Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 40. So melancholy, so very melancholy.

Higashino Shuichi was very melancholy.

Who would have thought that Aizen, who hadn't given him many missions for over a decade, allowing him to focus on learning swordsmanship under Unohana Retsu's guidance, would suddenly have such a big mission?

Force the Xia Dalu family into rebellion?

Isn't this plot development that only happened after Aizen had already betrayed Soul Society?
At that time, after hundreds of years of technological accumulation and countless practical tests, the Kasumigaoka family's Baku-Yao sword technique had become nearly perfect, and the Baku-Yao sword Shinigami under their command were also full of combat power.

It was only under Amagai Shusuke's urging that the rebellion was launched.

but now?

Just thinking about it gave Shuichi Higashino a huge headache.

The Grim Reapers used in the experiments at the Kasumi family didn't just fall from the sky!
That was only mentioned as a success rate of less than 80%. In addition, Yun Jingyaojue was unaware of the value of firewood and rice, and kept sending the Shinigami who had barely managed to survive back to the end of Rukongai.

Currently, the Kasumi clan has fewer than thirty Shinigami who wield the Bakuya sword, and none of them are at the captain level!

With this level of strength, neither Yosuke Kumoi nor Masato Kasumi, the head of the Kasumi family, would have the idea that their Kasumi family could compete with Soul Society unless they were completely out of their minds.

But that's exactly what Aizen ordered.

"Is it because I've been out of his control for too long? Or is it because I haven't been doing any serious work for him in a long time?"

Higashino Shuichi strongly suspects that Aizen is just looking for a reason to get rid of him.

After all, Aizen now has Tosen Kaname on his side, whose strength has improved rapidly. In less than twenty years, he has become a very qualified captain.

Last year, Shuichi Higashino and Kaname Tosen sparred in Hueco Mundo, and Higashino was ruthlessly defeated by Tosen.

It was purely an overwhelming spiritual pressure.

There's no other way. When both sides are playing with restraint, and both sides are very familiar with each other's abilities and trump cards, and neither side can go all out, whoever has stronger spiritual pressure has a natural advantage.

In particular, Shuichi Higashino's Zanpakuto abilities are actually very unsuitable for one-on-one combat. Not only is his Bankai ability practically useless, but he also has two Shikai abilities that are essentially nonexistent.

Thinking of this, Higashino Shuichi couldn't help but sigh again.

Because he thought of another "general" under Aizen in the original story, also known as the ultimate infiltrator, Gin Ichimaru.

That guy's talent surpasses even that of Tosen Kaname.

It's only been twenty-two years since Tosen Kaname joined, and Aizen is already like this. What will happen when Ichimaru Gin joins?
Higashino Shuichi couldn't even imagine how Aizen would arrange things for him. Would he have to take on the role of Yamamoto's fire-extinguisher in the future?

Ultimately, it all comes down to a lack of talent and ability. Without that, people will look down on you, especially since Higashino Shuichi's current boss, Aizen Sousuke, is a typical example of someone who only values ​​ability.

This mission might also be Aizen's way of re-evaluating Higashino Shuichi's own value.

After all, putting aside strength, the only two things Higashino Shuichi has left that could catch Aizen's eye are...

One is Higashino Shuichi's ruthless attitude towards killing and showing no mercy to nobles;

Another point is that Shuichi Higashino possesses wisdom that far surpasses that of most Grim Reapers.

"Sigh! It's only because I've realized my limitations now, otherwise..."

With a flick of his right hand, Higashino Shuichi's message vanished into thin air. He was troubled.
The inspiring words he uttered to Retsu Unohana twenty years ago were not just empty talk!

At that time, he truly believed in the saying "Heaven rewards diligence".

He believed that even with average talent, with the long lifespan of a Shinigami and by becoming a disciple of Aizen, the first-stage boss, his safety was practically non-issue.

As long as you have enough scrolls, you will definitely be able to gain some self-protection power in the future storyline of the invisible empire's invasion.

As it turned out, twenty years later, Higashino Shuichi realized he was wrong.

Retsu Unohana's line, "What if you never cross that line?" was not a simple hypothetical situation, but a stark reality.

Since Higashino Shuichi's initial spiritual aptitude was only that high, no matter how hard he worked in the future, how many resources he consumed, or how many powerful people he received guidance from, it would be impossible to change his fate.

His spiritual pressure limit was always firmly suppressed by an invisible hand, keeping him at the highest level he could reach, preventing him from taking even half a step higher.

Twenty years, actually more than twenty years. Under Aizen's guidance, Higashino Shuichi actually reached captain-level strength almost five years earlier.

In other words, for nearly twenty-five years, Higashino Shuichi's spiritual pressure remained unchanged; being an ordinary captain-level individual seemed to be the end of his life.

Aizen knew this, so he never relied on Higashino Shuichi's combat abilities. With Higashino Shuichi in hand, he took in Tosen Kaname.

Retsu Unohana understood this as well, so she only taught Shuichi Higashino the purest form of swordsmanship, hoping that he could soothe her rekindled fighting spirit before that boy appeared.

But Shuichi Higashino didn't want it to be like that. If there was only one boss, Aizen, then an ordinary captain was just an ordinary captain. At worst, he could betray Aizen in the end and clear his name like Gin Ichimaru.

In any case, Aizen at that point in the end didn't care at all about being betrayed by his subordinates.

The problem is that Yhwach arrived at the battlefield immediately after Aizen.
Those Quincy lunatics who mindlessly kill anyone they see who is about to die
That tragedy swept through the entire Soul Society, killing nearly 80% of the Shinigami.

Having only the strength of an ordinary captain is truly not enough.

Higashino Shuichi knew that he could no longer remain an ordinary subordinate under Aizen as he had initially imagined, quietly waiting for Aizen to use the Hogyoku to give him a significant power boost.

"But with my spiritual pressure limit locked, what can I use to increase my strength?"

Higashino Shuichi rested his chin on his hand and began to plan for his future.

As he was pondering, a black butterfly landed on Higashino Shuichi's left shoulder.

"Shuichi, today's training should begin!"

This is a Hell Butterfly, a unique creature used for communication in Soul Society. Given Higashino Shuichi's current status, it's impossible for him to possess such a rare creature. This Hell Butterfly belongs to Unohana Retsu.

After listening, Higashino Shuichi immediately cleared his mind of all the jumbled thoughts.

There's still some time before those things happen, but if you get distracted during your kendo lesson with Retsu Unohana, the consequences could be dire.

Shuichi Higashino has experienced it once before, and he doesn't want to go through it again.

About five minutes later, in Unohana Retsu's special training room, Higashino Shuichi respectfully bowed to Unohana Retsu across from him with a kendo salute, and then the flash of the blade and the dust kicked up.

Nowadays, in terms of swordsmanship alone, Higashino Shuichi can actually exchange a few blows with Unohana Retsu.

(End of this chapter)