Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 493 Aizen, Orochimaru, Mayu, and Kisuke Riura have teamed up!?

Squad 12, Technology Development Bureau.

Perhaps these scientists all have some unique quirks, insisting on making themselves appear as if they are something to be ashamed of.

Anyway, the Technology Development Bureau was built underground.

On a vacant lot near the edge of the 12th Division barracks, there was only one entrance gate, which led downwards. The entire Technology Development Bureau had been dug seven times underground, each layer larger than the last!

Seven underground floors deep, in the most secluded room.

This isn't a research lab, but rather a place that looks a bit like a short break for researchers when they're tired.

But at this moment, several figures gathered in this small space.

The 3rd Seat of the 8th Division, Aizen Sousuke; the 3rd Seat of the 12th Division and Vice Director of the Technology Development Bureau, Orochimaru; the 4th Seat of the 12th Division and Director of the Technology Development Bureau, Urahara Kisuke; and the 12th Division member and Director of the Technology Development Bureau's Research Lab, Kurotsuchi Mayuri.

The four of them huddled together, quietly chirping crickets in the room.

"I know that Orochimaru and Mayuri both think I'm inflexible and don't know how to adapt, so they don't really like me." Kisuke Urahara said, looking at Orochimaru with a slightly resentful expression.

Orochimaru wasn't shy at all, and said calmly, "It's not that exaggerated. I have no complaints about you personally. On the contrary, just as you admire me, I also admire your talent. It's just that I feel that our styles of doing things are somewhat different. Forcing us to work together will only cause unnecessary conflicts."

"Hehehe~" Mayuri Kurotsuchi chuckled sinisterly twice and said, "Mr. Orochimaru said something very insightful: if you can't break the mold and conventional wisdom, how can you create new concepts and technologies? If scientists limit their own thinking and shackle themselves, no matter how talented they are, they will ultimately become just another ordinary person. Urahara, what do you think?"

Aizen Sousuke leaned against the wall, not saying a word, but watching the three of them with interest.

After all, in reality, he wasn't a scientist at the moment.

To be honest, Aizen really enjoyed being with Orochimaru, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and Kisuke Urahara. Since returning from the human world, they had been constantly interacting, which allowed Aizen to experience a familiar atmosphere of his own that he hadn't felt in a long time!

Outside, apart from the Spirit Lord, there were hardly any people who caught his eye. Even Hirako Shinji and the others were just so-so. It was only because of shared bonds and emotional foundations that Aizen could get along with them.

But here, there are no prerequisites. For example, he doesn't have much of a relationship with Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Kisuke Urahara, but they get along very easily.

Aizen had already figured out the reason, because everyone here was intelligent.

Perhaps they cannot compare with me in terms of talent for developing strength, but at least in terms of mind, everyone's thinking can keep up with each other!

That's awesome!

Unlike at the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy, where he had to pretend to be an "ordinary genius" to avoid standing out too much, being with that group of mediocre people sometimes made him feel so suffocated!

"Perhaps you have a point, but on this matter, I still stand by my own opinion," Kisuke Urahara said after a moment of silence.

Orochimaru didn't mind and said softly, "It's normal and reasonable. Even though Mr. Mayuri Kurotsuchi and I seem to get along well, we still have our disagreements in daily life. The more like us people are, the less likely we are to become a unified image. So it doesn't matter. As long as there are no major conflicts, we can agree on other things and respect our differences. I won't ask you to do anything, so please don't ask me to either, okay?"

"I agree," Mayuri Kurotsuchi immediately replied.

After a moment of silence, Kisuke Urahara nodded and said, "No problem."

Aizen Sousuke smiled and said, "Of course."

Seeing that no one objected, Orochimaru grinned, licking his lips with his wet, sinister tongue, and said in a chilling tone, "So, after so many days of mutual probing and descriptions of intentions, the fact that everyone is still able to gather here today, and that no one has left, means that we can at least maintain a general consensus on this matter. Therefore, there's no need to wait any longer. I hereby declare the 'Bleach Limit Break Research Project Team' officially established!"

The initial members were Orochimaru, Niryuri, and Urahara Kisuke.

As a member of the Eighth Division, Aizen Sousuke could only be considered an unofficial member.

Orochimaru's purpose in researching this topic is quite clear: he hopes to find the power to break the boundaries of Shinigami and pursue the truth in this area. It can be considered a continuation and restart of Soul Society's Hollowfication research back then.

Aizen Sousuke's goals for joining this group were slightly more complex than Orochimaru's. On one hand, he also wanted to break through his own limitations and go further in following his teacher. On the other hand, once he achieved results, he wanted to use this power as a way to unite the members around him into a community of common interests, and further strengthen his relationship with Orochimaru. With the help of Orochimaru and this research group, he wanted to help Yhwach be resurrected as much as possible, thereby starting the struggle for the Soul King's throne. In this way, he could use this opportunity to recreate the Three Realms and let his teacher ascend to the top!

