Seireitei, inside the 13th Division barracks.
Jushiro Ukitake and Shigure Segawa walked one behind the other.
The chaos in the Black Erosion Hell had caused some disturbances, but thankfully, the aftermath hadn't led to any significant consequences.
Moreover, with Sugisa Kamisato willing to vouch for him, there was no way this incident could be pinned on Shigure.
Ukitake chuckled warmly, "Although we've encountered some peculiar events, it all ended peacefully in the end."
"Oh, by the way!" He suddenly stopped, turning to face Shigure with a smile.
"I almost forgot to mention—welcome to the 13th Division, Segawa."
Shigure offered a light smile and bowed slightly. "It's my honor."
"Haha, that's not the kind of thing I'd expect a genius like you to say," Ukitake remarked with amusement as he resumed walking.
"Since you've already passed the recruitment test once before, there's no need to report back to the 1st Division for this second selection."
"Once we finalize everything here, we'll simply submit the results to the Captain-Commander."
Ukitake explained as they walked.
"Understood," Shigure replied courteously.
Before long, Ukitake led Shigure to the courtyard of the 13th Division's barracks.
The acting vice-captain, Kiyone Kotetsu, widened her eyes the moment she saw the two approach.
"Wow! Captain! Did you really manage to recruit him as our vice-captain?!"
Ukitake laughed, "Weren't you the one who kept urging me to invite him during the recruitment test?"
Kiyone blushed furiously and exclaimed, "I-I was just joking back then!"
"I thought someone as powerful as him would definitely choose the 1st or 11th Division..."
"Ah, well, anyway—welcome!!"
With a genuine smile, she greeted him enthusiastically.
Shigure smiled softly and bowed. "Thank you."
It was clear to him now—Kiyone Kotetsu and her sister, Isane Kotetsu, were entirely different in personality.
"Alright then, Kiyone, inform the squad members currently in the barracks to gather here," Ukitake instructed with a smile.
"Yes, Captain!" she replied loudly before hurriedly departing.
Her delight at Shigure joining the team was evident.
Shigure couldn't help but reflect that the harmonious atmosphere of the 13th Division was likely due to having someone like Ukitake as its captain.
As the division responsible for purification, most of its members were often dispatched to the World of the Living to perform purification tasks.
Thus, when the gathering was complete, the number of members present was less than a third of the 5th Division's.
Nevertheless, the captain's appointment was, of course, still valid.
However, just as the ceremony was about to commence, a squad member rushed over with a panicked expression.
He was out of breath as he reported, "Captain! There's an emergency!"
Ukitake's expression immediately turned serious. "What happened?"
Shigure also turned his attention to the distressed squad member.
After catching his breath, the man explained, "The spiritual pressure of Rukia Kuchiki, who was dispatched to the World of the Living for a purification mission... has vanished!"
"What?!"
Ukitake's face darkened instantly.
Beside him, Shigure's pupils contracted sharply.
The man continued, "Today, as usual, the monitoring team used the instruments to check the spiritual pressure of the squad members. However... last night, Rukia's spiritual pressure completely disappeared!"
Hearing this, Shigure felt his heart skip a beat.
He already had a rough idea of what had happened.
Rukia Kuchiki must have encountered a Hollow in Karakura Town. In her effort to protect Ichigo Kurosaki's family, she had been injured.
In the most critical moment...
She chose to transfer her powers to the spiritually gifted high schooler, Ichigo Kurosaki, making him a Substitute Soul Reaper.
However, in doing so, her spiritual power had been entirely drained.
Later, Kisuke Urahara provided her with a Gigai (artificial body), allowing her to remain in the World of the Living.
This explained why her spiritual pressure had vanished entirely.
In other words...
From this moment on, the main storyline of the manga had officially begun!
A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered in Shigure's eyes.
Meanwhile, Ukitake's expression grew increasingly solemn. Without hesitation, he ordered:
"Head to the Department of Research and Development immediately and have them use advanced spiritual pressure detectors to locate her!"
"Yes, sir!" The squad member promptly left.
Ukitake furrowed his brows.
He was clearly troubled. After finally resolving the issues surrounding Shigure, now there was another problem with Rukia.
Despite her strength being at the level of a seated officer, Rukia Kuchiki had been deliberately held back from such a position by Byakuya Kuchiki to protect her.
Logically, with her abilities, a routine Soul Burial mission shouldn't have posed any problems...
Turning to Shigure, Ukitake offered an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Segawa. I hadn't expected something like this to happen on the day of your appointment."
"For now, let's proceed with your vice-captain appointment ceremony as quickly as possible."
The vice-captain appointment ceremony was completed hastily.
Under Ukitake's orders, a large number of 13th Division members were dispatched to search for Rukia.
Meanwhile, Shigure informed Ukitake that he had an appointment with the 12th Division's Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and needed to head there.
After leaving the 13th Division barracks, Shigure quickly made his way to the Department of Research and Development.
Since he had accompanied Nemu Kurotsuchi last time, the guards recognized him immediately.
"Vice-Captain Segawa, please proceed!"
Shigure entered the department and, after navigating only a short distance, spotted Mayuri Kurotsuchi seated before a massive screen-like device, engrossed in his research.
Approaching him, Shigure spoke, "Captain Kurotsuchi, I've arrived."
The moment Mayuri heard his voice, he practically jumped.
Turning swiftly, he grinned widely at Shigure, "You're late! I've been waiting forever..."
"Come on!"
Mayuri stood up and led him once again to the green spherical device, descending into the underground chamber.
This time, Shigure had come to discuss their previous collaboration.
The Thunder Sealing Device.
A spiritual tool capable of storing the power of a Zanpakuto and releasing it at will.
"I originally estimated that completing this container would take seven days, but unexpectedly, it only took three."
"So, in the remaining four days, I managed to double its internal capacity!"
"In other words, the lightning storms released by your Zanpakuto can now be compressed to the extreme and stored inside..."
"When released from the Thunder Sealing Device, the power will be several times greater than that of a standard lightning storm!"
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