Chapter 174: The Gate's Anomaly
"The Saginomiya Family..."
In the Fifth Division barracks, Aizen showed a thoughtful expression after hearing Satoru's account.
After thinking for a while, he nodded.
"I've noted it down. I'll find an opportunity to investigate this matter in the next couple of days."
Unexpectedly, this family that never shows off actually possesses such miraculous abilities.
If what they said about the "sacred artifact" is true, then it's probably only a matter of time before I'm targeted.
As if guessing his thoughts, Satoru laughed:
"Don't worry, Sōsuke."
"Before coming here, I asked Yoruichi about it."
"The Saginomiya Family is indeed as they say... aside from opposing the Hell Gate, they never do anything that might invite trouble."
"Neither the Captain-Commander nor the other noble families can forcibly extract information from them."
Aizen shook his head: "Ultimately, it just means their methods aren't strong enough."
"If we had Muramasa's power to forcibly break into the opponent's mind, we could easily obtain the information we want."
Satoru remarked with emotion, "You truly love Muramasa deeply."
Aizen sighed, "Such a fine blade, it's a pity it was entrusted to the wrong person."
Satoru nodded, "If I were to wield Muramasa, I could certainly achieve great things."
Aizen: "..."
Entrusting Muramasa to Satoru would be another form of entrusting it to the wrong person.
Giving it to Kōga Kuchiki was giving it to the wrong man.
Giving it to Satoru would be giving it to something not even human.
Just then, a squad member came to the door and handed Aizen a box.
His gaze toward Aizen was full of admiration.
"Vice-Captain Aizen! The Captain sent me to deliver this!"
Vice-Captain?
Catching the key term, Satoru instantly craned his neck over.
Before Aizen could reach for it, he snatched the box away.
Opening the box, he saw a wooden plaque with the character "Five" written on it, beneath which was a drawing of Japanese andromeda flowers.
Looking at the plaque in the box, Satoru was as if struck by lightning.
He widened his eyes and stared at Aizen.
"Sōsuke... what is this?!"
"This is..."
"This is evidence of your betrayal!"
Satoru interrupted Aizen.
Clutching his chest, he staggered back several steps.
"We clearly agreed back then to stay true to ourselves, not to surrender to the evil Shinji Hirako for the sake of glory and wealth! How could you fall?!"
Aizen felt his blood pressure rising slightly.
Don't you have any idea why I accepted this damn thing?
At noon, Shinji had organized a squad gathering to celebrate their new vice-captain.
Aizen, who currently looked like a high school student, sat beside the seasoned Shinji, creating a stark contrast with his harmless and gentle appearance.
Shinji, however, was completely focused on the other side.
"Satoru! You bastard... This is our Fifth Division gathering! What are you doing here?!"
"Captain Hirako, are you so old that your mind is failing? Since it's a gathering, of course I'm here to eat."
As he spoke, Satoru picked the carrots out of his own plate and gave them to Shinji.
"Hey hey, what kind of joke is this? I don't want carrots!"
While scolding Satoru, Shinji secretly tried to pass the carrots toward Aizen.
Slap!
Halfway through moving his chopsticks, he realized that Aizen had already placed an invisible Kidō barrier between them at some point.
"Sōsuke, you traitor!"
Shinji lamented bitterly.
Hearing this assessment, Aizen quietly glanced at him, then turned back and continued eating.
While Shinji turned to grapple with Satoru, Aizen added his own carrots to the pile.
When Shinji finally finished struggling and prepared to eat, he widened his eyes at the increased number of carrots on his plate.
He suddenly felt that the Fifth Division might soon no longer be his Fifth Division...
...
...
In the afternoon, Satoru went to the First Division training hall to learn fire sword techniques from Yamamoto.
During the break, he casually inquired about the Saginomiya family.
When Satoru brought this up, Yamamoto looked at him with surprise.
Had this kid already grown to the point where the Saginomiya family would seek him out?
Looking at his curious disciple staring intently at him, the old man felt somewhat conflicted.
"You needn't worry about the Saginomiya family."
"This family's entire focus has always been on the Gates of Hell. Since the birth of the Soul Society, they have never done anything unrelated to the Gates of Hell."
"Their sudden interest in you this time is probably because of souls..."
Halfway through his sentence, Yamamoto stopped speaking.
After a few seconds of silence, he slowly said:
"The decision is yours to make. The Gates of Hell have only opened twice in millions of years—the probability is practically zero."
"Making a contract with the Saginomiya family can get you many things in exchange. It's not a bad deal."
Satoru asked curiously: "What did you exchange for back then, teacher?"
"The Shin'ō Academy."
Yamamoto's eyes took on a nostalgic look. "When I first established the Shin'ō Academy, I lacked many things."
"Teaching materials, construction land, student recruitment..."
