Bleach [72-75] (Patreon)

Chapter 72: Where Did Hollow White Go?

Not far from the Thirteenth Division, there was a small restaurant. Because it was nearby, Lieutenant Yoshio took Rukia there.

"Miss Kuchiki probably doesn't eat at places like this very often, right?"

Yoshio smiled and ordered two desserts.

Rukia liked sweets, and Yoshio did too.

Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty—Yoshio didn't eat sour things, couldn't eat too much spicy food, hated bitter tastes, was okay with salty, and only liked sweet things.

Only high-sugar foods could make people feel happy!

Fortunately, he was already a Shinigami now. No matter how much sugar he ate, he wouldn't easily gain weight, because his daily activity level completely offset the sugar.

"Lieutenant Yoshio, don't tease me." Rukia smiled bitterly. "I'm not some pampered young lady. Before my brother adopted me, I was just a commoner from Rukongai."

"I heard from Renji that you two grew up together in South Rukongai. He also said your cooking is terrible."

"What?" Rukia's forehead veins bulged, and she couldn't help but say, "I was already nice enough to cook for him, and he's still so picky. That idiot..."

"However..."

Rukia looked at Yoshio and couldn't help but ask again: "I heard Renji went to Hueco Mundo... Why?"

She had only learned about this recently.

After being adopted by the Kuchiki Family, she had lost contact with Renji.

They hadn't spoken a word in years.

So she only knew that Shiba Kaien had gone to Hueco Mundo, but not about the other members of the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team.

She only knew that those who went were Shinigami from the Eleventh Division, and Renji was from the Fifth Division, so she never imagined Renji would voluntarily transfer to the Eleventh Division.

Yesterday, while on a mission at the Shin'ō Academy, she heard about it from the students there.

When they mentioned Renji transferring from the Fifth Division to the Eleventh Division, their tones carried a hint of envy. After all, not everyone would go without hesitation to a dangerous place like Hueco Mundo once they knew about it.

So today, Rukia wanted to ask Yoshio what exactly had happened.

It was also to express her gratitude to Yoshio.

After all, since she fainted last time, she hadn't seen Yoshio again, not even to say a word of thanks.

"This... is indeed the case." Yoshio took the tray from the waiter, nodded to Rukia, and said, "Renji has a lot of potential. I believe that when he returns from Hueco Mundo, he'll definitely become much stronger."

"But...!" Rukia got a bit excited upon hearing this. "Hueco Mundo is too dangerous! Why would he go to a place like that?!"

Yoshio didn't speak, just calmly looked at Rukia.

This made Rukia a bit flustered, and she couldn't help but say, "You... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Perhaps Renji did this because he wants to get stronger quickly, achieve results fast, and become a Lieutenant."

"As for why he wants to become a Lieutenant so quickly, that's just his personal thought. Who... could know?"

Actually, why Renji wanted to become a Lieutenant quickly was something everyone probably knew.

Because only by becoming a Lieutenant could a Shinigami have the status to converse with the Five Great Noble Families, even on equal footing with their members!

Of course, in the eyes of some arrogant members of the Five Great Noble Families, no matter how capable a commoner was, they were still a commoner. They would never acknowledge equality with commoners.

So Rukia naturally understood this, and she was stunned.

A struggling expression appeared on her face.

Renji...

Was he trying to her Lieutenant for her?

That's why he went to a dangerous place like Hueco Mundo?

Rukia and Renji had lived together in Rukongai for ten years; she knew Renji too well. At this point, it didn't matter what others said.

Once Renji set a goal, he would definitely achieve it.

But just thinking that Renji was putting himself in danger because of her made Rukia's heart ache.

In front of Yoshio, she took a deep breath, shook off those emotions, and sincerely said to Yoshio: "Thank you, Lieutenant Yoshio. If it weren't for you, I might have died when we encountered that Hollow last time."

