"I thought the man with the glasses from earlier seemed friendly enough. He didn't look like a bad person."
After a brief pause, the group continued down the quiet road toward the headquarters of the Onmitsukidō.
Gengetsu Hozuki stroked the thin mustache on his lip, a look of amusement playing on his face. His voice carried a hint of skepticism.
Beside him, Mu crossed his arms and warned, "Don't be careless. Anyone who can force our Lord Shinigami to show himself personally is bound to be more than a commoner."
At the front, Tekka turned his head to look back at the five shadows who once stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world.
Chiyo, the puppet master of the Sand, wasn't a Kage, but her strength and prestige were no less than one.
The other four were genuine Kage. Since they were bound to hold high-ranking positions in the Onmitsukidō, it was Tekka's duty to provide them with necessary warnings.
"Do not underestimate him. Sousuke Aizen is far from the man he appears to be on the surface."
"During Lord Ren's youth, Aizen rose to prominence. Together, they were known as the 'Three Heroes.' Even the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, the man at the peak of all Shinigami, praised him as a pillar of the future!"
"A pillar?"
Tobirama Senju frowned, turning the word over in his mind.
They had only just arrived in the Seireitei, but back in the Underworld City, they had been force-fed information about the public face of this place.
The Soul Society, the Seireitei, the Four Noble Families, the Gotei 13, and the Captains who stood above all Shinigami...
They had naturally heard of the Captain-Commander, the man rumored to be the strongest Shinigami in a millennium.
From what he could gather, the social structure of the Seireitei wasn't much different from the ninja world, save for the fact that powerful beings called Shinigami wielded the authority.
The behavior and logic of these Shinigami reminded him of the samurai families who served the Daimyo.
The term 'pillar' was essentially a title for a leader of warriors—a parallel to a Kage among shinobi.
In the Seireitei, it could be seen as the strongest Shinigami's way of acknowledging the next generation's leader.
"I see... It seems our Lord is closely watched by all sides in the Seireitei."
Gengetsu Hozuki rubbed his chin, a smile on his face, though he was more curious about something else.
"The Three Heroes..."
"Aside from our boss and that glasses-wearing kid we just saw, who's the third?"
Chiyo, Mu, and A all looked toward Uchiha Tekka, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Even with the prior briefing, they were newcomers. Their knowledge was limited, and this new world remained alien to them.
Learning more about the Seireitei and Lord Ren would only benefit them.
Tekka had been ordered to lead them into the Seireitei and ensure they integrated quickly. As long as the questions didn't touch on classified secrets, he was willing to answer.
He whispered, "Aside from the Lord and Aizen, the last one was named Koga Kuchiki."
"He was a son-in-law of the Kuchiki family. Years ago, he committed a grave crime, murdering several Shinigami captains. The Central 46 sentenced him to twenty-five thousand years in Muken!"
The group was stunned.
"Murdered several captains?"
"A sentence of twenty-five thousand years!"
"Even for a Shinigami... that number is unimaginable!"
They had been told earlier that the Central 46 was the administrative hub of the Seireitei and the Soul Society.
The Kuchiki family was one of the Four Noble Families, just like the Shihoin family. Koga Kuchiki had married into it.
Their own Lord, they had heard, was also a son-in-law of the Shihoin family. He had eventually seized control of the clan and now secretly manipulated the Central 46.
Of course, the part about controlling the Central 46 wasn't something the Uchiha had told them outright; they had deduced it from fragments of conversation and the Uchiha's own attitude.
They were Kage, after all; they possessed a degree of political sharpness.
"It seems Koga Kuchiki's crime was so severe that even the Kuchiki family couldn't protect him."
"The surprising part is the murder of Shinigami captains..."
"Indeed. To think that even the captains at the peak of the Shinigami could be killed—he must have been incredibly powerful!"
Listening to the others' surprise, Gengetsu Hozuki had a thought and suddenly asked, "By the way, that glasses-wearing guy, Aizen... which family did he marry into?"
Tekka knew someone would ask that. Without turning back, he explained, "Aizen didn't marry into any family. He isn't even married."
"Ah, looks like I guessed wrong."
Gengetsu Hozuki laughed and scratched his head, showing no sign of frustration.
The Third Raikage, A, sighed. "In that case, that strongest Shinigami doesn't have very good taste in people."
Koga Kuchiki was serving an unimaginable sentence, so he clearly wasn't a good person. Aizen was someone even Lord Ren was wary of. And Ren himself...
'He doesn't exactly seem like a virtuous man either...'
