After feeding Yoruichi to her heart's content, Kenma walked out of the room.
It was already night, and the sky was filled with twinkling stars.
"The air quality in Soul Society really is great, huh."
Gazing at the starlight in the night sky, Kenma sighed with emotion before heading into his study.
He drew the Zanpakutō from his waist and softly chanted its name.
"Kiritsugu!"
Thousands of nearly transparent threads burst from his chest, passing through the walls and extending in all directions outside the house.
Among these threads emitting a faint white light, one stood out the most, blooming with a dazzling red light.
Kenma pinched this red thread, wrapped it around his finger, and projected his consciousness into it.
"Can you hear me, Riko?"
A slightly startled voice rang in Kenma's mind.
It was Riko Amanai, whom he had signed a contract with in the Jujutsu world.
"Lord Kenma, contacting me so suddenly, is something the matter?"
"Where are you playing right now? The Uchiha compound?"
Riko Amanai looked at her surroundings; she was inside an extremely broad and empty palace.
Over a dozen thick load-bearing pillars stood on both sides of the hall, and elite Uchiha were patrolling and standing guard in all directions.
She herself was sitting in the center of the hall, looking at three simple wooden gates made of square wooden pillars in front of her.
Written above the wooden gates were [Sea], [Fire], and [Curse], respectively.
Following Kenma's orders, the Uchiha clan had built two new Crossing Gates in the great hall over the past few days.
Her duty here was to watch over these three Crossing Gates and open them when someone intended to cross over. Hearing Kenma's question, Riko Amanai immediately rose from her soft cushion.
"I am currently in the Hall of Realm Gates. Do you have a message for the Uchiha clan?"
Kenma's voice rang out in her mind.
"Yeah. Call them over."
"Okay!"
Riko Amanai nodded, looked at the maid beside her, and said, "Sister Misato, notify the elders to come here. Lord Kenma has something to say."
"I understand, Milady."
Kuroi Misato walked out of the great hall and spoke to the Uchiha guarding the outside. The Uchiha immediately ran outside the barrier, his figure flashing before disappearing.
Before long, a sea of scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness, flickering with infiltrating red light, looking particularly terrifying.
More than ten Uchiha clansmen passed through the barrier and entered.
After becoming familiar with them over these past few days, Kuroi Misato had gotten used to the Uchiha clan's style of entrance and those crimson eyes that gave off an ominous feeling.
The leaders of these Uchiha were naturally the two elders, Setsuna and Kakkaku.
"Everyone, Lord Kenma has an order to convey to you."
Hearing this, the expressions of the Uchiha, who had already received definite news, couldn't help but turn solemn as they followed the maid inside.
Inside the hall, Riko Amanai was kneeling on the cushion with her eyes closed to rest her mind, facing the entrance of the hall, her back straight.
Hearing the trivial and cautious footsteps approach, Riko Amanai's ears twitched. She immediately opened her eyes, revealing a serious expression as she looked at the people who had walked quickly to kneel before her.
"You've come, Uchiha."
"I am your Lord, Lord Kenma."
Hearing these words, the expressions of the crowd, which had been somewhat reserved, immediately relaxed a few degrees.
Kakkaku and Setsuna at the very front stood up and looked up at the stiff-faced Riko Amanai in front of them.
Kakkaku chuckled softly, "Lady Riko, your disguise is exposed. Lord Kenma would never refer to himself as 'Lord Kenma'."
The seriousness on Riko Amanai's face instantly collapsed, revealing a look of surprise.
"What? You guys found out so easily?"
"It's because your acting skills are too poor, Lady Riko, and you don't pay attention to details," Setsuna added from the side. "Lord Kenma dislikes formal kneeling; he usually sits cross-legged in a rather casual manner."
"Is that so? You even discovered my little habit."
Riko Amanai's voice sounded abruptly. Although the vocal cords were exactly the same as before, the feeling it gave off changed steeply.
Gone was the unique vitality of a young girl from before; instead, it was filled with heaviness and solemnity.
Hearing these words, Kakkaku and Setsuna's expressions changed drastically. They immediately threw themselves to the ground, their heads hanging low.
"My Lord, forgive us."
"We have overstepped!"
The breathing of the Uchiha clansmen behind them paused in unison as they followed suit, bowing their bodies and lowering their heads.
Inside the great hall, the atmosphere suddenly changed, becoming incomparably solemn and oppressive.
'Riko Amanai' shifted from a formal kneeling position to sitting cross-legged on the cushion in a rather casual manner, waving her hand at everyone.
"No matter. I am not blaming you."
"Thank you, my Lord."
Only then did the crowd stand up, yet they dared not look directly ahead; their eyes remained fixed on the floor below.
At this moment, the consciousness inside Riko Amanai's body was Kenma himself.
Just then, the girl's lively voice rang out in his mind.
'Scare tactic: Great Success! These people are probably terrified right now.'
Kenma chuckled in his heart and agreed with a sentence or two. The girl knew Kenma had important business, so after thanking him twice, she shut her mouth.
With his consciousness residing in Riko Amanai's body, Kenma felt nothing but ease; it was not much different from the feeling of his own body.
Previously, Kenma had also briefly resided his consciousness in other people's bodies.
Whether it was Shisui, Ace, or anyone else, no matter who it was, they all gave Kenma an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
It was like wearing extremely tight clothes—a suffocating sense of restriction.
But this girl with whom he had accidentally signed a contract was different.
To Kenma, Riko Amanai's body was as obedient to his will as his own body.
Whether it was consciousness or power, the projection was incomparably compatible.
Kenma predicted that if he were to die suddenly one day, Riko Amanai would become his brand-new body.
He had vaguely sensed this point as early as the time of the contract.
After several attempts, Kenma finally confirmed it.
Riko Amanai's status in his heart rose in a straight line because of this.
If one had to use a metaphor, it would be like the early Sasuke to Orochimaru, or Haschwalth to Yhwach; only the combination of the two could compare to Riko Amanai.
She was as important to Kenma as an avatar serving as his final trump card. The reason Riko Amanai could enjoy such treatment and status within the Uchiha clan now, respected and provided for by the Uchiha like a princess, stemmed from this source.
Sweeping his gaze around and looking at the Uchiha crowd before him, Kenma spoke slowly, "I recently established a new department within the Seireitei. It is similar to your profession in life, or the Anbu."
"Manpower is urgently needed now. Leave enough elites to guard the compound, and send all the rest to me."
Hearing this, Setsuna and Kakkaku below felt their spirits shaken.
"As you command!"
"The clansmen of the Uchiha have been honing their skills all day and have long looked forward to this. We will absolutely not let you down, my Lord."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]