On the way to the Seireitei with Rangiku to become Shinigami, as they got closer to the Seireitei, Kyoya and Rangiku's circumstances improved significantly.
People who lacked nothing and lived comfortably were more than willing to extend a helping hand to others.
But now, Kyoya was leaving the Seireitei and heading toward the more dilapidated areas of the Rukongai, and naturally, everything was reversed.
Step by step, as resources grew scarcer and human nature grew more treacherous, the environment descended into ruin.
In areas where resources were scarce, people were extremely protective of their 'food'.
Not only would they never share their food with others, but in order to protect or seize food, fights and brawls were commonplace. Theft, robbery, and even murder were not out of the question.
In such a harsh environment, how could anyone expect the people in the outer districts of the Rukongai to maintain good order?
Everything was just for survival!
Finally, Kyoya's footsteps came to a stop in a desolate wasteland.
"This is the place where I first appeared."
"And also where Rangiku saved me."
Though nineteen years had passed, even now, Kyoya still remembered the sight of Rangiku handing him a steamed bun when he first opened his eyes.
Even though she herself was starving to the point of desperation, she still gave him her only piece of food.
Later, it was only because of Rangiku's guidance that Kyoya managed to stumble his way from here to the First District.
If he had been alone, even if he had later learned that this was the Bleach World and figured out the direction to the Seireitei, he wasn't confident he could have made it out safely.
There was a good chance he would have died in some fight over food before even leaving this district.
'At what point had I completely forgotten about this place?'
Standing on the spot where he had once lain, Kyoya let out a sigh.
'The way of heaven is fair… it takes from the surplus to make up for the deficit.'
'The way of man is selfish… it takes from the deficit to feed the surplus.'
The Soul Society was the world of the dead.
Everything here was made of Reishi.
Even people's bodies were formed from Reishi shaped by the consciousness of human souls.
Whether it was food, trees, rocks, or rivers, all were condensed from Reishi.
However, when the Soul Society was created, the Five Great Noble Clans gathered over ninety percent of the Reishi within the Seireitei and used the [Seireiheki] to block the flow of Reishi between the Seireitei and the Rukongai.
Because of this, the Reishi within the Seireitei allowed its inhabitants to live a life that those in the Rukongai could only dream of.
Meanwhile, the Rukongai was divided into eighty-one districts, with conditions worsening as the Reishi concentration decreased.
To change this situation, the Seireiheki that enveloped the entire Seireitei and blocked the flow of Reishi between it and the Rukongai had to be broken.
Otherwise, without sufficient Reishi, the Rukongai's resources would never be enough to sustain so many people.
In theory, everything in the Soul Society was made of Reishi, meaning even trees, rocks, and soil could serve as food.
However, ordinary souls lacked Reiatsu and couldn't extract Reishi from these things to sustain themselves. The only natural substance they could use was 'water'.
"Destroying the Seireiheki …"
Kyoya shook his head.
The Soul Society was too vast.
In comparison, the number of Shinigami was far too small.
It was undeniable that ninety percent of the Reishi in the Soul Society was concentrated within the Seireitei, making it and the Rukongai almost two separate worlds.
But if the Seireiheki were truly broken, allowing the Reishi within the Seireitei to spread throughout the entire Soul Society, it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for ordinary people.
The Hollows of Hueco Mundo could open Garganta to enter both the Living World and the Soul Society to hunt.
If the Reishi concentration in the Soul Society increased, more people would likely develop Reiatsu, which in turn would draw more Hollows to open Garganta and invade the Soul Society to devour souls…
At that point, the Gotei 13's current number of Shinigami would be far too few to protect so many people.
Besides, the nobles of the Seireitei would never allow the Gotei 13 to focus entirely on protecting ordinary souls.
Compared to the lives of the people in the Rukongai, the nobles cared far more about their own survival.
"Maybe that man would have a solution."
At this moment, Kisuke's figure flashed through Kyoya's mind.
Since the thought had occurred to him, Kyoya immediately abandoned his original plan.
Anyway, searching for those people at Zaraki District could be done anytime.
But if the conditions in the Rukongai improved even a day sooner, perhaps more people could survive… and live better lives. Without hesitation, Kyoya turned around and headed back toward the Seireitei.