Tobirama Senju muttered under his breath, his expression darkening as his heart tightened with concern.
From their brief interactions, the man they now served was secretly ruling the Seireitei, hiding portals to other worlds, and recruiting subordinates in the shadows...
Now he was bringing ninjas into the Onmitsukidō. These actions were anything but friendly toward the Seireitei.
If one included the invasion of the ninja world and the seizure of the Pure Land, he was a full-blown evil god!
Thinking of this, Tobirama felt a desire to meet this strongest Captain-Commander.
For a man to praise 'Three Heroes' and have none of them turn out to be decent people, his judgment must be atrocious!
Koga was locked away, but Aizen and their Lord... who knew what kind of chaos they would cause in the future?
Just thinking about it gave Tobirama a headache on behalf of the Captain-Commander.
Tekka could hear the conversation behind him but didn't comment further.
It was better for them to realize their own stance early on. It would help with future operations.
Ren had never hidden his plans from his direct subordinates.
Tekka didn't want to judge his superior's actions as right or wrong. He simply offered the five new ninjas some advice.
"In the current Seireitei, the strongest is naturally Lord Ren. Next is Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. And Sousuke Aizen is not inferior to Yamamoto."
"Though he seems to be walking alongside Lord Ren right now, he undoubtedly has his own plans in the dark. There is no telling when he might become our enemy."
"While the Lord usually won't assign missions involving Aizen, if you ever encounter him, you must be extremely cautious!"
Seeing Tekka's gravity, Tobirama and the others nodded in agreement.
The group walked toward the Onmitsukidō base, speaking softly as Tekka explained the rules and precautions within the Seireitei.
Meanwhile, Ren and Aizen used Shunpo to cross most of the Seireitei, arriving at the Onmitsukidō headquarters.
"Your Shunpo is truly fast, Senior. I could barely keep up."
Aizen let out a breath as if relieved and looked at Ren with a look of admiration.
Despite the high-speed transit over such a long distance, Ren's breathing remained perfectly steady.
Ren remained unmoved by the praise, his gaze fixed on Aizen.
"If you kept up, what is there to say, Sousuke?"
"And are you sure this act of being out of breath isn't just a facade?"
Aizen blinked, his smile becoming even gentler. The look of exhaustion vanished instantly, and his breathing smoothed out.
"As expected of you, Senior. You saw right through my disguise."
"Don't you get tired of playing these games?"
Ren shook his head slightly and led Aizen into his office.
He saw Shisui inside processing documents and told him, "Shisui, leave us for a moment."
"Yes, my Lord."
Shisui glanced at Aizen. Memories of their previous encounters flashed in his mind, and a spark of caution flickered in his eyes.
Though he didn't know why Ren was meeting Aizen, he knew the Lord had his reasons. Shisui nodded, gathered a stack of documents, and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Ren pointed to a nearby sofa and said casually, "Take a seat."
"Thank you, Senior."
Aizen watched as Ren took out tea leaves from behind his desk to brew tea. Accepting the warm cup, he asked, "Senior, may I ask why you called me here?"
"Can't I just catch up with an old friend?"
Ren sat across from Aizen, sipping his tea.
Aizen laughed. "Please, Senior. Let's not joke."
"Your wariness of me has never faded. A sudden invitation can't be for such a peaceful purpose."
He paused, his smile turning peculiar.
"Is it that you've realized I'm beyond your control, so you intend to strike early and eliminate the threat in its infancy?"
"Your power is hardly in its 'infancy.' It is fully matured," Ren replied.
"So, you don't deny that I am a threat?" Aizen shrugged. "I'm honored."
Ren waved a hand. "Enough. I can't beat you in a battle of wits. I brought you here to ask you something."
"It is rare for you to seek answers from me. Whatever it is, I shall tell you all I know."
Aizen set down his teacup and adopted a listening posture.
"Sousuke, to be frank, I am quite interested in what you are doing right now."
At Ren's words, Aizen's expression shifted slightly, a white light reflecting off his smooth lenses.
He shook his head. "I don't know what you mean, Senior. I haven't done anything lately."
"Oh, Sousuke... how much longer do you intend to hide from me?"
Ren sighed. This was the one thing he disliked about Aizen—the constant layering of secrets and the need to probe even in simple conversation.
Did he really enjoy these games that much?
Ren stopped beating around the bush. "Sousuke, your power has reached a terrifying level. One could even say you've risen above the Shinigami of the Seireitei..."
