At these words, the Captains looked at their noses, their noses at their mouths, and their mouths at their hearts, falling silent and still.
Some even thought Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai had become senile.
Sending a Captain to infiltrate the Wandenreich? What kind of operation was this?
How was this any different from two nations going to war, and before even engaging, one side rashly sending its General into the enemy country?
Let's not even discuss whether this incident was truly the work of the Quincy.
Even if they had orchestrated it themselves.
The sheer number of Captain-level combatants, twenty-six of them, in the Wandenreich was enough to make any Captain balk at this mission.
After all, once discovered, it would essentially be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, with no return.
But what if it wasn't?
As Captains, they would certainly sacrifice their lives without hesitation to protect the Seireitei.
But to be ganged up on and beaten to death by the enemy due to an infiltration mission, just thinking about it felt incredibly frustrating.
In response, Yamamoto Genryusai seemed to sense the resistance emanating from the Captains in the air.
He frowned deeply and let out a heavy snort:
"A bunch of good-for-nothings! At a crucial moment like this, you're still timid and hesitant. Are you even fit to be Captains?"
"Even a random youngster from the Spiritual Arts Academy would probably be more reliable than you!"
So.
Youngsters were youngsters, and Captains were Captains.
They were all hundreds of years old, long past their youthful impulsiveness.
Facing certain missions, they simply couldn't accept them as readily as they did in their younger days...
Kyōraku Shunsui adjusted his straw hat, his gaze filled with a hint of helplessness, as he quietly watched Yamamoto Genryusai.
He was about to ask if there was a less radical or risky approach...
Just then, Kisuke Urahara stepped forward.
With a hint of hesitation on his face, he slowly began:
"Um, Captain-Commander, we've already produced a portion of the Shadow Invasion Pill."
"While its stability has greatly improved through continuous refinement over the years, due to the extreme time constraints, it's currently impossible for the entire Gotei 13 to use it."
"No need for everyone to use it." Hearing this, the anger in Yamamoto Genryusai's heart, for once, subsided slightly.
He forcefully tapped the floor and emphasized:
"One person will suffice. If one person uses it, Kisuke Urahara, how long can your Shadow Invasion Pill last?"
Kisuke Urahara pondered for a moment: "About an hour."
After saying that, he then negated it:
"No, that's not right. If it's just one person, time isn't the most important factor. They can crush it to escape at any time if they wish..."
"In my opinion, identity is the most crucial aspect."
"According to the captives, the Wandenreich has a strict hierarchy and operates under military rule."
"Even if a Captain is sent in, without exposing their full strength, they would have to start as a common soldier."
"And a common soldier wouldn't be able to uncover the truth behind Kenpachi Gosuke's disappearance."
He bowed slightly, his tone sincere and with a hint of caution:
"Captain-Commander, I hope you'll reconsider. This matter is extremely inappropriate."
Reconsider? This was already a decision he had made after careful deliberation.
Yamamoto Genryusai's anger, which he had just managed to suppress, flared up again.
One after another, not a single one was easy to deal with. So what if it was military rule?
If they couldn't even overcome this small difficulty, then what was the point of being Captains? They might as well all go home and farm!
Although Yamamoto wanted to say that, he couldn't.
Constantly losing his temper was a sign of incompetence; one outburst to show his stance was enough.
Just as the atmosphere became tense and everyone remained silent, Yamamoto Genryusai thought this gathering would end on a sour note.
As he was about to tap the floor again, intending to pull everyone's wandering thoughts back and emphasize the immense threat posed by the Quincy.
Suddenly, he saw someone slowly step out from the crowd.
That was.
Hmm... Yamamoto Genryusai narrowed his eyes slightly. It was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"I'll do it."
Yoriichi looked up, surveying everyone,
"No matter what, we have to rule out the possibility of Kenpachi Gosuke being in the Wandenreich, don't we?"
"If this matter was truly their doing, then what is their objective?"
"Captain-Commander, this must be what you want to find out."
Yamamoto Genryusai narrowed his eyes, his tone firm: "Indeed."
