Although Urahara Kisuke did not entirely trust Aizen as a person, he had no reason to doubt his words.
Right now, he was the meat on the chopping block. Deception was completely meaningless. If they truly wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have survived this long.
Even though he already had some understanding of the darkness surrounding the noble families, he never expected the truth to be this cruel. Calling it heinous would not be an exaggeration.
Faced with the Spirit King, who had willingly sacrificed himself to create the three realms, the founders of the Five Great Noble Families actually had the gall to strike him down. To consolidate their own status, they forcibly severed his limbs and hollowed out his internal organs.
No wonder Naraku Sora and Aizen refused to accept the Soul Society's current system. It turned out that everything was built upon this original sin.
Logically speaking, a flawed order ought to be overthrown.
But was it really that simple?
Although the Soul Society had been in a state of stagnation for a million long years without any positive changes, it still stood firm. This meant that the current system was the most stable and reliable one.
Overthrowing it might make the Soul Society a better place, but if certain ambitious individuals took advantage of the situation, things could become even worse.
The Soul Society's million-year history had not been entirely smooth sailing. In Urahara Kisuke's eyes, maintaining the status quo was the safest approach.
Just as he was about to voice his rebuttal, Aizen suddenly smiled.
"Perhaps in Mr. Urahara's view, although this order has its flaws, there is absolutely no need to overthrow it, as doing so might trigger even more severe chaos." Aizen paused. "But, is its existence truly justified?"
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke revealed a surprised expression.
Aizen's grasp of human nature far exceeded his understanding. Relying solely on their daily interactions and his personal character, Aizen had perfectly anticipated what he was about to say.
If such a dangerous figure wasn't kept in check by Naraku Sora, he would likely turn the Soul Society—and even the three realms—upside down.
*Lord Naraku, you're doing a great job!*
"Compared to humans in the World of the Living, Soul Reapers possess incredibly long lifespans. This is both an advantage and a drawback," Aizen continued.
"A fleeting life grants humans boundless courage. They constantly seek change, passing down their achievements generation after generation."
"Therefore, although the World of the Living is also filled with countless impurities, its systems have already surpassed the Soul Society's countless times over."
"Conversely, due to their long lives, Soul Reapers have long since lost the courage to change."
"To them, change means turmoil, unrest, and even the collapse of everything they currently have."
Urahara Kisuke looked thoughtful. Clearly, he was exactly that kind of person.
"But this also means that once we step onto the right path, we have ample time to watch it continuously optimize and evolve," Aizen said.
"Even if problems arise later, we can correct them in time."
"We can even find someone trustworthy and capable to protect it all."
Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke nodded. "If that is the case, then my perspective was indeed too narrow."
"In truth, the greatest advantage of a long life is that we have countless opportunities for trial and error."
"Of course, the prerequisite is possessing the power to control everything."
"And right now, you two have clearly achieved that initial requirement." Urahara paused. "However, I am more curious about something else. What did you mean by 'self-preservation' earlier?"
At these words, Aizen sighed softly and turned his gaze toward Naraku Sora beside him.
At this moment, the main subject of their conversation was in a Schrödinger's state of being half-asleep and half-awake.
Fortunately, Sora noticed the shift in atmosphere just in time. Under Urahara Kisuke's curious gaze, he grinned.
"It actually has to do with the Spirit King."
"Perhaps he got tired of sitting on his golden toilet, or maybe he took a liking to my world-shaking intellect. The Spirit King ordered Ichibē Hyōsube to convey his will, wanting me to inherit that throne."
"But you already know the Spirit King's condition. It's hard to say whether he even has a consciousness anymore. So, to prevent the Zero Division from forcibly conscripting me..."
"We must continuously make ourselves stronger."
"Until we can resist any crisis that might arise at a moment's notice—such as fighting the Zero Division."
Urahara Kisuke was dumbfounded.
He knew Naraku Sora had gone to the Soul King Palace, but from start to finish, he had never mentioned anything about inheriting the Spirit King's throne.
Although it was just a few simple sentences, the explosive nature of this revelation was no less shocking than Aizen's lengthy speech; in fact, it surpassed it.
"Kisuke, we've said everything that needed to be said. Now it's time for you to make a choice." Naraku Sora wasn't worried in the slightest, merely smiling at Urahara Kisuke. "What is your answer?"
Looking at the sincere, unpretentious smile before him, Urahara Kisuke couldn't help but fall silent.
Although his methods were somewhat extreme, ever since he met Naraku Sora, the man's actions had truly been aimed at changing the Soul Society and altering this stagnant order.
On that point alone, he had no reason to refuse.
"Looking at it this way, it seems there is only one answer." He raised his head, looking earnestly at the man in front of him. "I pledge my loyalty to you."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora grinned. "Welcome to the Naraku faction."
Urahara Kisuke had made up his mind. He would feign loyalty for now to probe their true intentions. If everything was truly as they said, he would fully defect to their side.
If not, he would risk everything to stop their conspiracy.
