The Alchemist in Bleach

"Um... we shouldn't have destroyed the surface of Hueco Mundo, released the Spirit Particle Virus, unleashed artificial Hollows, used Spirit Core Bombs, or used other methods to destroy Hollows, thus affecting the balance between Soul Society and the Human World!"

Listening to Ichiro recount one "heroic deed" after another, the captain's lips twitched slightly. These past few years have been quite exciting! However, she still shook her head. She wasn't angry about such a trivial matter.

"You still haven't realized where the mistake lies."

"Um... Captain, I don't think I've done anything else, right? I should be able to~" After thinking for a moment, he still didn't plan to reveal what Kamui and the others had done. After all, it was tantamount to openly going against Soul Society. As long as he didn't blatantly reveal it, no one should cause him any trouble.

Seeing that Ichiro truly didn't realize it, the captain sighed. Perhaps this was a common flaw among geniuses. Putting down the documents in his hand, the captain looked directly at Ichiro and said, "Do you remember what you promised me when we went to Hueco Mundo?"

"Uh... I must prioritize my own safety and not provoke anyone rashly... Uh... Captain, I was wrong!"

"Hmph~ You dare to provoke Vasto Lorde without even knowing your own limitations, and even dare to fight against the King of Hueco Mundo alone, Poison Star? I think you're Mad Star! If I had known you would do this, I shouldn't have taught you the Eight Thousand Streams Sword!"

Ichiro silently lowered his head. He wanted to argue, but then he thought about the Asauchi sword his captain had Soi Fon give him. Clearly, his captain knew how powerful his Yachiru no Tsurugi was at full strength; otherwise, she wouldn't have forged such a sword. So, after thinking it over, he decided to just obediently accept the scolding.

After giving him a few more words of reprimand, the captain looked at Ichiro, who was standing in front of her with his head down, sighed, and stopped pursuing the matter. Instead, she asked for detailed information about Barragan. The problem was that they had already provoked him, and now they had to clean up the mess. If Barragan's strength was not too great, then there would be no problem. But if he was too strong, then she would personally help Ichiro eliminate this threat!

If it's not that strong, then there's still room for maneuver, making it a decent whetstone.

"What Barragan needs to be wary of is his special ability called Aging, a power involving extreme time manipulation that can corrupt anything it touches in an instant, even energy. However, the downside is that this power is very strong, so strong that even he can't resist it now..."

Next, Ichiro went on to explain in detail some of Barragan's fighting habits. He had gathered this information while Barragan was entangled with Ichiro, having given up using his aging powers. It wasn't very useful, but it was better than nothing.

After a long pause, Ichiro stood obediently in place, looking at his captain and waiting for her forgiveness. However, the forgiveness he expected did not come; instead, he received something else...

"Ninjazuki~ Play with Ichiro for a bit, I'm going to a meeting."

"Yeah~"

"Wait, Captain~" Before he could finish speaking, a huge tongue suddenly darted in from outside the door and dragged Ichiro out. He finally understood why the captain hadn't released the Flesh Droplet torture. It turned out the punishment wasn't over yet!

......

A while later, the captain arrived at the conference room. The other twelve captains were already waiting there. Captain Unohana glanced at the current Kenpachi and frowned almost imperceptibly, but said nothing. She returned to her position and waited for the Captain-Commander to speak.

"Everyone's here. There are a few things we need to confirm and arrange for this meeting. First, years ago, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki learned from a Vasto Lorde Hollow that Barragan is real and even the king of Hueco Mundo! His power is even greater than we suspected. Retsu, tell us about Barragan's information."

The captain nodded to the commander-in-chief, took a slight step forward, and looked at the other captains, saying, "Bailergang..."

After hearing Captain Unohana's account, the other captains fell silent. Vasto Lorde was already a formidable foe in the Soul Society; openly, only four or five captains could kill him. Not to mention Barragan's seemingly invincible abilities, and his numerous subordinates—multiple Adjuchas and possibly multiple Vasto Lordes—made his fighting force utterly terrifying...