"I approached the Saginomiya family with a trial mindset."
"By the next evening, everything needed to establish the academy was delivered to me."
"It could be said that with their help, the academy's opening was advanced by ten years."
Satoru nodded slightly.
Truly Yamamoto Shigekuni—when presented with an opportunity to exchange for so many resources, he unhesitatingly used it to build a school...
Suddenly, another question occurred to him.
Under Yamamoto's gaze, Satoru recounted how he had asked the Saginomiya family last night about how many people in the Soul Society had signed contracts with them.
When Yamamoto heard that Kōga Kuchiki was still alive, he frowned.
If there was any Shinigami in the Soul Society who gave him the most trouble, it was undoubtedly Kōga Kuchiki.
Dealing with Kōga Kuchiki was like guarding against a thief for a thousand days.
The moment you let your guard down and neglected your mental defenses, Muramasa might invade and turn your Zanpakutō against you.
Kōga Kuchiki being alive was not good news...
After finishing his account, Satoru said: "Teacher, those two specifically emphasized that only these people were from 'Seireitei itself.'"
"What did they mean by 'Seireitei itself'?"
Hearing Satoru's question, Yamamoto pondered for a while.
"I cannot say for certain either."
"In fact, I've had my own speculations about this matter."
"Decades ago, there was an unusual movement from the Gates of Hell. My Reiatsu participated in suppressing it."
"But... strangely, the Reiatsu consumption wasn't as much as expected."
"It was as if there was someone with power not much inferior to mine, suppressing the Gates of Hell alongside me."
Yamamoto slightly narrowed his eyes:
"However, when I asked the Saginomiya family about it, they said the contract included confidentiality about the other party's identity, so they couldn't tell me."
"Kid, if you come across similar information later, you might want to pay attention to it."
Hearing this, Satoru nodded.
A conjecture also emerged in his mind.
If it really was who he thought it was, then this Saginomiya family was indeed quite capable.
That evening, the Saginomiya family came again.
At the same time, they brought everything on the list Satoru had provided.
Seeing the Saginomiya family's resources and their ability to keep secrets, Satoru didn't waste any more words and directly signed the contract.
Hearing Satoru accept, the two members of the Saginomiya family showed relieved smiles.
Following their guidance, Satoru completed a simple ritual.
As an invisible spiritual thread connected to his soul, Satoru felt as if he had established a connection with something very distant.
It was an enormous gate.
On both sides of the gate stood massive skeletons, like gatekeepers, pressing their giant bone hands against the door.
Satoru's consciousness circled the gate several times.
He opened his eyes and nodded with satisfaction:
"Not bad, this Hell Gate is more impressive than I imagined."
Hearing this, Hitoshi was taken aback.
"Lord Satoru, can you see the Hell Gate clearly through the contract?"
Seeing his reaction, Satoru hummed: "Not perfectly clear, but close enough."
In fact, what he saw wasn't just clear—it was practically immersive.
Hitoshi and Yasuo exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
They both looked at Satoru.
"Lord Satoru, your compatibility with the Hell Gate is probably the highest we've ever seen."
"If you ever encounter the Hell Gate during mission execution, please keep your distance and do not approach."
After bowing once more, the two took their leave.
Before leaving, they left Satoru with a communication device.
If Satoru thought of any requests later, within the bounds of equivalent exchange, they would do their best to fulfill them.
Watching their retreating figures, Satoru stroked his chin.
I have good compatibility with the Hell Gate?
Since you put it that way, wouldn't I be wasting this ability if I didn't give it a try?
...
...
In the blink of an eye, the day for the first act of the Soul Funeral Ceremony, the "Preliminary Mask Binding," officially arrived.
The vice-captains of all divisions gathered together, preparing to travel to the human world through the Senkaimon.
Naturally leading them was the First Division vice-captain, Chōjirō Sasakibe.
While the old man was reading the precautions, most people's attention was focused on Satoru.
Though he had been a Shinigami for less than a year, Satoru's legendary reputation had already begun to spread.
Information about Satoru was highly classified.
But at the vice-captain level, everyone had started to develop their own intelligence sources to some extent.
The story of Satoru going alone to Hueco Mundo, protecting Yoruichi Shihōin for two days under the Tsunayashiro Clan's heavy siege, and finally safely delivering Yoruichi to the Central 46 assembly venue was already well-known to many.
Most vice-captains who hadn't had much contact with this man who personally ended the Tsunayashiro dynasty couldn't help but feel curious about him.
Satoru originally wanted to chat with Aizen.
Unexpectedly, as his gaze swept over the vice-captains, he spotted two familiar faces.
Under Yoruichi's death glare, Seinosuke Yamada, with the "4" wooden plate tied to his arm, grinned at him with bared teeth.
