Under the pitch-black night sky, scattered sparks danced.
Kisuke Urahara squinted toward the crowd of red-helmeted warriors encircling the small house.
"Looks like you've brought back quite the trouble, Shuuichi."
"It's not so bad. I tested their quality—neither human nor Shinigami. More like puppets being controlled by someone. Just a light touch, and they shatter."
Higashi Shuuichi didn't spare the mass of red-helmed soldiers a glance. His focus locked onto the single figure among them who did look human.
"So, you wandering samurai are harboring that woman?"
The man—hair in a topknot, belly bulging, a small folding fan in hand—looked up with disdain from within the crimson-helmed formation, addressing Shuuichi and Urahara, who stood calmly on the second-floor balcony.
Noticing Shuuichi still wore his zanpakutō at his side, the man instinctively categorized him as one of their own—some kind of rogue samurai.
"You're the one they call Lord Sabu?"
Shuuichi asked without emotion.
"Oh? So you do know me. Then hand over the woman—Nagazawa Rimi—now."
Sabu smirked, self-satisfied and pompous.
"You say 'hand her over' like it's that simple. Kind of embarrassing, don't you think?"
Urahara's gaze sharpened. Unlike Shuuichi, he immediately sensed the oddity surrounding the red-helmeted warriors.
Then, the barrier activated—one he'd prepared in advance. A covert reinforced field, upgraded from the Kasumiōji Clan's spirit pressure-masking tech.
Kisuke was no fool. He'd known from the start that tonight wasn't going to end peacefully.
Shuuichi appreciated Kisuke's foresight. He hadn't left Rimi hiding somewhere else precisely because he feared Sabu might be a Fullbringer. If a fight broke out and they were forced to release their reiatsu, it would complicate everything.
The reiatsu-masking devices taken from the Kasumiōji Clan didn't function well in the Human World. In Soul Society, it only needed to block reiatsu fluctuations—but here, in the living realm, it had to also mitigate the environment's reaction to spiritual pressure.
But in the end, Shuuichi was destined for disappointment.
A simple Bankai—he hadn't even moved—and the red-helmeted soldiers crumbled like brittle shells.
Even Lord Sabu collapsed under the sheer weight of Shuuichi's spiritual pressure, almost forcing Shuuichi to give the man a soul burial out of sheer pity.
It was like throwing a punch into a cloud.
That arrogant "Lord Sabu"… was this pathetic?
Still, not all was a waste. From Kisuke, Shuuichi gleaned something worthwhile:
The red-helmets weren't just puppets—they were constructed from real Reigai.
Unlike the imitation Reigai that Shuuichi and the others wore—Kisuke often called theirs "Reigai" too, but they were technically just knockoff tech, reverse-engineered and mass-produced. In the future, these bodies would be given a proper name: Gigai.
Gigai are temporary shells, containers that store and suppress a Shinigami's powers, completely isolating the user's spiritual signature while allowing them to live as normal humans in the Human World.
But true Reigai—those were different.
They were permanent vessels for souls, far more sophisticated. Even Soul Candy and the later Soul Modification Pills would rely on them.
As soon as Kisuke explained this, one term filled Shuuichi's mind:
"Mass-Produced Weapons."
He'd suspected it the moment he saw the red-helms.
Now, that suspicion was confirmed.
"This has Aizen written all over it!"
Love Aikawa was the first to speak up, spitting the name out like poison. As far as he was concerned, when in doubt—blame that scheming bastard Aizen Sōsuke.
In the basement beneath Kisuke's shop, Shuuichi's Bankai had jolted awake nearly every Shinigami resting there.
Leaving behind Kiryuu Shuusuke, Nagazawa Rimi, and Rangiku Matsumoto (who was still dead asleep), the others all gathered below.
"It probably isn't Aizen," Yoruichi Shihōin glanced toward Kisuke.
