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

Chapter 59 59. Incomplete interpretation of Swastika
The story goes back to the day after Higashino Shuichi obtained the Spirit King's fingernail fragment.

Having just returned home from Kasumioji's house, his Zanpakuto contacted Higashino Shuichi on its own.

Immerse yourself in the inner world, and you'll find yourself in an antique-style study. The bookshelves are filled with books made of bamboo slips. At the far end of the room, a middle-aged man wearing a white cloak and with a white and green jade pendant hanging from his waist sits elegantly on a straw mat, holding a half-open bamboo slip in his hands.

This wasn't the first time Higashino Shuichi had entered this place. Back then, he had just acquired captain-level spiritual pressure and was eager to materialize his Zanpakuto. However, instead of materializing the Zanpakuto, he himself was pulled into this so-called inner world.

It was here that Higashino Shuichi experienced the most inhumane torment of his life. His Zanpakuto, relying on the different flow of time in his mind than in the outside world, made Higashino Shuichi, who appeared in his mind's world, merely a projection of the original body. It killed Higashino Shuichi a thousand times in this place.

And almost every time, the way they died was different.

Only when there was no one left to kill and no law left to use did this one-sided massacre end in Higashino Shuichi's complete defeat.

That time, Higashino Shuichi's Zanpakuto didn't tell him its true name. It only slightly praised Higashino Shuichi's actions in Soul Society and then told him that he could use the name "Bingfa" to communicate with it in the future, thereby obtaining some of the right to use the Zanpakuto's Bankai.

From that moment on, Higashino Shuichi's Zanpakuto completely severed the communication channels between the two.

No matter how much Higashino Shuichi called out to him, his Zanpakuto did not respond.

On that occasion, Higashino Shuichi's Zanpakuto granted him only one right to use the Bankai ability.

That is "a smile hiding a dagger".

Using this ability, Higashino Shuichi can retaliate against an enemy's attack in kind, by taking the enemy's attack himself, and in return, the enemy cannot avoid it by any means.

It's pretty much useless.

This is the only evaluation that Hideichi Higashino gave to this ability.

Because he might not be able to withstand a strong attack, and if he returns a weak attack, his opponent probably won't care.

It is unavoidable, but it is not impossible to negate or defeat it.

As a result, after learning this incomplete Bankai, Higashino Shuichi never even considered using it once.

However, this Bankai ability, combined with the actions of his own Zanpakuto within his inner world, has given Higashino Shuichi some food for thought.

That means his Bankai ability could be further released, which is likely related to his actions in reality.

Because this so-called smile hiding a dagger perfectly matches what he usually does, doesn't it?

Therefore, Higashino Shuichi made several attempts until he finally gave up after failing to get a response from his own Zanpakuto.

Unexpectedly, after he personally set up such a grand scheme and went through countless hardships to obtain the Spirit King's fingernail fragment, his Zanpakuto finally reacted.

"Judging from your expression, you seem to know why I brought you in."

The man had his back to Higashino Shuichi, yet he seemed to have everything under control.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's because my actions this time are in line with the principles of military strategy."

Higashino Shuichi wasn't stupid; after receiving the message from his Zanpakuto, he quickly figured it all out.

It wasn't that his previous ideas were wrong, but rather that the scope he used for testing was too narrow and simply didn't meet the standards of his Zanpakuto.

"Do you know which one it is?"

The man spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Those who are useful should not be lent; those who are useless should be borrowed; borrow those who are useless and then use them."

Higashino Shuichi closed his eyes, and the image of his favorite book from his previous life, "The Thirty-Six Stratagems," floated into his mind.
"A strategic attack, a resurrection through borrowed corpses!"

"I could have directly taken the Soul King's nail fragment and then asked Aizen to fuse it into my body, but I didn't. Because I knew that doing so would only erode Aizen's trust in me, and the process was full of unreliability. I had no idea whether Aizen was even targeting Matsumoto Rangiku."

Having already fallen for something that's all just a mirage, there's no need for me to take such a meaningless risk.

This person is useful, but should not be lent out.

"The Kasumi clan wants to solve the problem of using the Baku sword, Aizen wants to conduct Hollowfication experiments, Yamamoto wants to investigate the Baku sword, and so on."
None of this had anything to do with my goal of obtaining the Soul King's nail fragments, but I cleverly used them to achieve my objective without incurring Aizen's displeasure.

This is unusable; please lend it.

"The combination of the two is tantamount to resurrection!"

When Higashino Shuichi opened his eyes, the entire process formed a clear image in his mind.

At the same time, the man who had been facing away from Higashino Shuichi, and who had been materialized from a Zanpakuto, turned around.

"Then, from this day forward, you can borrow my 'resurrection' ability~"

"What's your real name?"

Shuichi Higashino never forgot that learning the true name from the Zanpakuto was the most important step in achieving its Bankai.

"You want to know my real name?"

The man had a half-smile on his face.

"Who wouldn't?"

"Higashino Shuichi replied."

"Two choices. First, you gain my complete approval and the right to use all of my military strategies."

As he spoke, the man stood up from the straw mat, his previous scholarly and carefree aura vanished, and a Zanpakuto, fiery red in color with eighteen pairs of wing-like scales on its back, appeared in his hand.

Higashino Shuichi had seen this Zanpakuto before, and without a doubt, that was what his Zanpakuto looked like after its complete Bankai.

"Secondly, defeat me, and I will tell you my real name!"

"Attack, soldiers! The best soldiers are those who employ unconventional tactics!"

The man was met with a thunderous, unwavering, and powerful strike from Higashino Shuichi.

He had long been eager to come in and fight again.

This time, he will wash away the shame of the last time.

At least this time, I can't let myself be killed a thousand times!
The result was gratifying; this time, Higashino Shuichi didn't get killed a thousand times; he only died.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine times.

"Ha, ha, ha ha ha ha!"

Having been ruthlessly driven out of his inner world, Higashino Shuichi threw his head back on the bed and burst into laughter.

He should have realized it sooner; his Zanpakuto's abilities, from the moment of its Shikai release, were somewhat beyond the normal specifications of the original owner's identity.

He only inherited the original owner's ordinary spiritual pressure talent, but his soul and his Zanpakuto are still unique and unaffected by the original owner's talent.

This wealth he brought from the previous world is his greatest asset.

(End of this chapter)