Not far away, Sōjun Kuchiki, with the "6" wooden plate on his arm, nodded somewhat sheepishly.
Satoru's eye twitched.
He approached Seinosuke and lowered his voice:
"What's wrong with you? With your mediocre skills, why are you here joining in the fun?"
Seinosuke snorted.
"Our Fourth Division emphasizes not combat prowess, but medical capabilities."
"I, Seinosuke Yamada, have reached a level second only to one person in the Fourth Division, whether in medical knowledge, surgical skills, or treatment speed."
"I truly deserve the position of vice-captain!"
"In contrast, someone without the actual qualifications of a vice-captain shamelessly comes to participate in vice-captain activities—now that's what you call joining in the fun~"
Satoru: "..."
Damn, this guy makes a good point!
So impressed by Seinosuke's words, he chose a different method of communication.
A short while later, with Satoru holding him in a headlock and a black eye forming, Seinosuke opted for a more civilized attitude.
As Satoru released him, Seinosuke straightened his posture and adjusted his collar.
A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years!
Once Captain Unohana teaches me her swordsmanship, I'll definitely make that scoundrel Satoru pick his teeth off the floor!
Sōjun walked over and separated the two with a smile.
Looking at Sōjun, Satoru also felt a bit of a headache.
Although Young Master Kuchiki had decent strength, he was still too young.
His combat experience and reaction speed were far inferior to veterans.
Taking on the vice-captain role so early probably wasn't a good thing.
If he remembered correctly, Kuchiki Byakuya's father died very young.
Unless something unexpected happened, it was likely due to being promoted too early without matching real strength.
Well, as the "father figure" among the four contemporaries, he'd just have to look after him a bit.
Thinking this, he casually pulled Aizen over too.
Looking at the group before him, Aizen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He felt like he wasn't heading to the living world for a mission, but rather going back to school at the Shin'ō Academy...
After preparations were complete, Chōjirō ordered the Senkaimon to open and led the way through.
Satoru and the others followed closely behind.
Passing through the long Dangai, the scenery of the living world appeared before Satoru!
...
...
In the living world, the vice-captains responsible for Hollow capture set up devices to attract Hollows and began their mission.
In the Soul Society, Yamamoto stood in a hidden location, his Reiatsu surging.
Before him, a menacing-looking Hollow struggled back and forth.
Not far away, several Shinigami in noble robes quietly observed the scene.
As the ritual gradually concluded, Yamamoto's Reiatsu surged forward, instantly reducing the Hollow to dust.
With the Hollow's demise, a massive gate slowly swung open.
A crimson energy vortex swirled within the doorway.
Yamamoto produced a Reiatsu sample and shattered it with a sharp crack.
Then, he pointed toward the Hell Gate—
"Rennosuke Kamikawa."
Over ten minutes later, vast amounts of dark red Reishi converged between heaven and earth.
These indestructible spiritual particles gradually coalesced into a human form.
It was Rennosuke Kamikawa!
Rennosuke's translucent form hovered mid-air, his gaze shifting between the Hell Gate before him and Yamamoto, as if struggling to comprehend the situation.
However, freshly restored from death, his mind lacked sufficient cognitive function.
Before he could form any coherent thoughts, Yamamoto's Reiatsu pushed him downward, sinking him into the red vortex of the Hell Gate.
Next, Yamamoto shattered a second Reiatsu sample.
"Kenpachi Kiganjō!"
One by one, through repeated funerary rites, Kamikawa, Takada, Kiganjō, and eligible Shinigami from the Tsunayashiro Clan were consigned to Hell.
With each soul sinking into the Hell Gate, an indescribable emotion flickered in Yamamoto's eyes.
The attempt to send off Kōga Kuchiki ended in failure—the ritual couldn't attract his Reishi at all.
Unfortunately, it seemed Kōga Kuchiki truly hadn't died.
When it came to Takada's turn, the latter briefly regained consciousness.
He looked at Yamamoto, lips parting—
"Satoru..."
"Ku...chiki..."
With these unfinished words, he sank into the Hell Gate.
Yamamoto felt puzzled.
Satoru? Kuchiki?
Why suddenly mention these two family names?
His first thought was that someone had targeted Satoru and Sōjun during this World of the Living operation.
But he immediately dismissed this notion from his mind.
When Takada died, he couldn't have known about the Soul Funeral Ceremony, let alone that Satoru and Sōjun would participate.
After some contemplation, he decided these were likely just random utterances from Takada's clouded mind.
Just as he prepared to conclude the ritual, several Shinigami from the Saginomiya Clan nearby suddenly paled!
In the World of the Living, while hunting Hollows, Satoru suddenly felt his vision transcend countless distances, seeing something not physically present.
It was a Hell Gate.
Standing before it was Yamamoto Shigekuni.
The massive gate trembled violently, as if something... was struggling to burst forth!