Ninth Division emblem, captain's haori, youthful face, half-long ponytail.
This must be the legendary figure himself.
Sōsuke stood rooted, sensing the primal, beast-like reiatsu emanating from the young man, a pressure that stirred an instinctive tremor in his heart. His small hands, tucked behind his back, fidgeted slightly.
The pinnacle of Shinigami strength, the Captain-Commander's direct disciple, the slayer of the Father of Quincy, a monster standing at the zenith of Soul Society.
Makoto Fujimiya.
Even before infiltrating the Aizen household, when Sōsuke was just a gifted child hiding in District 71 of Rukongai, he'd heard this man's name countless times in whispered tales.
Rumors spoke of a warrior so mighty that standing by a river, he could make his enemies' corpses flow endlessly downstream.
Indeed.
Just as the legends described.
A proud, icy genius who regarded all with disdain.
Though some exaggerated tales painted him in almost absurdly fantastical ways.
Sōsuke always dismissed such embellishments.
But…
What terrible luck. He arrived faster than expected.
'Kensei-san.'
'Troublesome to the very end.'
Sōsuke thought to himself.
The small child maintained a bright, sunny smile, his slender frame and cute face disarming any suspicion.
The endearing boy stretched out his hands toward Makoto, as if shedding a heavy burden, exhaling deeply with a mature, relieved expression, though his face remained taut.
"Shinigami-sama, I've done what I needed to."
"Take me away."
His words carried a sense of release, but his tense face betrayed a faint, barely perceptible tremor, his teeth subtly clenched, like a child mimicking an adult's composure.
That subtle shake, noticeable only with close attention, made his act all the more convincing.
Makoto watched, his lips twitching as he suppressed a smile, striving to remain calm. "Sōsuke-kun."
"No resistance?"
"No."
The small boy lowered his head, his youthful face unable to hide a deep, forced smile, his voice sinking. "The enemy who killed everyone… I've taken him down."
"No need to fight anymore."
Clang.
His dagger fell to the ground with a crisp ring.
"Seven years ago, in District 71 of North Rukongai, six villages, hundreds of people, were slaughtered by Kensei and his allies."
Sōsuke's voice, soft and childish, carried suppressed anger and sorrow. "The grandparents who took me in died in that massacre."
"I was the only one who survived, hiding in a cellar."
He spoke quietly, his eyes moistening, rims reddening.
His voice grew resolute. "From that moment, I swore!"
"No matter what it took, I'd kill that man!"
Seeing this frail yet resolute child, even Makoto couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration.
If his name weren't Sōsuke, even Makoto might have been moved by this tragic tale, letting his guard down entirely.
If it weren't Sōsuke.
Makoto spoke, his voice even. "A touching story."
"But, Sōsuke-kun, you don't know yet, do you?"
He pointed at the corpse, a gentle smile on his face. "Kensei may be a failure."
"But after Hollowfication, his 'Hierro' isn't something a mere seated officer or vice-captain could pierce."
Sōsuke's expression froze.
Makoto wasn't done.
"And another thing."
He turned to Sosumi, pinned to the wall, staring blankly ahead like a corpse. "Could you release the illusion on Sosumi first?"
"!!!"
If Makoto's first words startled Sōsuke, this one sent shockwaves through him.
Instinctively, his small hand clenched, snapping in the air.
The next moment, Sosumi, just pinned to the wall, yanked the asauchi from her abdomen, ignoring the bleeding wound, and slashed at Makoto.
Her eyes were dull, pupils dilated.
Her blade traced a precise, forceful arc through the air.
Sōsuke retreated swiftly.
His trump card was exposed!
He had to run!
Despite his superhuman intellect and terrifying talent, incomprehensible to most, Sōsuke was still too young.
As he neared the courtyard wall...
A deep, heavy hum rang in his ears.
Buzz!!!
Before he could process the sound's meaning, his body reacted first.
Thud!
Confusion flashed in Sōsuke's eyes.
His familiar legs turned foreign, weak.
His small body felt drained, the world pressing against his existence, breathing a struggle, his chest heaving like broken bellows.
His vision trembled, blurred, laced with fine reishi cracks like shattered glass.
In Sōsuke's short life, this was his first encounter with a power so vast it could rewrite his fate effortlessly.
For the first time, he understood the meaning of 'strength.'
'This is the raw gap, isn't it?'
The thought flickered in the boy's mind.
A pair of straw sandals appeared before him.
Sōsuke, hands braced on the ground, fought the mountain-like pressure, looking up at the man.
Makoto, holding the unconscious Sosumi like a sack, gazed down at the small child.
Their eyes met.
Seeing the defiance in Sōsuke's eyes, Makoto smiled. "Remarkable talent, Sōsuke-kun."
