Ōtsubaki City.
On its busy streets, a young man in a black robe walked at an unhurried pace, a gleaming sword resting in his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In modern society, someone strolling openly with a weapon should have caused panic or at least drawn attention.
Yet not a single person looked his way.
It was as if he didn't exist.
That man was Ryūjin Uchiha.
The reason no one in Ōtsubaki City noticed him was simple. They couldn't see him at all.
To them, he simply wasn't there.
Like a ghost.
This strange situation existed because the entire city was under Ryūjin's genjutsu.
Since he intended to pass as a Shinigami within the Soul Society, he had already prepared for every detail. The issue of ordinary humans being unable to perceive Shinigami was something he had resolved long ago.
Otherwise, the moment he entered the Human World alongside other Soul Reapers, the inconsistency would expose him.
For others, solving this problem would be difficult.
For Ryūjin, it was trivial.
He used Ice Release to condense the moisture in the air across the entire city into countless microscopic ice crystals. Then, through the Moon's Eye, he projected a genjutsu onto those crystals.
The illusion refracted through them, spreading across the city and placing every person under his control.
The principle was similar to the Infinite Tsukuyomi, though far simpler.
He completed it instantly.
The moment he arrived in Ōtsubaki City, the entire population had already fallen under his illusion.
"Walking around while no one can see me… yeah, this is weird," Ryūjin muttered. "Feels like I'm dead already."
Still, it was necessary.
Now that he was a Shinigami, he had to act like one in every detail. A single oversight could expose him.
"Whatever. Let's get this over with."
His Observation Haki spread outward, covering the entire city in an instant.
Every Plus was revealed.
When humans died, their souls separated from their bodies and lingered as wandering spirits. To Soul Reapers, these souls were called Pluses.
If left alone, they would either be devoured by Hollows or consumed by their own regrets and transform into Hollows themselves.
Pluses and Hollows were simply two states of the same soul.
Locking onto the nearest one, Ryūjin vanished and reappeared moments later in front of an elderly man.
The old man stood at the entrance of a kindergarten, patiently waiting, as though expecting his grandson to come out.
"Old man, time's up. You've stayed here long enough," Ryūjin said, appearing before him.
"You… you can see me?" the old man asked in surprise.
"I'm a Shinigami. I'm here to take you where you belong."
"I see… then it's time for me to go."
The old man smiled faintly.
"I got to see my grandson so many times after I died. I have no regrets. Please, take me."
Ryūjin gave a small nod and drew the Asauchi at his side. With a gentle tap of its hilt against the man's forehead, the soul dissolved into light.
The old man disappeared, smiling.
The Asauchi had been issued to him upon joining the Seireitei. Though it hadn't awakened into a true Zanpakuto, it was more than enough for Soul Burial.
"Done. Next."
Ryūjin moved on without pause.
---
Over the next several days, he continued performing Soul Burials across the city.
One soul after another was guided to the Soul Society.
His quota steadily decreased.
Completion was within reach.
"Next…"
After sending off a woman who had died in a car accident, Ryūjin prepared to move again.
Then his expression shifted.
Cold.
His body flickered to the side instantly.
Swoosh!
A sharp blade shot past him, grazing his Shihakusho and slamming into a nearby wall, leaving a deep crack.
The blade retracted just as quickly and vanished.
"He dodged it? That fast?"
Hidden beneath a spiritual concealment cloak, Gin Ichimaru's eyes narrowed in surprise.
The cloak masked his spiritual pressure completely. To normal perception, he was nonexistent.
Combined with the speed of his Zanpakuto, it made him nearly impossible to detect.
The plan had been simple, strike, draw blood, and leave.
But Ryūjin had avoided the attack effortlessly.
Not even a scratch.
Gin couldn't even tell if his Zanpakuto had been seen.
That thought alone made things dangerous.
"Aizen was right. He's not simple," Gin muttered, already deciding to withdraw. "This operation's done."
He vanished with Shunpo, retreating at once.
"Running already?"
Ryūjin's lips curled into a cold, dismissive smirk. His figure flickered and reappeared directly in Gin's path.
"You stab me and think you can just walk away? Yeah right."
He stared straight ahead.
To others, there was nothing there.
To Ryūjin, Gin stood in plain sight.
"What… he can see me?"
Gin's composure cracked.
Dodging the attack was one thing.
Sensing him at all was another.
The cloak was designed to eliminate nearly all spiritual presence. Even the smallest trace should have been undetectable.
It had fooled captains before.
Isshin Shiba had nearly died to an ambush involving this very method, never realizing who attacked him.
And yet Ryūjin saw through it instantly.
"How is this possible…" Gin thought, unable to make sense of it.
Ryūjin didn't give him time to think.
His Asauchi cut through the air in a clean, direct strike.
Gin avoided a head-on clash, unwilling to reveal his Zanpakuto, and retreated in haste.
But under pressure, he couldn't keep up.
A slash tore across his back, opening a long wound.
Before Ryūjin could press further, a massive presence erupted.
The ground trembled.
Ryūjin turned.
A colossal figure crashed down behind him.
A Menos Grande.
But not a normal one.
It held a sword.
"A Hollow… with a blade?"
An ordinary Soul Reaper would have been stunned.
Ryūjin wasn't.
"Aizen."
The conclusion came instantly.
The boundary between Hollow and Shinigami had always been something Aizen toyed with.
This was just another result.
"So I've been on his radar. Great."
The thought lingered briefly before the Menos moved.
It charged with unnatural speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
Its blade came down with immense force.
Ryūjin met it head-on.
Boom!
Their weapons collided, releasing a violent shockwave.
The Menos was thrown back.
Ryūjin followed immediately, rising into the air before bringing his blade down in a crushing strike.
The Menos blocked, only to be slammed into the ground.
The assault didn't stop.
Ryūjin pressed forward relentlessly, overpowering it with brute force.
---
Inside the Fifth Division barracks.
Aizen watched the battle unfold through a monitoring device.
"Impressive," he said quietly.
That Menos was already beyond standard captain level.
Yet it stood no chance.
"It seems this mission was doomed from the start," Aizen adjusted his glasses. "We underestimated him."
The outcome was clear.
The Menos was cut down without leaving a single wound on Ryūjin.
Before deploying it, Aizen had already prepared a barrier around Ōtsubaki City.
From beginning to end, the battle went completely unnoticed by the Seireitei.