"No one wants to speak?" The Captain-Commander looked around and, seeing no one speak, said, "Then I will speak. The higher-ups want to eliminate him completely. Hueco Mundo doesn't need a ruler, especially one whose power can threaten us. My opinion is the same as theirs. However, the King of Hueco Mundo's power is too great; this matter needs careful consideration." As he spoke, the Captain-Commander glanced at the current Kenpachi and sighed slightly.

Seeing this, everyone glanced discreetly at the current Kenpachi. If he weren't so incompetent, this matter wouldn't be so difficult to handle. Whether it was the previous Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki, or the previous Kenpachi, either of them was strong enough to shoulder the responsibility of the expedition to Hueco Mundo. Alas...

Although everyone's gazes were concealed, with everyone looking at him, it wasn't entirely hidden. However, he knew his own situation best; as the first person not to inherit the title of Kenpachi through a challenge, he truly lacked the confidence to refute...

That's pretty much the end of the matter. As for the actual battle against Barragan, we'll have to wait until a qualified Kenpachi takes over, since the Eleventh Division is the main force in this kind of thing.

"Next, there's another matter. Hueco Mundo has temporarily lost its ability to protect Hollows, which has been confirmed by multiple sources. Now, let's arrange a few things, Ukitake." The Captain-Commander first looked at Ukitake Jushiro beside him. "Currently, the 12th Division's monitoring of the Human World is temporarily ineffective. You need to send more people to be stationed in the Human World. If you don't have enough people, you can transfer people from other teams."

"Yes!"

"Captain Yizhou, you need to step up your efforts in distinguishing signals and prevent them from being confused with those of the real world. Also, take this opportunity to develop a way to monitor Hueco Mundo! We can't let a second Hueco Mundo King appear. This is an opportunity. I'll do my best to meet your needs."

Ye Zhou's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, saying, "Then I'd like to borrow some men from the captain."

"Who?"

"With the help of Kisuke Urahara, the fourth seat of the second division, and Tenshin Ichiro, the third seat of the fourth division, this research will definitely go very smoothly!"

Seeing Kiryu's confident smile, the Captain-Commander frowned. Kisuke Urahara was alright, but Ichiro... He couldn't help but look at Captain Unohana.

"Lie, what's your opinion?"

The captain shook his head and said, "I have other plans for Ichiro. His position cannot be changed for the time being. Furthermore, even if that matter is settled, I will only let him assist Captain Hikifune if there are not many things to do in the team. After all, Ichiro's return is second only to mine."

After glancing at Kenpachi standing at the back, the Captain-Commander roughly understood his captain's thoughts and asked, "Are you really going to let him go?"

"That's the worst-case scenario. Even though he doesn't want to take the job, he'll go if I ask. He can always come back later."

"Alright, as long as you keep it in mind. Captain Shihouin, I'll leave the transfer order for Kisuke Urahara to you." After saying that, he looked at Captain Hikifune, "As for Tenshin Ichiro... Captain Hikifune, don't have too high hopes. With his level of skill, the Fourth Division needs him more."

“Alright, Urahara’s abilities are sufficient.” After saying that, Kiryu Hikifune returned to the group. She was already satisfied that the Twin Stars had managed to secure one Mad Star.

However, the other captains present exchanged slightly flickering glances, especially those who knew Captain Unohana's past identity. They all had their own guesses and looked at Kenpachi again. Kenpachi was the most pitiful, without a doubt...

"Retsu, have a portion of your Fourth Division integrate into the Security Force and extend your daily patrols to within the 40th district of Rukongai. If you're short-handed, draw men from other divisions." The Captain-Commander ignored the other captains' glares and continued, "Second Division, cooperate with the Eleventh Division to suppress the Rukongai beyond the 40th district. Prevent the rampaging Hollows from flooding into Soul Society and causing even greater destruction. After that, we'll consider a counterattack on Hueco Mundo."

