Squad 1 barracks, meeting room.
In the spacious and brightly lit room, Yamamoto sat at the head seat, his aged hands resting on his vortex-shaped walking stick. His authoritative gaze swept over the crowd that had arrived on time.
Today was the regular monthly captain's meeting.
Aside from the routine work summaries, he also planned to announce a few important matters.
Because he had specifically emphasized the importance of this meeting, all the captains were present this time.
Even Kirio Hikifune, who was constantly immersed in scientific research and frequently had Sarugaki Hiyori attend in her place, had come to the meeting room.
Looking at the captains filing in, a hint of confusion appeared on her face.
Although she rarely paid attention to outside affairs, she wouldn't miss any major events.
But if she remembered correctly, the Soul Society had been peaceful lately, with no terrible incidents occurring, right?
Also, why were there several unfamiliar faces in the meeting room that she had never seen before?
Moreover, their auras seemed...
Kirio Hikifune looked at the somewhat lazy-looking middle-aged man standing on the side of the room, a trace of wariness flashing in her eyes.
This person's strength was definitely above that of an ordinary Soul Reaper captain!
It could even be said that at least half the people in the meeting room were no match for him.
When did such figures appear in the Seireitei?
No!
The other unfamiliar faces didn't seem weak either.
While she was deep in thought, two more figures walked into the meeting room.
One of them was someone everyone knew: the Captain of Squad 8, Kyōraku Shunsui, the beloved disciple of the Head Captain.
As for the other person...
He had gray hair, wore a crown-like headpiece, and had a robust and burly physique. His aura was completely out of place with the people around him.
Kyōraku Shunsui had his hands tucked into his sleeves and was chatting happily with this person, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.
What was somewhat puzzling, however, was that even though there had been no violent Reiatsu fluctuations in the Seireitei recently, Kyōraku Shunsui had multiple bruises on his body.
He even limped when he walked.
Could it be that he had gone on some dangerous secret mission?
Kirio Hikifune wasn't the only one confused; the other captains felt the same.
Captain's meetings were usually only attended by captains. Even lieutenants had to wait in the adjacent waiting room.
Why would the Head Captain allow so many unfamiliar faces to enter?
Just who were these people?
Just as everyone was puzzled, Kensei Muguruma approached Hirako Shinji at some point and asked curiously, "Shinji, when did you get a new hairstyle?"
At these words, Hirako Shinji's face turned ashen. He wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and completely blow up at someone right then and there.
At this point, whether he accepted it or not, it had become an established fact.
It was already impossible to revert back to a pure Soul Reaper.
Even Head Captain Yamamoto had become an accomplice, so what else was there to say?
He was powerless to fight against those in charge; he could only choose to silently accept it.
But why the hell was the side effect of Hollowfication losing all his hair?!
*Aizen Sōsuke, I despise you!*
"You'll come to like this hairstyle sooner or later too!" Hirako Shinji snorted coldly, having absolutely no intention of explaining.
Kensei Muguruma scratched his head, his face full of confusion.
Captain Hirako was usually quite gentle, so why was he like a powder keg today, exploding at the slightest spark?
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Yamamoto struck his walking stick heavily, drawing everyone's attention.
"This captain's meeting has been convened primarily for the following matters."
"First, I received a message from the Zero Division the day before yesterday. Captain Kirio Hikifune of Squad 12 has passed the Zero Division's certification for her invention of Artificial Soul technology."
"She will soon leave the Soul Society and be promoted to the Soul King Palace."
Hearing this, many captains revealed expressions of surprise.
A few years ago, Squad 12 had just produced Shutara Senjumaru, who invented the Shihakushō and bound this concept to Soul Reapers, thereby becoming a member of the Zero Division.
Now, only a few decades later, Squad 12 had produced yet another member of the Zero Division.
Could it be that Squad 12 was some sort of treasured land?
Although somewhat surprised, the crowd had no objections to Kirio Hikifune's promotion.
They had all seen the impact of Artificial Soul technology on Soul Reapers, and it completely met the Zero Division's requirements.
Kirio Hikifune smiled and nodded to her colleagues around her. She didn't show the slightest bit of arrogance about her impending ascension to the Soul King Palace, remaining the same cheerful and friendly Soul Reaper.
Naraku Sora stood to the side, deep in thought.
If the Artificial Soul technology changed the course of Soul Reaper history and established Kirio Hikifune's achievements...
Then the current Kurotsuchi Mayuri should also be qualified for promotion.
Kurotsuchi Nemu was a highly successful artificial Soul Reaper, and her value was no less than that of an Artificial Soul.
Compared to Ururu and Jinta, whom Urahara Kisuke created in the original timeline, Nemu's greatest feature was her ability to grow independently.
Furthermore, the creator of the artificial child of the Lesser Holy Grail should logically be able to become a member of the Zero Division as well.
The value of the Hōgyoku was even higher than that of Artificial Soul technology.
So, as the person with the most astonishing intellect in the Soul Society, how could he fall behind others?
Naraku Sora narrowed his eyes and began to think hard about what he could create.
To be fair, Hollowfication was completed under his leadership.
