Muten Natsu got up and opened the door. Three people were standing outside.
Besides Tetsuzaemon Iba, Lieutenant of the 7th Division, and Shūhei Hisagi, Lieutenant of the 9th Division, both of whom Muten Natsu recognized, there was also a tall, gaunt man with hollow cheeks. His greasy, medium-length hair was green on the right and yellow on the left, and he wore a smile on his face.
"Hello, Muten Natsu-san."
Muten Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
"Captain Unohana is here, right?" Shūhei Hisagi explained as he started walking inside. "We're here about the Shinigami Captain Unohana found in the Dangai earlier..."
Thud.
A hand pressed against Shūhei Hisagi's chest.
Muten Natsu asked softly, "Did I say you could come in?"
Shūhei Hisagi stopped and stared at Muten Natsu.
"A man ought to protect a woman," Tetsuzaemon Iba said. "But that Shinigami..."
Muten Natsu turned his eyes toward him. "Who asked you?"
Tetsuzaemon Iba sighed. "Natsu-san..."
"All right, there's no need to get tense." The tall, thin man spoke up. "I'm Kagerōza Inaba, 7th Seat of the 12th Division. I'm responsible for research on the Dangai at the Research and Development Institute. That Shinigami's name is Nozomi Kujō, and she is extremely dangerous..."
"I remember," Muten Natsu said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "that the 12th Division has something called Tissue Regeneration Serum."
"Ah... that's a serum used to treat severe loss of body tissue," Kagerōza Inaba replied. "Why? Are you thinking of..."
His voice stopped abruptly.
A cold flash streaked past, severing his arm along with half his shoulder.
Spreading ink blocked the splattering blood from entering the house. Muten Natsu reached out and caught Kagerōza Inaba's severed left arm, instantly activating Soul Essence Stealing and absorbing its Reishi.
Unlike before, now that Muten Natsu had mastered Bankai, he could complete the purification process much faster. Reading the memories contained in a single arm was almost effortless.
Fragmented images flooded his mind.
Muten Natsu saw another Kagerōza Inaba standing amid rows upon rows of Reigai. Some remained in their original state, while others had already transformed into the appearances of Captains and Lieutenants.
"Muten Natsu!" Kagerōza Inaba's eyes widened in fury. "How dare you..."
He reached for his Zanpakutō.
Beside him, Shūhei Hisagi and Tetsuzaemon Iba had already gripped theirs.
And then...
There was no then.
No one understood better than Muten Natsu how to draw a blade and strike with maximum speed at close range.
It was an instinct forged through countless deaths in his battles against the Primordial Form.
The three bodies were cut apart almost simultaneously.
Their mangled forms dissolved far faster than ordinary Souls, while the escaping Reishi was captured and absorbed by Myōki. Fragmented images flickered through Muten Natsu's mind.
Three specially made Gikon Pills fell from their bodies.
Muten Natsu reached out to catch them, only to grasp empty air.
The Gikon Pills vanished in an unnatural manner, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Everything had happened so quickly that Tōshirō Hitsugaya hadn't even had time to react before the battle was already over.
Retsu Unohana appeared to have anticipated this outcome and showed no surprise.
"What did you find?"
"This Kagerōza Inaba is most likely the person producing the Reigai. These two, as well as the one posing as him, were all made by him," Muten Natsu answered truthfully. "Since they're only Reigai, they didn't contain much information. The Gikon Pills should have had more useful information, but they disappeared."
Rukia Kuchiki frowned. "We need to report this to Soul Society immediately... No!"
She suddenly realized the problem.
"Exactly. Reporting this to Soul Society now would accomplish nothing." Retsu Unohana nodded. "We have no way of knowing how many people have already been replaced by Reigai."
...
Soul Society, 1st Division Barracks, Captain's Conference Room.
"We conducted a thorough search of the surrounding area and found no trace of the Ōin. We can therefore confirm that it was indeed taken by the attackers." Suì-Fēng reported the results of the investigation in an even voice. "Furthermore, regarding the person responsible for the escort mentioned in the 10th Division's report, Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who pursued the attackers, our investigation found evidence that his Reiatsu was deliberately suppressed."
Hearing this, Rangiku Matsumoto, who had been kneeling on one knee behind Suì-Fēng with her head lowered as she awaited punishment for the failed mission, immediately looked up.