"Yes." X4

"That's about it for the turmoil in Hueco Mundo. Is there anything else that needs to be addressed?" Although he was speaking to everyone, his gaze was fixed on Shihouin Seigan.

Shihōin Seigen stepped forward slightly and said, "Captain-Commander, Yoruichi Shihōin, the third seat of the Second Division, completed many plans with Kisuke Urahara, the fourth seat, and Tenshin Ichirō, the third seat of the Fourth Division, during this expedition. She also recently killed a Vasto Lorde on her own! Her strength and achievements are sufficient, so I recommend her to be the captain of the Second Division."

The Captain-Commander looked at Shihouin Seigan with surprise. This guy really knew how to take advantage of the situation. If there might have been a few dissenting voices regarding Yoruichi's rise to power in the previous arrangements, then after these words, almost no one objected.

If you're not convinced, why don't you go and be a Vastode yourself?

However, this matter had already been decided, so he had no objections. It would just mean getting more credit anyway. He directly asked, "Do you have any other opinions regarding Yoruichi Shihouin succeeding as the captain of the Second Division?"

After looking around and seeing everyone silent, the captain nodded and said, "Then it's settled. However, the succession will be postponed for now. We'll hand over the reins once things are mostly settled."

"Yes, Captain."

"Meeting adjourned."

Following the captain's words, everyone bowed and slowly withdrew, except for Captain Unohana and Harumi Ukitake.

"Rei, are you really going to leave Barragan to Ichiro? He's the King of Hueco Mundo, even I might not be confident of victory against him! Right now, his abilities are incomplete, making this the perfect time to kill him. Once he fully masters his power..."

"Ichiro will only get stronger then!" Captain Unohana interrupted before the Captain-Commander could finish speaking, her eyes gleaming with confidence.

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Chapter 137 Kenpachi

The captain gave Captain Unohana a deep look, but ultimately chose to trust her judgment. He still had some confidence in his old friend's eye for talent.

Next, the four of them worked together to refine some plans, such as the specific personnel deployment. The two most important things in this incident were the stability of the real world and the stability of Rukongai. Everything else had to be postponed.

Captains Ukitake and Unohana were the main people in charge of these two projects. Actually, the core of maintaining stability in the latter half of Rukongai should have been Kenpachi, but...

It's not that the Captain-Commander looks down on him; he definitely has the qualifications to be an ordinary captain. His strength and experience are sufficient. The problem lies with Kenpachi. Moreover, the previous Kenpachis were too outstanding, and he was the first to break the Kenpachi inheritance rule in public, which inevitably makes people underestimate him.

(Hana passed on her skills to the second Kenpachi secretly, so only a few people knew that she was the first Kenpachi.)

Meanwhile, while the captain and the others were engrossed in their discussion, Ichiro, who had finally managed to escape from the stomach of the meat-eating monster, was resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought, trying to process the information he had just received.

The biggest event that happened during the years he was away from Soul Society was the attack on Rukongai by a Vasto Lorde-level Hollow, who was eventually defeated by Kenpachi Kuruyashiki.

He wasn't actually that surprised, because he had a premonition when he saw the remaining injuries on Szayelaporro's body, but what happened next was somewhat unexpected.

After the battle, Souichi Shinobu challenged Kenpachi Kuruyashiki and won by a trick, because Kenpachi Kuruyashiki's Bankai cannot be used in Soul Society. His Bankai will attack indiscriminately as soon as it appears. That guy can swallow the entire Seireitei in one gulp!

In short, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki lost to Souya Azashiro and was severely injured in the battle, dying. Souya Azashiro then changed his name to Kenpachi Azashiro and officially became the captain of the 11th Division.

Then, things got even more dramatic. Instead of fulfilling his duties as captain, Azajo attempted to control the residents of Rukongai to attack Hueco Mundo. Before the plan even began, he inexplicably surrendered to the Central 46 and was imprisoned in the lowest level of the underground prison, Avici Hell. (Actually, he mainly sensed that the Soul King disapproved of his actions, but how he acted wasn't explained.)