"No... don't say thanks." Yoshio said softly. "We're all on the battlefield, all Shinigami, so we're comrades. Saving each other as comrades is only natural."

"But how is your body now?"

"Under my brother's care, there haven't been any abnormalities for over half a year."

A hint of hesitation appeared on Rukia's face.

Yoshio, who had been paying close attention to Rukia, immediately noticed this expression and asked, "What's wrong? It seems like you have something else to say?"

"Lieutenant Yoshio... I want to ask you a question." At this moment, Rukia looked at Yoshio with a serious expression.

Yoshio then asked, "Go ahead. I'll answer whatever I know."

"That Hollow from back then..."

Rukia was silent for a moment, finally mustering the courage to ask: "Did it really leave?"

In that battle, only Yoshio knew Hollow White's whereabouts in the end.

Jūshirō Ukitake was severely injured by Hollow White due to his illness and fell into a coma.

Shiba Kaien was no match for Hollow White and eventually passed out.

When Rukia went up, she saw this scene, and then Hollow White attacked her.

In just an instant, she lost consciousness, and only Yoshio knew what happened afterward.

According to Yoshio, Hollow White was already weakened after fighting Jūshirō Ukitake and Shiba Kaien. Under Yoshio's obstruction, Hollow White could only helplessly retreat to Hueco Mundo.

But...

Did that Hollow really return to Hueco Mundo?

When Rukia said this, she felt very ashamed in her heart. Yoshio had saved her, yet she doubted his words.

But...

She had to ask!

Because if she didn't, she couldn't resolve the doubts in her heart!

During this time, Rukia had been having the same dream over and over.

In the dream, she seemed to fall into bottomless darkness. In that endless darkness, there was only one voice.

As that voice rang out, in the darkness, a massive demon seemed to faintly appear, about to devour her.

Every time the dream ended, Rukia would feel some kind of change in her body, but she couldn't say what that change was.

Chapter 73: Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team Wiped Out?

First, regarding her personality, Rukia didn't know why, but occasionally she would suddenly become irritable, completely unlike her usual self.

Although it was only for an instant, it still made Rukia break out in a cold sweat.

Second, in terms of combat, Rukia felt her fighting abilities were advancing by leaps and bounds.

She hadn't been particularly skilled in Zanjutsu before, mainly excelling in Kidō, but now her Zanjutsu level was rapidly improving. During training, she instinctively knew how to swing her sword next.

These changes weren't obvious, but over time, Rukia still noticed them.

So, she had always had this doubt in her heart...

That is, did Hollow White really leave back then?

Could it be that...

It escaped to some place, some place... very close to her, but a place she would never discover?

Just thinking of this possibility made Rukia uneasy, and she even felt guilty for doubting her savior, Yoshio.

It wasn't until now that she finally mustered the courage to bring it up in front of Yoshio.

Looking at Rukia's serious expression, Yoshio was about to speak when a Jigokuchō flew in from outside.

The Jigokuchō flew to Yoshio's front, and he extended his hand, letting it land on his finger.

The next moment, some information was transmitted into Yoshio's mind.

Yoshio sent the Jigokuchō away and looked at the serious yet puzzled Rukia, saying: "You really want to know the answer to this question, right?"

"Then, this news should resolve your confusion."

"What...?" Rukia looked at Yoshio in confusion.

Yoshio said gravely, "The Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team found the Hollow from back then, and then..."

"They were completely annihilated."

?!

"What?!" Rukia instantly stood up, her eyes revealing unconcealable shock!

"Renji, he..."

"Don't panic yet." Yoshio also stood up, no longer in the mood to eat, and said: "We'll talk about the details later. The Captain-Commander's order has just come down; all Lieutenants and Captains in Seireitei must head to the First Division for a meeting."

"I know you're anxious, but being anxious won't help. Wait for my news. Rest assured, Renji is my subordinate and an important junior to me. I won't stand by and watch something happen to him."

