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Rukongai West, Shiba.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
Accompanied by the sound of air being torn, black, masked figures appeared around the Shiba, completely surrounding the small house.
The next second, everyone swarmed forward, rushing into the building simultaneously.
"Who's there?"
Going down the stairs, as soon as they reached the bottom, a sharp shout came.
Kin'en and Gin'en were standing outside an open room, both holding steaming plates of food. It was Kin'en who shouted, and from the room in front of them, laughter could be heard.
"I'm exhausted, Big Sister. Can't I stop training with Ishikawa?"
"Shut up, eat, then get back to Ōkaku Training Hall to continue training."
"Ganju-nii, instead of wasting time here, you should quickly recover your stamina."
"…"
The dialogue made the slender figure standing in front of the black-clad, masked Onmitsukido pause slightly, then walk towards the room, followed by the Onmitsukido behind him.
"Captain Soi Fon?"
Ishikawa looked at Soi Fon standing outside the dining room, slightly stunned: "Why are you here?"
Soi Fon didn't speak, but carefully scrutinized Ishikawa. Only when she confirmed that he had no injuries, and only his clothes were a bit wrinkled, did she nod slightly.
"Come with me, Ishikawa."
Soi Fon turned and waved her hand at the Onmitsukido behind her, and several Onmitsukido members immediately stepped forward.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing this, Ganju, who was beside them, suddenly stood up, looking at everyone with a grim expression.
"Captain Soi Fon, coming to our Shiba to arrest someone, shouldn't you give me a reason?" Although Shiba Kūkaku didn't stand up, an incredibly powerful Reiatsu surged around her.
This made the few Onmitsukido members who stepped forward change their expressions, and they instinctively retreated a few steps.
Fortunately, at this moment, a figure blocked their way.
"Well, well, well— Don't be nervous."
Ishikawa stood in front of the few Onmitsukido members, smiled slightly at Ganju and Kukaku in the room, then turned and said: "You must be looking for me for something. There's no need to react so strongly. Even if you're here to arrest me, you'll let me go after the investigation is clear."
"But…"
Ganju heard this and wanted to say something more, but Kukaku interrupted: "Since Ishikawa said so, let him go."
"This…"
Ganju hesitated for a moment, then sat back down.
Soi Fon glanced at Ganju, then subtly looked down at the ground where a few grains of white sand had scattered when he stood up.
"Take him away!"
Soi Fon withdrew her gaze, turned, and walked outside. The Onmitsukido members behind her exchanged glances, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
A few minutes ago, they suddenly received an order from Captain Soi Fon to gather all male Onmitsukido members and launch an arrest operation against Ishikawa.
This made everyone extremely nervous, because having been trained by Ishikawa, they knew how terrifying Ishikawa-sama's strength was. Otherwise, Captain Soi Fon wouldn't have personally led this arrest operation.
Fortunately…
Ishikawa-sama was as gentle as ever and didn't attack them, allowing them to arrest him.
However, though it was an arrest, those few Onmitsukido members hesitated for a moment and didn't put shackles on Ishikawa.
"Captain Soi Fon—"
At the front of the group, Ishikawa moved closer to Soi Fon, asking in a worried whisper: "Has Ganju-nii's infiltration of Seireitei been exposed?"
"Shut up."
Soi Fon replied with two incredibly cold words, then immediately used Shunpo to head towards the Byakudo Gate.
Ishikawa blinked in confusion, feeling a bit helpless.
He had never seen someone arresting a prisoner abandon the prisoner and make them follow on their own…
Annoyed as he was, Ishikawa immediately used Shunpo to follow.
…
Half an hour later, Central 46.
Under the escort of the Onmitsukido, Ishikawa slowly stepped into a dimly lit building.
This was a room similar to a council hall. On the high platform sat figures, but each figure was obscured by a wooden board engraved with a 'number'.
The Onmitsukido escorting Ishikawa locked him onto a small platform similar to a judgment stand, then knelt before the council members and reported: "Reporting to the Lords, the joint inspection by the Fourth Division and the Technology Development Bureau has concluded. The Fourth Division's inspection results indicate that 'Ishikawa' has no injuries whatsoever, aside from some Reiatsu depletion."
"And from the Technology Development Bureau's inspection results, there is no presence of any non-Shinigami aura on Ishikawa's body."
