"Huh?"
Iori froze for a moment, then decisively stopped where he was. He closed his eyes and carefully relived the bodily sensation from just now, completely throwing Saito's matter to the back of his mind.
After a short while, the boy slowly opened his eyes. His gaze shone brightly without a hint of fatigue. Even though his spiritual pressure was empty, he looked full of energy, with a faint, barely-there smile on his face.
"So that's it. Shunpo isn't really any different from normal running. It's not that the harder you push, the faster you go."
Seeing that his realization was over, Saito finally commented, "A lot of people think that the more spiritual pressure you pour in, the stronger the burst will be. In reality, that's not the case. Shunpo, at its core, is a technique for using spiritual pressure. It's just like kido, the key lies in the word 'control.'
"And even when it comes to running, a hundred-meter sprint and long-distance running aren't the same thing. On the battlefield, charging around everywhere using full-power shunpo is basically asking to die!"
"How to grasp that one or two meters, or even one or two inches, within a span of several hundred meters, that's what really decides victory or defeat… Mm, looks like you've already grasped a bit of the basics."
'This is only the basics?'
Just as Iori was about to ask something, he suddenly noticed what Saito was holding in her hand and couldn't help falling silent.
Under the moonlight, Saito held a wine flask in one hand and a wine cup in the other.
That alone was nothing special, but in the moon's reflection, the liquid in the cup shimmered with light, ripples spreading across its surface, it was the very cup of wine she had poured earlier, and she had been holding it this whole time.
Even a slightly bigger sway of the body would have spilled the wine, yet after such an intense shunpo chase just now, the amount of wine inside hadn't decreased much at all.
Iori took a deep breath, his expression serious. 'Looks like it really was just the basics…'
If you only watch the anime, it's easy to get the impression that the captains are all kind of weak, and instead become far more interested in the various zanpakuto.
But in reality, how could a group of old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years be that simple?
In the story, almost none of the antagonists invaded Seireitei under fair conditions. They always had to prepare some kind of targeted cheat before taking action, causing the captains, who were at an intelligence disadvantage, to end up with terrible battle records…
If you think about it carefully, before Yhwach appeared, not a single captain died in the main storyline. Instead, the villains who looked so arrogant and powerful died wave after wave.
You really can't underestimate this bunch.
"Even though this was just a whim of mine, your performance really exceeded my expectations… Looks like I won't be able to avoid treating you to a drink."
Saito gestured toward Iori with her chin. This time she didn't use shunpo again, but turned around and jumped down from the rooftop, the white haori on her back fluttering up and down in the night wind.
It was only at that moment that Iori, using the moonlight, clearly saw the writing on the haori and slightly widened his eyes.
Generally speaking, a captain's haori has a number written on the back, representing which division they lead.
But on Saito Furofushi's haori, there was no number, only a single word, "Exterminate)."
This meant she didn't belong to the Thirteen Divisions at all, but to another unit, 'So it's the Hueco Mundo Suppression Force!'
———
"Here~"
On a quiet hill somewhere in the East First District of Rukongai, an ancient cherry tree stood alone. Under the bright moonlight, two figures sat on the ground. The night breeze carried faint traces of alcohol, making everything feel a little hazy.
Saito Furofushi handed a wine cup to Iori, while she herself boldly lifted the jar and took a big gulp straight from the mouth!
Iori noticed that what Saito was using wasn't the small bottles commonly used by Japanese people, but a proper jar-type wine container. Her carefree, wild style was something you'd basically only see in wuxia novels.
By the way, since coming to this world, the boy hadn't touched alcohol at all. He hesitated for a moment, but still brought the cup to his lips, "Ugh!"
A sharp, spicy sensation clogged his nose, and immediately after, a burning liquid slid down his throat like gasoline, blazing fiercely in his stomach.
"Cough!" The boy couldn't help pinching the bridge of his nose and coughing lightly a few times.
There was no richness or sweetness at all. It was even worse than ordinary sake. This was basically an instrument of torture.
How could anyone like drinking something like this? He really couldn't understand it…
"First time? I brewed this myself. For beginners, it is a bit intense."
"Cough… Captain, you're used to drinking this stuff?"
"Just call me Captain Saito."
The twin-tailed girl shook the wine jar and pouted in dissatisfaction. "Can't be helped. There aren't any taverns in Hueco Mundo. After the alcohol you bring runs out, the only option left is to learn how to brew it yourself."
"Hueco Mundo…"
'So that was it!'
Iori's expression shifted slightly as he secretly sized Saito up, then hesitantly asked, "Captain Saito, you're not part of the Gotei Thirteen, are you?"