"Without even a Zanpakutō, you've manipulated a vice-captain-level Shinigami like a puppet with just actions and voice?"
Clearly, Sosumi, appearing normal, had been under this child's illusion, without a Shikai.
Makoto's tone carried admiration. "You're even more exceptional than I first thought."
Sōsuke's expression faltered. "Makoto-sama...?"
He couldn't grasp the man's intent.
"Of course, I recognized you from the start." Makoto said, smiling with a hint of inevitability.
"Naturally."
"With your mind, living in the Seireitei, you'd have no trouble identifying me."
Sōsuke's thoughts grew chaotic at Makoto's calm words.
He eyed the man cautiously. "Were you… looking for me?"
"Yes." Makoto said warmly. "I've been searching for you for a long time."
His casual words made Sōsuke even warier, the unremarkable yet handsome face now unfathomable.
Under Makoto's calm gaze, Sōsuke felt exposed, a shiver of discomfort running through him.
In that brief exchange, Kinroku and the others, teleported to the marker, appeared at the Aizen estate's door.
But the scene before them made them pause.
"Makoto?" Kinroku eyed the stabbed corpse, his weathered face creasing. Weren't we supposed to cast a long line to catch the big fish?
Shunsui and Ginrei were equally surprised.
They had just witnessed Makoto's strength firsthand.
With his prowess, it was hard to imagine him 'losing control' of his power.
"Alright, alright!" Saito, usually the loudest, waved dismissively with surprising generosity. "When you run into an annoying guy, accidentally chopping them into pieces is pretty normal, right?"
"I've done it plenty of times myself. Let's let him off this time!"
Saito stood with hands on hips, acting the seasoned veteran.
"Yeah, Captain." Ryoma chimed in. "Killing someone and messing with their wife and kid in their own home, that's a bit much."
"Maybe tone it down a little."
At his words, Saito noticed the woman in Makoto's grasp, her expression freezing before her voice spiked. "Huh?!"
"You jerk!"
Makoto shot them a puzzled look.
What kind of image did these idiots have of him?
Noticing the figures behind Makoto, Sōsuke, still on the ground, felt his heart sink further.
Though he'd gathered much of Soul Society's common knowledge through controlling Sosumi, he knew nothing of this operation.
What had Kensei-san done to draw the pursuit of so many big names?
Regret crept in for waiting until today to act.
"Get a grip, you lot." Makoto said irritably, patting Sōsuke's head. "Kensei was already dead by this kid's hand before I got here."
"This one's not on me."
"But…"
"I found a gem this time."
The group froze, turning in unison toward the child.
Blood stained the boy's pale face.
As their gazes settled on him, Sōsuke sighed inwardly.
No escape anytime soon.
As Makoto's hand rested on Sōsuke's head, a playful, sultry voice rang in everyone's ears, seemingly from Makoto's waist, piercing their minds.
[Hey! Don't just grab him like that!]
[Aizen-chan's the kind of boy who could be my daughter's match!]
[Come on, ignore them, come inside with me!]
[Time to taste the might of the Seireitei's top spear master!]
[I'm destined to be Soul Society's strongest godfather!]
Makoto and Sōsuke froze.
The others' gazes turned strange, subtle, bewildered.
Then, understanding dawned.
Of course!
Kinroku watched, a knowing look crossing his weathered face.
Makoto was still that heavyweight legend from back then!
He hadn't changed a bit!!
Saito's eyes widened, her voice dropping to a shocked whisper. "Even… even boys get targeted?"
Suddenly, Makoto's penchant for causing chaos in others' homes seemed less unthinkable.
After a brief pause, Sōsuke, just lying on the ground, scooted back frantically, his small backside hitting the wall, staring at Makoto.
Danger, danger, danger!!
Big trouble!
…
Hueco Mundo.
Deep underground.
Beneath the Forest of Menos, in hardened soil, stood a palace built for giants.
Even hordes of Gillian, moving through its white stone halls, didn't feel cramped.
They shuffled like trees, aimlessly heading toward the next reishi cluster.
But as they passed the throne at the palace's center, a massive, mountain-like hand reached out.
The towering Gillian, immense in size, were fragile as infants before it, easily scooped up, struggling futilely in its grip.
Until they were fed into an abyssal maw.
Crunch, crunch…
The black bodies were ground to fragments between gnashing teeth, reduced to pure reishi, absorbed into the giant frame.
The Gillian below quickened their pace.
But the colossal being on the throne paid no mind to those slipping past, one hand propping its head.
After an unknown time, a hoarse voice rumbled from between its legs. "Another test subject dead."
…
After a long silence, it spoke again, to itself. "The power to counter Shinigami…"
"Still not enough."
"Just wait, Chōjirō Sasakibe."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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