The Senkaimon's light dissipated, leaving the acrid smell of ozone and the overwhelming sensory noise of the Human World. Karakura Town stretched before them, a bland tapestry of concrete, glass, and the distant murmur of traffic. To Akio, it felt… thin. The Reishi here was sparse, diluted, making the spiritual pressure of their group feel like a loud shout in a silent library.
He took a measured breath, his senses—honed by Sasakibe and sharpened by instinct—immediately expanding to map his new environment. The Shadow Network— the passive sixth sense, painted a picture of the world around him in shades of movement and absence. People, living souls with faint spiritual signatures, moved along the sidewalks like schools of fish, unaware of the predators now in their midst.
The group looked out of place against the ordinary city backdrop even though they couldn't be seen by others.
The Hino heir, a boy who couldn't have been more than twelve in soul-years named Takashi, practically vibrated with a naïve excitement that was already giving Akio a headache. He was dressed in fine, if impractical, silken robes, his eyes wide as he gaped at a passing bus as if it were a mythical beast.
"By the Soul King's grace! A metal carriage that moves without Bakkōtō!" Takashi exclaimed, pointing.
"It's called a 'bus,' young master," said a guard who seemed the leader among the four guards accompanying Takashi. He was a man with a face like weathered stone who had introduced himself as Hiro. His voice was a low, patient rumble, but Akio didn't miss the flicker of exasperation in his eyes. The other three guards, Kenji, Bunta, and Sora, were carbon copies of professional stoicism, their hands never straying far from the hilts of their Zanpakutō, their eyes constantly scanning. They were competent, Akio assessed. They knew how to hold a formation, and their Reiatsu was disciplined, if unremarkable. They were trained to protect a noble from common threats, not to wage a shadow war.
Akio sighed internally. Matsumoto's words echoed in his mind: 'Smile, nod, and follow them around.' Right.
"Alright, listen up," Akio said, his voice cutting through Takashi's wonder. He didn't raise it, but it carried a note of authority that made all four guards snap their attention to him, and even Takashi paused his gawking. "This isn't a sightseeing tour for any of us except the heir. My job is to get you back to the Seireitei in one piece. Your job," he said, looking pointedly at the guards, "is to make my job easier. The young master does not wander off. He does not touch anything without me checking it first. He does not, under any circumstances, attempt to interact with anyone in here. Am I understood?"
Jiro gave a short, sharp nod. "Perfectly, Shinigami-san. We are here to follow your lead."
Akio almost smiled. 'Good. They know their place, at least. Must be because I am someone sent by the Shiba family. I am representing them in the eyes of these guards.' He turned to Takashi. "And you, young master. The biggest danger here isn't Hollows. It's your own curiosity. The rules aren't to spoil your fun. They're to keep your soul from being devoured or your body splattered across the front of one of those 'metal carriages.' Understood?"
Takashi's face fell slightly, but he nodded, a sliver of fear finally piercing his excitement. "Y-Yes. Understood."
"Good." Akio's grin returned, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was a predator's smile. "Then let's go see the sights. Stay close."
The "tour" was a masterclass in tedium punctuated by spikes of low-grade anxiety. Takashi, though chastened, was like a magnet for trouble, drawn to every bright light and loud noise. He'd veer towards a street vendor, forcing Hiro to physically steer him back. He'd stop to stare at a television in a shop window, creating a bottleneck on the busy street.
Through it all, Akio was a silent, watchful ghost at their periphery. He didn't just look; he felt. His Reiatsu, kept on a tight, invisible leash, brushed against every soul they passed, a constant, low-level diagnostic. His Shadow Network was his true eyes, feeling the flow of the environment. The long, distorted shadow of a skyscraper was his early warning system. The deep, dark alleyways they passed were pools of sensory information. So far, nothing. Just the dull hum of human life and the four bright, disciplined sparks of the Hino guards.
He watched the guards work. Jiro was the strategist, his head on a swivel. Kenji and Bunta handled the flanks, their hands never leaving their swords. Sora brought up the rear, constantly checking their six. They were good. For this assignment, they should have been more than enough.
But Akio's instincts, forged in the gutters of Rukongai and tempered by Kenpachi's brutal lessons, screamed that this was a facade. This mission was too simple, too contrived. A noble heir, a trivial request, a conveniently understaffed squad… it stank of setup. He just couldn't see the trap yet.
"Over there!" Takashi shouted, breaking Akio's concentration. The boy was pointing towards a large, ornate bridge that spanned a wide river. "I wish to see the water! I've read about the great rivers of the Living World!"
Hiro looked at Akio, a silent question in his eyes. Akio gave a curt nod. Open space. Good sightlines. Fewer ambush points. It was as good a place as any to let the kid blow off some steam.
As they walked onto the bridge, the wind picked up, whipping off the river. Takashi ran to the railing, leaning over to watch the water churn below. The guards formed a loose diamond around him, their postures tense. Akio hung back, leaning against the cold metal of a support beam, looking entirely at ease to any observer.
Akio felt it then.
A ripple.
It was faint, a thousand yards away, on the roof of a tall office building overlooking the park. A shift in the shadows that wasn't caused by the setting sun. It was too deliberate. A presence masking its Reiatsu with incredible skill, but unable to completely hide its interaction with the environment from his unique sense.
The ripple vanished as quickly as it appeared, smoothed over as if it had never been.
Akio didn't stiffen. He didn't look. He kept his pace exactly the same, his expression one of bored endurance. But internally, every alarm was blaring.
'There. Professional. Excellent suppression. But not good enough.'
He casually shifted his position, moving from the rear to the left flank of their little group, putting himself on the side closest to the direction of the disturbance. His hand didn't go to his Zanpakutō, but his fingers flexed slightly, ready.
A few minutes later, another ripple. This one from a different direction, from top of bridge to the south. Then a third, to the east. A fourth, completing the cardinal points around the park.
'Four of them. Setting a perimeter. Professional. They're not just watching. They're positioning.'
The Hino guards noticed nothing. Kaito was now trying to feed bits of a bread-like substance to some pigeons.
Akio's mind raced, cool and analytical thanks to Sasakibe's training. 'This wasn't a random Hollow attack. This was a coordinated strike. The target…is it the heir? An assassination attempt on a noble child in the human world would be bold, but human world would also be perfect place and would create chaos. Chaos was a excellent smokescreen.'
'But who could be attacking a child of noble lineage under Shiba in human world? A rival family? OR He felt a cold certainty settle in his gut. Tokinada. He has been silent for many years now. This would be perfect to time to kill me and also, a move to destabilize the Shiba by striking at their vassals, all while cleaning up a personal irritant.'
The fourth ripple came again, closer this time. They were tightening the net. The attack was imminent.
Akio stopped walking. The action was so simple, so sudden, it brought the entire procession to a halt.
Hiro, the head guard, turned, a question and a hint of irritation on his face. "Shinigami-san? Is there a—"
Before Hiro could complete Akio turned around started talking.
"Are you just going to skulk in the shadows forever… or are you going to attack?" Akio's voice cut through the air like a blade, calm and cold, with just enough disdain to make the night feel sharper.
The guards froze, startled — they had sensed nothing. But Akio's gaze was fixed outward, not on them. His tone wasn't for the heir or his escort; it was for the unseen predators circling above.
The air shifted. A ripple of killing intent bled into the atmosphere, subtle yet unmistakable. In that same instant, the faint metallic glint of steel flickered against the darkening sky.
Akio's world narrowed to fight. Babysitting detail was over.