As soon as these words were spoken, a buzz of discussion immediately arose from the council.
After a long moment, a council member behind a wooden board engraved with 'Sixteen' spoke: "Ishikawa, do you know why you have been arrested?"
"Reporting to the Lords…"
Ishikawa mimicked the tone of the Onmitsukido member, saying: "Captain Soi Fon did not tell me; she simply brought me here while I was eating."
"Where have you been these past few days?"
"Uh, where have I been?" Ishikawa was slightly stunned.
"Impudent!"
A sharp rebuke came from behind the 'Eleven' numbered wooden board: "You are being questioned; you only need to answer our questions."
"Yes, my apologies."
Ishikawa nodded, saying respectfully: "Reporting to the Lords, I have been staying at the Shiba these past few days. The Shiba siblings can fully attest to this; furthermore, the Squad Members of the Fourth Division can also confirm this. When I missed the Floral Arrangement Society for training, I informed my colleagues in the Fourth Division in advance. I also maintained contact during the Floral Arrangement Society, asking them to share their observations with me."
The person behind the 'Eleven' numbered wooden board nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with Ishikawa's attitude.
Before meeting Ishikawa, they had always thought he was a troublemaker like Zaraki, but when Ishikawa arrived, they found that this young man was actually very polite and held great respect for the Central 46.
Moreover, according to the earlier report from the Onmitsukido, when the Onmitsukido encountered resistance from the Shiba Main Family during his arrest, it was he who voluntarily stepped forward and cooperated with the arrest.
They, however, did not know…
Ishikawa was currently muttering a phrase repeatedly in his mind:
Let the dead rest in peace; there's no need to argue with a bunch of dead people!
"Then how do you explain the image received by the Image Hall from the surveillance circuit located in Hueco Mundo?"
"Hmm?"
Ishikawa was startled, and before he could even ask, a virtual screen appeared in the center of the council, displaying a one-minute long image of Ishikawa's battle with Szayelaporro and his rush into the Black Portal.
"This…"
Ishikawa's expression changed: "This is impossible, isn't it?"
"Impossible what? Do you find it impossible that the Image Hall has a surveillance circuit in Hueco Mundo?"
"No…"
Ishikawa opened his mouth, then carefully watched the continuously looping image, his eyes lighting up: "Reporting to the Lords, I can say with certainty… the person in that image is not me."
"Reason."
"Even just from the image, one can see that he is severely injured, whereas I… the previous inspection results, the Lords should still remember them; also, although I have been to Hueco Mundo once, that last trip to Hueco Mundo was entirely thanks to the assistance of the Golden Seal Association and the Technology Development Bureau, and even then, it was barely successful."
"To return, it took me nearly half a month of effort. How could someone like me open a Black Portal at such a coincidental moment and enter it?"
"And the most important point, anyone familiar with me should know…"
Ishikawa paused: "My Zanpakuto has always been in a sealed state; it's impossible for it to be released as shown in the image. The Lords can have the Heavenly Garment Brigade confirm this, to ensure that the seal engraved by the Heavenly Garment Brigade is still intact."
Ishikawa's words once again caused a stir of discussion within the council.
Indeed, as Ishikawa said, from the moment the Image Hall received the feedback from the surveillance circuit to Ishikawa's arrest, less than three minutes passed. In these short three minutes, the 'Ishikawa' in the image could not have been completely unharmed like the Ishikawa before them.
"How do you explain the Reiatsu depletion?"
"Reporting to the Lords, I have been continuously learning Kido from Sister Kukaku… that is, the current head of the Shiba. I have been undergoing high-intensity training these past few days, so it's inevitable that my Reiatsu would be depleted. I ask for the Lords' understanding on this point."
"Furthermore, do the Lords still remember…"
Ishikawa paused, then continued: "Although I have only been to Hueco Mundo once, my last trip to Hueco Mundo yielded great rewards. I believe the Lords are aware of the details, so I won't recount them one by one; but at that time, I encountered a Hollow, a Hollow with a Zanpakuto, Shinigami Reiatsu, and even capable of using Shinigami Shikai, who called himself 'Shiba Kaien'."
"When I first saw him, I didn't even realize he was a Hollow, because his Reiatsu, Spirit Body, and even his Zanpakuto were identical to a Shinigami's. This shows that… Hueco Mundo might have developed the ability to mimic Shinigami, and it's even possible that such Hollows exist within Seireitei."