Even without him, Aizen would have gone down this path, but it definitely wouldn't have been as perfect as it was now, with almost no side effects.
And he wouldn't have gotten Yamamoto to attempt Hollowfication either.
In that case, did this count as pioneering a new era for the Soul Society?
Yamamoto took in the reactions of all the captains, nodded imperceptibly, and his authoritative voice rang out once more.
"The second matter is of the utmost importance."
"Prison Warden Naraku!"
Hearing Yamamoto's words, Naraku Sora stopped thinking, stepped into the center of the meeting room, and said in a resonant voice, "Everyone, the times have changed."
"All colleagues of Las Noches, make your appearance!"
The moment his words fell, the Espada in the meeting room shed their disguises, unabashedly releasing the unique Reiatsu of Hollows.
The air instantly became viscous and heavy. The chaotic Reiatsu caused the ground beneath their feet to groan under the overwhelming burden, and cracks spread uncontrollably.
Sensing several familiar Reiatsu signatures, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō couldn't help but widen his eyes. "It's you guys!"
"This joke isn't funny at all." Aikawa Love wiped a cold sweat, finally recognizing the identities of Starrk and the others.
No wonder he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he saw this group of people. It turned out they were the Arrancar Menos Grande who had brutally beaten them in Hueco Mundo previously!
So the question was, why were Menos Grande appearing in the Seireitei?
Was he crazy, or was the world crazy?
Compared to the panicked minor captains, Yoruichi's expression was somewhat complex.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the two tall figures among the Espada.
They had exquisite features and gorgeous temperaments.
One of them overlapped with her own attributes—short blonde hair, sexy dark skin, and a commanding gaze, just like a queen.
Most importantly, the peaks on her chest were towering, even surpassing her own.
As for the other person, she had waist-length green hair, fair skin, and a gentle, moving smile that involuntarily made people feel a bit of goodwill toward her.
And she also possessed an equally proud bosom.
Compared to the other Arrancars, Yoruichi was more curious about the identities of these two.
Just how far had they progressed with Sora?
The captains were immersed in shock, unable to recover, their faces full of disbelief.
"There's no need to panic, everyone."
Naraku Sora's voice seemed to possess some kind of magic. The moment he spoke, he drew everyone's attention.
"As everyone knows, among Soul Reapers, there are good people like the Head Captain and Captain Unohana, and there are also scumbags like Tsunayashiro Taketori and Tsunayashiro Tokinada."
"And the same goes for Hollows!"
"All you need to know is that the Arrancars present are all top-tier good Hollows, and that's enough."
"This meeting is mainly for both sides to get to know each other and build some rapport. It would be best if you could establish a cross-species friendship like Captain Kyōraku and Old Man Baraggan."
Feeling the gazes cast his way, Kyōraku Shunsui's eye twitched involuntarily.
He subconsciously recalled his "friendly" interactions with Baraggan over the past two days.
God knows why a Menos Grande Arrancar would like reading adult romance novels, and even feel indignant about the fates of the characters in the book.
He even tracked down the author in real life to force them to change the destined fates based on this obsession.
Relying on his unparalleled strength, he forcefully broke the fourth wall.
Seeing that Kyōraku Shunsui tacitly agreed with this statement, everyone couldn't help but fall silent. After a brief moment of thought, they subconsciously looked at the Head Captain at the head seat.
Yamamoto nodded, publicly acknowledging Naraku Sora's claim.
Although this kid's analogy was a bit weird, the Espada were all entities with maxed-out loyalty to him, so calling them good Hollows didn't seem like an overstatement.
Only dead silence remained in the meeting room. The Soul Reaper captains, who had just learned the truth, tried hard to digest this massive amount of information.
However, just as they finally accepted this fact, Naraku Sora dropped another heavy bombshell.
"Oh right, there's one more thing."
Everyone took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in their hearts, and once again turned their gazes to the sole focal point of the room.
"As captains, how long has it been since you felt any progress in your strength?"
"Ten years? Fifty years? Or a hundred years?"
"As a fellow Soul Reaper, I deeply understand this."
Everyone: "..."
A guy who had become capable of fighting the Head Captain on equal footing in less than a hundred years was the least qualified to make such sarcastic remarks.
Naraku Sora grinned. "To solve this problem, the Naraku Research Group, led by me, has worked tirelessly around the clock."
"We finally invented a technology capable of changing the landscape of the Soul Society not long ago."
"We named it 'Hollowfication'!"
Although Yamamoto already knew about Aizen and the others, they weren't the type to like showing their faces in public, so they pushed all the credit onto him.
Naraku Sora gladly accepted this.
Showing off was what he was best at.
Moreover, without him, there wouldn't be a Naraku Research Group, nor would the Hollowfication technology have been perfected to such a degree.
One must know that in the original timeline, the Hollowfication developed by Aizen nearly killed Hirako Shinji and his group.
"After discussing it with Old Man Yama, we decided to make this technology public to benefit the Soul Society."
Naraku Sora curled his lips into a smile and looked at the crowd.
"..."
"I've finished speaking. Who agrees, and who opposes?"