Just as Aizen swung his sword towards the Hollowfied Hiyori Sarugaki, hidden beneath the invisibility cloak, Kisuke Urahara emerged, slashing at Aizen with his own blade.
In this critical moment, Aizen remained calm and unhurried, dodging the attack with a swift movement. Only the Fifth Division captain's insignia on his right arm was knocked to the ground by the tip of Urahara's blade.
At that moment, the towering, imposing Kido Master, Tessai Tsukabishi, also revealed himself, standing beside Kisuke Urahara.
Both had secretly arrived here, using the invisibility cloaks secretly developed by Kisuke Urahara, cloaks that could conceal their Reiatsu.
“Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi…”
Seeing the two figures suddenly appear, Aizen remained unfazed.
Instead, a smile graced his lips: “Two more interesting guests have arrived.”
After scanning the situation on the field, the usual gentleness vanished from Urahara's eyes, replaced by icy coldness: “Aizen, you actually conducted Hollowfication experiments on them.”
“Hollowfication? I don't quite understand what Captain Urahara means.” Aizen pushed his glasses up his nose, feigning innocence: “Could it be that you used the strange devices from the Research and Development Institute to modify Hiyori and the others? You’re going a bit too far, aren't you? He’s a captain I respect.”
“Aizen!” The usually calm Kisuke Urahara could no longer control the murderous intent in his heart.
Gin Ichimaru remained behind Aizen, his face still adorned with a smile, his eyes narrowed in amusement, as if watching a play unfold.
Tōsen Kaname’s right hand clutched his Zanpakuto, ready to strike at any moment.
Just then, the fallen Hiyori Sarugaki and the others let out a pained cry, the Hollow energy within them no longer able to be suppressed.
It seemed they were not far from complete Hollowfication.
“It’s begun!” Aizen pushed his glasses up his nose again, his eyes gleaming with light before he shook his head: “So-called Shinigami captains are nothing more than this. I’m not bestowing upon them a punishment, but a gift. You should understand, Urahara Kisuke.”
Seeing that Aizen wasn’t even pretending, Kisuke Urahara was filled with a burning desire to tear him to shreds. But he couldn’t abandon Hiyori and the others. Thus, Kisuke Urahara, with Tessai Tsukabishi, resolutely used every means at their disposal to stabilize the situation of the eight Hollowfied Shinigami.
Aizen, however, simply watched Urahara’s actions, making no move.
“As expected of the Kido Corps’ great Kido Master, even a forbidden technique of the ninety-plus variety can be cast without incantation. Truly terrifying,” Gin Ichimaru chuckled. As he spoke, he discreetly moved away from Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi.
The next second, Kisuke Urahara turned back, his voice icy: “Aizen, it’s your turn!”
Tessai Tsukabishi, having just released the highest-level Kido, also turned his attention to Aizen.
Aizen smiled lightly: “I’m sorry, there’s no need for me to fight you anymore, because you’ve already provided me with your value.”
Meanwhile, in the void space, after witnessing the Hollowfication of Hiyori Sarugaki and the others, Shirogane Shirayuki breathed a sigh of relief.
This special mission was complete. All that remained was for the system’s judgment to take effect, and he would receive his reward.
Shirogane Shirayuki felt a surge of joy, for he was one step closer to invincibility.
Then, glancing at the tense confrontation between the several figures on the field, Shirogane Shirayuki, without hesitation, activated his teleportation ability, silently and seamlessly exiting the space.
Shirogane Shirayuki then emerged from the shadows, blatantly and ostentatiously, gazing at the enormous golden moon hanging in the sky and sighing: “Tonight’s moon is truly beautiful. It must be because the night is so beautiful and gentle, that everyone has gathered here, to drink and talk… and draw their swords against each other. I seem to have arrived at a rather inopportune time!”
Seeing the appearance of Shirogane Shirayuki, everyone except the Hollowfied Shinigami lying on the ground—Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Tōsen Kaname, and Gin Ichimaru—were taken aback.
All four of them were completely unaware of how this stranger had managed to approach them. It was as if he had suddenly materialized out of thin air. Could this person also be an ally of Aizen?
“Wouldn’t you care to introduce yourself, guest?”
Faced with this unexpected disruptor, Shirogane Shirayuki, Aizen, despite a slight surprise, didn't show any panic.
In the face of Aizen, who was so full of himself, Shirogane Shirayuki didn’t hesitate, launching into his lines: “I’m called Ōtsutsuki Naruto. Our Ōtsutsuki clan excels at planting trees, and for generations, we’ve been environmental enthusiasts. I’m the sole heir to the clan, you can just call me Crown Prince.”
Aizen furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment: “The Ōtsutsuki clan? Not a family within the Seireitei, but a family from the Rukongai? Tōsen!”
As soon as Aizen finished speaking, Tōsen Kaname moved.
In an instant, he arrived behind Shirogane Shirayuki, his blade swinging down.
Tōsen Kaname, a man of action and few words, in the blink of an eye, thrust his Suzumushi “into” Shirogane Shirayuki's waist, piercing him through.
Shirogane Shirayuki looked down at the tip of the blade protruding from his lower abdomen, his face full of shock and bewilderment: “This… how is this possible?”
He then secretly suppressed his Reiatsu, pretending to be heavily injured and unable to stand.
Although the enemy before him had fallen, Tōsen Kaname felt something amiss. The feel was wrong, and there was no scent of blood.
Without a moment's hesitation, he tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto and forcefully twisted it.
The onlookers understood Tōsen’s dullness. After all, Tōsen Kaname was blind, and he hadn’t considered that someone would play such a boring joke.
In the eyes of others, from the very beginning, Tōsen Kaname hadn’t truly injured that Ōtsutsuki Naruto!
Tōsen Kaname’s seemingly decisive blow had passed straight through the body of “Ōtsutsuki Naruto” without leaving any trace of blood or wounds, as if passing through air.
“No Reiatsu fluctuations, not Kido, it can only be a Zanpakuto’s Bankai, an illusion?” Tessai Tsukabishi murmured in confusion, his towering frame a little unsteady.
Kisuke Urahara frowned: “It can’t be a simple illusion, it’s a Zanpakuto’s ability...”
It was only at this point that Tōsen Kaname realized he had been tricked. The expression beneath Tōsen Kaname's mask contorted. He had failed Captain Aizen’s expectations!
Pain! It hurt! It hurt so much!
In his anger, Tōsen Kaname unleashed his Reiatsu: “Bankai—Suzumushi Final Form, Enma Cricket!”
In an instant, darkness enveloped Shirogane Shirayuki’s vision.
In fact, it wasn’t just his vision, but also his sense of smell, sound, taste, even his spiritual awareness. Only the sensation of pain remained!
This was Tōsen Kaname's Bankai.
Shirogane Shirayuki shrugged, returning directly to the void space.
Tōsen Kaname, having activated his Bankai, was ready to redeem himself, but then found himself “looking around in vain”.
Where was he?
He had activated his Bankai, yet it was he himself who couldn’t sense the enemy?
At this moment, Tōsen Kaname felt that the decorative mask on his face was a perfect match for him.