Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Gin Ichimaru Enrolls
Chapter 50: Gin Ichimaru Enrolls
As Aizen’s subordinate, Yato had seen the Shikai of Kyoka Suigetsu very early on.
In fact, almost every single member of the current Gotei 13 had already fallen under its spell.
After all, with Aizen’s intellect, finding a legitimate excuse to display his Shikai was simply too easy.
"Lieutenant Aizen," Yato said respectfully, keeping his head bowed inside the hospital ward. "I am truly sorry to trouble you to make a trip here personally."
"It’s no trouble at all, Yato-kun." In an unprecedented display, Sosuke Aizen let out a soft sigh. "Truth be told, I wanted to come over the moment I heard you were severely injured. However, with seven major Rukongai districts destroyed, the rescue operations simply couldn’t proceed without me, the Lieutenant of the 5th Division."
Yato Uchiha let out an amused grin, knowing there was at least some truth to those words.
The destruction caused by Hanzo Mochizuki was far too massive. There were heavy casualties among both Soul Reapers and Rukongai residents, and the bulk of the rescue efforts had been dumped onto the shoulders of the 5th Division.
The Captain of the 5th Division, Shinji Hirako, although sharp and resilient, was honestly quite lazy when it came to actual work. Since Sosuke Aizen had meticulously crafted a persona of being "diligent, responsible, gentle, and reliable," he had no choice but to take on this massive mess himself.
With such an overwhelming workload, simply relying on Kyoka Suigetsu’s illusions to fake it wouldn’t have cut it. It was clear Aizen had actually put in the effort and fulfilled his duties as the 5th Division Lieutenant.
"Lieutenant Aizen, may I ask why you came looking for me...?"
Yato was genuinely curious. He hadn’t fully recovered yet and was incapable of fighting—a fact he was sure Aizen could easily see.
However, to the boy’s surprise, the elegant man merely smiled softly and spoke in a mild tone:
"Yato-kun, I assume you are already able to get out of bed and walk around."
"Yes, I stopped needing crutches the day before yesterday."
"Then you should go out for a walk. Being close to nature is highly beneficial for the weakened and severely injured."
Yato paused, a bit hesitant.
"But as a severely injured patient, I have to submit a report to Lieutenant Seinosuke Yamada before leaving the 4th Division..."
"There is no need for such trouble." Sosuke Aizen adjusted his glasses with his slender, articulated fingers.
"Just follow behind me."
...
With his hands in his pockets, Yato walked behind Sosuke Aizen, once again marveling at just how insanely useful Kyoka Suigetsu was.
The two of them walked out of the 4th Division completely out in the open, strolling along the paths of the Seireitei’s Seated Officer residences. Along the way, they encountered all sorts of Soul Reapers and nobles, even crossing paths with a Captain-class like Kensei Muguruma. Yet, no matter who it was, not a single person could see the figures of Aizen and Yato.
Crushing everything with an immense Reiatsu, and fooling all living beings with the power of his Zanpakuto... Yato Uchiha sometimes thought that if anyone possessed Aizen’s power, they wouldn’t be willing to submit to others either, let alone bow down in a world governed by the Soul King.
"How does it feel, Yato-kun?" Aizen’s voice drifted back from ahead.
"As a genius, it has been a long time since you’ve walked down a path without anyone’s eyes on you, hasn’t it?"
Yato Uchiha smirked. At that moment, they happened to be walking past the 1st Division barracks, so the boy plucked a weed from a crack in the wall and casually chewed on it.
Unlike Kaname Tosen’s absolute, reverent subservience, Yato’s attitude around Aizen was actually quite relaxed, aside from maintaining the necessary honorifics.
"It truly is... a very novel experience, Lieutenant Aizen."
"Your tone holds a bit of hesitation. Is there something you wish to say, Yato-kun?"
"Nothing gets past you." The boy shrugged.
"I was just wondering, exactly how long have you spent your days walking around like this using Kyoka Suigetsu?"
"Heh. What a highly personal question, Yato."
"Please forgive me, Lieutenant Aizen."