"Please wait! The way you're putting it makes it sound as though you're accusing Captain Hitsugaya of abandoning his post..."
Without even looking back, Suì-Fēng asked, "Then why else would he do something like that?"
Rangiku Matsumoto was left speechless and bit her lip tightly.
Suì-Fēng continued, "It is clearly a serious violation of regulations."
Rangiku Matsumoto tried to speak again. "But..."
"Silence!"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's rebuke ended the argument at once.
After Suì-Fēng finished her report and returned to her place, he announced the final punishment.
"The entire 10th Division is hereby placed under temporary confinement. Depending on how the situation develops, prepare for the possibility that the Division itself will be disbanded."
"Disbanded...! You mean abolishing the 10th Division entirely?"
Rangiku Matsumoto forgot the overwhelming gap in both rank and strength as she clenched her fists and stepped forward.
"This isn't the squad members' fault! If someone has to take responsibility, then as Lieutenant, I'll take everything upon myself..."
"Watch your words, Matsumoto."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto merely raised an eyebrow, yet Rangiku Matsumoto's breath caught.
"Is this a responsibility that can be borne with the life of a single Lieutenant? Do not overestimate yourself."
"...Yes."
As though all strength had left her body, Rangiku Matsumoto sank to her knees and bowed her head deeply.
Shunsui Kyōraku adjusted the straw hat on his head.
Had Retsu Unohana been present, she might have said a few words on Rangiku Matsumoto's behalf.
Unfortunately, Retsu Unohana was still in the World of the Living.
And among those present, Shunsui Kyōraku included, no one dared say much more.
"Third Division Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, 5th Division Captain Shinji Hirako, 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma. You three will immediately proceed to the World of the Living to search for and recover the Ōin. At the same time, confirm the whereabouts of the principal person involved in this incident, 10th Division Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto continued issuing orders.
"Until further orders are given, 2nd Division Captain Suì-Fēng will remain on standby. 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura, 8th Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku, and Thirteenth Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake will be responsible for defending Seireitei."
The Captains nodded, accepted their orders, and departed.
"This whole situation feels strangely familiar..." In the corridor, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi quickened his pace to catch up with Shinji Hirako. "Didn't something like this happen once before?"
"Wasn't it practically the same situation a hundred years ago?" Kensei Muguruma clicked his tongue. "Except I was the one who disappeared back then. Why are they sending us this time?"
All three Captains being sent to the World of the Living were members of the Visored.
"If you want to look at it negatively, they don't trust us to defend Seireitei, so they're sending us away." Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi toyed with his wavy blond hair. "If you want to look at it positively, we're more familiar with the World of the Living, and we won't be restricted by Seireitei's ban on Hollowfication there. We can make better use of our full strength."
Kensei Muguruma snorted. "If they truly didn't trust us, they would've sent other Captains along to keep an eye on us. What do you think, Shinji?"
"Something's wrong..." Shinji Hirako rested a hand on the hilt of the Zanpakutō at his waist. "Something definitely feels off..."
"Hey, hey!" Kensei Muguruma immediately became alert. "Your Zanpakutō isn't reacting again, is it?"
"Not anymore..." Shinji Hirako's mouth pulled downward. "A moment ago, it felt restless. Not strongly, though. It was like someone was lying, yet somehow wasn't lying at the same time."
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi frowned. "Then someone among the people back there has a problem... Suì-Fēng? Matsumoto? Surely not the Captain-Commander?"
Shinji Hirako looked at his Denreishinki.
The message he had sent Momo Hinamori still had no reply.
"Who knows?"
No matter who in Soul Society had a problem, heading to the World of the Living and regrouping with the other members of the Visored was their best option for now.
...
Every Division barracks had a spacious assembly hall on the first floor, large enough to accommodate all its squad members in formation during meetings.
At that moment, every member of the 10th Division, with Rangiku Matsumoto at their head, was gathered inside their assembly hall.
Standing before them was 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe, accompanied by more than a dozen members of the 1st Division.
"By order, the 10th Division is confined to its barracks for the duration of this matter. Leaving is strictly forbidden! Furthermore, until Tōshirō Hitsugaya himself has been apprehended and the entire incident is resolved, every member of the 10th Division must surrender their Zanpakutō to prevent any unexpected incidents!"
"What... Why?!"