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's pursuit in this project was perhaps the purest among them: it was interesting, challenging, worth delving into, and aligned with his own aspirations.

As for what specific goal they wanted to achieve, there was no answer!

Kisuke Urahara may seem like the most principled person, but in reality, he has the greatest ambition here.

Of course, calling it ambition isn't quite right; vision seems more appropriate.

That is because Urahara Kisuke knew many secrets of Soul Society a long time ago due to his unusually close relationship with the Shihouin family.

One of the secrets behind this is the current situation of the Spirit King.

Indeed, Kisuke Urahara is one of the few people who, despite not being born into one of the five great noble families, nor having reached the special high position of the Gotei 13 and having some connection with the Soul King Palace, knows the secrets of the Soul King.

He knew that the current stable operation of the Three Realms was achieved by using the Spirit King as a wedge.

At the same time, he also guessed that this situation would change sooner or later, so he hoped to come up with another way to turn the tide if an irreversible situation occurred.

Breaking the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows was the first step he took in making this attempt!

Simply put, Kisuke Urahara joined this project because he hoped to use the power of Orochimaru, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and even Sosuke Aizen to realize his vision of "recreating the Soul King"!

After Orochimaru finished speaking those high-sounding words...

Kisuke Urahara then chimed in, "Well then, the first step is that we need enough materials. Since we're researching Hollows, which are highly infectious and possess the power to break boundaries, Hollows are indispensable. The 12th Division isn't really suited for this task; it would be best if someone else could..."

At this point, Kisuke Urahara looked at Orochimaru and Sosuke Aizen.

The latest novel is first published here!

"The Eighth Division has been searching for the Hollow Forest, the site of Hueco Mundo's evolution, for some time now. I will try to capture as many Hollows as possible during this period to provide them as materials," Aizen said softly after thinking for a moment.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment before speaking, "I will ask the Spirit Lord for help, under the name of the Kido Academy, to increase the number of Hollow combat samples from the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy, and then transfer them to our side."

"Although research on Hollowfication is explicitly prohibited by the Central 46, research on Hollows is necessary and has been ongoing all along. Our 12th Division can actually use this as an opportunity to make demands on the outside world. If we can get the help of the 11th Division, we'll have a steady stream of materials in the future," Mayuri Kurotsuchi added after thinking for a moment.

Let's leave the abstract stuff at that for now.

After a moment of silence, Aizen Sousuke spoke first: "Since this concerns the breakthrough of our Shinigami's limits, it inevitably requires using Shinigami as samples for research. Compared to capturing Hollows, this is the true taboo. Do any of you have any good methods?"

"Why not just go to Rukongai and capture those unregistered people who possess Shinigami qualities, and experiment on them?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi indeed offered this inhuman suggestion.

Who says only members of the Gotei 13 in Seireitei can be called Shinigami (Death Gods)? Anyone who walks within Seireitei, has a thirst for spirit particles, and needs to eat, drink, and relieve themselves is a Shinigami, okay?

Aren't those in Rukongai who possess the relevant qualifications and talents also Shinigami? The difference is that they are not members of Seireitei, and they don't have Shinigami armor or know how to train.

But as source material, it's more than enough!

In the original story, when Aizen was working on the Hogyoku, he used the unfortunate guys in Rukongai as material for his projects, killing off countless potential stars.

As soon as Mayuri Kurotsuchi finished speaking, Kisuke Urahara immediately retorted, "No, that's too cruel. I can't accept it, and the risk is too great. If the Central 46 finds out, none of us will be in good shape."

"From the moment we gathered together for this project, we've already started violating the rules of the Central 46. What's there to be afraid of?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi said nonchalantly.

So what if he goes to jail? It's not like he hasn't been to jail before!

"You guys are really troublesome." Orochimaru tapped the table with his hand and said, "It's not like we can't handle material like the Grim Reaper. Have you forgotten about Captain Kiryu?"

"Hmm?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi frowned, then after a moment her eyes lit up with realization. "That's not wrong."

Kisuke Urahara's expression was slightly complicated. After changing it a few times, he finally nodded and said, "That's fine."

Aizen Sousuke, on the other hand, was not a member of the 12th Division, so he asked with some confusion, "Could you explain this more clearly? I'm an outsider and don't understand your coded language."

Orochimaru smiled and continued to explain, "Captain Kiryu has been researching temporary souls, or prosthetic souls, in an attempt to create 'artificial Shinigami.' This technology has reached a critical point, but a breakthrough is imminent. If we can master the prosthetic soul technology, we can continuously produce these so-called 'Shinigami' as materials."

After a slight pause, Orochimaru continued, "And it's quite obvious that Captain Kiryu is different from us, so it's impossible for her to join our research group. But she happens to be the captain of the 12th Division, and her existence, to some extent, has become an obstacle for us. If we want to conduct this research more safely and discreetly, it would be best to have the entire 12th Division completely under our control."

(End of this chapter)