Seeing him nod slightly, she continued, "Before we left Soul Society, I asked Captain Kyōraku of Squad 8 to ensure that Mayuri Kurotsuchi would take over Squad 12. If that worked out, then Mayuri would never let Aizen get his hands on Research & Development tech."
Only because none of you know what Kyōka Suigetsu really does...
Shuuichi silently countered.
Still, from his perspective—it didn't feel like Aizen's doing.
There was no motive.
As one of Aizen's former agents, Shuuichi knew Aizen's plan after exiling Kisuke:
Tighten his grip on Soul Society, then pressure Kisuke into revealing the hidden half of the Hōgyoku.
He might've done more Hollow-Shinigami hybrid research during that time…
But someone like Aizen—proud and calculated—would never stoop to mass-producing weaklings from shattered Reigai. It was laughable. A waste of effort.
"Then who?"
Love grumbled—but was immediately silenced by Hachigen Ushōda's palm clamping over his mouth.
"Ahem!"
Lisa Yadōmaru faked a cough to cut through the awkward air.
Once Aizen was ruled out, three candidates remained.
First: Mayuri himself. But that was unlikely. He was a lunatic scientist—interested in research, not politics or ambition. Anyone who'd met him could see that.
Second: Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai. He could do something like this—but why would he? With so many lifelong low-level Shinigami at his disposal, he hardly lacked cannon fodder.
Which left one possibility:
A noble family.
Only the nobility had the motive, resources, and secrecy to pull off such a project.
But the room held two of the Five Great Noble Clans—both represented by their current heads.
Whatever their personal strength, their affiliations were crystal clear.
Both were deeply connected to Kisuke and Shuuichi—arguably the two strongest beings currently in the room.
To speak the answer out loud now… would be suicide.
After a tense pause, Shuuichi finally spoke:
"How about I go back?"
He said it casually, like suggesting a walk.
"Just to take a look at what's going on in Soul Society. We can't stay huddled in the Human World forever, after all. If Aizen failed to wipe us out last time, we'd be foolish to think he won't try again—especially since we're among the few Shinigami who know who he truly is and are clearly on the opposite side."
"Sounds good to me, brother! I'll go with you!"
Love had finally escaped Hachi's grip and jumped in, maybe without fully hearing Shuuichi's plan, but all-in nonetheless.
"Yeah, sure. With your half-baked Hollowfication and that mask still stuck to your face? You'll be spotted the second you step foot in Soul Society."
Hiyori rained on his enthusiasm without mercy.
"True, haha…"
Love scratched his head sheepishly.
"I agree with Shuuichi too," Kisuke added with a faint smile. "But one question—do you plan to bring Rimi with you?"
"No. First trip should be cautious. Once I confirm it's safe, I'll bring her."
Shuuichi shook his head.
The others looked between them, puzzled.
It was clear these two had shared many secrets that the rest weren't privy to.
But everyone here—aside from one obvious exception—was sharp enough not to press.
"Then, Shuuichi-kun—please take Yomi Basara with you."
As always, Masayako Kabuto supported Shuuichi's decision. She offered him her zanpakutō—Yomi Basara—without hesitation.
"Mm."
He accepted her intent, though not the weapon yet.
The plan was made—but returning to Soul Society couldn't be done on a whim.
Preparations would take time.
One year, to be exact.
A year might feel long for humans—but to Shinigami, who can live centuries, it passed in a blink.
During that year, Shuuichi trained relentlessly with Love and the others, mastering Hollowfication, extending its duration.
He also kept a cautious eye out—half-expecting more trouble to seek out Nagazawa Rimi.
Because what bothered him most was:
How did that "Lord Sabu" even know about Rimi? And why target her?
Unfortunately, Sabu had been nothing but a pawn. Everything he'd done had been dictated through letters—his red-helmeted soldiers gifts from an unseen hand.
Even after capturing Sabu, no replacement ever arrived.
So when Shuuichi's Hollowfication time reached 18 hours, and he'd mastered nearly every base-level Hollow ability, he knew:
It was time to return to Soul Society.