Life and death are nothing more than the most normal, everyday occurrences to a world. Among them, the birth of a baby named Kurosaki Ichigo was an even more insignificant event, no matter how extraordinary his future might be.
Who could clearly foresee every insignificant corner of the future? Focusing on the present was troubling enough; for most people, the future was far too ethereal and illusory.
However, there were always those who had had enough of the present's various restraints and lack of autonomy, and began preparing to reverse their own—or perhaps a certain group of people's—predestined fate.
"It's time to break free from control and prepare to strike back."
Whether the small pebbles thrown into the lake would stir up monstrous waves in the future remained unknown, but the tiny ripples they created had already been noticed by someone.
"It's been three days, and still no response?"
In Soul Society's Seireitei, inside Squad 13's Ugendō, Ukitake Jūshirō looked at the unremarkable wooden badge in his hand and muttered to himself, "I should go take a look first."
He removed the ice pack from his head. The ice inside had mostly melted into water, but he still felt a bit dizzy. Traveling in this physical condition would be somewhat forced.
However, in Ukitake's eyes, this matter was entirely his own doing. Although his original intention was never to use others, once it was finally implemented, it inevitably became associated with the word 'exploitation.'
The wooden badge in his hand was called the Substitute Shinigami Monitoring Badge. It was paired with the Substitute Shinigami Badge, used to locate and monitor the human who held it.
Yes, the one holding the Substitute Shinigami Badge was a human born in the World of the Living. Humans deemed beneficial to Soul Society by the Seireitei would be granted this badge to act as proxies in the World of the Living, exercising a portion of a Shinigami's authority—typically slaying Hollows and performing Konsō.
However, there were not many existences capable of substituting for a Shinigami with a human body. Frankly speaking, only the Quincy clan possessed the power to do so, but there was a fundamental conflict between the two sides.
Therefore, the Substitute Shinigami concept was initially a modification project. The timeline traced back to after the extermination of the Quincies in Soul Society, when Ukitake Jūshirō proposed modifying a select few humans to strengthen the protection of the World of the Living.
Once this project succeeded, these modified humans could directly enter the Gotei 13 after their natural deaths, further bolstering their forces.
It sounded like a perfect, once-and-for-all plan, but at the time, it did not quickly gain the approval of Yamamoto and Central 46.
From the perspective of Yamamoto and the others, how to control these humans—tentatively called Shinigami candidates—was a major issue. Not only would it create a new batch of beings with superhuman power in the World of the Living, but even if they behaved themselves there, their eventual arrival in the Seireitei would form a new faction, introducing many uncontrollable variables.
Ultimately, however, Yamamoto approved the plan. It was just that, at the time, he was more interested in using these flesh-and-blood humans to completely eradicate the remaining Quincies in the World of the Living.
From the very beginning of its execution, only a few people knew about this project. After long years of experimentation, Ukitake finally discovered a method: by injecting a Shinigami's Reiryoku into a human's body through a Zanpakutō, the recipient would gain Reiryoku and become a Substitute Shinigami.
At the same time, not all humans could become Substitute Shinigami. The individual's soul had to possess a certain degree of potential—meaning they needed to have some perception of spiritual entities despite their physical human bodies. If they could see souls with their naked eyes, that was even better.
This resulted in a very small number of Substitute Shinigami, meaning they wouldn't pose a threat of becoming the next Quincy faction, at least not in the short term.
But it was impossible for the Seireitei to simply drop its guard. By issuing the Substitute Shinigami Badge to locate and analyze the Substitute Shinigami's Reiatsu, they ensured that these individuals remained under their constant surveillance, from their time as humans all the way to becoming true Shinigami.
Furthermore, because only a select few knew of the Substitute Shinigami's existence, the vast majority of the Gotei 13 members were unaware that these individuals were actually their comrades. Should a conflict arise, there would be no chance of them holding back.
This was naked exploitation, wasn't it? No, it wasn't even exploitation; it was simply treating these humans as pawns to be manipulated at will.