"But..." Rukia still said anxiously: "Lieutenant Yoshio, can I go with you? I won't join the meeting; I'll just wait outside!"

Although they hadn't been in contact for years, her relationship with Renji was indeed special, especially since he went to Hueco Mundo for her sake.

Now that the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team had been completely wiped out, how could she calmly go back and wait for news?

Her earlier question had now been answered.

She had just asked Yoshio if Hollow White had really escaped to Hueco Mundo, and unexpectedly, she got a response right away.

Of course, Hollow White had gone to Hueco Mundo; otherwise, how could it appear in front of the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team and wipe them out?

Rukia's heart was filled with shame; Yoshio had saved her, yet she doubted his words, and as soon as she asked, it proved her wrong.

On top of Renji's situation, Rukia was instantly flustered.

"..." Yoshio was silent for a moment, then said: "That's your choice, but the situation is urgent now, so I won't wait for you."

With that, he paid the bill and walked out, then used Shunpo repeatedly.

Rukia quickly followed.

In the past, Rukia absolutely couldn't keep up with Yoshio's speed, but after that battle, Rukia's spiritual power had been continuously increasing, and her basic abilities were steadily improving.

She had thought this phenomenon was strange before, plus occasionally hearing strange voices and having strange dreams, as if Hollow White was always by her side, which is why she became suspicious.

But now it seemed...

Perhaps she was overthinking it.

However, no matter what, she could only keep up at first. After a while, the distance between her and Yoshio widened.

Yoshio had already arrived at the First Division. He quickly entered the First Division's second lieutenant's office, where Lieutenants usually held captain meetings.

Yoshio was already very familiar with coming here.

"You're a bit late this time, Yoshio." Rangiku was already there. She sat next to Shuhei and said.

"I was delayed by some matters." Yoshio found a seat and sat down, saying: "What's going on? They were actually wiped out?"

"You should ask Lieutenant Kotetsu about that. The only survivor is in the Fourth Division." After Rangiku finished, she and Yoshio both looked at Lieutenant Kotetsu.

Not just the two of them; everyone else did too.

After all, the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team was the elite of the Gotei 13. Aside from the top thirteen Captains who didn't go, the others were all elites.

Isane Kotetsu felt a bit nervous being stared at by so many people, but she still said: "Actually, it wasn't a complete wipeout; one person came back."

"It's Eleventh Division's Ninth Seat, Kinjo Chūichi. According to what he said before passing out, after the Bull-Head Hollow appeared, a battle broke out, but during the fight, other Menos Grande were attracted over."

"These Menos Grande not only attacked the Shinigami but also attacked the Bull-Head Hollow. In the end, the three sides got entangled, the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team scattered, and they completely lost contact."

"During the battle, Lieutenant Shiba opened a portal back to Soul Society, but for some reason, it seems only Kinjo made it back to Soul Society."

"So, this Kinjo probably can't serve as a Shinigami in the Eleventh Division anymore, right?" Yoshio glanced at Iba Tetsuzaemon and then at Yachiru.

Iba Tetsuzaemon was once a Shinigami of the Eleventh Division, and Yachiru was the current Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division.

Indeed, Yachiru said in a very flat tone: "Yeah, the Eleventh Division doesn't need a Shinigami who runs away like that."

"I told you." Rangiku pouted. "Those guys in the Eleventh Division won't come back until the mission is complete."

Yeah, for the Eleventh Division, which values combat above all, a Shinigami who flees in battle is an utter disgrace.

Although Kinjo Chūichi came back alive, he probably couldn't stay in the Eleventh Division.

"So, the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team is now scattered, and even the Twelfth Division can't find them?"

The usually silent Nemu Kurotsuchi spoke up: "Don't underestimate the Twelfth Division's technology. As long as the Captain is willing, finding them is easy."

Chapter 74: The Captains' Soul Powers

I don't think so.

Hearing Nemu's words, Yoshio muttered to himself.

If something like this happened in Hueco Mundo, Aizen might have to get involved.