"It’s fine, it isn’t a secret worth hiding." The man walking in front didn’t look back; he merely raised his hand and pointed into the distance.
"Over there is where I used Kyoka Suigetsu for the very first time."
Yato Uchiha followed the direction of Aizen’s finger and saw a familiar structure.
It was the towering roof of the Shin’o Academy!
"One hundred and thirty-two years ago, I enrolled in the Shin’o Academy," Aizen chuckled softly, his pace leisurely and unhurried.
"During the Asauchi bestowment ceremony, I achieved Shikai."
Yato clicked his tongue, utterly in disbelief.
The exact moment he touched an Asauchi, he awakened Kyoka Suigetsu’s power?
What an absolute monster... Wait? Didn’t I do the exact same thing?
Never mind then.
Sosuke Aizen paused and spoke with a hint of amusement:
"Since we’re on the topic of the Shin’o Academy, why don’t we go take a look? There’s a rather interesting little guy there."
Yato Uchiha had no objections. Following behind Aizen, they arrived at the Shin’o Academy.
The familiar front gates, the familiar guards, the familiar instructors.
Inside the training grounds, two boys were currently sparring.
The battle was entirely one-sided. In no time at all, one of the boys slashed open his opponent’s chest with his Zanpakuto. Standing in the center of the arena with the posture of a victor, he smiled pleasantly.
This boy had a slender build and short, light-purple hair. His narrow eyes were habitually squinted, making him look exactly like a venomous snake preparing to devour its prey.
"That’s him." Aizen stood right in the middle of the crowd, an unreadable smile lingering on his lips.
"This boy is named Gin Ichimaru. He’s quite bold. He actively sought me out through my subordinates."
"His talent is excellent. Less than a week after enrolling, he has already defeated every single noble student in his year, one by one."
"If he continues to perform outstandingly and doesn’t meet an early end, I will recruit him into the 5th Division the moment he graduates."
Yato Uchiha raised an eyebrow slightly. On the surface, he offered a few words of agreement, but internally, he felt a wave of complex emotion.
It seemed Rangiku Matsumoto had already had "that thing" stolen from her by Aizen’s subordinates. Gin Ichimaru had sworn to take revenge, coming to go undercover by Aizen’s side all on his own, stepping onto a path of no return.
Actually, when he first met those two, Yato had considered whether he should try to alter Rangiku’s fate. However, after careful deliberation, he abandoned the idea.
There was almost nothing Aizen wanted that he couldn’t get. Interfering too early would likely bring catastrophic disaster upon himself. Besides, Rangiku was still alive, and Gin Ichimaru’s death was a matter that wouldn’t happen for another hundred years. There was no rush to intervene.
This particular chess piece should be used at a much more critical moment.
However... Gin Ichimaru had finally enrolled. He remembered that this guy shattered the Shin’o Academy’s records, graduating early and becoming a Seated Officer in just a single year!
So, it was getting closer and closer.
Yato silently calculated the timeline in his head.
In one year, Gin Ichimaru would graduate early and become a Seated Officer of the 5th Division.
In that same year, Kirio Hikifune would be promoted to the Zero Division, acquiring her own floating palace in the sky.
And Kisuke Urahara would take over as the new Captain of the 12th Division, founding the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
Nine years after that, Aizen would launch his plot, conducting Hollowfication experiments on Captain-class Soul Reapers. Central 46 would hand down their verdict, ordering the execution of all involved Captain-class members as if they were Hollows. Consequently, Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin would defect one after another.
"Oh, right, Yato-kun. There is one more thing," Aizen turned his head, interrupting the boy’s train of thought.
Yato clicked his tongue internally. He knew his boss hadn’t sought him out just to take a simple stroll; there was definitely a mission to assign.
He put on a facade of listening attentively, waiting for what was to follow.
"This Gin Ichimaru will become our comrade in the future. However, I can see that his gaze has always been drifting somewhere else."
The 5th Division Lieutenant still maintained his gentle, reliable demeanor as he spoke:
"Help me keep an eye on him. If necessary... you can just kill him."
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