It was an incredibly frustrating reality. Deep down, Ukitake disapproved of this approach, yet he could understand it. After all, the human heart was complex, especially after acquiring power.
Now, the very thing he had always worried about had finally happened. The first Substitute Shinigami to be granted a badge by the Seireitei had been missing for three days. Was it because his long-standing dissatisfaction with the Seireitei had finally erupted? Or was it because the extreme imbalance between his power and authority had led him to harbor terrifying thoughts?
Ukitake could only hope it wasn't the latter. If so, there was still a chance to turn things around. Otherwise, even if it didn't happen right now, crossing swords with that man someday in the future would be far too tragic.
Just as he was about to head out, a Hell Butterfly fluttered in through the window. Yamamoto's deep voice echoed in his mind, speaking of this exact matter.
"Bring Ginjō Kūgo to the Seireitei for investigation. If he resists, you are authorized to execute him on the spot."
There was no turning back now. Ukitake let out a silent sigh. He would go to the World of the Living first and see; it wasn't even certain if he could find Ginjō.
Not many people knew why the Captain of Squad 13, Ukitake, had gone to the World of the Living. Similarly, they didn't know why, shortly after Ukitake returned to the Seireitei five days later, Central 46 incorporated a new law into the spiritual laws—Shinigami were forbidden from sharing their Reiryoku with humans.
When it came to correcting mistakes, Central 46 had always been swift and decisive. Erasing all factors that could possibly go wrong—it would be hard for them not to be fast, wouldn't it?
Kyōraku Shunsui glanced at the coughing Ukitake beside him. It was better not to voice such teasing remarks. After all, having indirectly caused the creation of this law, the other man probably wasn't feeling too good about it.
"So you didn't even see Ginjō. There's really no need to worry yourself sick like this." After helping Ukitake catch his breath, Shunsui continued, "Maybe he just wanted to live a carefree life, so he went into hiding. I'd like to do the same. What an enviable guy."
During this trip to the World of the Living, Ukitake hadn't found the first Substitute Shinigami, Ginjō Kūgo, at all. A human body was a natural barrier. Without the Substitute Badge, finding a hidden Substitute Shinigami was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Such an abrupt action was bound to raise suspicions, and with Shunsui's intelligence, it was impossible for him not to figure it out.
Ukitake understood that this close friend, who had been with him since their academy days, was just comforting him. The specific execution method of the Substitute Shinigami project had always been a source of inner conflict for him.
Perhaps Shunsui was also praying on his behalf. Breaking free from control to live an ordinary life was the best choice for Ginjō.
Or perhaps it was a subtle hint. Just as Shunsui himself had said, there were some things they desperately wanted to do but couldn't. If Ginjō made a move in the future, regardless of the reason, he would have to pay the price.
"Actually, this trip to the World of the Living wasn't entirely fruitless. I happened to run into..."
"You met with Ukitake? Is he trustworthy?" Inside the Urahara Shop, Hirako looked at Urahara with a serious expression. Making contact with people from the Seireitei was truly quite dangerous for them.
"I didn't tell him the whole truth. I merely made a deal, having him establish Karakura Town as a stationed point in the World of the Living. I will secretly guarantee the safety of the stationed squad members, and he can use this to test whether I harbor any malice toward the Seireitei."
Hirako didn't answer immediately. He frowned in thought for a moment before saying, "Are you trying to put..." Before he could finish, Urahara made a shushing gesture.
*Do not discuss Rukia's name, not with anyone!* Realizing this, Hirako had no choice but to change the subject. "Isn't Chōzuka over there? What exactly happened to him!"
Urahara remained silent for a while before slowly speaking up, "The worst-case scenario may have already happened, Mr. Hirako. We must do everything in our power to bring things back under control, even if it means relying on luck to try."
Hirako clutched his head, deep in thought for a long time, before slowly standing up. "I'll take the others and leave for a while. You've never been a gambler, Kisuke."
With that said, Hirako turned and left the room. It wasn't until the sound of the wooden door closing echoed that Urahara snapped back to reality.
"Please take care, Mr. Hirako."