If he gets pulled in, it's hard to say if your Twelfth Division's technology will still be useful.

Of course, he would never say this out loud.

"Let's wait for the Captains' meeting."

At this point, Ginjiro spoke: "Captains, it's time to decide the next course of action."

Yoshio nodded and said nothing more.

The incident caused by Hollow White was indeed quite serious. First, it severely injured Thirteenth Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake and Lieutenant Shiba Kaien, and now it had led to the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team being 'annihilated.'

The first time, there were no casualties, but this time... Soul Society couldn't remain silent.

However, Yoshio wasn't optimistic about Soul Society sending a large-scale dispatch of Captains to Hueco Mundo. After all, Hueco Mundo wasn't their territory; rashly entering enemy land was very dangerous.

Each Captain was an important combat force in the Gotei 13; if something happened, it would be disastrous.

But Yoshio guessed that no matter what the other squads did, Zaraki Kenpachi would definitely go.

Not to mention that the 'missing' Shinigami in Hueco Mundo were from the Eleventh Division; just based on Kenpachi's personality, he wouldn't allow himself to miss such an event.

The last Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team went without him, which must have been hard for him to endure.

And just as he guessed, after the Captains' meeting ended, the consensus reached was indeed that.

Under the leadership of Eleventh Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, Soul Society would dispatch another Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team.

And this time, after several years, Yoshio, who had come to Seireitei, finally met the various Captains.

He met Captain-Commander Yamamoto, whose Soul Ability was ['Eternal Order.']

["Eternal Order: Designate an existing order, making it forever unchangeable. When someone disrupts this order, they will suffer backlash."]

For Yamamoto, who had lived for thousands of years and was content to be a sharp blade in the hands of Central 46, maintaining the existing order of Soul Society and the balance of the Three Realms was what he must do.

It was understandable that he had such an ability, but unfortunately, it wasn't a direct offensive ability.

Simply put, this ability was to make a law come alive.

For example, murder. Everyone knows that murder requires punishment and is illegal.

So, if Yoshio used this ability to designate that law, it couldn't completely prevent murders from happening.

Instead, it would cause those who violate the law to suffer a spiritual impact. The power of the impact didn't depend on Yoshio's strength, but on the power represented by that law, rule, or order.

For instance, the rule that Soul Society is ruled by the Soul King is something almost everyone acknowledges and has been in effect for nearly a million years. So, if someone tried to 'usurp the throne,' the backlash they suffered would be extremely powerful!

But if the order wasn't widely acknowledged and hadn't existed for long, the spiritual backlash wouldn't be very strong.

For example, in the original plot, Rukia's trial was an order from Central 46, but many Shinigami questioned it.

If 'Eternal Order' was used to designate that, the backlash on the person executing the sentence would be very weak.

So, if used properly, this ability would be extremely overpowered.

Conversely, if used improperly, it would be almost useless.

But regardless, Yoshio still wanted to obtain this ability. But how difficult would it be to increase Yamamoto's favorability?

Increasing Kyōraku Shunsui's favorability was already very difficult, and while Yamamoto wasn't a cunning old fox, he was a stubborn old man!

Moreover, compared to Kyōraku, Yoshio normally had no way to interact with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto!

Sigh, looks like I need to think of a way.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto often held tea parties, but they were all within the First Division. He wasn't a member of the First Division, so forcing his way in wasn't impossible, but that was just the beginning.

Gaining Yamamoto's favorability would definitely be very difficult, unless...

He could save Soul Society like Kurosaki Ichigo did!

For now...

It's best not to consider it.

Honestly, Yamamoto's Soul Ability wasn't as valuable as Aizen's. Aizen's ['Apotheosis'] could directly make Yoshio a god, and the difficulty of obtaining these two Soul Abilities was about the same, so it was better for him to stay in Aizen's camp.

Besides Yamamoto, Second Division Captain Suì-Fēng's Soul Ability was ['Worship and Love.']

