No.
His peerless intellect told him there was definitely a catch here.
Naraku Sora furrowed his brows, trying to put himself in Aizen's shoes and think like him.
Based on the existing intelligence, whether one was a Soul Reaper or a Hollow, to become a Transcendent, they first had to break their own soul's limits.
The simplest method was Hollowfication or becoming an Arrancar, just like Yamamoto.
Hundreds of years ago, or perhaps even earlier, he had already reached the absolute limit of First-Class Spiritual Power. He was only a single step away from becoming a Transcendent.
Hollowfication was his greatest catalyst.
When other Soul Reapers underwent Hollowfication, although they could also break their soul's limits, their relatively weak foundational strength meant they simply couldn't reach the level of a Transcendent.
They could only train diligently, striving to catch a glimpse of the peak within their lifetimes.
Aside from that, there was the power of the Spirit King.
Take the members of the Zero Division, for example. When they were in the Soul Society, they were merely Soul Reaper Captains.
However, after ascending to the Soul King Palace and using the Spirit King's power to reconstruct their bodies and bones, they could also become Transcendents.
The third method was fusing with the Hōgyoku.
In essence, the principle was the same as forging the Oken, just with variations in the details.
Of course, these were merely Aizen's speculations. The specific circumstances still had to be verified in practice.
But all these methods shared a common core: breaking the original limits of the soul.
So, here was the problem.
Had he already broken his soul's limits?
Naraku Sora suddenly thought of a very crucial point: because his Hollowfication was too perfect, his own soul had become exceptionally sturdy.
The power of a Hollow and the power of a Soul Reaper had perfectly interlocked, forming a highly unique entity.
If calculated this way, didn't that mean he had never actually broken through that barrier on his soul from the very beginning?
*My head is so itchy. It feels like something is about to grow out of it.*
*No, I should leave this kind of thing to the professionals. My peerless intellect isn't meant to be used for this.*
In a world where the technology tree was completely skewed and gods actually existed, pondering complex problems related to the soul was no less difficult than trying to stop Yamamoto from using Ryūjin Jakka to roast sweet potatoes.
No matter how he looked at it, work of this difficulty shouldn't be left for him to do.
After accompanying Yoruichi on a few laps around Las Noches, Naraku Sora sent her back to the Soul Society, letting her familiarize herself with the power of Hollowfication first, and conveniently acting as a walking advertisement for the other Captains.
Then, he hurriedly went to find Aizen.
After listening to a certain someone's recounting, Aizen fell silent.
Sometimes, he really wanted to pry open Naraku Sora's head to see if it contained a brain or just muscle.
Although, based on his experience, the latter was far more likely.
But even if he did have a brain, how could he possibly guess the truth without the support of any concrete theories?
A long time ago, when Naraku Sora was cooperating with some of his research, he had already discovered it—
This guy's soul was different from ordinary people.
Two powers perfectly interlocked, forming a soul barrier ten, or even a hundred times sturdier than that of other Soul Reapers.
No, it should be three types now.
Aizen suddenly recalled that this guy even knew how to use Reishi manipulation, an ability exclusive to Quincies.
Although he rarely saw the guy use it, he definitely knew how.
If it were anyone else, stacking three powers together would have broken their soul's limits long ago.
Normal methods were no longer applicable to Naraku Sora; they had to find another way.
"Although I am reluctant to admit it, I must say that your guess is correct."
Aizen said calmly, "As for how to break your soul's limits, I am still thinking of a specific method. Be patient and give me a little more time..."
However, before he could finish speaking, Naraku Sora interrupted him:
"No need to think about it. As long as we confirm the guess is right, that's enough."
"As for how to become a Transcendent, heh heh..."
"I have my own brilliant plan!"
Looking at the smug expression on a certain someone's face, a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in Aizen's heart.
Following the Captain's meeting where Squad 5 Captain Hirako Shinji displayed the overwhelming power of Hollowfication—fighting three Captains at once and defeating them—the news that another Captain had mastered Hollowfication once again sent shockwaves through the Seireitei.
The Captain of Squad 2, Shihōin Yoruichi.
She had an excellent relationship with Naraku Sora; rumor had it they were thick as thieves.
Because of this, countless rumors spread wildly among the upper echelons of the Seireitei.
Some Captains who were still in the wait-and-see phase could no longer suppress their inner impulses, quietly rushing to the Shino Prison under the cover of night.
"Don't panic, don't rush, and don't push."
Naraku Sora stood guard at the main gate, revealing his signature amiable smile.
"As long as everyone cooperates honestly, I guarantee that each of you will get to experience the glory of Hollowfication."
"When that time comes, the overall strength of the Gotei 13's upper echelons will multiply several times over without a single problem."
Watching Naraku Sora enthusiastically entertain the crowd, Muguruma Kensei and the others momentarily thought they had come to the wrong place.
Muguruma Kensei couldn't help but reveal a suspicious expression, doubting if a certain someone harbored any ulterior motives.
But on second thought, even if the few of them banded together, they probably wouldn't be enough for Naraku Sora to beat up on his own.
If the other party wanted to force them to do something, it would be very difficult for them to resist with their current strength.