But before that, there was one more thing he needed to say.
"Lord Naraku, a person's energy is limited," Urahara Kisuke said with a serious expression. "If I am to be responsible for the research work here in Hueco Mundo, it's highly likely I won't be able to manage the duties at the Department of Research and Development."
"So, could you transfer me to the Gotei 13 first?"
"In your dreams."
"?"
Seeing the utterly despicable, exploitative look on Sora's face, Urahara Kisuke's blood pressure instantly spiked.
He repeatedly emphasized that he would absolutely not choose to stay in Las Noches, nor would he participate in work that didn't belong to him.
However, when Aizen placed a stack of files in front of him, Urahara Kisuke fell silent once more.
[Thirty-Nine Uses of Spirit King Fragments]
[The Difference Between Hollow and Menos Grande Souls]
[Gillian Domestication Manual]
[Analysis of Sora's Power]
[The Essence of Hollowfication and Arrancarification]
Opening any random file revealed shocking and profound contents.
*Aizen Sōsuke, you bastard...*
As he flipped through the detailed sections, Urahara Kisuke's breathing immediately grew heavy.
As the most gifted researcher in the Soul Society, it wasn't that he hadn't thought about delving into these forbidden fields.
Unfortunately, the materials required for some of these experiments were far too rare. As a mere seated officer, he couldn't possibly gather them without violating the Soul Society's laws.
Coupled with other restrictive conditions, many of his ideas had to be shelved.
Now that he had completely fallen into the villain's camp, he was looking at the research materials of his dreams.
*Ah, this is irresistible!*
For the next period of time, the Soul Society welcomed a long-awaited peace.
After drifting for half his life, Urahara Kisuke had finally met a wise lord. Ever since he went to Las Noches, he stayed cooped up in the laboratory all day, letting his mind run wild and bringing out all the forbidden research he had previously only dared to imagine.
Naraku Sora would occasionally drop by to assign him a few tasks.
For example, the renovation of Las Noches, innovative plans for Zanpakutō, and so on.
Occasionally, when the mood struck him, Sora would even personally design some architectural wonders.
Although Urahara Kisuke repeatedly emphasized that building useless wonders would ruin a nation, he still couldn't dissuade him.
Fortunately, Las Noches had a strong and robust military force. Even if His Majesty lost himself in his hobbies, it wouldn't affect the big picture.
Amidst this rare, peaceful life, time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, several years passed in a flash.
For the long lives of Soul Reapers, a few years were nothing more than the blink of an eye, hardly worth mentioning.
But for certain individuals, a very important moment had arrived.
It was graduation season at the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Unable to find any lawbreakers all day and thus unable to uphold justice, Naraku Sora had nothing better to do. He simply went to the Spiritual Arts Academy to see if he could pull a few SR-tier recruits to add fresh blood to the Shino Prison.
The academy students cast admiring glances at the big shot who had suddenly appeared on campus.
Although the Shino Prison's reputation had previously been far inferior to the Gotei 13, with the addition of a certain senior, it had shed its former low-profile style and become renowned throughout the Soul Society.
First, they thwarted the conspiracy of the high-ranking noble Araki family. Then, they single-handedly orchestrated the collapse of the Tsunayashiro family, followed by spearheading the downfall of several other noble houses.
In just a few short years, the name Naraku Sora had become a taboo among the nobility.
However, it was exactly this style of doing things that attracted a large following of Soul Reaper candidates from the Rukongai.
In their eyes, this upright and unyielding character was a truly great existence capable of bringing change for the commoners.
As a result, Naraku Sora recruited quite a few highly talented graduates.
At the same time, he also spotted an unexpected figure.
"If I remember correctly, it shouldn't be time for your graduation yet, right?"
The orange-haired girl looked at the familiar face in front of her and grinned. "It isn't, but I've already met the requirements."
"The teachers at the Spiritual Arts Academy have nothing left to teach me, so I applied for early graduation."
"This is my enlistment application. I'll be in your care, Lord Prison Warden."
Naraku Sora briefly sensed the girl's Reiatsu, and his eyes immediately lit up.
*As expected of a destined one possessing a Spirit King fragment.*
During her few years of study at the Spiritual Arts Academy, she had actually reached the level of a Lieutenant.
This achievement was far more spectacular than his own back in the day. Even compared to Komamura and the others, she was not inferior in the slightest.
Naraku Sora never turned away such geniuses.
Not to mention, aside from her strength, the girl's looks and figure were top-tier. Bringing her back would perfectly raise the average attractiveness of the Shino Prison.
Before long, Naraku Sora led a group of rookie Soul Reapers back to their barracks.
The squad members warmly welcomed the arrival of the newcomers.
But at the same time, it brought about a new problem. A certain genius Soul Reaper, unwilling to start as a basic squad member, directly issued a challenge to a veteran seated officer.
"Mr. Komamura, I challenge you!"
Under the sunlight, the corners of Matsumoto Rangiku's mouth curled up, her exquisite face brimming with confidence.