["Worship and Love: The people you worship and the people you love will return your worship and love."]

Hmm, this ability was useless, not even as good as giving Yoshio a Shunkō.

Simply put, like Tōsen Kaname's [Revenge Soul]; Yoshio had no enemies, nor anyone he worshipped or loved.

This ability was too obstructive for Yoshio, so he'd pass on it.

Even if Yoshio fell in love with someone in the future, he would never use an ability to force them to love him back. Winning on his own merit was skill; losing meant failure. Using an ability would make it meaningless.

Third Division's Ichimaru Gin's ['Viper,'] Fourth Division's Retsu Unohana's ['Master of Medicine and Sword,'] Fifth Division's Aizen's ['Apotheosis,'] Sixth Division's Kuchiki Byakuya's ['Elegance in Battle']—these needed no further explanation.

Seventh Division's Komamura Sajin's was ['Immortal Existence.']

"Immortal Existence: 'Humanize' non-human beings; in their humanized state, they are immortal."

This ability...

Though it seemed useless at first glance, Yoshio could use it on others.

Shinigami obviously didn't need it, as they were already humanoid.

But Hollows were different; Hollows had very ugly appearances, and even Arrancar... it wasn't certain if they were truly 'human.'

I wonder if it could be used on Arrancar... If so, this ability would be quite powerful.

This ability was probably related to Komamura Sajin later finding his great-grandfather, sacrificing his heart for humanization to gain immortality in order to avenge Yamamoto.

The big dog was a loyal person; his favorability should be relatively easy to increase.

Eighth Division's Kyōraku's ability was ["Inner and Outer Inconsistency,"] Ninth Division's Tōsen Kaname's was ["Revenge Soul,"] Tenth Division's Shiba Isshin's was ["Ultimate Zanpakutō Fusion,"] Eleventh Division's Zaraki Kenpachi's was ["Rampage."]

[Rampage: Greatly increases speed and strength, decreases intelligence and defense.]

Chapter 75: Rukia Volunteers

Hmm... The [Rampage] ability suits Kenpachi quite well.

But Kenpachi's defense wasn't actually weak; he just often bled profusely, which might give the impression of weak defense.

Fortunately, because the [Rampage] ability states 'greatly increases strength and speed' and 'decreases intelligence and defense.'

This means the buffs are greater than the debuffs.

Don't forget that Yoshio had previously obtained the ['All-rounder'] ability, so when activating [Rampage], it could combine with [All-rounder], compensating for the decreases in intelligence and defense with the greatly increased strength and speed, and even enhancing them further.

Combinations of Soul Abilities often produced better effects, and Yoshio really wanted to obtain this one.

Then...

Just slash!

As long as Kenpachi was satisfied with the slashing, increasing his favorability should be relatively easy.

Twelfth Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's ability was ['Biological Modification.']

["Biological Modification: According to one's will, consume varying degrees of spiritual pressure and time to modify a living being to a certain extent."]

["Note: This modification requires the target to have certain qualifications."]

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the master of biotechnology; most of his techniques were related to biology, and he even modified his own Zanpakutō.

If I obtained this ability, could I modify my Zanpakutō like Mayuri?

But Mayuri was also a 'grind king'; gaining his favor was as hard as climbing to heaven, on the level of Yamamoto or Aizen—no, with Mayuri's personality, gaining his favor was probably harder than those two.

Even if you helped him complete an experiment, he'd probably think you were in the way, so basically not worth considering.

The last Captain was Jūshirō Ukitake, and Yoshio had already seen his Soul Ability ['Host.']

So, this time, Yoshio had basically seen the souls of all the important figures in Soul Society.

Because in the First Division barracks, the second round of discussions on the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team selection had begun.

Not just the Captains; even Lieutenants could participate in the discussion.

Of course, the main speakers were still the Captains.

In the end, they only decided on the scale of the dispatch team. This operation would involve two acting together, meaning a total of two Captains dispatched, along with other combat personnel.

