The Alchemist in Bleach

Unfortunately, Ichiro was ultimately unable to perform a soul search on Tosen. Just as his right hand was about to touch Tosen's forehead, the captain suddenly appeared beside him, grabbed his wrist, and stopped him.

"team leader?"

"That's enough. Leave the rest to Captain Soi Fon and the others. You've vented your anger on Suzuran enough. Let's leave it at that." The captain looked at Ichiro sternly.

This surprised Ichiro slightly; the last time his captain had shown this expression was a long time ago…

"But it's Aizen's..."

"I said, that's enough!"

Seeing the captain's serious expression, Ichiro gradually withdrew his hand. He rarely disobeyed his captain's will, and besides, the captain didn't give him orders often, so it wasn't anything important.

Just as the captain said, Suzuran had vented her anger. Now she just wanted to end this mess as soon as possible and then dive into the lab to continue her research on the Philosopher's Stone.

Therefore, the captain's decision to stop was in line with his own thoughts; after all, it was all about ending this matter, but...

Seeing the captain's serious expression, Ichiro's unease grew even stronger...

Things seem to be getting a bit complicated...

really……

"Captain-Commander, our Fourth Division has some matters to attend to, so we'll leave this to you. I'll take Ichiro back first." After stopping Ichiro, the captain said this to the Captain-Commander while holding Ichiro's wrist.

After obtaining the captain's permission, he pulled Ichiro, whose face was full of bitterness, and walked outside.

Watching Captain Unohana and Ichiro leave, the Captain-Commander's eyes revealed a kind smile. Although his strength was already unparalleled in the Soul Society, he was still too young and his mental stability was too poor. It seemed that Retsu would have a lot to do next.

After Ichiro and the others left the captain's meeting room, the captain-commander's gaze fell on Tosen Kaname, and the kindness in his eyes disappeared, leaving only endless coldness!

They massacred civilians, murdered several captains, and even, rounding up, their actions contributed to his severed hand. They deserve to be punished for all their crimes! They deserve to die!

Of course, he can't die yet~

……

"Captain, what happened in the team? That meeting must have been quite important, right? I'll handle it when I get back."

The captain glanced at Lang, knowing what he was planning, and said, "It's nothing. Compared to the team's affairs, this is nothing. I need to handle it personally."

"……Oh."

Without saying a word, the two continued walking forward. Suddenly, the captain said, "Why don't you ask what it is?"

"..."

Is there even a need to ask? Why invite trouble upon yourself!

Despite thinking this, Ichiro still sighed.

"So, Captain, what is it...?"

"That's your problem."

"Mine?" Ichiro stopped and stared blankly at his captain. What could possibly be wrong with him? He could eat and sleep well. Although he was pleased that his captain held such a high position in his heart, what problem could he possibly have?

"I want to ask you something first."

"what?"

Do you have any romantic feelings for lily of the valley?

"Um...it's a bit hurtful to say this, but thankfully she's not here, so that's absolutely impossible!"

"...No matter what, it's absolutely impossible...that's a bit too much..."

Ichiro shrugged. "That's why I said it when she wasn't here. Does this have anything to do with what you wanted to say, Captain?"

"Well, since you don't have those feelings for her, why were you so impulsive this time? Even if you have your own understanding of death, that situation still pushed your limits, didn't it?"

That's because...

"Let me finish!" Before Ichiro could explain, the captain interrupted him sternly. "Firstly, I know you want to say she's a friend and your subordinate, but that's still going too far. Secondly, when you used Soul Search just now, you were planning to use Absolute Reason, right?!"

"Yes, soul searching requires absolute rationality, otherwise the massive amount of information will instantly change the caster's mind."

To everyone's surprise, the captain's expression turned even colder after Ichiro said those words.

It wasn't because of Ichiro's words, but because of Ichiro's expression at that moment.

"Do you want to look at your expression right now? Do you know what you're saying? Since when has absolute rationality become something you can use at will?"

Upon hearing this, Ichiro was completely stunned. Yes, when did he become so casual about using Absolute Reason?

It's important to understand that reading memories doesn't necessarily require soul searching; mental illusions can also be used. Soul searching is just the fastest method, but it's not the only one. It's for those in a hurry, but is absolute rationality really necessary?

That's impossible. Not to mention that Ichiro now has many important things around him and doesn't dare to use Absolute Reason recklessly, even in the past, before he crossed over to Soul Society, when he was still the alchemist of that country, Absolute Reason was a technique he would only use in the most critical moments. Most of the time, if he had to use it, he would turn it on and off, using the burst of power in that instant.

There's no reason for him to use this move more casually now that he's willing to sacrifice more for everyone. Besides, because of that battle where he forcibly used Shikai, Ichiro promised the captain and the world that he would never use the Absolute Reason skill again.

This guarantee is also one of the reasons why Soul Search has not conducted any tests to date.

But now, because he's in a hurry, he's trying to open this Pandora's box...

At the same time, Ichiro began to realize what he had just done...

Admittedly, Tosen Kaname never truly died from beginning to end, and was revived by Ichiro each time at the last minute. But when did he stop using revival?

Shouldn't we refrain from wasting our lives?

Wasn't that just a violation of this bottom line?

The more Ichiro thought about it, the more serious his expression became; there was something wrong with his thinking!

