The casual conversation between Arata and Rangiku was just a small episode, and Arata quickly returned to his daily training.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and before they knew it, the day came when the expedition forces were to depart.
Arata, who was fully immersed in deep communication with Meigetsu, was awakened early in the morning by an alarm.
"You just had to interrupt… tch, such a sweet dream."
Arata sat up from the bed and stretched. Outside, the blue sky and white clouds, the morning sun warm but not too strong, a perfect day for prolonged lounging.
Unfortunately, today he had to go to Hueco Mundo, so there would be no lazing around.
He quickly washed up, put on the Spiritual Arts Academy student uniform, strapped his Zanpakutō to his belt, and went out.
The gathering point for the expedition unit was set on the massive cliff east of Seireitei, which might sound vague to some.
But if put differently, Sōkyoku Hill, the same place where Rukia was supposed to be executed in the original, then the location becomes immediately clear.
When Arata arrived at the gathering spot, a considerable number of people had already assembled.
The sixth generation of students was lined up neatly by class, while the shinigami of the Gotei 13 stood on the other side, divided by squad.
As soon as Arata approached the crowd, he immediately spotted Hisagi Shūhei and their three comrades standing in the first row of the Sixth Generation formation. They looked much more composed than three months ago.
"Arata! Over here!" Aoga waved from a distance.
"There they are." Arata quickly approached and saw that all three had scars of varying severity on their bodies.
Kanisawa's arm was wrapped in bandages, and Shūhei and Aoga both had scars on their foreheads that hadn't completely healed.
"What have you been doing…?" Arata raised an eyebrow.
"Special Kidō training. Sensei Uehara increased the intensity over the last three months." Shūhei smiled and shook his head. Just thinking about that period of special training made his head buzz.
"But thanks to the teacher, the three of us got a lot stronger. Now, if I were to face that group of invisible Hollows again, at least I wouldn't be completely helpless." Kanisawa sighed.
"Yeah, I'm no longer just a logistician who only knows how to heal." Aoga had the best mindset among the three and was very satisfied with his progress during that time.
He had always been mocked by both teachers and students, aside from Kaidō, everything else was a disaster for him.
Fortunately, after the special training with Uehara-sensei, his Kidō level had improved greatly, and he now mastered Hadō #31 – Shakkahō (Red Fire Cannon).
Shūhei slapped Arata on the shoulder, his face showing some excitement: "You, my friend, I haven't seen you for three months, and it looks like you've gotten a lot stronger!"
There was something he didn't say aloud, he was so strong that his spiritual pressure couldn't be sensed at all.
Arata just smiled faintly: "I guess I've made a little progress."
Everyone looked at him with contempt. Although they were used to Arata's behavior, some still felt like punching him.
At that moment, a small commotion arose at the back of the formation.
Arata turned around and saw a unit composed mostly of female shinigami slowly approaching, led by Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane of the Fourth Division.
Unohana Retsu still wore that gentle smile, but Arata clearly noticed her gaze lingering on him for a moment, with a flash of resentment in her eyes.
Arata silently apologized to himself. After all, he hadn't gone to Unohana Retsu's kendō training even once in the past three months, so he felt a little guilty.
He would repay that debt once this expedition to Hueco Mundo was over.
"Arata-san!" Isane asked for permission from her captain and ran over to him, her face clearly showing concern. "Have your wounds healed?"
"Thank you for your concern, Isane-san." Arata nodded lightly. "Thanks to your previous treatment, I've completely recovered."
Isane visibly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that, and the worry on her face slowly faded. As if she wanted to say something more, the spiritual vibrations coming from afar soon forced her to return to formation.
It turned out that the other units were arriving as well.
Arata looked in the direction of the spiritual pressure he felt and saw that the expedition team, Second, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Divisions had already arrived, one after another.
With just a quick glance, Arata recognized many familiar faces in the crowd.
The captain of the expedition unit, Amagai Shūsuke, was a tall, scruffy shinigami who also appeared in the original.
Soi Fon stood at the head of the Second Division, but there was no sign of Ōmaeda in her unit.
The Eleventh Division was the classic quartet: Kenpachi Zaraki and his lieutenant Yachiru, followed by third seat Madarame Ikkaku and fifth seat Ayasegawa Yumichika.
The Twelfth Division was led by Kurotsuchi Mayuri, behind whom marched a group of scientists from the Technological Development Bureau, laden with various instruments in large and small packages.
As for the Thirteenth Division, the one leading them wasn't Captain Ukitake Jūshirō, but Lieutenant Shiba Kaien.
And at the very end of the crowd was a unit that looked unfamiliar to most present.
They also wore shinigami uniforms, but most of them had white masks covering their entire heads except for their eyes.
Only the leader had his face uncovered, a middle-aged man with a calm, composed expression.
He had short gray hair and facial features that somewhat resembled Jiraiya from Naruto. Besides the shinigami robe, he wore a crimson cloak and held a thick book in his hand.
This man…
Arata searched his memories, but his face meant nothing to him.
Could he be a character that didn't appear in the original at all?
"Strange, even the Kidō unit joined in." Kanisawa quietly commented.
Arata slightly narrowed his eyes and recalled the casual conversation with Rangiku in Kikuchaya, she also mentioned that the Kidōshū was joining the expedition.
The main reason is that the presence of the Kidō unit in the world of Bleach is extremely low. On one hand, aside from the two chiefs – Tessai Tsukabishi and his deputy, Arisawa Hōgun – there are hardly any important characters.
On the other hand, it's also because of the clothing: like the Onmitsukidō, almost all of them are covered from head to toe, making them hard to remember.
Although he had no solid proof, Arata quite reasonably concluded that the middle-aged man in the red cloak could be the new successor to the head of the Kidō unit.
"Such a luxurious lineup…" Shūhei sighed.
Indeed, aside from General-Captain Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and a few captains who had to remain in Seireitei, the Gotei 13 had practically sent almost half of its strongest fighters.
And if nothing went wrong, three more high-ranking fighters would join them in Hueco Mundo, but in secret.
That's right, Arata was thinking of Aizen, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname.
Their divisions were not on the official support list, which conveniently made it easier for them to "quietly" participate in the operation against Hueco Mundo.
"Everyone, attention!"
A rough, piercing voice interrupted Arata's thoughts.
Old Yamamoto had already appeared at the highest point of Sōkyoku Hill, and no one even noticed when he got up there. His cane struck the ground forcefully, and a dull sound echoed.
"By order of Central 46, the final exam for the sixth generation students of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy will be combined with the expedition to Hueco Mundo."
"In order to ensure the safety of the operation, Gotei 13 will send elite forces to form a support team, which will protect your lives throughout the entire mission." He looked toward the formation where the sixth generation stood. "However, the situation on the battlefield changes from moment to moment. All students must strictly follow the orders of the captains. Violators will be severely punished!"
The captain's gaze passed over each student individually and finally stopped on Arata.
Arata felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him, as if that gaze completely exposed him.
"12th Division, open the passage!"