Shinra Bansho Plays Dirty

After that, Retsu Unohana no longer paid attention to Akira. Instead, she turned to the Fifth Relief Team present and asked about their mission that day.

At first, Akira kept his head down and ate without much concern. But as he heard the specific details of the mission, his eyes sharpened.

In Rukongai, residents had begun developing strange cases of partial soul loss one after another.

This time, at the request of Isshin Shiba, lieutenant of the Tenth Division and the officer responsible for patrol and security duties, the Fourth Division had dispatched the Fifth Relief Team to Rukongai to assist with the investigation and determine the cause of the soul-loss phenomenon.

Unohana, who had been holding down the Fourth Division, became interested after hearing about it. She had taken the chance to treat the Fifth Relief Team after their busy day and personally learn the concrete details of the soul-loss incident.

Facing Unohana's questions, Chiyoko Aoki described the entire course of events in detail.

The phenomenon had occurred in a remote, extremely poor district of Rukongai. Because of that, the Tenth Division, which was responsible for patrol and security in Rukongai, had discovered it relatively late. The initial count already included more than a hundred residents who had lost part of their souls, and that did not include a considerable number of missing people.

Unohana frowned and asked, "It should not be a so-called illness, correct?"

Chiyoko shook her head and answered seriously, "No. I led the Fifth Relief Team in carefully examining all the residents with missing soul portions. Although those residents showed irreversible reishi loss, significantly shortened lifespans, and the loss of some emotions, the missing portions of their souls were not consistent. It should not have been caused by some unknown illness."

Unohana nodded.

"In that case, there are many possibilities. A Hollow with high intelligence and the ability to hide its reiatsu, some strange unknown creature in Soul Society, or perhaps a Zanpakuto ability..."

Hearing Unohana's final guess made the members of the Fifth Relief Team feel a slight chill.

"N-no way, Captain. Could there really be a Zanpakuto ability that needs to devour souls? And how could a Shinigami do something so evil?" Risa Aoki asked in disbelief.

"Who knows?"

Unohana gave an ambiguous reply and then said, "Everyone worked hard today. Please rest properly after this."

"Thank you, Captain."

As the meal ended, Unohana left with Akira, who had been completely stuffed, and headed toward the courtyard.

"Akira, your expression seemed unusual when the soul-loss incident was mentioned. Do you have some thought about it?"

Unohana suddenly asked him a question.

Akira shook his head and answered, "No. This is my first time hearing of such a situation, so I was a little shocked."

"Mm."

Unohana nodded, then said, "There is one area Fifth Seat Aoki overlooked in her examination of those residents with missing soul portions. Tomorrow, I intend to go personally and confirm it. You will come with me."

Akira froze slightly, then nodded.

Or rather, he had no position from which to refuse. Unohana had not really asked; she had merely informed him.

"Rest well. We leave tomorrow morning after you wake."

Amid Unohana's gentle farewell, Akira returned to his room. The look in his eyes carried a little more heaviness and gloom.

Small-scale soul loss.

Akira was no longer a Shinigami who knew nothing. His grasp of medicine told him this matter was far from simple. Unohana had probably realized there was a problem as well, which was why she had decided to personally visit Rukongai tomorrow.

Under normal circumstances, he had never heard of any illness that could directly cause small-scale soul loss. If it were a Hollow's doing, Hollows generally would not devour only a portion of a soul. That did not fit logic at all.

Aside from that, the only remaining guesses were some unknown creature or a Zanpakuto ability.

The former would mean a major hidden danger to Soul Society. The latter would mean an extremely evil incident.

At that moment, however, Akira could not help thinking of one person.

Sosuke Aizen.

And the technique for separating Shinigami power that Aizen had mentioned not long ago.

'Could Sosuke Aizen have already begun experimenting in Rukongai?'

'Using Shinigami directly as test subjects would make it far too easy for Seireitei to notice, so did he choose Rukongai as his target instead?'

'Or has Sosuke Aizen already started creating the Hogyoku?'

For a time, an intense sense of crisis and urgency rose inside Akira. He understood that, facing the major event soon to come, his current strength was still far from enough.

Although after his recent contact with Aizen, Akira had chosen to let Unohana refuse any follow-up contact from him in the Fourth Division's name, which should not have provoked Aizen's hostility or suspicion...

It was difficult to say whether Aizen might casually list innocent Akira as an experimental subject anyway. One careless move, and he could be finished for good.

After thinking quietly for a while, Akira temporarily set aside the many guesses in his mind. He planned to follow Teacher Unohana to Rukongai tomorrow and confirm the situation first.

Then he placed his Zanpakuto across his legs and began today's cultivation.

His vision darkened.

The next instant, Akira once again arrived at the familiar blue sky and grassland, instinctively preparing himself for an attack.

Ever since Akira had taken the initiative half a year ago and proposed Bankai training to Shinra Bansho, the Zanpakuto spirit had been playing dirtier and dirtier.

At first, Shinra Bansho had been rather reluctant, as if she could not bear to hurt him. Then, after confirming that training had begun, she cheerfully killed Akira in all kinds of creative ways. By now, she had developed to the point of actively killing him under all sorts of baseless charges.

For example: despicable, filthy, shameless, awful pervert Master.

All slander.

That had nearly left Akira with a stress response every time he entered his mental space, terrified that Shinra Bansho would greet him the way she had last time.

"Master's expression is somehow perverted again today. Accept heavenly punishment!"

However, to Akira's surprise, Shinra Bansho rarely appeared on her own initiative today. Her expression looked strangely sorrowful and silent.

Akira's entire body tensed. Alert, he asked, "Shinra Bansho? What's wrong?"

"Master..."

Shinra Bansho floated directly in front of him. Concern filled her eyes as she asked, "I should be asking Master that question."

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