up here?"

"This place is very dangerous... How about it? Want Uncle to protect you?"

A lecherous, burly man, with his chest exposed and breasts visible, suddenly blocked Yue's path like a mountain. Drool dripped from his mouth as he spoke with a disgusting expression.

With a flick of his wrist, Yue directly gripped the gleaming dagger in a reverse hold.

Then, looking up at his opponent, he seriously asked, "Here, it's okay to kill people, right?"

"Hm?"

The burly man froze, staring blankly at the boy's eyes.

The next second, his expression turned grim. He felt that he had been looked down upon.

"Stinking brat... you've got some nerve. Looks like I need to teach you the rules."

As he spoke, the burly man instantly raised his axe and swung it down.