BLEACH: Blade of Purification

More than half a month ago.

Somewhere in the Rukongai.

This was a dense forest. Due to its proximity to the Seireitei, the environment was quite good.

At the top of a tall tree, the air suddenly distorted slightly, and then a figure suddenly stood on the treetop. His unmoving figure seemed to say he had been standing there for a long time. But just seconds before, there had been no trace of him.

He was a middle-aged man with healthy, tan skin and somewhat long black hair tied in a ponytail. He wore a long white haori over his Shinigami Shihakushō. Written on the back were the words:

Gotei 13, Captain of Squad 2, Shihouin Souichirou. That was his identity.

At the same time, he was also the 22nd head of the Shihouin Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Clans of Soul Society.

Shihouin Souichirou stood atop the tree, gazing into the distance. Although he seemed to be just looking at the scenery, he had actually extended his spiritual pressure perception to its absolute limit.

The reason he was here was not to eliminate the abnormally large number of Hollows appearing in the Rukongai. It was to find a person. A young child named Azashiro Sōya.

The people of the Rukongai didn't know, and even the ordinary members of the Gotei 13 didn't know, but the Seireitei was currently in a period of turmoil.

The Quincy, who had been in conflict with the Shinigami for hundreds of years, were still showing a non-violent, uncooperative stance. Unlike the Shinigami, who merely purify Hollows and send them back into the cycle of reincarnation, the Quincy completely annihilate Hollows when they attack them. After several hundred years of this, the balance between the World of the Living, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo was on the verge of breaking. Yet, the Quincy showed no remorse.

Therefore, the Head-Captain had finally made the decision to completely exterminate the Quincy!

If that were all, there would be nothing to worry about. The current Quincy were no match for the Shinigami. There wasn't even a need to dispatch the entire Gotei 13; a joint operation between Squad 2 and Squad 11 would be enough to accomplish this.

But just as war with the Quincy was about to break out, the long-standing internal struggles among the noble families within the Seireitei were finally brought to the forefront by the execution of the Azashiro family, and the conflict was thoroughly intensified. Along with the external threat, an internal crisis followed closely behind.

But it didn't end there. It was unclear whether it was a coincidence or intentional, but Hueco Mundo also chose this period to intensify its probing of Soul Society. Although the Shinigami saw it as their duty to slay Hollows, they did not have much understanding of the Hollows' homeland, Hueco Mundo. Of course, the same was true for Hueco Mundo regarding Soul Society. The frequent appearance of Hollows in Soul Society, the Shinigami's main base, was for this reason.

These three events happening together made one worry if something major was about to occur. But the thought of the Gotei 13 and the Head-Captain, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, as the final line of defense, was enough to reassure people that the Seireitei could never be breached. Realizing this brought a sense of calm.

His fully extended spiritual pressure perception did not detect the expected spiritual pressure or presence. Shihouin Souichirou retracted his spiritual pressure and let out a faint sigh.

The last scion of the Azashiro family, Azashiro Sōya, had disappeared within the Seireitei. But no matter what, his spiritual pressure and spirit particles could not be detected. In other words, Azashiro Sōya was definitely not dead.

So where was he? He could only be in the Seireitei.

But for even a captain, the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Shihouin Souichirou, to be unable to find a trace of the young child was a bit too incredible.

However, to Shihouin Souichirou himself, it felt quite normal. Because Azashiro Sōya had disappeared from an execution ground containing Sekkiseki. Furthermore, no one knew when he had left the Seireitei, and none of the four great gatekeepers had seen anyone enter or leave that day. In other words, although it was unknown what happened at the execution ground, Azashiro Sōya must have acquired a skill or technique that allowed him to come and go freely. Under such circumstances, finding him through spiritual pressure perception would be an extremely difficult task.

On the other hand, although Shihouin Souichirou had personally come to search, deep down, he couldn't help but hope not to find him—though this would not affect the diligence of his search. As a nobleman himself, and the head of the Shihouin family, one of the Five Great Noble Clans, he certainly knew that the Azashiro family had been framed. But this was the game of the nobles, and the Shihouin family was a part of it, so he was powerless. Azashiro Sōya was undoubtedly innocent, but because he had indeed ignited the internal strife among the nobles in the Seireitei, as the trigger, he could not escape being held accountable once found. For Azashiro Sōya, the best outcome would probably be imprisonment in the Maggot's Nest.

But these were all things to consider after he was actually caught. Thinking about them now, when he couldn't even be found, was useless.

So, Shihouin Souichirou temporarily shifted his focus to the frequently appearing Hollow swarms. No matter what, this was a situation that needed to be dealt with quickly. A large number of Hollows causing trouble in the Rukongai would affect the stability and security of Soul Society.

Thinking of this, Shihouin Souichirou recalled a rumor he had heard while searching for Azashiro Sōya. It was said that a powerful individual had appeared in the Rukongai, capable of slaying any kind of Hollow, but was not a Shinigami himself.

The moment he heard this news, Shihouin Souichirou's interest was piqued. Such a situation was not impossible. Due to various circumstances, an Asauchi belonging to a Shinigami could be lost and picked up by a soul in the Rukongai. A talented soul awakening a Zanpakutō without any guidance was rare, but it had happened more than once in the long history of Soul Society. And every time, it meant that such a soul was a rare talent, or even a genius.

If the rumor was true, it meant there was a "wild Shinigami" at large. As one of the captains of the Gotei 13, Shihouin Souichirou had no reason not to retrieve them.

With this in mind, Shihouin Souichirou temporarily changed his objective, switching from searching for Azashiro Sōya to investigating the movements of the Hollow swarms, in order to resolve the Hollow invasion problem in one fell swoop. At the same time, he would pay attention to the rumored wild Shinigami, hide his identity, and proactively make contact.

If they were a malleable talent, he would bring them back to the Seireitei upon his return.

If they were a great evil with the potential to threaten the peace of the Seireitei... he would cut them down on the spot!

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