Aizen Sosuke stood with his hands behind his back, watching the dust and smoke gradually dissipate in the distance.
Hasumi Ren stood behind him, watching the ashes of the two corpses scatter in the wind, a complex swirl of emotions churning in his heart.
Aizen's earlier words had been like a knife, striking precisely at the core of his guilt.
Aizen turned around, his gaze falling on Ren, his face already bearing its usual gentle smile.
"Go back. Someone will handle things here."
Ren nodded, saying nothing more.
He turned and walked toward the edge of the dense forest.
Ren walked very slowly, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
The woods had returned to a tranquil state; there was only the distant chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves.
And the thumping sound of his own heartbeat.
Late at night, outside the Ninth Division barracks.
A dark silhouette emerged from the night.
Tosen Kaname's face was calm as he sensed the movements around him, stopping a short distance in front of the person ahead.
"Lord Aizen, you asked for me."
Aizen turned slightly to look at Tosen.
"Kaname, there is a new candidate for the Hogyoku experiments."
Hearing this, Tosen frowned slightly.
"May I ask who it is?"
Aizen slowly uttered a name.
"Hasumi Ren."
Tosen's body stiffened slightly.
He fell silent, though his dark features betrayed little emotion in the shadows of the night.
"My lord," he began, his voice low, "is he reliable?"
Aizen did not answer immediately.
He merely looked at Tosen, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
"Why do you ask?"
Tosen remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"He joined the Gotei 13 barely half a year ago. His background is vague, and his origins are unknown."
"Furthermore, he used to be in the Second Division and is quite close to Urahara Kisuke."
He paused.
"I do not know if such a person is worthy of trust."
Aizen chuckled.
"You are right. He is indeed not worthy of trust."
Tosen was taken aback.
"Then why would you..."
Aizen turned to look into the distance, where a few lights from the Fourth Division could faintly be seen.
"He can see through my Kyoka Suigetsu."
"What?!"
Tosen's mouth parted slightly, his expression shifting from initial astonishment to deep solemnity.
"Lord Aizen, such a person is far too dangerous. We should eliminate him..."
"No, the time is not right."
Tosen tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Aizen continued.
"Kaname, you are my most trusted subordinate. I have always entrusted a large portion of the Hogyoku matters to you."
"Ren's constitution is highly unique."
"Soul Reaper powers and Hollow powers coexist perfectly within him. It is a controllable Hollowfication without any side effects."
"This state is incredibly close to the perfect Hollowfication we seek."
"You couldn't find a second specimen like him in the entire Soul Society."
"You have assisted me in developing the Hogyoku for so long. You know his value."
His voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.
"Therefore, regardless of whether he is trustworthy, he is worth giving a chance."
Tosen fell silent.
Having followed Aizen for many years and being deeply involved in the research and testing of the Hogyoku, he naturally knew how heavy Aizen's words were.
Aizen was right.
Ren's constitution was indeed the specimen they had dreamed of.
If they could unravel the secrets within him, the Hogyoku research would take a massive leap forward.
But...
"My lord," he raised his head, a trace of hesitation in his voice, "what if he has ulterior motives?"
Aizen smiled.
"It does not matter."
Aizen walked up to him and patted his shoulder.
"Kaname, have you ever thought about what someone who can see through Kyoka Suigetsu and resist the Hogyoku's erosion would do..."
"If he truly wanted to oppose me, what would he do?"
Tosen pondered for a moment.
"If it were an ordinary person, they might report directly to Central 46. If they were a bit smarter, they would ally with other captains, secretly gather evidence, and strike when the time is right."
Aizen nodded.
"Correct. But Ren did not do that. He chose to come to me, to expose himself on his own initiative. What does that indicate?"
Tosen was silent.
Aizen continued.
"It indicates that he wants something from me, or he wants to use my power to achieve some goal."
He paused, a playful curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"I am very curious to see exactly what he intends to do."
He turned around, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.
"Therefore, I do not need to trust him. I only need to use him, observe him, and study him."
"As long as it benefits our plan, nothing else matters."
Tosen remained silent for a long time.
"I understand. My lord, what do you need me to do?"
Aizen did not look back.
"Just keep a close eye on him during the experiments. Report any anomalies immediately."
"Go."
"Yes."
Tosen turned and walked toward the door.
As he reached the doorway, Aizen's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Kaname."
Tosen stopped in his tracks.
Aizen did not turn around.
"I know you have your doubts about Ren, but remember, he is a precious specimen."
Tosen paused for a moment.
"Yes."
In the blink of an eye, the night had grown deep.
Within the Ninth Division, most of the lights in the barracks had been extinguished.
Tosen Kaname sat in his room, Aizen's words still echoing in his mind.
He opened his blind eyes, staring into the endless darkness.
The next day, in the clinic of the Fourth Division barracks.
The lights illuminated the entire room brightly. Several injured members of the Ninth Division lay on the hospital beds, wrapped in bandages, expressions of pain still lingering on their faces.
The members of the Fourth Division were busy treating wounds—some changing dressings, some checking spiritual pressure, and others recording data.
Hasumi Ren stood before the innermost bed, treating the most severely injured squad member.
His movements were fast, yet very steady.
Pale green healing spiritual pressure seeped from his fingertips, precisely probing into the injured man's body to repair damaged spirit veins and stabilize chaotic spiritual pressure.
After finishing with the last patient, Ren withdrew his hands and let out a soft breath.
Upon leaving the clinic, he paused slightly when he saw Tosen Kaname standing at the door.
"Fifth Seat Tosen?"
Tosen stepped forward, his voice calm.
"Fourth Seat Hasumi, thank you for your hard work. How are the injuries of these squad members who were attacked by the rioting prisoners?"
Ren glanced at the injured men.
"Nothing major. They'll be fine after a few more days of rest."
Tosen nodded.
"That is good."
The two fell silent for a moment.
Ren looked at Tosen, waiting for him to speak.
Sure enough, Tosen spoke up.
"Ren, I want to talk to you."
Ren nodded.
"Alright."
The two walked out of the clinic and arrived at the corridor in the Fourth Division's backyard.
A gentle breeze blew past, carrying the fresh scent of medicinal herbs from the courtyard.
Tosen stopped, turned around, and faced Ren.
"I do not know how you managed to deceive Lord Aizen."
His voice was very low, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.
"But I will not trust you."
"I do not believe you will ever understand our justice."
Ren was silent for a moment.
He simply looked quietly at Tosen, watching the complex emotions churning on that dark face.
He knew what Tosen had been through.
His best friend had been murdered by her husband, and because the killer was a noble, he was never held accountable.
Then, Ren spoke softly.
"Justice?"
"The moment you participated in harming innocent people, your justice lost all ground to stand on."
"If you really had the guts, you would just go and kill the people who actually deserve to die."
"With your current abilities, can you not do that?"
Tosen's body stiffened slightly.
His dark face turned ashen, his voice laced with suppressed anger.
"What do you know? What have you experienced? Have you ever witnessed the darkness of this world?"
He took a step forward, his spiritual pressure expanding uncontrollably.
"Killing just one person cannot change the fundamental evil of this world. Even if I killed him, what difference would it make?!"
Ren stood his ground and scoffed.
"So what? What does that have to do with me?"
Tosen's spiritual pressure faltered.
Ren continued.
"If you have a problem, go talk to Aizen about it. Stop bothering me."
Tosen fell silent.
He just stood there, the anger on his face gradually fading.
After a long while, he let out a cold snort.
"I will be watching you."
Hearing this, Ren laughed.
"You can't even see me."