Finally, a responsible Captain had emerged.
The others, including Kyōraku and Ukitake, all looked leisurely, truly failing to live up to the Meta Zanjutsu Academy's responsibility.
If he weren't old, he would have taken on this mission himself.
Yoriichi nodded lightly. After Kyōraku Shunsui's description, he generally understood the entire sequence of events.
Sazoku Kunishi Kenpachi was injured simply because he was attacked during his prison visit today.
The attack was extremely sudden, coming from behind, and because he couldn't carry a sword in prison, he was easily knocked unconscious by the assailant.
When he woke up, Kenpachi Gosuke was gone.
The enemy didn't abduct Sazoku Kunishi Kenpachi as well, and the reason wasn't hard to deduce.
Either those people didn't recognize him, after all, Sazoku Kunishi Kenpachi was a figure from two hundred years ago.
Some nobles simply didn't care who the Captain of the Thirteenth Division was.
Or, their target for this operation was solely Kenpachi Gosuke.
And both of these reasons pointed to the nobles and the Quincy.
Currently, the true reason for Gojoshibe's capture remained unclear, but it undoubtedly needed to be investigated as soon as possible.
Because a prisoner's disappearance out of thin air would have an extremely detrimental impact on the Seireitei itself.
Today it was Gojoshibe, tomorrow it might be someone else.
Perhaps this was why Yamamoto Genryusai was so angry.
As he pondered, Yoriichi's gaze deepened slightly, slowly sweeping over the Captains.
He understood the reasons why these Captains were unwilling to take on this mission.
Time-consuming and dangerous, that was one; potentially working for nothing, that was two.
But even so, someone had to do this mission.
When everyone was unwilling, only the strongest person could take on the responsibility.
Kyōraku Shunsui spoke up at the opportune moment:
"Oh dear, to be outdone by my junior disciple, it truly shames me."
He adjusted his straw hat, his eyes filled with concern and a warning, "Yoriichi, have you truly thought this through?"
"Regarding the difficulty of this mission..."
He paused slightly, saying pointedly:
"The rules of the Soul Society might not necessarily apply in the Wandenreich, you know."
"Here, origins and birth don't matter, but there..."
Kyōraku Shunsui hadn't finished speaking when Kisuke Urahara frowned, keenly sensing the crucial point.
He interrupted: "Captain Kyōraku means that any Shinigami entering the Wandenreich would be unregistered, right?"
"That is indeed a problem. Yoriichi, I think you need to consider this carefully, after all, you still have a wife and child."
"Furthermore, you've previously clashed with that Quincy named Gremmy Thoumeaux."
"He must have obtained some information about you. If you enter the Wandenreich in your current appearance, you will inevitably be exposed immediately."
"Changing your appearance... I don't believe they lack means to detect Shinigami."
"The Sternritter are so versatile."
At this point, Kisuke Urahara paused, seemingly realizing his words might be misunderstood by Yoriichi, and added,
"Of course, I know your strength is immense, and you might not fear exposure, but no one knows if there's a Sternritter with a self-destructing ability.
"What if there's a Sternritter D—Die, Death, who can perform remote curses without needing to get close? Even the strongest Shinigami would be mentally and physically exhausted, wouldn't they?"
This was indeed a problem. Even Bazz-B and others knew very little about the Wandenreich's current state.
Because they were captured and were not Yhwach's confidants.
The only confidant was Haschwalth, and Haschwalth wasn't a fool. Once he saw Yoriichi appear, he would undoubtedly move Yhwach quickly.
With the ability to manipulate reishi properties, they might be able to hide in even deeper places...
At that point, it would be a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice.
Yoriichi pondered for a long time, then raised his eyes and asked: "Then, is there a way to perfectly conceal and disguise one's identity?"
He sighed slightly,
"You're right, but, Kisuke, this matter isn't something I can decide. Someone has to do it."
"Among everyone present, besides the Captain-Commander, who can claim to face the encirclement of twenty-six Captains and not be defeated?"
