"It's Tosen",A Gotei 13 Squad Member from the Ninth Division recognized the newcomer; it was none other than Tōsen Kaname, who was serving as the Fifth Seat of the Ninth Division at the time.
Tōsen Kaname stood in mid-air, drawing his Asauchi and holding it horizontally in front of him, muttering, "Sing, Suzumushi!"
"Suzumushi, First Form."
As Tōsen Kaname's words fell, an invisible tremor emanated from the blade. The several Giant Hollows that had been rampaging in the area instantly stopped their movements, while the Gotei 13 Squad Members who had been in bitter combat quickly retreated.
Then Tōsen Kaname slowly swung his blade. The swing wasn't fast, yet it strangely produced an afterimage.
"Suzumushi, Second Form — Benihikou!"
Suddenly, countless blades shot towards the Hollows below like falling rain.
With just this one move, several Giant Hollows were pierced through and instantly perished.
"As expected of Tōsen, he defeated so many Giant Hollows with such ease!"
A corpulent Gotei 13 Squad Member complimented Tōsen.
Tōsen flashed, appearing among the crowd, and slowly spoke to the Fat Man who had complimented him:
"Under the roof, you go and comfort the civilians. I need to report to the Captain about the Hollows' surprise attack!"
After saying this, Tōsen Kaname flashed again and disappeared from his spot. No one noticed that he was holding several rice-grain-sized crystals emitting a faint blue light in his hand when he left. Except for Ito Makoto!
"As expected, Aizen is behind this!"
When Ito Makoto saw Tōsen appear and secretly retrieve the crystals from the slain Hollows, he was certain that the mastermind behind this Hollow disaster was Aizen Sōsuke.
"Oh, it's not good to be secretly peeking here!"
Just as Ito Makoto was about to return to his residence, an unharmonious voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Ito Makoto turned his head and saw a boy of about thirteen or fourteen standing behind him, dressed in a soul reaper uniform with silver hair. He was currently squinting, smiling as he looked at him.
Ichimaru Gin!
Ito Makoto looked at the smiling boy in front of him, sensing the immense spiritual pressure emanating from his body, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.
If his true body had come, he might not fear Ichimaru Gin at this point in time, but at this moment in Soul Society, he was merely a Freshman soul with spiritual pressure but no power. He definitely couldn't defeat Ichimaru Gin, who was then the Third Seat of the Third Division with his Zanpakuto.
Ichimaru Gin might have already learned Bankai by now.
Therefore, he could only brace himself and play along.
"Such terrifying Hollows, it's really hard on you Shinigami!"
Ito Makoto feigned an overly frightened expression, constantly patting his chest with his right hand.
Ichimaru Gin continued to smile as he watched Ito Makoto.
Suddenly, Ichimaru Gin's expression changed. His narrowed eyes snapped open, and his Zanpakuto, as short as a dagger, instantly extended. It slashed towards Ito Makoto!
Ultimately, the blade grazed Ito Makoto's left ear, killing a Hollow hiding behind him.
Ito Makoto, terrified, collapsed onto the ground, trembling and too scared to speak.
"It's quite dangerous outside these days, so you'd best not wander around."
Ichimaru Gin's lazy voice sounded again, then he directly sheathed his Zanpakuto and left without looking back.
A few minutes later, Ito Makoto slowly got up, the fear on his face instantly vanishing without a trace, replaced by an expression of indifference.
With Ito Makoto's spiritual pressure, he had naturally sensed the presence of that Hollow long ago.
Since Ichimaru Gin was always nearby, he could only hide his abilities. He didn't want to expose that a newly reincarnated soul, who hadn't even entered the Spiritual Arts Academy, could use Kido. Anyone would be suspicious!
Moreover, this Hollow was very weak; it was just a Freshman Hollow. Therefore, Ito Makoto didn't pay it any mind.
This Hollow also didn't drop those small blue-glowing crystals after dying, unlike the previous Giant Hollows.
Patting the dust off his body, Ito Makoto returned to his residence.
....
In a dense forest somewhere in Rukongai, a man in a soul reaper uniform with black-rimmed glasses stood with his hands behind his back. A faint smile always hung on his face, making him appear so refined and amiable.
At this moment, two figures slowly approached; it was Tōsen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin.
Upon seeing the man, Tōsen Kaname immediately knelt on one knee and presented the small blue-glowing crystals he had hidden in his hand with both hands. He then said with a hint of dejection:
"Lord Aizen, the experiment failed. Those Giant Hollows still can't maintain their sanity for long. Also, one Giant Hollow containing a fragment got separated from the main group and was likely killed by Squad Members from other Squads."
Aizen Sōsuke smiled faintly and took the crystals from Tōsen Kaname's hand:
"It's alright, Tosen The experimental data this time is already excellent!"
He turned to look at Ichimaru Gin, who was standing to the side:
"Gin, did you discover anything unusual?"
The young Ichimaru Gin smiled and scratched his head:
"I dealt with an escaped Freshman Hollow. Everything else is normal!"
...
East District, Fifty-seventh Ward, residential area.
Ito Makoto and Iwasaki Eri were gathered around a small table with San Hana-bāba, eating the thank-you meal San Hana-bāba had prepared for Ito Makoto. Iwasaki Eri also benefited from Ito Makoto's good fortune.
As for the old residents living there, they naturally didn't receive such treatment.
Iwasaki Eri looked at Ito Makoto with excitement.
"Makoto-kun, you're amazing! You were able to take us two so far in such a short time!"
"Perhaps in my previous life, I was an athlete, which is why I could burst with such speed in a crisis. I really struggled to lure that Hollow away and held out for a long time until the Shinigami arrived!"
Ito Makoto spoke nonsense.
Apparently, San Hana-bāba and Iwasaki Eri hadn't seen him swiftly kill the Giant Hollow with White Lightning on the rooftop.
San Hana-bāba, still with lingering fear, began to complain:
"These Shinigami of Seireitei are truly despicable! We pay them so much money every year, yet they can't even guarantee basic public safety. If it weren't for Makoto, this old woman would have been done for today!"
Thus, the three of them complained about the Shinigami of Seireitei, one after another. Perhaps due to sharing a common hardship, Iwasaki Eri seemed to have become very close with San Hana-bāba, whom she had only met a day ago!
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the three of them had eaten almost enough when Ito Makoto suddenly asked:
"Grandma, I want to apply to the Spiritual Arts Academy. Do you know how to register?"
Upon hearing Ito Makoto's words, Iwasaki Eri was first startled, then her expression became somewhat dejected.
San Hana-bāba was silent for a moment, then slowly got up and took two envelopes from the cabinet behind her, handing them to Ito Makoto:
"I can't do anything with you. With your status as a newcomer to Rukongai, you definitely won't be able to apply to the Spiritual Arts Academy within three years. Take this old woman's letter of recommendation to Oda You. He will allow you to take the assessment exceptionally!"
"Thank you, Grandma!"
Ito Makoto sincerely thanked San Hana-bāba.
"You little brat, you've only known me for a day and you're already swindling the old woman's good stuff! Let me tell you beforehand, this old woman's recommendation letter can only let you take the assessment early, but the difficulty of the assessment is very high, with a pass rate of less than ten percent. Whether you can pass depends on your own ability!"
Upon hearing this, Ito Makoto repeatedly agreed.
San Hana-bāba picked up the leftover bowls to wash them, but she was stopped by Iwasaki Eri and Ito Makoto.
"Grandma, we'll help you with the dishes!"
At this moment, San Hana-bāba, whose bowls and chopsticks had been taken from her by the two, stood blankly, as if recalling past events.
"What energetic children. If Maruta were still alive…"