Ishikawa said with a solemn expression: "And don't the Lords find it strange? As far as I know, the surveillance circuits located in Hueco Mundo are extremely rare, only a few, and have never yielded anything; yet this time, my figure was so cleverly captured. Is it possible that this image was deliberately shown to us by someone?"
"Although I am not a member of the Shinigami, if my conjecture is true, such a matter will inevitably endanger the entire Soul Society and the safety of the Lords; for the sake of safety, I propose that the Technology Development Bureau strengthen its monitoring of space, and the Supervisory Team should also strengthen its supervision of Shinigami."
"The enemy could very well be among us, and it's even possible that some Captains are involved."
Ishikawa paused, then said with an incredibly heavy tone: "Lords, such things have happened before, and we must take strict precautions. I can set an example and voluntarily cooperate with high-intensity surveillance from the Supervisory Team, Technology Development Bureau, Image Hall, and all other departments."
"But for this, I request that the Lords must strengthen the surveillance of the Gotei 13 to avoid endangering the Lords."
Ishikawa's face was full of worry and concern, a living example of…
A loyal lackey.
Ishikawa's statement made the Onmitsukido kneeling on the ground change their expressions.
Because Ishikawa's statement was simply too shocking…
The enemy being among them was one thing, but Ishikawa-sama even said that Hollows might exist among the Captain-level. If such remarks were to spread, it wouldn't be long before the Gotei 13 came knocking on Ishikawa's door.
He, however, didn't know that Ishikawa had already thrown caution to the wind.
He was completely embracing the idea of…
If I can't be well, neither can you.
As for whether he could escape punishment because of this, Ishikawa thought it was basically impossible.
Because with the temperament of these old fuddy-duddies in the Central 46, they would certainly not let him off so easily.
However…
Ishikawa's statement caused the forty sages and six judges to fall silent, lost in thought.
After a long while, someone finally broke the silence.
"You don't need to worry about this matter."
From behind the No. 7 wooden board came a majestic voice: "Once the Shihōin Family's inspection results on you are released, you may leave."
As soon as these words were spoken, a clamor immediately arose within the council.
"Lord Amakado?"
"How can we just let him leave?"
"…"
Just as Ishikawa thought, although Ishikawa fully proved that the person in the image was not him.
But to be safe, during Ishikawa's arrest, a verdict had already been passed on him. The so-called judgment before them was merely a formality.
No matter how sufficient Ishikawa's evidence was, to prevent future troubles, they would either imprison him in the Maggot's Nest or throw him into Muken.
At this moment, Amakado was prepared to let him leave.
"Sirs, before we begin this meeting, my daughter once said that she had contact with Ishikawa today, so she can confirm that the person in the video is not Ishikawa. However, I didn't fully believe it before, but after hearing Ishikawa's explanation and combining it with my daughter's words, it can now be confirmed that Ishikawa has not been to Hueco Mundo."
Daughter?
Everyone suddenly understood. They were naturally familiar with Amakado's daughter.
Because she was the chief Librarian of the Great Spirit Book Gallery, located beneath the Central 46. This position was originally held concurrently by Amakado, but not long ago, it was completely handed over to Amakado Nayura.
The chief Librarian of the Great Spirit Book Gallery is extremely special. Generally speaking, only Amakado, one of the 'Sages', can hold this position. But once a succession occurs, it means that the successor will inevitably become one of the Sages.
While they didn't believe Ishikawa, they greatly trusted the person who would inherit the 'Sage' position and become one of them in the future.
"What do you all think?"
"I agree."
"Ishikawa's evidence for self-proving is indeed extremely sufficient."
"From the results, the person in the video should just be an imitation, not the real person."
"After the Shihōin Family's inspection results are released, Ishikawa will be acquitted, but at the same time, he will undergo the high-intensity supervision he proposed."
"Seconded!"
...
Everyone's tone shifted almost simultaneously. Although Ishikawa didn't show any unusual expression, he was utterly bewildered.
Who is Amakado?
And who is his daughter?
???
Even if Ishikawa searched through all his memories, he found no record of having interacted with the daughter of a 'Sage'.
Originally, he thought he would definitely be imprisoned this time. If he was lucky, he might go to the Maggot's Nest; if not, he might very well be locked in Muken.
