Death: Starting as the Guardian of Avici Hell

"Sousuke, you won't let the captain down, right?"

Aizen calmly and carefully reviewed the mission token several times, then looked up and smiled gently:

"Captain, the situation is serious. It's too much for me to handle alone."

"Well, of course I've considered that too," the man said with a strange smile. "So—"

"We specifically requested support from Riting."

Aizen nodded: "Then I'm fine."

"Try to get along well with your teammates!"

Hirako Shinji spoke in a flippant tone, his eyes flashing with an eerie light as he stared at Aizen.

The next morning.

When Aizen arrived at the designated location, he saw a figure he had never expected.

"Yo, Sashibida na, Sousuke."

Someone greeted them familiarly, "How's it going for the Fifth Division? Are you starting to get targeted?"

"Should we bring someone from Hell? There are people protecting us here."

Aizen: "..."

This guy is as unreliable as ever.

This was truly unexpected. He hadn't anticipated that the support Hirako Shinji was referring to would be a newcomer who, like him, had only recently joined the team.

Is the staff in Liting also short-staffed?

"I never expected that my first mission would be with my good brother. This time, with our swords combined, we're sure to crush the enemy and make those thieves never return!"

Naraku felt around in his pockets before realizing he didn't smoke; he had been planning to give a couple to his long-lost good friend.

Aizen remained silent, having assumed that the two would no longer have any interaction after being separated into different teams.

But now it seems he was a bit too naive.

It's somewhat of an underestimation of how vengeful this guy is.

"Do you have any information about the mission?" Aizen asked calmly.

Naraku shook his head: "I was planning to watch it, but then I heard that my teammate was you, so I decided not to waste my energy on it."

That's what they said, but in reality, Nishikawa had already explained the details to him.

Naraku realized that his intelligence was insufficient to uncover the problem, so he simply stopped wasting his brainpower.

Hearing that criminals were being arrested, he came running over without giving it a second thought.

Aizen sighed helplessly.

Ever since he met this guy, he had a bad feeling.

This mission could very well take an uncontrollable turn.

To this day, he still remembers his first internship at the Modern Soul Burial Ceremony.

It was supposed to be a very simple mission, but someone happened to encounter a Hollow in the place where Hollows were least likely to appear.

It's the kind that's about to evolve into a Gillian.

The group of students, along with their supervising teachers, struggled immensely to reach the other guards stationed there for rescue, nearly suffering total annihilation.

Aizen later learned that Naraku had discovered a weak spatial node in a secluded corner.

Coincidentally, the passage opened up by the soul burial ritual resonated with that spatial node.

Next comes the part we all love to see.

A quasi-Grilian that was foraging for food in Hueco Mundo passed through the portal created by the Soul Burial Ritual and arrived in the human world.

However, this cannot be blamed on Naraku Sora; he was purely a victim.

However, after spending time with him at the Spirit Arts Academy, Aizen discovered that this guy's luck was extremely bad.

If you skip class, the teacher will definitely find out.

Whenever you go out, you're bound to encounter troubles of varying degrees.

Even a trip to the safest area of ​​Rukongai can be affected by the duels between wandering samurai.

To some extent, this can be considered a kind of talent.

I hope everything goes well.

but……

Aizen observed his friend with some suspicion, discovered a blind spot, and asked in bewilderment:

"Naraku, you seem a little different from when we parted last time."

Naraku grinned, brimming with confidence, and said, "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence. Sōsuke, the current me—"

"Terrifyingly strong!"

Aizen nodded almost imperceptibly, without offering any rebuttal.

Although it's unclear what exactly happened to Naraku Sora, he has definitely become stronger and gives off a completely new vibe.

Did he encounter some extraordinary adventure, or did he learn the true name of his Zanpakuto and master its Shikai?

have to say.

The changes in Naraku Sora did indeed pique his curiosity.

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, the two headed to the mission location together.

Rukongai is divided into four major districts: east, west, south, and north. Each major district is further divided into eighty subdistricts, forming a ring that surrounds Seireitei in the center.

The location of this unusual incident is the 64th ward of West Rukongai, the Sakai Outer Ward.

Because the outer area is relatively remote, it did not affect the atmosphere of the inner area.

The streets were bustling with people, as noisy as ever.

"Everyone remains as kind as ever."

Standing in the alley was Naraku Sora, who witnessed the scene of two groups of yakuza fighting each other, with blood and flesh flying everywhere. He said with a sigh.

Aizen: "..."

Do you have some misunderstanding about the word "kindness"?

As a peasant from Rukongai, Naraku Sora was naturally used to these kinds of incidents.

However, as a rising crime fighter, he doesn't mind meddling in other people's business.

He released a little bit of spiritual pressure.

An extreme sense of danger instantly gripped the minds of both groups. They instinctively stopped what they were doing and looked towards the alley entrance in unison.

Two tall figures stood in place.

"Yes, Death, Lord Death."

A faint groan came from someone in the crowd, as if a drop of water had been poured into a frying pan.

They scattered and fled in all directions, like birds and beasts.

Aizen ignored Naraku Sou's wicked sense of humor and instead meticulously observed the spiritual pressure he was releasing.

A strange sense of familiarity, as if I've seen it somewhere before.

Unable to reach a conclusion, Aizen frowned deeply.

This was the first time he had encountered a problem he had absolutely no clue about.

The changes in Naraku Sora made him increasingly curious, as if—

It was like some unknown thing he was exploring.

After driving away the fighting yakuza gang, the two officially arrived at a relatively remote medium-sized village in the northern part of the outer district of Sakai.

What greets the eye is a deathly silence.

The lanterns swayed gently under the eaves, withered leaves fell, and the wind howled.

Chapter 12 Brother, you smell so good!

"Naraku, what do you think?"

Aizen gazed calmly at the empty, silent village, trying to find some clues in the details.

On the surface, this place looks no different from other villages in the ham-noodle district.

Except for the fact that no soul can be seen.

Traces of past life are still preserved, as if the owner had simply gone out on an emergency.

"Stand and watch."

Naraku Sora looked at his friend with the kind of pity one would give a fool, "You're not expecting me to find clues about the killer, are you?"

Aizen: "..."

He has indeed been influenced by that guy Hirako Shinji, and is actually pinning his hopes on Naraku Sora.

Ever since he was forced to join the Fifth Division, Captain Hirako Shinji has been acting strangely, often assigning him tasks for no apparent reason.

Moreover, it was the kind of task that others couldn't complete, and it was quite tricky.

Just like what Naraku Sora said when they first met, this guy was clearly targeting him on purpose.

Until now.

Aizen still didn't understand what he had done to offend Hirako Shinji.

Perhaps it's just that I don't like it?

Aizen tried to find the answer using Naraku Sora's way of thinking.

Impossible. Shinji Hirako doesn't seem like a brainless idiot. How could he target his subordinate Shinigami for such a reason?