They had already reached this point anyway.
Rather than struggling painfully, it was better to give up resisting; that way, they might suffer a little less.
Soon, more people came to sign up.
Unsurprisingly, it was the Captains of the New Gotei 13, the Naraku Faction led by Kuchiki Kōga.
As the earliest group to know about the Hueco Mundo incident outside of Aizen and the others, they placed their most unwavering trust in Naraku Sora.
Therefore.
When they learned that Hollowfication could make them stronger and allow them to better serve their Head Captain, these people flocked to the Department of Research and Development all at once.
"Considering that the Hollowfication experiment might cause some unnecessary side effects, we are preparing to head to the underground prison to conduct it."
"It has been reinforced up to thirty-nine times and can perfectly isolate Reiatsu conflicts. It is the most suitable experimental site possible."
Naraku Sora stood on a high platform, his voice loud and clear.
Looking at Komamura Sajin and the others beside him, who wore expressions of anticipation, Muguruma Kensei's expression turned somewhat bizarre.
He naturally knew about the existence of the New Gotei 13, and he was well aware that there was no shortage of Captain-class Soul Reapers among them.
But when all these people stood right in front of him at once, the psychological impact was truly difficult to express in words.
It was like placing a bank card with ten million on it next to ten million in cash; the latter definitely had a much stronger visual impact.
Even though the value of both was exactly the same.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Naraku Sora waved his hand grandly and took the lead in heading to the underground prison.
Komamura Sajin and the others followed closely behind.
Muguruma Kensei and his group exchanged glances, ultimately gritting their teeth and following along.
Inside the newly opened laboratory in the underground prison.
Urahara Kisuke watched the familiar faces walk into the room, his expression involuntarily darkening.
Although the Hollowfication surgery was already very mature, no matter how streamlined it was, it still required a technician to operate the equipment.
So, who would this person be?
Urahara Kisuke looked around and found that he was the only one standing in front of the instruments, making his face darken even further.
No wonder that guy Kurotsuchi Mayuri had run off to Hueco Mundo so early, claiming he was going to research some new project regarding the Segunda Etapa with Szayelaporro.
It turned out he had anticipated this disaster long ago.
*Damn it!*
Gritting his teeth with tears streaming down his face, Urahara Kisuke's fingers danced across the keyboard in a blur of afterimages as he began the tragic, seemingly endless work.
The first to bear the brunt was Muguruma Kensei.
As the disgrace of the Captains and a mere unit of measurement, he was an existence that should have been updated versions ago, yet due to his lack of talent, he had long been unable to break through his own limits.
Under Kensei's slightly nervous gaze, a brilliant light erupted from the instrument's port, instantly swallowing him whole.
The next second, his Reiatsu began to surge and multiply!
A materialized pillar of light erupted with a boom, slamming fiercely against the outer Kidō barrier.
A pair of scarlet pupils surfaced within the pillar of light, and a tyrannical aura began to permeate the air.
Then, tearing through the pillar of light, a figure stepped out like a wild beast.
"Roar!!"
A frenzied roar echoed through the laboratory, with visible sound waves spreading in all directions.
In his Hollowfied state, Muguruma Kensei had completely lost his reason, transforming into a monster that only knew slaughter and destruction.
He now had only one goal, and that was—
To tear apart everything in sight!
Soon, his scarlet eyes locked onto the only target in the laboratory.
A young man with his arms crossed over his chest, looking completely harmless.
Amidst his roaring, Muguruma Kensei lowered his stance. A boom erupted beneath his feet, and the massive recoil propelled him directly toward Naraku Sora.
The very next second, the figure flew backward at a speed several times faster than when he approached, slamming viciously into the barrier and sending ripples echoing across its surface.
Muguruma Kensei slumped at the edge, unable to stand up from the ground even after recovering for quite a while.
He was completely and utterly dazed from the blow.
Naraku Sora approached, lifted the defenseless Kensei, opened the side door, and walked straight into the holding cell.
After skillfully tossing the man inside, he casually followed up with a Bakudō.
"Bakudō #99, Part 2: Bankin!"
"First Song: Shiryū!"
Reiatsu surged, transforming into fabric strips imbued with powerful binding force. They wrapped around and sealed Muguruma Kensei's body, instantly turning him into a tightly bound mummy and pinning him firmly in place.
After completing all this, silk-like patterns surfaced before Naraku Sora's eyes once again, followed by the appearance of ink wash text.
He briefly evaluated the so-called explosive dash; it was actually just a technique of gathering spiritual power in both hands and blasting it out all at once.
In principle, it was somewhat similar to the Rasengan from the neighboring village.
A technique that was better than nothing.
Realizing that his Reiatsu still hadn't broken through its limits, Naraku Sora turned and returned to the laboratory, waving to the outside.
"Next."
Rōjūrō took a few deep breaths and walked in, feigning composure.
The process was repeated.
Accompanied by a burst of inhuman roaring, another colleague was locked inside the holding cell.
Time flew by as the test subjects entered the laboratory one after another, continuously repeating the Hollowfication process.
When everything was finally over, Urahara Kisuke slumped into his chair, completely burned out, turning into pale ash...