He had even planned...
If it was the Maggot's Nest, he would just honestly serve his time.
If it was Muken, he would escape to the Human World. Anyway, Urahara Kisuke's side also hid some former Captains and Vice-Captains; at worst, he'd just communicate with them more.
But he never expected that a Sage named 'Amakado' would suddenly appear and side with him.
This should be...
A good thing, right?
...
Ten minutes later, when Ishikawa walked out of the Central 46, his mind was still filled with confusion.
He was actually released...
The Shihōin Family's inspection results naturally had no issues, nor could they possibly have issues. After all, the seal on Ishikawa's Zanpakuto was personally inscribed by... Yoruichi, the previous head of the Shihōin Family.
Before leaving Hueco Mundo, Ishikawa had already begun to imagine the situations he might encounter upon returning to the Soul Society.
So, upon arriving in the Human World, he immediately asked Urahara Kisuke to seal his Zanpakuto. Originally, he intended to have Urahara Kisuke try to imitate the seal; but coincidentally, Yoruichi, who was out playing, was also there, so he simply asked Yoruichi to help him seal it.
As for the injuries on his body, without a doubt...
They were piled up with experience points!
If his body's injuries weren't good, no matter how he concealed them, it would be impossible to fool anyone.
So Ishikawa gritted his teeth and added experience points in increments of ten thousand, investing over forty thousand experience points into his physique.
Physique: Top-tier (15377 / 1000000)
With Ishikawa's injuries, it was almost impossible to fully recover with forty thousand experience points.
But...
After his physique broke through to top-tier, Ishikawa found that his self-healing ability had greatly increased, even to the point of being called 'regeneration'. Although it was still a bit inferior to the 'super-fast regeneration' ability of Hollows, his self-healing speed was already extremely terrifying.
Moreover, both his physical strength and defensive capabilities were so strong that Ishikawa felt it was subtly absurd.
Now that he had entered the top-tier, which is the Captain-level attribute, besides Reiatsu, his abandoned incantation, Shunpo, and physique had all reached top-tier.
And the cost...
Current Experience Points: 64600.
The experience points provided by Picaro were almost entirely consumed in this battle, and not a single point of experience was added to his Reiatsu.
However, the effects produced after his physique broke through to top-tier significantly reduced Ishikawa's heartache.
"Captain Ishikawa, your Zanpakuto."
An Onmitsukido member ran out and returned Ishikawa's long blade to him: "Oh, Captain Ishikawa, your Zanpakuto was personally inspected by the head of the Shihōin Family. After his inspection, he said... he hopes to have a chance to meet you and ask you some things."
Ishikawa's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this, understanding that the other party had probably seen that the seal on the Zanpakuto was no longer the original one, but had helped him conceal it.
Nodding, he thanked the Onmitsukido member, then turned his gaze to the Zanpakuto in his hand.
He had no intention of removing the seal on the blade.
Because in addition to the concealment, he was already preparing to deal with his Zanpakuto.
Just as he had said before, he would not abandon or destroy his Zanpakuto. There was only one thing Ishikawa wanted to do, and that was...
Erase the 'true name' of the Zanpakuto!
At the same time...
Bestow upon it a 'true name' that only Ishikawa himself would know, a true name completely controlled and bestowed by Ishikawa himself!!
Normally, when a Zanpakuto is born, its true name is also born simultaneously and can never be changed. This true name will also always be controlled, allowing for its erasure and restriction through its 'true name', and even sealing the blade's owner with the 'blade's true name'.
The 'root' from which the true name is born will not change due to personality...
Ishikawa didn't know how the system changed his root, but a change indeed occurred, and Ishikawa didn't resist this change.
Because the system's existence made his Zanpakuto a special existence that belonged to him, yet didn't belong to him.
And the appearance of the white spot gave Ishikawa the opportunity to erase its 'true name' and then bestow upon it a new 'true name'. This true name would only be known to Ishikawa himself and would completely belong to him alone.
"Let's have a competition."
Ishikawa raised his Zanpakuto, a smile on his face: "Let's see if I erase you first, or if you erase me first?"
There is a type of blade in this world that existed before Bankai appeared in the world, its name is...
Evolutionary Zanpakuto!
...
After leaving the Central 46, Ishikawa did not linger in Seireitei but left Seireitei and headed towards the Shiba.