"Are you saying you suspect us?!"
The members of the 10th Division erupted into protest.
Several of them were still visibly wounded from the earlier battle.
"Then what did we fight so hard for?!"
"Are we supposed to just sit here quietly until everything is resolved?"
"At least give us another chance to prove ourselves..."
Rangiku Matsumoto raised both hands, silencing the increasingly angry voices behind her.
She turned her head slightly and silently mouthed the words:
I'm sorry...
The guilt on her beautiful face, along with the deep regret she felt over her own helplessness, immediately calmed the increasingly resentful squad members.
Rangiku Matsumoto removed her Zanpakutō from her waist and handed it to the 1st Division member who stepped forward.
One after another, the other squad members followed her example and surrendered their Zanpakutō.
"I can't believe something like this happened..." After hearing Rangiku Matsumoto explain everything, Renji Abarai frowned deeply. "I'll contact Muten immediately and see whether he knows anything. If it's him, he'll definitely be able to help you. Besides, this punishment is going way too far!"
"That just shows how important the stolen Ōin really is."
Watching her squad members surrender their Zanpakutō, Rangiku Matsumoto managed a helpless, strained smile.
"Even Muten wouldn't be able to argue that this treatment is unjustified."
After all, the mission had failed.
And their Captain had disappeared.
Those were undeniable facts.
"Even so, Muten will find a way to solve the problem directly," Renji Abarai declared with absolute confidence. "Just stay calm and wait a little while!"
Rangiku Matsumoto nodded.
"...Mm."
"Zanpakutō confiscation complete! We're proceeding to the storage facility to register them!"
A 1st Division squad member reported.
Chōjirō Sasakibe nodded slightly. "Very well. All of you are to remain here, reflect upon your conduct, and await further disciplinary action!"
The members of the 10th Division stood in formation without their Zanpakutō, their heads hanging low.
The resentment on their faces was impossible to hide.
"Close the barracks gates! Lieutenant Matsumoto, please return to your quarters! Lieutenant Abarai, your time is up!"
"I know! I'm leaving!"
Renji Abarai answered, then lowered his voice.
"Do you have any leads? I can investigate them for you..."
Rangiku Matsumoto's eyes shifted slightly.
An attack from an extreme distance.
That blindingly fast cold flash.
An attack so fast that even Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't react in time, yet she had somehow predicted its trajectory beforehand...
Everything pointed toward the same person.
"Hinamori..." Rangiku Matsumoto murmured. "Tell Hinamori for me that I won't be able to make it to what we had planned."
"...All right."
Renji Abarai agreed without hesitation.
"Please leave immediately!"
The 1st Division squad members began urging him again.
Renji Abarai didn't delay any longer and turned to leave.
Behind him, the gates of the 10th Division barracks slowly closed.
...
"Ken-chan~" Yachiru Kusajishi, sprawled across Kenpachi Zaraki's back, smiled happily. "If nobody gave us any orders, that means we can do whatever we want, right?"
"It's the same even if we did get orders!" Kenpachi Zaraki grinned viciously. "We can go wherever we want!"
"But everywhere's been so boring lately. It's been forever since we got to have any real fun." Yachiru Kusajishi gave an adorable smile. "Now things are finally getting interesting, so let's go find the Ōin!"
Kenpachi Zaraki's grin widened.
"I couldn't care less about that Ōin or whatever it's called. But Hitsugaya and whoever stole it... those two sound pretty interesting."
"Exactly! If we find the Ōin, they'll all come and try to take it, right?" Yachiru Kusajishi shouted excitedly. "Then we can have one fight, two fights, three fights... lots and lots of fights!"
"The Lieutenant has a point," Ikkaku Madarame said as he kept pace with Kenpachi Zaraki.
Yumichika Ayasegawa followed right behind them. "It does sound entertaining."
"You two..." Kenpachi Zaraki stepped into the Senkaimon. "Do whatever you want. Just don't get in my way."
"Got it!"
Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa answered in unison.
...
The once-spacious director's office of the Research and Development Institute had become cramped under the sheer number of anatomical specimens and experimental instruments filling the room.
At the center of it all, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was flipping through the pages of an ancient book at an inhumanly rapid pace.
Nemu Kurotsuchi entered carrying another stack of books.
"Mayuri-sama, I brought the relevant documents."