It was obvious—
When Urahara first used that invention, he hadn't fully realized how serious things would become.
Only now, under the weight of multiple piercing gazes, did he finally come back to his senses.
Did I… underestimate how popular Shimo's puppet would be?
---
When Unohana made her request, Shimo showed a hint of surprise and asked:
"Come to think of it, I'm curious—how did you manage to bypass the spiritual pressure blockade between Aizen and me back then?"
Shimo understood very clearly just how difficult that should have been.
At the time, both he and Aizen had already surpassed the limits of Shinigami and Hollow reiatsu, reaching an entirely new dimension.
Under normal circumstances, ordinary spiritual tools should have been completely useless against that level of pressure.
And yet, Urahara had found a way.
As expected of one of the "Special War Power"… the one representing ingenuity.
At that thought, Shimo looked at Urahara as if he were staring at a priceless treasure.
If possible, he really wanted to crack open Urahara's head just to see how all these ideas came to him.
Under everyone's gaze, Urahara forced a bitter smile.
"Well… about that…"
The pressure grew heavier with each passing second.
Finally, unable to endure it any longer, he gave in.
"Oh dear, oh dear… I'll answer everything one at a time."
All eyes locked onto him.
Urahara took a breath, removed his trademark hat, and spoke with rare sincerity:
"Actually, making the puppet itself isn't that difficult."
"Most of the materials can be found within Soul Society."
"However… there is one essential component that's extremely hard to obtain."
He paused, glancing around.
Soi Fon immediately snapped:
"Just spit it out already!"
Unohana smiled gently—
And yet, the temperature in the air seemed to drop instantly.
"Urahara-san, please don't keep us in suspense."
"Otherwise… I'm concerned you may not leave Soul Society in one piece."
A chill shot up Urahara's spine, from the base to the crown of his head.
At that point, he didn't dare delay any further.
"Ahem… I'll say it."
Clutching his hat, he glanced apologetically at Shimo.
"The final, and most important material is…"
"Shimo's reiatsu."
Shimo blinked in surprise.
"My… reiatsu?"
That answer had genuinely caught him off guard.
Reiatsu, in essence, was the result of highly compressed spiritual power.
Normally, extracting it required specialized tools capable of capturing and storing such energy.
Given the unique nature of his own reiatsu, Shimo had never willingly provided it to anyone.
Even Mayuri Kurotsuchi had only been allowed limited research access.
As for Urahara… there had been no such permission at all.
Shimo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Don't tell me you secretly collected some when I wasn't looking?"
Half joking, half accusing.
Urahara quickly shook his head.
Shimo-kun, do you remember the Kidō barrier you once left at my shop?"
Shimo paused, recalling the memory.
"You mean—"
Before he could finish, Urahara nodded.
"That's right. I dismantled the barrier."
"Your reiatsu came from that."
"It's also one of the reasons why our communication cut off so quickly back then."
"The reiatsu in that barrier… was slightly different from what you have now."
Understanding dawned on Shimo.
Back then, while his reiatsu had been immense in quantity, already at Captain level—
Its quality had still been lacking compared to now.
Now, however, his reiatsu had ascended to an entirely different dimension.
From that perspective, the two were fundamentally different.
"I see."
He nodded, no longer questioning it.
At the same time, his appreciation for Urahara's ingenuity deepened even further.
The praise once given to Urahara, that he could solve any problem with endless methods—Was absolutely justified.
Seeing that Shimo wasn't angry, Urahara quietly let out a breath of relief.
But unfortunately for him—
That didn't mean he was out of danger yet.
Unohana's voice came again, now tinged with unmistakable danger:
"Urahara-san… may I continue with my question?"
The aura of the first Kenpachi was no longer concealed.
Even though she hadn't fully recovered from her battle with Coyote Starrk, her presence alone was still terrifying.
Urahara coughed awkwardly.
"Ah—right, that."
"If Shimo-kun can provide some reiatsu…"
"Making another puppet wouldn't be difficult at all."
"As for the method, there's no problem with that either."
"I can give it to you right now."
As he spoke, he pulled out a sheet of paper from his hat—densely packed with instructions.
Seeing this, Shimo's lips twitched.
This guy actually prepared the instructions in advance…
He raised his eyes and looked straight at Urahara—
Only to see that faint trace of smug amusement on his face.
As expected… his ability to pass the blame is no worse than mine.
Shimo curled his fingers slightly.
Space-cutting activated.
In the next instant, the sheet of paper in Urahara's hand was shredded into countless fragments, scattering into the air.
"Well then, let's leave this to the professional."
Shimo smiled, mirroring Urahara's own expression.
"I'll provide the necessary reiatsu."
"You can start making them right now."
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