Hasumi Ren's pupils contracted slightly.
'Urahara... he even guessed this?'
Urahara observed Ren's reaction and continued speaking.
"While investigating those disappearance cases, I found many strange things."
"Those speculations, which can hardly be called clues, all point to the darkness behind them."
Ren looked at Urahara without speaking.
"But I have no evidence. Those people are too cautious; their methods are watertight."
"And you might be the only breakthrough right now."
He looked at Ren, repeating his objective once more.
"Hasumi Ren, I am here to seek a partnership."
Ren fell silent for a moment, and then, he smiled.
The smile was faint, but it made Urahara Kisuke's heart tighten slightly.
"Third Seat Urahara," Ren spoke slowly, "you've investigated for so long, and this is all you've found?"
Urahara was taken aback.
"You just said you found traces of Hollowfication experiments, and you also said there is an unseen darkness within the Soul Society."
He looked at Urahara, his gaze terrifyingly calm.
"But all of this is just your speculation, isn't it?"
Urahara fell silent.
He opened his mouth but found he couldn't say anything.
Because what Ren said was indeed the truth.
He had investigated for so long, chased for so long, yet he still couldn't catch a glimpse of the mastermind behind the scenes.
That person was hidden too deeply, so deeply that he almost doubted his own judgment.
Ren looked at his silent demeanor and gently shook his head.
Then, he spoke softly.
"Let's talk somewhere else."
Ren just looked quietly at Urahara, his gaze as calm as water.
Urahara paused for a moment, then realized what he meant.
The two walked one after the other through the streets of the Seireitei, arriving inside the Second Division's barracks.
Ren entered the Maggot's Nest for the first time in a while, heading all the way in until they reached Urahara Kisuke's secret laboratory.
"This place should be safe enough."
Ren had observed their surroundings the entire way, until he confirmed there was no sign of Aizen or any fragments.
Ren's gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Urahara.
Urahara stood behind him, waiting for him to speak.
"The person you're talking about... I know who it is."
Urahara's pupils shrank violently.
"What?"
He straightened up abruptly, looking at Ren in disbelief.
"You... you know who he is?"
Ren nodded.
Urahara's breathing quickened.
"Who is it?"
Ren didn't answer immediately. He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking in a deep voice.
"Earlier you mentioned a partnership. That's fine, but I need to see your sincerity."
Urahara's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression turning solemn.
"Tell me."
Ren looked at him, his gaze profound.
"First, tell me: what is your ultimate goal in researching the power inside my body?"
Urahara froze.
He looked at Ren, a complex look flashing through his eyes.
'The young man in front of me has perhaps noticed something.'
'It seems he won't be easily fooled.'
'I absolutely cannot reveal the matter of the Hogyoku, but I can think of something else to substitute for it.'
After a long while, Urahara nodded.
He walked over to a chair and sat down, remaining silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"You should know that a Soul Reaper's power actually has limits."
"Depending on an individual's aptitude, once their spiritual power accumulates to a certain point, its growth stagnates."
"This is the shackle of the soul itself."
Urahara looked at Ren and continued.
"In the beginning, I merely wanted to explore the boundaries of power."
"I wondered, what would it look like if a Soul Reaper's power could continue to grow and become stronger after reaching its limit?"
His voice grew low.
"So I began researching, began experimenting. I used many methods and took many detours..."
"In the end, I realized I was wrong."
"This path is too dangerous. Its possibilities are infinite, but the risks are also infinite. This is not something beneficial to the Soul Society."
"I realized that I couldn't continue my research, at least not in the original direction."
He paused.
"However, the power within your body showed me the feasibility of this path."
"That is one of the reasons I sought you out."
"Now, the more important reason is that someone else might be doing the exact same thing."
Urahara's gaze sharpened.
"Those disappearances, the traces of Hollowfication experiments, and the things you've encountered..."
"I suspect someone else is also researching this. Furthermore, his methods are more direct and far more cruel than mine."
He looked at Ren.
"I don't know who that person is, but I know that if he succeeds, the consequences will be terrifying."
Ren smiled.
Although Urahara didn't directly mention the Hogyoku, his description was more or less the same.
It was clear he was being sincere; at the very least, he hadn't just fabricated some random excuse to deceive him.
"You are very smart."
Urahara waved his hand dismissively.
"Let's drop that. Can you tell me who that person is now?"
Ren looked at him and spoke slowly.
"Aizen Sosuke."
Urahara's expression froze.
He just stood there, his eyes wide open, staring at Ren in disbelief.
"Who... who did you say?"
Ren repeated it.
"The Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division, Aizen Sosuke."
Urahara opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He looked as though he had just been punched in the gut.
Shock, confusion, disbelief.
"That good-natured Aizen?"
Ren didn't explain.
He just looked at Urahara quietly, waiting for him to digest this information.
It took a long time for Urahara to snap back to reality.
He took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down.
"What's the reason?"
Ren was silent for a moment.
Then, he spoke.
"Do you know about that joint mission from before?"
Urahara nodded.
"I heard about it. The Eleventh, Fifth, and Fourth Divisions went to the Rukongai together to purge a group of Hollows."
Ren gave a hum of affirmation.
"During that mission, I saw something I shouldn't have seen. That might be the reason he wants to target me."
He looked at Urahara.
"Aizen took a few people and attacked a girl in the Rukongai. They extracted something from her body."
Urahara furrowed his brows.
"What was it?"
Ren slowly uttered a few words.
"It looked like a fingertip."
"A finger... tip?"
Urahara Kisuke's brows furrowed tightly, his pupils trembling involuntarily.
He was already forming some ominous speculations.
"Then, I also saw him take out a small, glowing blue sphere."
"He placed that object inside the sphere..."
Upon hearing Ren's description, Urahara's expression instantly changed. His pupils contracted violently, and all the color drained from his face.
"A small blue sphere... a fingertip..."
Urahara muttered to himself, his eyes full of disbelief.
'Isn't that fucking... the Hogyoku?'
'Could that fingertip be... a fragment of the Soul King?'
He snapped his head up to look at Ren.
"Are you... are you sure about what you saw?"
"Were there any other details?!"
For the first time, Urahara's voice carried an unconcealable shock.
No, not just shock.
It was fear.
Because he knew better than anyone what the power of the Hogyoku meant.
If Aizen was truly researching the Hogyoku, then these disappearing souls, these strange experiments...
...it all made sense.
Urahara's breathing grew rapid.
'Without those moral constraints, Aizen has actually gone much further than me in researching the Hogyoku...'
Ren shook his head, indicating he had no other discoveries, then looked calmly at Urahara without saying another word.
He needed to let Urahara digest this news himself.
Because only then would Urahara truly realize what kind of enemy they were facing.
After a long time, Urahara slowly calmed down.
He looked at Ren with a complex gaze.
'The only good news is that since Aizen wants to target Ren, he probably hasn't discovered Ren's special traits yet.'
'In that case, I might be able to use Ren to overtake Aizen's experimental progress, and in passing... come up with some countermeasures.'
"I think I understand. It seems you are right."
"Although I don't know how he did it, to be able to pull off so many things silently within the Seireitei..."
"Aizen Sosuke is indeed a dangerous man."
He looked at Ren.
"But there is one more thing I want to confirm with my own eyes."
Ren raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What is it?"
Urahara looked at him, enunciating every word.
"That power... inside your body."