Ichiro narrowed his eyes and began to sort out his thoughts from the beginning. Everything he had seen, heard, and sensed since he went to Hueco Mundo flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

Seeing this, the captain realized that Ichiro had figured things out and breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly watched over Ichiro, knowing that only he could solve this problem; no one else could help him, at least not now.

A moment later, Ichiro slowly opened his eyes, gave a wry smile, and realized he'd been tricked by Aizen...

Yes, Ichiro's impulsiveness is inextricably linked to Aizen. When Ichiro entered Las Noches, everything he saw, heard, and saw was meticulously prepared for him by Aizen!

All of this wove a fine net over his mind, but because the net was so fine and loose, and because Ichiro hadn't expected Aizen to use this move, he was caught off guard.

Naturally, they fell victim to the trap.

His subsequent conversation with Aizen allowed this fine net to slowly seep into Ichiro's mind, silently influencing him.

Similarly, during this process, Ichiro's attention was diverted by the knowledge Aizen spoke of. It wasn't until Aizen uttered the words, "...the true power of the Hogyoku is to materialize what people desire according to their own thoughts..." that Ichiro, upon thinking of the Philosopher's Stone, became emotionally agitated and his mind was completely captivated by Aizen!

Then came his series of inexplicable actions...

Thinking about it, Ichiro still felt a lingering fear. If the captain hadn't stopped him, things might have really gotten out of control...

"Phew~~~" After letting out a long breath and releasing himself from the guidance he had been under, Ichiro looked at his captain with relief and said, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Captain."

"You're awake?"

"Hmm, he's awake. I was careless and got tricked! I won't do it again!" Ichiro's eyes flashed with excitement. Aizen was indeed a tough opponent.

But that's for the best. The stronger Aizen becomes, the more likely his plan is to succeed, and the more exciting the world will be!

"You want a next time? Who was criticizing the Captain-Commander in front of me before? How come you're doing the same thing now?"

"Hehe~ Isn't this a case of being blinded by one's own involvement? It's fortunate that you have such discerning eyes." Ichiro ran up behind the captain with a grin and gently massaged her shoulders with both hands.

"Don't try that on me. I can't watch you every day. Besides, if you were a little more determined, these little tricks wouldn't be a problem for you!"

"Um... so Captain, you mean..." Upon hearing the captain's words, Ichiro's hands and expression froze, a bad premonition suddenly rising in his heart...

"Starting tomorrow! I don't care what experiments or work you have, you must set aside one hour every day for sword meditation! I will personally supervise you!"

"Um... isn't that unnecessary, Captain? My bond with the world doesn't need such superficial techniques to deepen!"

"I'm talking about ordinary sword Zen, not the sword Zen used to communicate with Zanpakuto. Before Zanpakuto appeared, sword Zen was a technique used by swordsmen to hone their will. It's a skill that every swordsman must master. Sword King Mode? That's just a soulless thing. If we were to simply compete in swordsmanship, you would die within ten moves!"

"Of course! Captain, you are the number one swordsman in Soul Society! How could I possibly compare to you?"

"Therefore you need to practice every day! I will personally supervise you, understand?"

"But I currently hold several important positions, such as captain of the Covert Survival Unit's Riting Squad, acting captain of the Fifth Division, head of the Alchemy Department of the Technology Development Bureau, director of the Kido Research Bureau, and one of the three most important seats in our Fourth Division! I'm really busy!"

"Do you understand?"

"..." Looking at the serious-looking captain, Ichiro paused for a moment, then lowered his head silently and replied softly, "Understood..."

"Stop giving me that crap. Just hand over any work you can. Besides, the World Organization has been doing most of the work. Aren't you focused on your crappy research? When have you ever bothered with these things?"

"Let's be reasonable, Captain!" Upon hearing the captain call his research rubbish, Ichiro immediately raised his head, ready to argue with the captain. Insulting him was fine, but insulting his...

"What's the point of reasoning? If you keep talking, we'll increase combat training by one hour every week!"

"Uh... that doesn't make sense, you're right." Okay, it's not like I can't be insulted... Suddenly, Ichiro paused, his head snapping up again, asking in confusion, "Combat training? What combat training?"

Didn't I tell you?

"No, you didn't have much screen time in these chapters, so they definitely didn't say that!"

“Oh, let me mention this. Didn’t you say before that the Captain-Commander has become somewhat lax in combat awareness due to years of neglecting combat? Therefore, in order to prevent this from happening to you, I have decided to set aside three hours each week for pure swordsmanship sparring practice with you.”

"......"

Am I digging a hole for myself?

In a normal fight, he could guarantee a victory over the captain, since his spiritual pressure and demonic arts surpassed the captain's. But if it were just pure swordsmanship... wouldn't that just be him getting hacked down?

But he couldn't find a reason to postpone it, because he had just been tricked by Aizen...

"Oh dear, what a tragedy!"

"Let's go, don't just stand there. You need to take over the Fifth Division's affairs as soon as possible, you're very busy."

"So, Captain, you see, I'm already so busy, could you spare a little time for me to train a bit less? There's just not enough time!"

"Isn't that enough?"

"Mmmmmmm!"

"Then try to squeeze it in. Didn't you say that time can be found if you try?"

"......"

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Chapter 272 The Advancing Extras