At these words, everyone once again fell silent.
Twenty-six Captains?
Even six would be difficult.
The strongest, Kyōraku Shunsui, only dared to say he could fight five Captains.
Any more, and he would be overwhelmed.
While there were indeed many Shinigami in the Seireitei who were not Captains but were stronger than Captains.
Like Kenpachi Zaraki.
But with their personalities, they were simply not suited for this mission.
After much thought, only Yoriichi Tsugikuni was suitable, unique and irreplaceable.
Seeing this, Kisuke Urahara sighed helplessly. The situation had developed to this point, and it was very clear.
He quickly racked his brain, recalling bits and pieces from the Twelfth Division.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he immediately perked up, decisively clenching his fist and slapping his palm:
"I've got it."
"Yoriichi, have you heard of Mukuro? Not the reishi Gikon I once researched, but a Gikon of the soul."
"Regarding this research, my Twelfth Division has a talented individual who achieved results decades ago."
"I believe this technology can definitely help you."
Mukuro?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni did not respond.
Yamamoto Genryusai frowned slightly, secretly recalling what that so-called soul Gikon meant.
He knew that the Twelfth Division was mostly involved in forbidden research.
Although he usually didn't want to interfere too much, at this critical moment, he had to ensure that no accidents whatsoever occurred.
However, the monitors he had previously sent into the Twelfth Division focused mainly on human experimentation.
For relatively conventional items like Gikon, the supervision was somewhat lax.
Yamamoto Genryusai thought for a long time but couldn't recall the specific details.
So, after the meeting, he followed Kisuke Urahara and Yoriichi Tsugikuni to the Twelfth Division.
Soon, he saw the true appearance of the so-called soul Gikon.
...
"You scoundrel!"
Yamamoto Genryusai's blood pressure surged.
Before seeing the Mukuro with his own eyes, he had originally thought it was merely a type of Gikon.
But he never expected...
It was a Clone!
He saw a Kisuke Urahara quietly resting inside a glass tank.
His serene expression looked as if he were dead, but his rising and falling chest indicated he was alive.
Yamamoto Genryusai was utterly confused as to why the Twelfth Division always managed to secretly conduct such things behind his back.
What were those monitors even doing!
He was very angry.
He glared at Kisuke Urahara, the veins on his hands bulging slightly as he gripped his cane.
His expression seemed to be waiting for the other party to provide a reasonable explanation.
Yoshima Ohko, the creator of the Mukuro, stood obediently to the side.
He hung his head, not daring to breathe, fearing he would be made an example of.
—Who could tell him why Yamamoto Genryusai was here?
It was terrifying; he was almost in tears.
He knew very well what this research meant for the Seireitei…
Not daring to look at Yamamoto Genryusai, he naturally did not notice Yoriichi Tsugikuni's slightly puzzled gaze.
Not far away, Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at him, feeling a sense of familiarity.
—Had he seen him somewhere before?
But due to the atmosphere, he did not ask for the time being, collecting his thoughts and quietly waiting for Kisuke Urahara's answer, along with Yamamoto Genryusai.
He also wondered why Kisuke would tacitly allow such a thing to exist…
Clap, clap.
Kisuke Urahara gently tapped the glass jar, seemingly completely oblivious to Yamamoto Genryusai's angry expression, and calmly explained:
"Captain-Commander, please don't get angry yet."
"Although it's a Clone, if no consciousness is implanted, it's no different from an ordinary gigai."
"I am well aware that Clones are forbidden research in any world."
"So from the very beginning, I never intended for him to be born into this world."
"This is just a small experiment, and it's clear that the experiment was successful."
He paused briefly, his gaze quickly sweeping over Yoriichi and Yoshima Ohko.
Finally, his gaze settled firmly on Yamamoto Genryusai, and he let out a long breath,
"Speaking of which, Captain Yoriichi also contributed a little to the advent of this technology."
"Because I saw Szayelaporro's techniques when I was in Hell back then."
"So after returning from Hell, seeing that someone in the Twelfth Division was researching this technology, I didn't stop it immediately."
