Kaito thought for a moment and said, "It's very simple. When you meet a girl who is willing to cut you with her sword, I will agree to teach you."
"Yeah, right." Ichigo looked at Kaito with an expression that suggested he was looking at an idiot. "Do you think I'm stupid and easy to fool?"
At that moment, Masaki Kurosaki came out of the kitchen and said gently, "Kaito is back. Ichigo, Karin, Yuzu, come eat dinner, Kaito is here."
"Okay!"
Children are children after all; the moment they heard about food, they immediately forgot their complaints.
Lately, Isshin had been busy making house calls in the countryside, so if there were any problems at home, Kaito usually took care of them, though he rarely had to mind the children.
After dinner.
Kaito set up three defensive barriers near the Kurosaki Clinic. Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu proved they truly carried their lineage's blood; their spiritual power increased automatically even without active training. The entire family was practically blessed with natural talent.
The Adjuchas he encountered today had given Kaito a slight sense of pressure, so he planned to increase his power tonight by purifying Karakura Town and nearby Naruki City.
However, he could not do this under his own identity.
The "Blue" technique did not just destroy Hollows when used; it actually absorbed spiritual particles. Normally, when a Hollow is purified, its body transforms into spirit particles that return to the Soul Society and the human world, stabilizing the balance of the realms.
However, "Blue" completely consumed them.
A few minor Hollows would not matter. But if Kaito began a mass purification, the loss of spiritual particles would inevitably attract the attention of the Technology Development Bureau.
Therefore, he needed a proper disguise—a pseudonym.
On the roof of the clinic, Kaito reached into his storage ring and took out a black, form-fitting combat suit, red layered armor, a wig, and a pair of colored contact lenses. This ring was a specialized tool developed by the Technology Development Bureau, currently used only by high-ranking Soul Reapers.
As for the outfit...
After Kaito finished changing, he lowered and deepened his voice.
"From now on, I am Uchiha Madara."
Soul Society.
Technology Development Bureau.
This facility served as both the primary research laboratory for the Soul Society and the central monitoring hub for the human world. Inside, rows of computers were manned by lines of research Soul Reapers.
Beep, beep, beep!
Suddenly, one of the monitors flashed red, and a sharp alarm echoed through the room.
"What's going on?"
Akon, the researcher monitoring the terminal, rushed over to check the data. The screen showed that a massive number of Hollows had suddenly appeared across Karakura Town and Naruki City, only to be wiped out almost simultaneously.
The problem was that the defeated Hollows left behind no spiritual particles. No energy flowed back to the Soul Society or remained in the human world, as if it had been entirely erased or absorbed.
This was a major anomaly.
Akon immediately contacted Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the Captain of Squad 12 and Bureau President.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, the Hollow population in Karakura Town and Naruki City has dropped drastically, and the spiritual particles have completely vanished."
"Oh?"
A calm, detached voice drifted over.
A moment later, a man wearing a Soul Reaper uniform with an exaggerated purple collar and a stark black-and-white mask walked over at a leisurely pace. He glanced briefly at the monitor and said indifferently, "Interesting things keep happening lately. First, civilians go missing in the Rukongai, and now spiritual particles are vanishing in the human world. How fascinating."
He turned on his heel and walked away. "I believe Soi Fon is currently stationed in the human world. Pass the information along to her."
For Mayuri, this anomaly was not yet worth a personal investigation. He only needed to hand it off. If the Captain of Squad 2 couldn't handle it, then it would be worth his time.
That night, in the human world.
The temporary quarters of the Karakura Town garrison.
Soi Fon had just finished bathing and felt incredibly refreshed after returning to her Gigai. Though petite, her sharp looks were undeniable, and her damp hair added a unique charm to her usual stern demeanor.
Her investigation was essentially complete. According to her reports, the recent high rate of Hollow purification was entirely due to Kaito's diligence. Once the substitute Soul Reapers finished their training, she would be able to return to the Soul Society.
Chime.
A notification tone rang from her specialized Denreishinko. Soi Fon picked up the device and read the message: Mass spiritual particle loss detected in Karakura Town and Naruki City. Investigate immediately.
"Spiritual particle loss?"
Soi Fon frowned. She took out a Soul-Replacement Pill and swallowed it. With a sharp pop, her spirit body separated from her Gigai.
"Wow, so this is the human world? It looks just like the Soul Society!" The Mod Soul inhabiting her Gigai instantly turned into a lively, cheerful girl.
"Don't cause trouble, keep an eye on the place while I'm gone," Soi Fon commanded. She vanished using Shunpo, rushing toward the coordinates sent by the Bureau.
Boom!
Boom!
Hollow defeated. Fusion rate increased by 1%.
Hollow defeated. Fusion rate increased by 0.5%.
In a single night, Kaito—now disguised as Uchiha Madara—had eliminated countless Hollows. His fusion rate had climbed from 33% to 37%, and the unlock progress for his Limitless technique had reached 95%.
It was a highly productive night. Unfortunately, he hadn't run into any high-grade Hollows, only weaker ones. If a strong Hollow had appeared, he likely would have fully unlocked the technique tonight.
Well, you can't build an empire in a day, Kaito thought. I can always continue tomorrow.
Just as he prepared to leave, a powerful spiritual pressure rapidly approached from the southwest.
Kaito raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming under his disguise. Perfect. I wanted to see if my current strength matches a Captain's anyway. Besides, Uchiha Madara is the one causing trouble tonight. What does that have to do with me, Kaito?
A surge of fighting spirit ignited within him. He extended a single index finger toward the oncoming presence.
"Since you're rushing over, let's start with a greeting. Hado No. 4, Byakurai!"
A sharp crack of lightning erupted from his fingertip, sending a white bolt tearing through the night sky toward the approaching spiritual pressure.
Clang!
A hundred meters away, the lightning bolt was cleanly deflected with a crisp metallic ring.
"Shunko!"
In the blink of an eye, Soi Fon materialized directly in front of Kaito, driving a swift punch toward his midsection. Before the impact could even register, she bypassed the incantation entirely, aiming a direct blast at his head. "Hado No. 31, Shakkaho!"
Kaito retreated rapidly to create distance.
"Bakudo No. 30, Shitotsu Sansen!" Soi Fon countered instantly.
Three triangular pegs of yellow light formed in midair, pinning Kaito by his limbs and locking him firmly in place.
Soi Fon raised her hand, her voice cold and precise. "Hado No. 32, Okasen!"
A wide, sweeping arc of yellow spiritual fire erupted from her fingers, engulfing Kaito completely and turning the rooftop into a raging inferno.
Soi Fon lowered her hand, stepping back. The entire sequence of attacks had taken less than a second—the absolute precision of the Stealth Force Commander.
"It's over," she muttered.
Looking at the roaring flames, Soi Fon turned to leave. She had been forced to work overtime for an anomaly, only for the culprit to turn out to be this weak.
"Hey."
A voice called out from the center of the blaze.
Soi Fon froze, turning back in disbelief. Impossible.
The raging fire suddenly vanished, as if wiped away by an eraser, revealing Kaito standing completely unharmed.
"Captain Soi Fon, is that all you've got?" Kaito kept one hand casually in his pocket, using the other to fan away the remaining smoke. "A word of advice: next time, try using a spell above level thirty. The smell of that cheap sulfur is a bit much."
His expression remained completely nonchalant, entirely unfazed by the attack.