"Hm?"
Saito glanced at him and chuckled. "Don't be so stiff. If you want to ask, just ask. You just want to know who I am, right? Can't blame you, after all, it's been a long time since I came back."
Putting down the wine jar, Saito looked up at the moon and smacked her lips as if calculating something. "Probably fifty or sixty… no, about eighty years? When was the last time I came back to Seireitei?"
"Ah, whatever. It's all the same."
She turned around and openly showed Iori the big 'Anhilation' word on her back, then spoke frankly, "I used to hang around in the Thirteen Divisions, but later I got kicked over to Hueco Mundo for rotation duty. If it weren't because I really couldn't find anyone to drink with this time I came back, why would I take an interest in a brat like you… hic!"
"Rotation duty… so it really is the expedition force." Iori raised his empty cup half-sincerely in respect. "That must be hard work, Captain Saito."
That word "hard" was something Saito absolutely deserved, because Hueco Mundo was no nice place. The suppression force, or expedition force, was basically a large-scale suicide squad with a survival rate comparable to gacha pull odds in a mobile game!
So-called "Hollows" are fallen souls.
Unlike those who successfully reincarnate into the Soul Society, their minds have long since twisted, turning them into monsters that love devouring souls. Their defining features are the white bone masks on their heads and the holes in their chests.
Hueco Mundo, naturally, is the world where Hollows live. Its nature is similar to the Soul Society, but it's basically ruled by chaos and desolation.
A Shinigami's duty is to maintain the balance of the three realms, the human world, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo, ensuring that souls can reincarnate normally between them. Naturally, monsters like Hollows need to be eliminated.
However, Hollows themselves are also part of the balance, and they appear endlessly, making it impossible to completely eradicate them.
Shinigami patrol the Soul Society and the human world, eliminating Hollows that occasionally appear in those two realms.
Every so often, when the number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo accumulates past a certain point and begins to threaten the balance of the three realms, the Soul Society launches large-scale suppression operations.
For this purpose, an elite force is specifically drawn from the Gotei Thirteen and stationed long-term in Hueco Mundo, tasked with reconnaissance and outpost duties.
But perhaps due to certain technical issues, the "inter-world gate" leading to Hueco Mundo isn't kept open at all times. Instead, it opens periodically to deliver supplies and rotate personnel, meaning the Soul Society can't maintain real-time contact with that side.
A unit with this kind of nature obviously has an extremely high casualty rate. Aside from hot-blooded youths, most of the people sent there are those who aren't well liked within the Thirteen Divisions.
But Saito, a first-generation captain, how could she have been sent to the expedition force?
Iori tactfully voiced his doubt. "Then why did you join the Hueco Mundo expedition, Captain? A powerhouse like you would be better off staying in the Thirteen Divisions to hold the line, wouldn't you?"
"Because someone has to go. And also… I'm probably pretty annoying."
Saito took another swig, wiped the wine from the corner of her mouth, and spoke with high spirits, completely unrestrained.
"The old geezers in Central 46 wish people like us would all disappear. If they could find a perfectly legitimate excuse to kick me over to Hueco Mundo, they'd be more than happy~"
After saying that, she didn't explain anything further, probably feeling there was no point in discussing deeper matters with a small fry like Iori.
But Iori clearly wasn't as clueless as she thought. With just that one short sentence, combined with what he'd seen in his past life, he was able to piece together a rough picture of the truth.
This was probably a story of 'once the rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked.'
The first-generation Gotei Thirteen had been hastily formed to fight external enemies. The backgrounds of its members varied wildly, and each captain was "highly skilled," earning them the title of the most vicious group of killers in history.
A unit like that was naturally useful during wartime, but once the overall situation stabilized, it became an eyesore, at the very least, the ruling body, Central 46, would definitely be wary of them.
To better manage the Soul Society, these battle-hardened, prestigious thorns had to be removed one by one.
Using various means to edge them out, or wearing them down through repeated battles, was already a relatively mild approach, at least it didn't escalate to public executions…
In the original story, by the time Ichigo appeared, only Yamamoto and Unohana were left among the first-generation captains.
Yamamoto goes without saying, he himself was a maintainer of "order" and posed no threat to Central 46. As for Unohana, she was in a state of "sheathed blade," no longer the killing demon she once was.
Aside from those two, all the other first-generation captains had vanished. No one knew how many had fallen in battle, and how many had disappeared for other reasons…
Of course, judging from Saito's tone and demeanor, the first-generation captains, including herself, probably didn't care much about being pushed out.