"Szayelaporro's experience gave me some inspiration."
"If a Clone possessed all of my consciousness, then by adding some techniques to restrict him, couldn't he naturally take my place in performing Captain duties?"
"That's what I thought back then, but then I realized, no, I know very well what kind of person I am."
"If he had consciousness, he would undoubtedly remove the control I imposed on him at the first opportunity."
"At that point, the trouble would be immense, so the experiment back then came to a halt."
Kisuke Urahara tapped the glass jar again, then instructed Yoshima Ohko to push the thing away, after which he turned to the two, his expression calm:
"If it weren't for what happened today, I might never have thought of this again in my life."
"Yoriichi, the key to your successful entry into the Wandenreich lies in the Mukuro technology."
"…What do you mean by that?" Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked puzzled. Although he had some ideas in his mind, he wasn't very sure.
Because he had experienced the Clone technology before, he could only say that it far surpassed all Captains in terms of physical prowess.
But it definitely couldn't reach the point of fighting twenty-six Sternritter.
Moreover…
"Yoriichi, I think you might be falling into a misconception."
"The difficulty of this mission isn't about how to escape the encirclement of twenty-six Sternritter."
"It's about how to obtain information in the shortest possible time."
"If you're not discovered, does the strength of your power still matter?"
Kisuke Urahara asked and answered his own question,
"Yes, but not much."
"I believe that with your ability, even if you only had Captain-Commander Yamamoto's strength, you could still thrive in the Wandenreich."
Yamamoto Genryusai's face darkened. What did he mean by 'only'? Is he weak?
"Get to the point!" Yamamoto snorted, his walking stick almost shattering the ground.
"I think I understand now. Your Mukuro cannot replicate Yoriichi Tsugikuni's full strength, can it?"
"How do you plan to resolve issues like appearance and identity?"
"Kisuke Urahara, are you deliberately making fun of this old man?"
"How could I? I just haven't gotten to that part yet." Kisuke Urahara smiled slightly, his expression very amiable.
He extended a finger and gently wagged it, then denied,
"Let me clarify, this isn't my Mukuro; the creator is this gentleman." He pointed to Yoshima Ohko,
"He previously worked in combat in the Ninth Division, but later, due to insufficient strength, he was transferred to the Twelfth Division."
"I don't know if Yoriichi remembers him, but in any case, I still have to thank you."
Upon hearing this, Yoriichi Tsugikuni nodded slightly.
He was once a member of the Ninth Division?
No wonder he felt familiar.
It was the correct choice to send such a talent to the Twelfth Division.
If he had remained in the Ninth Division, he would only have been buried, as they are not skilled in research.
"Appearance and identity issues are easy to solve, because it's gigai technology, so these things can be adjusted at will."
"The only trouble right now is how to infuse consciousness?"
After Kisuke Urahara finished explaining the origin of the Mukuro, he turned and walked to a machine.
He kept typing on it, lines of characters flashing rapidly across the screen, and his calm voice continued:
"If conventional technology is used, it definitely won't work. No matter how close a Clone is to the original, it's still not the original."
"It's very likely that they will betray us under the influence of some external force."
"For such an important mission, it must be personally controlled by Yoriichi."
"Therefore, I thought of another method."
"Remote control."
As his words fell, with the last string of characters appearing, the screen stopped flashing.
Kisuke Urahara finished typing, turned around again, pondered for a moment, and explained:
"It's similar to remote control car technology, but more advanced."
"As long as some sensors and cameras are added, one can perceive everything the other party experiences."
"At the same time, one can also control it and perform any action."
"As for latency… considering that both worlds are composed of reishi and are within the Seireitei, it can basically be ignored."
"Even if it's exposed, self-destruct, and then send another one, it's not expensive anyway."
"Mixing in some Hollow reishi can also cause some effective damage to them."
"This is my general plan. Because too many forbidden matters are involved, I didn't fully disclose it at the meeting."
"Lest talents like Yoshima Ohko be targeted by the Forty-Six Chambers."