…
When Yoshio came out of the First Division, he saw Rukia, who had been waiting anxiously.

Yoshio quickly walked over.

"Rukia, have you been waiting anxiously?"

"Lieutenant Yoshio?" Rukia saw Yoshio finally come out and eagerly asked: "How is Renji?"

"Don't worry, the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team just scattered during battle; they haven't been declared dead. We're already considering forming a second dispatch team, and this time we'll send two Captains together. Rest assured, we'll definitely bring Renji and the others back."

Yoshio comforted Rukia, then whispered: "Watch your manners; your brother is here too."

Rukia paused, then noticed Kuchiki Byakuya walking out from behind them, along with her Captain Jūshirō Ukitake.

Kuchiki Byakuya walked straight past her, as if he hadn't seen her.

Meanwhile, Jūshirō Ukitake came over and said in surprise: "Rukia, what are you doing here?"

"It's like this, Captain Ukitake..." Before Rukia could speak, Yoshio quickly explained.

"When the Jigokuchō delivered the message, I was discussing something with Rukia, so she inadvertently learned about the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team. She's worried about Lieutenant Kaien, so she came over."

He didn't mention Renji.

"Captain!" Rukia asked again, "I heard from Lieutenant Yoshio that a second Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team is being formed, right?"

"That's true," Ukitake said with some concern, "but my body can't handle going to Hueco Mundo."

"Captain, you should rest more," Rukia said, then bravely volunteered, "But I want to join the second dispatch team too!"

"?" Ukitake was startled and immediately refused: "No! Hueco Mundo is too dangerous; it's not suitable for you! Besides, your brother won't allow it!"

"But we're survivors who directly confronted that Menos Grande; we have a responsibility in this! And Lieutenant Kaien is lost in Hueco Mundo; how can we stand by?"

"This is absolutely not happening." Jūshirō Ukitake's attitude was very firm. He said: "You're a junior that Kaien values; I absolutely can't let anything happen to you."

Moreover, Rukia was a member of the Kuchiki Family; if something really happened to her, the Kuchiki Family wouldn't let it go.

"I think this is better."

Yoshio couldn't help but advise at this point:

"If you insist on going, convince your brother first. If even Captain Kuchiki doesn't agree to you going to Hueco Mundo, then even if Captain Ukitake agrees, it'll be hard for you to join the Hueco Mundo Dispatch Team."

"But..." Rukia hesitated. Although she had gotten some information from Yoshio and knew her brother still cared about her, she was still a bit afraid to explain to Kuchiki Byakuya.

"Yoshio is right." Ukitake also thought this was a good idea, because in his view, Kuchiki Byakuya wouldn't allow his sister to go to a dangerous world like Hueco Mundo.

"Then I'll head back to my Squad. Captain Ukitake, Rukia, I hope to see you both soon."

Yoshio saw Aizen come out too, so he bid farewell to the two and quickly walked to Aizen's side.

The two headed toward the Fifth Division.

On the way, Yoshio couldn't help but say: "Looks like White caused trouble again."

"It's just a minor matter."

Aizen said indifferently, which surprised Yoshio a bit.

He had originally thought Aizen would take the opportunity to stir things up, but now, from Aizen's tone, he seemed uninterested in Soul Society's operation this time.

"Anyway..."

Aizen gave Yoshio a meaningful look and said: "From now on, you'll be staying in Hueco Mundo, so I'll leave the Shinigami in Hueco Mundo entirely to you to handle. How about that?"

"You're really entrusting them completely to me?" Yoshio saw Aizen's look and felt something was off, but...

Having him take charge of Las Noches now... wasn't impossible.

"This matter isn't worth caring about anyway. Whether they kill White or White steps on their bones to advance—for us... it's just a trivial thing."

Aizen said softly: "Yoshio-kun, from now on, you'll use Las Noches as a base, gather other Menos Grande, and form our legion."