This time, Kyoya didn't walk slowly. Instead, he used Shunpo, and in less than three minutes, he crossed a distance that had once taken him and Rangiku a full year to traverse.
When passing by the White Road Gate, he saw Ikkanzaka Jidanbo was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his right elbow propped on his knee, his palm pressed against his face as he snored loudly. Paying no mind to whether Jidanbo was neglecting his duties, Kyoya headed straight for the 12th Division.
"Captain Kyoya!"
The Shinigami of the 12th Division were no strangers to Kyoya.
Whether during Kirio's tenure or now under Kisuke, Kyoya had visited the 12th Division many times.
"Hmm, is Captain Urahara not here?"
Kyoya activated his Observation Haki, but within its range, he couldn't sense Kisuke's presence. He turned to the guard and asked.
"Uh…"
The Shinigami hesitated, then shook his head. "Sorry, Captain Kyoya, I haven't seen Captain Urahara leave today."
"Would you like me to take you inside to ask?"
"Yeah, that'd be good."
Kyoya nodded.
Though Kisuke was now the Captain of the 12th Division, Kyoya knew that not all of Kisuke's experiments were conducted within the division.
Especially those sensitive projects that violated the Soul Society's laws… Kisuke would never openly research those in the 12th Division. At most, he'd use the division's equipment to record some data in his private lab.
If Kisuke wasn't in the 12th Division, Kyoya would have to scour the entire Seireitei, using his Observation Haki to locate Kisuke's underground laboratory.
In the original work, Yoruichi once took Ichigo to one of Kisuke's abandoned underground labs, using the remaining healing hot springs there to treat Ichigo's injuries.
But even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so Kyoya doubted Kisuke had only one lab in the Seireitei.
It was just that some abilities were too convenient.
Kisuke's Bankai allowed him to create a lab anywhere to his liking.
Even experimental equipment wasn't a rare commodity in Kisuke's hands.
In fact, Kyoya suspected that Urahara could even create [Soul King's Fragments].
Otherwise, how else could Urahara handcraft the Hogyoku, something even Aizen needed the Soul King's Nails to create? That would be too absurd.
Of course, the Soul King's Fragments Kyoya referred to weren't like the Nails embedded in Rangiku or the arm in Ukitake, nor were they the Quincy of the Schutzstaffel who were incarnations of the Soul King's body parts.
Instead, they were the fundamental 'power' of the Soul King… what people called 'omnipotent power'.
This kind of power could materialize based on human desires.
For example, the Hogyoku Urahara created was, in his view, a tool to 'induce Hollowfication in Shinigami'.
But in Aizen's eyes, it was something that could 'break the limits of Shinigami and Hollows, allowing one to ascend to a higher plane of existence'.
Because of this difference in perception, the Hogyoku's effects varied significantly between Kisuke and Aizen.
Aizen could use his 'imperfect' Hogyoku to Hollowfy Shinigami or transform Hollows into Arrancar.
Meanwhile, Kisuke could only use his Hogyoku to save Shinji and the others from certain death via Hollowfication, granting them the power to control it.
Rather than searching blindly and possibly interrupting Kisuke's experiments, it was better to let the 12th Division's Shinigami help locate him.
After all, as the captain of the 12th Division, even if Kisuke left the division, he would leave behind a way for his subordinates to contact him.
Otherwise, if an emergency arose and the captain couldn't be found, Kisuke would be derelict in his duties.
The Captain of the Gotei 13 were the pinnacle figures of the Seireitei.
But with great status came great responsibility.
If a Captain failed to fulfill their duties, Yamamoto would personally hold them accountable.
Conversely, as long as a Captain properly managed their division, even if they turned it into a complete mess, Yamamoto wouldn't interfere.
A prime example of this was the previous captain of the 11th Division, Kiganjo.
Under the Shinigami's lead, Kyoya arrived at the 12th Division's reception room.
There, a young girl with twin yellow pigtails was already waiting.
This is the Lieutenant of the 12th Division, Sarugaki Hiyori!
When she saw Kyoya, Hiyori scrunched her face in displeasure.
However, she also knew that Kyoya wasn't like Kisuke.
Kisuke would humor her antics out of respect for her 'Mother', Kirio, but Kyoya wouldn't.
Even when Kirio was around, this guy had dared to threaten her.