Therefore, this guy only served as captain for a little over a year before the position fell to the former vice-captain, now Kenpachi Gosuke. He's the only captain of the 11th Division who didn't rise to the rank through a challenge, and is looked down upon by many. There are even rumors that the Captain-Commander refers to him as Kenpachi directly, instead of using terms like "Kenpachi Kuruyashiki" or "Kenpachi Azumashiro" as previous captains. It's truly tragic...

After barely digesting the information, Ichiro still couldn't quite accept it. He had only been gone for a few years, and things had changed so quickly. If he had been gone for decades, wouldn't most of the captains have to be replaced?

And when did Mozushiro become so strong? That's Kenpachi Kuruyashiki!

Almost a hundred years ago, he single-handedly killed a Vastod, and a year ago, he defeated Szayelaporro, another Vastod, with his Shikai. How could such a powerful figure be defeated by the city of Mole? Did he eat some kind of magic fertilizer?

In fact, this was Ichiro's mistake. When Azashiro was brought over to practice with Ichiro, it was made clear that they would only practice swordsmanship. However, swordsmanship was not Azashiro's forte, and Ichiro had never beaten Azashiro in terms of swordsmanship.

Although Mochi City was no match for him in a normal battle, how many Kido could withstand that number in the entire Soul Society?

This is simply a matter of ability counterplay, not a matter of Mole City's weakness.

However, as for Azajo... he had to find a way to meet him. When he was searching for a way to deal with Kyoka Suigetsu while looking back at his memories in Hueco Mundo, he remembered seeing a millionaire who had just gotten off a plane in the United States analyze on a social media app called "Tell the story you just made up." The analysis suggested that Azajo's Zanpakuto ability made him immune to Kyoka Suigetsu.

I was planning to talk to him about it when I got back, but who knew he'd actually go inside!

It really is...

****~

After thinking for a while about how to approach or contact Mole City, Ichiro suddenly stood up as if he had thought of something and hurriedly walked outside.

I almost forgot, there's an important matter I need to take care of when I get back!

Get a haircut!

Ichiro's current hairstyle is a small ponytail, simply tied at the back of his head. Actually, when he first arrived in Soul Society, he shaved his head into a buzz cut. Later, he found it too troublesome to have to get a haircut every one or two months. After a little consideration, he simply grew it into the small ponytail he has now, which is more convenient. He can just grab it with his hand, tie it with a hair tie, and that's it.

He doesn't need to be cut often, but this time, because he's been in Hueco Mundo for so long, his hair has become a bit messy, which slightly affects his handsomeness. He should have been 99 points handsome, but now he's only 98.

How can we tolerate this?!

However, his grand plan to start over was cut short as soon as he stepped out of the Fourth Division's gate, because he bumped into the captain, who then casually said, "Come with me to a place."

He walked straight into the Fourth Division without even glancing at Ichiro.

What can Ichiro do?

He'd go along with it, though. He didn't want to go back into the meat-eating monster's stomach. But he was also a little curious about what could make the captain so eager, especially since he'd just gotten back and hadn't even had a chance to rest yet!

The two arrived at the captain's office. Just when Ichiro thought he was about to be told what to do, the captain asked him to stand aside and began to assign Kiyonosuke tasks, mostly related to personnel allocation.

And so, the captain and Seinosuke worked for over an hour, while Ichiro watched them work for over an hour as well. Finally, the captain let out a long sigh, stood up, and said something that broke Ichiro's heart.

What are you doing here?

What are you doing here...?

What are you doing here...?

.......

what.......

Well...

Ichiro clutched his chest, looking heartbroken, and said painfully, "Didn't you tell me to wait, Captain?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Come on, let's go somewhere together." After saying that, he walked towards the training ground where Nijishizuki was.

"Where?"

"Rukonkai" (Soul Town).

Ichiro paused, his eyes flickering, and tentatively asked, "Looking for him?"