"Done," Tsugikuni Yoriichi said, grabbing Kiganjo by the collar and tossing him to Akagi Chizuru.
He ignored the subordinates of Kiganjo surrounding them.
He quickly walked over to the two, instructing, "Akagi, take him back."
"Ichimoku and I will head to North Rukongai to deal with the Hollow disturbance."
"Me?" Akagi Chizuru raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze sweeping over Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Ichinisan Ichi-moku, her tone slightly puzzled, "Third Seat Tsugikuni, in terms of strength, I am the best candidate to handle this incident, aren't I?"
"There's suspected to be a Menos Grande in North Rukongai."
"Isn't it a bit much for him to go?"
"Yes, yes," Ichinisan Ichi-moku echoed.
"I also don't think I'm very suitable. Akagi senpai is strong, and even if she encounters danger, she can probably hold on until your rescue."
"But I can't."
"Third Seat Tsugikuni, you should find someone else."
"No need," Yoriichi gently shook his head. "Suspected to have a Menos Grande isn't the same as actually having one."
"Besides, if you come with me,"
He looked at Akagi Chizuru, pointed at Kiganjo at his feet, and asked with a frown, "What about him?"
"He is a major criminal designated by the Seireitei. If something happens during the transfer, who will take responsibility?"
"Ichimoku."
"Can you defeat him? Even in his weakened state."
Yoriichi's gaze swept over Ichinisan Ichi-moku, finally settling on him, his eyes like torches.
Feeling a slight chill from his stare, Ichimoku hesitated and shook his head, "No, judging by the reishi he just emitted, he's at least a level of the fourth seat."
"Even if weakened, he's definitely above the tenth class."
"You see," upon hearing this answer, Yoriichi nodded slightly, looking at Akagi Chizuru, "Only you can handle this task."
"I trust you."
"As long as you successfully bring him back, it will be a great achievement."
"..."
Akagi Chizuru said with some uncertainty, "Is that so?"
She stroked her chin.
She always felt like something was off.
However...
It was indeed as Third Seat Tsugikuni said; among everyone present, only she could restrain him.
She couldn't possibly take Ichinisan Ichi-moku to fight Hollows!
That's not how you court death.
So, she bent down, grabbed Kiganjo by the collar, laboriously lifted him into her hands, and, using Shunpo, soared into the air, bidding farewell as she vanished.
"Third Seat Tsugikuni, in that case, I'll be going first."
"I wish you success!"
...
North Rukongai, District 77.
The environment here was far worse than imagined.
Some weathered corpses were scattered casually in the forests on both sides.
On these corpses, faint traces of being gnawed by wild beasts could be seen.
Yes.
Wild beasts existed within the Soul Society.
Because their entire bodies were composed of reishi, their strength was far greater than those outside.
This was why the backwards areas were uninhabited and had high mortality rates.
One had to endure the erosion of hunger and poverty while also guarding against attacks from wild beasts.
Beyond the forest was a small village.
Within a ten-mile radius, there was no sound of flowing water, and the air was filled with an oppressive silence.
When Yoriichi and Ichimoku stepped into this area, sensing the surrounding dead silence, he couldn't help but frown.
"Ichimoku, check the nearest Rukongai resident's location."
Yoriichi turned and commanded.
"Yes," Ichimoku decisively drew the Zanpakuto from his waist and performed Shikai without hesitation.
Clang!
"Seek, Compass!"
With a clear clang of the blade, Ichimoku's Zanpakuto instantly transformed into a detailed reishi map with a compass.
On the map, the locations of red, blue, and white dots were visible.
Those were living beings with reishi around them.
White was Hollows, blue was wild beasts, and red was human souls.
Yoriichi searched carefully; his vision was all blue, with red being extremely rare.
However, he still found one, 10 kilometres away.
As for the white Hollows...
"Zoom in."
The map instantly shrank with Ichimoku's reishi burst.
In an instant, dense, ant-like clusters of white light appeared in the upper right corner of the map.
That was...
"District 79?"
...
District 79.
Yachiru.
Zaraki Kenpachi was in a terrible mood today.
Simply because among the Rukongai residents he had cut down, not a single one was a strong opponent.
He could vaguely hear the extreme craving for blood from the Zanpakuto in his hand.
However, regrettably, this place was too remote and backwards.
All the "powerhouses" in Yachiru District had been severely taught a lesson by him.
To seek that long-lost sense of novelty, he decided to go out.
Where should he go?
On a stone, Zaraki Kenpachi looked impatiently at a paper map he had stolen from a group of bandits.
Since he couldn't understand the markings on it, he simply tore it to shreds.
His rugged face was now full of vexation, and he muttered, "So annoying."
"Anywhere!"
He slowly stood up.
His tall, thin figure cast a huge, giant-like silhouette under the dazzling sunlight.
Just then.
A pink-haired little girl nimbly climbed up his spine to his neck.
She laughed innocently and said, "Kenpachi, don't be angry. I'll show you the way."
She stretched out her soft little hand and pointed in one direction, "There, what do you think?"
Zaraki Kenpachi looked in the direction she pointed and his face instantly darkened.
"Yachiru, what nonsense are you talking about? That's where we came from!"
"Last time, I listened to you, and a journey that should have taken one day ended up taking three whole days!"
"Oh, it's a small matter, a small matter."
Kusajishi Yachiru seemed completely unaware of embarrassment; her five-year-old face was still full of innocent smiles.
"Anyway, Kenpachi, you're already out. One day and three days make no difference to me. Trust me, this time it's right."
"Hmph."
Zaraki Kenpachi snorted lightly, turned his head away, and no longer paid attention to Yachiru.
Trusting her was worse than trusting his intuition.
He looked up, distinguished the sunlight, and strode off casually in one direction.
His ears were filled with Yachiru's chirping, bird-like chatter.
Although she was nagging, Zaraki Kenpachi didn't feel annoyed at all; he was used to it.
On the contrary, if he didn't hear her voice one day, that would be truly unsettling.
Not long after walking, dozens of white creatures, about five meters tall, suddenly appeared in their sight.
Zaraki Kenpachi suddenly stopped.
He carefully identified them with a challenging gaze.
Instantly.
His fighting spirit surged.
...
"Is this District 79, Yachiru?"
At the edge of Yachiru District, Yoriichi and Ichimoku slowly stopped.
Sand and dust filled the air around them, and the map in Ichimoku's hand emitted a bright light, guiding the two.
Yoriichi looked at the map, about to confirm the Hollows' real-time location.
The next second.
The dense, ant-like white dots instantly dimmed significantly.
"...What?!"
.........................................
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