He was in such a hurry to return, in fact, to prevent Kukaku from taking any action out of worry for him...
After a rapid journey, Ishikawa soon returned to the Shiba and immediately headed straight for the Ōkaku Training Hall.
"Ahhhhhh—"
As soon as he entered the Ōkaku Training Hall, familiar screams reached Ishikawa's ears.
Watching Ganju being beaten and rolling on the ground inside the training hall, Ishikawa's mouth twitched slightly, and he instinctively turned and stepped...
But before he could run, an angry roar already came:
"Get over here!!"
...Ishikawa.
It's over.
Ishikawa chuckled awkwardly and turned around, walking into the training hall.
"Got guts now? Got ambition?"
Kukaku looked at the awkwardly smiling Ishikawa, her voice filled with annoyance: "You even ran to Hueco Mundo? Why don't you just go kill your way to the Soul King Palace? Do you need me to give you a ride?"
Ishikawa gave a 'hehe' sound, not daring to answer.
"What's the result?" Kukaku said coldly.
Ishikawa quickly said: "It's fine now, I've already proven my innocence at the Central 46. This matter can be said to have been temporarily covered up."
"Covered up?"
Shiba Kūkaku was slightly stunned for a moment, then asked: "Is it really fine now?"
"It's really fine!"
Ishikawa nodded vigorously, then recounted what had happened after he was taken to the Central 46.
"Oh, Kukaku-nee."
Ishikawa asked somewhat confusedly: "Do you know the surname Amakado? Hmm, no... Who is the daughter of that Sage named 'Amakado'?"
"Sage?"
Kukaku's face flashed with thought upon hearing this, and after a long moment, she said with a sudden realization: "Oh, that very interesting little girl."
"Amakado Nayura."
Kukaku said with a somewhat strange expression: "She is the daughter of one of the Sages of the Central 46. Not long ago, she seemed to have become the chief Librarian of the 'Great Spirit Book Gallery', but before she became a librarian, she often appeared in Seireitei and Rukongai."
"Hmm?"
Kukaku smiled slightly: "She can be said to be an anomaly among nobles. She has always expressed disdain for 'noble-first principles' and is committed to eliminating the ideological gap between nobles and commoners, thereby creating a fair and good judicial system for all, including nobles, commoners, and residents of Rukongai."
For this reason, before becoming a librarian, she often disguised herself and used a false name to mingle with commoners and orphans in Seireitei and Rukongai; this is no secret among the Gotei 13. Both Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui have a great fondness for her, affectionately calling her Nayura-chan."
"I also heard about it from Ukitake."
Nayura-chan?
Ishikawa seemed to have thought of something and subconsciously opened his system interface, starting to scroll through it from top to bottom.
It didn't take long to pinpoint a name.
['Nayura', Current Favorability: 38]
Ishikawa's mouth twitched slightly, and an image of a raggedly dressed, ordinary-looking orphan immediately appeared in his mind.
If he remembered correctly, this orphan named 'Nayura' was one of the thousands of orphans cared for by Ishikawa. Ishikawa kept track of everyone who had a favorability rating with him, so he naturally wouldn't forget her.
However, not long after he started caring for her, she disappeared.
Ishikawa had tried to find her, but couldn't, and eventually had to give up the search, putting her out of his mind.
Although Ishikawa cared for many orphans, not many had the talent to become Shinigami, and this Nayura was one of them, but she hadn't undergone any training; so Ishikawa hadn't paid much attention at the time, thinking that anyone who wanted to become a Shinigami would naturally go to the Spiritual Arts Academy to enroll when they grew up.
And at the same time he remembered her...
Ishikawa suddenly remembered someone, a little girl he had seen once at the Omaeda Residence, who was playing with Chiyo.
Although their appearances were different, the feeling of their Reiatsu fluctuations was extremely similar.
No wonder he felt a bit strange when he saw her back then, but at the time, he didn't connect the dots in that direction at all, and coupled with his later conversation with Ukitake, he overlooked this point.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa turned to say goodbye and leave, intending to visit the orphanages he cared for.
However...
Slap!
Five fingers directly clamped the back of Ishikawa's head, and Kukaku's extremely angry voice came from beside his ear.
"Did I give you permission to leave?"
The next second...
Ishikawa's face made intimate contact with the arena!
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