"You know you'll be targeted, Kisuke Urahara. I shouldn't have let you conduct Hōgyoku research back then, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many prohibited items."
Yamamoto Genryusai was almost laughing with anger. These Captains under him, every single one of them, none of them were well-behaved.
Clone technology emerged decades ago, and for such a long time, not a single hint of it had leaked.
Should he say that his confidentiality work was too excellent?
He truly didn't know the gravity of the situation!
Of course, Yamamoto Genryusai was used to it. Fortunately, the research was eventually sealed.
Otherwise, he could hardly imagine the scene of a bunch of Clones running rampant in the Seireitei.
Facing Yamamoto Genryusai's accusations, Kisuke Urahara gently shook his head and said nothing.
He was a scientist; how could he be constrained by those mere rules?
Moreover, research was originally the responsibility of the Twelfth Division, so this situation could only be described as… an accident.
As long as it didn't cause any trouble in the end, it was fine.
"Enough."
Yamamoto Genryusai took a deep breath. He looked at the two men in front of him who were like dead pigs not afraid of boiling water, forcefully suppressed the complex thoughts in his heart, and said solemnly:
"Since things have come to this, blaming you won't do much good. Yoshima Ohko, is it? I'll remember you."
"This time, it's because of Kisuke Urahara that you were able to retain your freedom."
"But next time, if you dare to conduct such dangerous research again, once I find out, don't blame me for being impolite."
At this point, his anger seemed to have subsided somewhat. He turned his head slightly, looked at Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and continued,
"Let's continue with the Mukuro matter, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, do you have any specific requirements?"
"Height, weight, appearance, according to Kisuke Urahara's explanation, since these can all be customized, don't use your current appearance anymore."
"The name also needs to be changed."
"Do you have any ideas?"
…
"Tokito Iwákatsu? Whose name is that?"
About half an hour later, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had just left the Twelfth Division.
Kisuke Urahara looked at the embryo that had been created after sampling, still muttering the new identity that Yoriichi Tsugikuni had just explained to him.
This name definitely wasn't thought up casually, because Yoriichi had clearly thought about it for a while.
Could it be one of his enemies?
Never mind.
Because he didn't know much about Yoriichi Tsugikuni's past, Kisuke Urahara thought for a while and then dismissed it.
He let out a breath and then dedicated himself to his work.
That afternoon, the Mukuro was completed.
Upon closer inspection, it bore a three-tenths resemblance to Yoriichi Tsugikuni, only with pure black hair.
After putting on the unique attire of the Wandenreich, it was completely dressed in an ascetic style…
The more Kisuke Urahara looked, the more familiar it seemed…
…
That night, Yoriichi Tsugikuni entered the Wandenreich with some Shadow Invasion Pills.
According to Bazz-B's statement after being hypnotized, the Wandenreich had very complete defensive measures against Shinigami.
As soon as a Shinigami's spiritual pressure appeared, it would be immediately detected.
To avoid further complications, Kisuke Urahara had engraved a reishi-absorbing brand inside the Mukuro.
Therefore, as long as Yoriichi Tsugikuni did not actively release his spiritual pressure, in others' eyes, he would be an ordinary Quincy.
The appearing location was outside the Silver Frame City, where two Quincy were on guard.
Yoriichi did not hide his identity. After stating his name and demonstrating his ability to manipulate reishi, he successfully entered the Silver Frame City.
…
At the same time, inside the Silver Frame City.
Bambietta Basterbine was sitting atop a tower, facing the wind.
She held a handheld game console and, looking at a red dot that suddenly appeared on the screen, couldn't help but feel a hint of interest.
"A newcomer… Interesting. The fake Silver Frame City Gremmy made is really good. It's separated into inside and outside, completely digitized."
"Even dozens of kilometers away, one can know the position of others."
"I'll go meet him. I wonder what he looks like. If he's handsome, I'll kill him; it'll be a good way to relieve boredom."
"Having to be on guard against those Shinigami every day is so annoying!"