"What I want to know is... how long has it been since you felt your own progress?"
Aizen's eyes widened slightly. His gaze pierced through his lenses, fixed on the authoritative face before him.
"What are you implying, Senior?"
"There's no need to play dumb. I don't believe for a second that you haven't hit that wall!"
Ren's voice was low, carrying a tone of absolute certainty.
"When a Shinigami reaches the pinnacle in every aspect, they encounter a predefined limit. No matter what they do, they cannot take another step forward."
"Sousuke, a genius like you who has been a Shinigami for so many years... how could you not have reached that limit by now?"
"Heh. Senior, you truly are wicked."
Aizen shook his head with a bitter smile and adjusted his glasses.
The gentle warmth in his expression vanished, replaced by a cold, flat calm.
"Does this mean you've touched that limit as well?"
Aizen's counter-question, though indirect, confirmed Ren's assertion.
Years ago, Aizen had felt his ever-growing Spiritual Pressure stagnate. No matter what he did, it would not increase.
It was only recently that he had found a new direction for his research—one he was confident could break this restriction.
As for Ren... Aizen had his own calculations.
'His strength is no less than mine. Reaching that ceiling... I expected as much. He likely hit it long ago and has searched for countless ways to break the bottleneck. I wonder if he found anything...'
'But why now? Why at this exact moment, just as I've found a feasible method, does he come looking for me?'
Was it a coincidence?
Or was he so profound that he could predict Aizen's every move? Or perhaps he had planted a mole nearby who reported everything?
If there were spies monitoring him, who could it be? Gin? Tōsen?
Thoughts swirled in Aizen's mind. A flicker of emotion surfaced—his gaze turned sharp and ruthless for a split second before he composed himself.
He shook his head imperceptibly, dismissing the idea of a spy.
If there were a mole, Ren wouldn't have approached him at such a suspicious time. That would only alert him and compromise the spy.
'Could he truly have predicted my progress based on intuition alone?'
Ren nodded and said gravely, "Sousuke, I won't lie to you. Long ago, I felt that I had reached a limit, unable to ascend any higher."
"And so you came to me?"
Aizen asked softly, "Do you trust me that much? I admit I've been hiding things, but how can you be sure I'm in the same position as you?"
"What if my hidden strength is only slightly above an ordinary Shinigami? What if I haven't even glimpsed the limit you speak of? What then?"
Ren set his cup down and looked at Aizen with an exasperated expression.
"How many times must I say it? Sousuke, these word games of yours are really tiresome."
"You are a man I've acknowledged. If you haven't reached this level after all this time, I would have no choice but to laugh at you."
Others might not know Aizen's true situation, but Ren certainly did.
In this timeline, it had been nearly ten years since Kirio Hikifune developed her temporary soul technology and promoted it within the Seireitei.
Soon, she would be invited to the Royal Guard, Kisuke Urahara would be promoted, and Aizen would begin to show his fangs, targeting other Shinigami and causing the Hollowfication incidents.
At this moment, Aizen had clearly found a way forward. If Ren were to be bold, he'd bet the Hōgyoku was nearing completion!
How could Ren turn a blind eye to such a major event?
"Heh. Senior, you truly are an eye-opener."
Aizen ignored the mockery in Ren's words and let a smile curl the corners of his mouth.
This smile lacked his usual warmth; instead, it radiated an indescribable pride.
"Since you've been honest with me, I must admit—I have indeed reached that same dead end."
"You came to me because you believe I have a way to shatter the boundaries of a Shinigami?"
"Precisely," Ren said. "A genius with your ambition would never settle for stagnation. You would definitely seek a way to break through."
He looked at Aizen, his expression confident and his voice decisive.
"Sousuke, in some ways, I trust you more than I trust myself. I suspect you've already found the right path. For instance..."
"Hollowfication."
Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly. While he maintained a calm exterior, a storm broke loose in his mind.
Just as he thought!
The method he had recently discovered to break the limit was indeed Hollowfication, and it had a high probability of success.
What truly shocked him wasn't the method itself, but the fact that Ren had approached him at this exact, delicate moment!
Regardless of why he had come, it meant that he had no secrets from this man!
This was truly...
Interesting.
"As expected of you, Senior. You never disappoint."
"Therefore... Sousuke, I have a proposal."
Ren slowly reached out and held his hand open toward Aizen, revealing a clean, calloused palm.
His heavy voice became strangely soothing.
"How about making a deal with me?"
Aizen looked at Ren's outstretched hand, his eyes flickering with thought.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]