Most of them were battle-crazed, bloodthirsty desperados. Even after getting "official positions," they never changed their nature. Dying in battle would actually count as getting what they wanted.
After thinking all this through, Iori untangled a knot in his mind, then shook his head.
In the end, what did any of this have to do with him?
No matter how the higher-ups fought among themselves, no matter what schemes Central 46 plotted, as long as he kept accumulating strength and reached a level like Aizen or Yamamoto in the original work, he could naturally ignore those petty, corrupt nobles.
And if he reached Yhwach's level, then even making the Four Great Noble Clans lick his shoes wouldn't be difficult.
This was a transcendent world. No matter how complex or subtle political maneuvering might be, it all crumbled before absolute power. Strength was ultimately the top priority.
With that, it was as if a layer of dust had been brushed from Iori's heart. He felt much lighter, and without any restraint, began clinking cups with Saito.
The older twin-tailed girl was also a bold and open person. When she got into the mood, she told Iori many interesting stories about Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society, greatly broadening his horizons.
But who was Iori? Having experienced the information explosion of his past life, he was never weak when it came to casual chatter.
Even though Saito had nearly a thousand more years of experience than him, Iori still brought up plenty of worldly anecdotes she'd never heard before, leaving this first-generation captain thoroughly entertained.
This deeply seasoned, old-school powerhouse had none of the airs of a superior. She got along wonderfully with Iori, and before long, the two even felt a sense of regret at having met so late.
From the looks of it, she really treated Iori as nothing more than a pure drinking buddy.
The moon passed overhead, and it grew later and later. By the time the last jar of wine was empty, their conversation still hadn't stopped. They teased and bantered with each other, then started mocking some of the unspeakable things within Seireitei.
It wasn't until a faint bluish light appeared on the horizon, with a thin layer of pale mist forming in the distance, that the two drunkards finally stopped, they had actually talked for most of the night over a single jar of wine.
"Hic… I haven't been this happy in a long time… One by one, whether it's old man Yama or Yachiru, they're all different from before… I'm not familiar with the juniors either. Ordinary squad members don't even dare talk when they see me… It really feels like I was left all alone back in the past~ hic!"
Saito's clothes were in disarray. From her wide-open collar, you could see her flat chest bound tightly in layers of bandages. Her face was flushed as she wrapped an arm around Iori, her finger continuously drawing circles on the boy's burning hot cheek.
"A guy like you, fierce, interesting, and most importantly, gutsy… Hehe, you're totally my type. If this were a thousand years ago, maybe you could've made a name for yourself too!"
"What, can't I do it now?"
Iori wasn't completely drunk, but the alcohol had dulled his usual caution. He spoke his true thoughts without restraint.
"A true man lives between heaven and earth, how could he remain depressed beneath others for long!"
Saito froze for a moment, not understanding Iori's native language. But drunks are creatures that don't need logic, so she directly ignored it.
"By the way, I find you pretty pleasing to the eye, kid. How about you come drink with me more during my rotation leave? I won't shortchange you, your talent in shunpo is pretty good. With my guidance, you'd definitely improve fast!"
"Really?" Iori agreed without a second thought.
"If you don't abandon me, sir, I would, ah, pfft, I'm willing to take you as my master!"
"That's too much, too much. You think it's that easy to become my disciple? You know the girl from the Shihoin family?"
"If it weren't for owing her elders a favor, I wouldn't have taught that little girl at all!"
"That brat is both mischievous and arrogant…"
"Arrogant?" Iori thought for a moment. "In what way?"
"Her chest! That pair of big b*obs!"
Saito gestured at her own chest, tracing the raised outline over her wall of sighs.
"Oh…" Iori scratched his head, glanced at Saito's sheer cliff, and didn't know how to respond.
Should he tell her to accept his condolences?
But hey, don't get mad yet, there'll be an even more "arrogant" woman in Seireitei later on~
"By the way, we've finished all the wine, and I still don't know your name."
"Iori. Aizen Iori."
"Iori~ Nice pronunciation… Aizen? Why does that sound kind of familiar… Huh?"
Saito blinked, as if recalling something. "What's your relationship with Aizen Yuki?"
"..."
Iori instantly sobered up by more than half. He frowned and said seriously, "Does Captain Saito know my elder sister?"
"So she's your sister. Both siblings being this talented, how rare… Wait, I get it now why those idiots were so foolish as to ambush you at the Spiritual Arts Academy!"
Saito grinned, clearly having found something amusing. "So that's how it is… Kid, you've really been dragged down by your sister!"