Death: This Death is a bit unorthodox.

"But she was too young after all. She reacted the moment she saw me, but the murderous intent in her eyes toward me and us was completely undisguised."

"Third, she's too smart. The fact that she's willing to play along with me proves that she's not the crazy woman she seems to be."

“These clever people are our enemies. If we miss this opportunity, things will definitely get very troublesome in the future.”

Aozaki Mayuki grinned cruelly.

"Foreseeable dangers should be nipped in the bud before they occur."

In the dense forest, the two gazed at each other from afar, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the green leaves and falling upon them.

Gin Ichimaru, however, felt that the sunlight was colder than the shade, a chill that penetrated to his very bones.

Aozaki Mayuki's smile grew even wider, bordering on insane.

"The Tsuna-yayo family, one of the four great noble families, what a prestigious title."

"But do you know how long I've put up with them? I'm fed up with these clowns jumping around in front of me!"

"I'm not one to sit idly by and wait to die. I'll start with this woman!"

His tone suddenly became meaningful.

"No one dared to do that? Ha, from now on, someone will dare!"

Upon hearing this, Gin Ichimaru was struck dumb, his body trembling slightly.

Perhaps it's because Zhenyue is usually too kind to them, treating them gently and indulgently.

He had forgotten at some point how ruthless and insane this man was.

But it is precisely because of this that he and Rangiku have survived to this day.

They learned their killing skills from this man. Their first murder was also witnessed by this man.

Gin Ichimaru was still trembling, but he felt no fear, only an unprecedented excitement.

He clenched his fists tightly, raised his head with a resolute look in his eyes, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"I'll go with you."

Aozaki Mayuki smiled with satisfaction, as if he had finally received the answer he wanted.

However, he directly refused:

"No need, it's more convenient for me to do things alone."

"And even if something really happens to me, Rangiku will need someone to protect her, and this protection has nothing to do with strength."

"With you here to take care of Rangiku, I can be without any worries."

"I'll be back soon."

After saying that, Zhenyue turned around and left without hesitation.

Only after Shinju's figure disappeared into the depths of the forest did Gin Ichimaru, who had been standing frozen like a statue, slowly exhale.

He was surprised to find that a layer of cold sweat had seeped out on his back without him noticing.

For "us"...

I recalled the two words that Zhenyue always kept saying.

He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly bowed deeply towards the depths of the dense forest with a solemn expression.

Even though the place is already deserted.

Suddenly, Gin Ichimaru unconsciously looked up at the sky.

The bright sunshine illuminated the gray earth, reflecting a silvery light that dazzled the eyes.

A scene that seems familiar...

Gin Ichimaru froze, lowered his head, and silently looked at his hands. The reprimand echoed back to his ears across the years:

"Pull this brat away! What is he doing?"

"Damn it! Let go! I'm warning you, don't get yourself into trouble!"

"We already had very little food left because of that new guy! And you dare to steal our things!"

He still remembers the pain of being beaten, and he also remembers the ferocious appearance of the rogue spirits surrounding him with broken samurai swords.

At that time, he looked up at the only light in the sky and hoped that he could be like a tree or a blade of grass, and that he could survive with just the light from the sky.

"Ugh..."

He didn't know how much time had passed when a scream jolted him awake from his dream.

When they came to their senses, the people who had been baring their teeth and brandishing their claws were now lying sprawled on the ground, their blood staining the grass red.

A handsome man with long black hair held a bloodstained katana. The blood added an eerie beauty to the man, and he resembled a dark sun, radiating a dark light that enveloped him.

The handsome man squatted down in front of him and said very enthusiastically:

"Kid, are you alright?"

"Silver hair, that's really rare..."

"To be honest, I used to fantasize about having long, silver-white hair, and preferably heterochromatic eyes."

"The moment I open my eyes and shout 'Amaterasu,' an inextinguishable black flame will ignite on the person I see."

"How about it? Pretty good ability, right?"

"Speaking of which, kid, what's your name?"

"Ichimaru... Ichimaru Gin..." He only opened one eye, because the other eye was already swollen from being hit.

"..."

Chapter 48 There's no need for that.

"The dark light must have been a shadow. How could I have been wrong and thought that guy was glowing?"

Gin Ichimaru raised his head and squinted at the sun high in the sky.

"Where can you find a sun that's so dark and gloomy..."

He clenched his fist.

Shinjuku is right.

It wouldn't make a difference if I went myself.

With my own abilities, I am not qualified to help him.

But if I keep it, it might still be of some use.

The Matsumoto Rangiku beside me is different from the cunning and ruthless Mayuki.

Although this blonde young lady isn't stupid, she's so focused on Mayuki that she often struggles to think clearly when dealing with other matters.

A moment later, Aozaki Mayuki arrived alone in the northern part of the forest.

This is a range of rolling mountains, lush forests, birdsong and fragrant flowers, a pleasant environment, a perfect place for eternal rest.

Once he was sure no one had discovered his presence, Aozaki Mayuki pressed two fingers to the ground, and his spiritual pressure spread out like an invisible ripple.

"Got you."

A point of light appeared in Zhenyue's eyes, corresponding to a location in the dense forest.

Tracking the Ghost Path.

This is the tracking technique that Yoruichi taught him.

Raising his fingers into the air, he could clearly sense a faint spiritual pressure that belonged to him alone.

Having determined the direction, Aozaki Mayuki stood up.

Although it was indeed risky to act at this time, Shinju was not a reckless person.

His ability to break through the ranks of the thugs in Rukongai and become the overlord of a district was not solely due to his strength.

If they didn't have brains, they would have been killed by those wandering spirits countless times.

When he entered the mortal world, he confirmed with his teachers that the only people who came to protect Tsunayoshi Asahiro were the students from the academy.

They were a group of students who had never even experienced real combat.

This also means that these academy students, who possess only spiritual pressure and skills, have no ability to resist them.

that's enough.

Thoughts drifted through her mind, and Zhenyue took a step forward.

An invisible spiritual pressure instantly spread out from beneath his feet.

His spiritual pressure instantly gathered beneath his feet, forming something like a stepping stone, allowing him to stand in mid-air.

This is a technique that is very difficult to achieve in Soul Society. It involves gathering spiritual pressure at one's feet and using that pressure as a foothold to fly and tread through the air.

The density of spiritual particles in the present world is low, so using this technique is not too difficult.

The density of spiritual particles in Soul Society is too high, making it almost impossible to do such a thing.

The next second, Zhenyue began to walk on air, quickly disappearing into the clouds and vanishing into the distant sky.

…………

At the same time.

In the dense forest north of the soul burial practice site.

Four richly dressed figures sat on a large rock, their bodies enveloped in shadow by the lush green leaves under the sunlight.

"What kind of weather is this? This sun is really annoying."

On the boulder, Gang Midai Chaofeng shielded his head with his hand, squinting as he glanced at the dazzling sun in the sky with disgust.

The bright sky shone with brilliant light, and the sunlight shone on the forest, on the ground and on the grass, draping the verdant world in a dazzling glow.

Such a vibrant and beautiful scene, however, only irritated Tsunayoshi Chaofeng.

"Lord Chaofeng! The guards who came this time are only twelve students from Rukongai."