"Hey, Kaito, that's really unfair of you!"
High above Sector 11, Shino stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Kaito with deep annoyance.
She and Kiyone had rushed over thinking they were finally going to have a proper battle, only to find that Kaito had already wiped out every single Hollow before they even arrived. Shino had inherited her brother Ikkaku's bloodthirsty, battle-loving nature, and her sharp tone made it quite clear that she was accusing Kaito of stealing her prey.
Kaito chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "Come on, Shino-chan, don't be so stingy. Tell you what—since you missed out on the Hollows, how about I treat you to some daifuku and strawberry cream ice cream? I heard there's a fantastic dessert shop over in Sector 10."
"Really? You mean it? Let's go right now!" Shino's eyes sparkled instantly at the mention of sweets.
"Kiyone, do you want to tag along?" Kaito invited, turning to the other girl.
Kiyone let out a dry laugh and waved her hands. "No, thank you. I don't really have much of a sweet tooth."
Shino was an dessert fanatic. Because combat required a massive amount of mental energy, she had zero resistance to sugary treats. Kaito, on the other hand, might have inherited Gojo Satoru's abilities, but he hadn't inherited his legendary sweet tooth; instead, Kaito had developed a distinct fondness for alcohol.
Time flew by, and June arrived in the blink of an eye.
The Academy students had long since finished their field training and returned to the Seireitei. When Kaito realized that Soi Fon had also gone back with them, he let out a massive sigh of relief. Finally, he could openly enjoy his beer and music without a captain breathing down his neck.
During this period, Sosuke Aizen seemed to accelerate the pace of his hollowfication experiments, causing an unusually high number of Hollows to manifest across various sectors of Karakura Town. This kept both Kaito and Shino constantly on the move, and occasionally even Kiyone, who was strictly support staff, had to jump into the fray.
Boom!
In the skies near Karakura Town's television tower, Kaito unleashed a crimson blast of Hado #31, Shakkaho, completely purifying the Hollow in front of him.
Ding! Gojo Satoru template integration progress increased by 1%...
Ding! A new ability has been unlocked. Please check your status panel.
The two loud chime notifications ringing in his ears made Kaito catch his breath.
Check the new ability, Kaito commanded silently, suppressing his sudden surge of excitement.
Ding! Limitless Technique – Technique Reversal: Red (Unlocked). 'Red' represents Absolute Repulsion. By channeling positive energy into the Limitless Technique, 'negative infinity' attraction is inverted into 'positive infinity' repulsion. Its destructive power is approximately twice that of 'Blue.'
Seeing the description, Kaito was thrilled.
Technique Reversal: Red was a formidable offensive power, but unlocking it carried a far more significant implication: it meant he had finally mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique itself to generate that positive energy, granting him the ability to heal his own body.
Now, he was completely confident he could save Masaki Kurosaki.
However, he still needed to wait. It was only June, and there was still some time before Yhwach would initiate the Auswählen. When that dark light descended to reclaim the power of the Mixed Quincy, that would be the precise moment to step in and save Masaki.
Kaito opened his full status panel to review his progress.
Host: Kaito Shiba
Template: Gojo Satoru
Integration Progress: 40%
Spiritual Points: 12,358
Daily Mission: Updating...
Abilities:
Limitless Technique: Infinity (Passive) – Unlocked
Limitless Technique: Blue – Unlocked
Limitless Technique – Technique Reversal: Red – Unlocked
Limitless Technique – Hollow Purple – Sealed
Domain Expansion: Infinite Void – Sealed
Sure enough, now that he had mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique, his personal barrier—Infinity—had upgraded from an active trigger to a passive one, remaining fully functional twenty-four hours a day.
Even so, Kaito wasn't entirely sure if his Infinity could withstand Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka. That Zanpakuto was the ultimate fire-type weapon, and its Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, possessed terrifying, absolute erasure capabilities. If he ever had to face the old man, he would likely need his Domain Expansion unlocked to truly stand a chance.
Of course, Kaito had absolutely no intention of rebelling against the Seireitei. Being a Shinigami was a highly stable, well-paying job, and he belonged to one of the Four Noble Families. He had wealth, status, power, and comfort. Why on earth would he make life difficult for himself by turning traitor?
Just as he finished organizing his thoughts, his daily mission notification arrived right on schedule.
Ding! Please proceed to Kabukicho within ten minutes and remain there for one hour.
Inside a top-tier private room at the Sweetwater Pavilion.
This time, Kaito successfully booked a session with Kana. After all, she was worried that if she rejected him again, he might just drop his polite facade and barge right into her quarters.
She simply couldn't see through this man. And in her experience, men she couldn't see through were always the most dangerous.
The air inside the private room was thick with the sweet, calming scent of sandalwood. Kana sat to the side, elegantly plucking the strings of a koto, while Kaito casually poured himself a small cup of sake.
"Kana, the madam told me that a few days ago, you were staring out the window into the distance, and right after that, you shut yourself away and refused to see any guests. Did you happen to see something unusual?"
Kaito looked her dead in the eye as he spoke. He disliked beating around the bush and preferred getting straight to the point, making his inquiries incredibly direct. He wanted to see if he could poke at her defenses.
However, having navigated the entertainment districts for so long, Kana had developed flawless acting skills, even if she maintained her boundaries.
She blinked innocently, her face shifting into a mask of melancholy. "That day, I simply found myself thinking of my sister, who lives far away. It breaks my heart to think of her out there, selling her pottery just to survive."
Selling her pottery to survive? Kaito thought dryly. More like selling out other people's lives.
The two of them were like a pair of foxes—one old, one young—each hiding their true motives while maintaining a polite smile. One asked cutting, direct questions, while the other offered smooth, evasive answers.
"Speaking of selling things," Kaito said, swirling his sake cup, "it reminds me of a fairy tale. I wonder if Miss Kana has ever heard it."
"Please, do tell, Mr. Kaito."
"They say there was once a young girl selling nuclear bombs in a cold, quiet town," Kaito began smoothly. "She was freezing and starving. Along the way, she asked many people to buy, but no one wanted a nuclear bomb. A stray dog even chased her and bit off one of her shoes while she was trying to make a sale."
"She didn't dare go home, because she feared her father would beat her; he was a very cruel man. Shivering in a dark corner, she began to terribly miss her grandmother and wished desperately to see her. Finally, unable to bear the bitter cold any longer, she struck one of her nuclear bombs to warm herself."
"And oh, how heartwarming it was. On that very day, everyone in the entire village saw their grandmothers."
Hearing the absurd dark humor, Kana couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Her cool, detached expression melted away, radiating a sudden warmth like sunshine breaking through a winter sky.
"Mr. Kaito, your stories are truly bizarre."
Kaito took a slow sip of his sake. "Miss Kana, I only tell you this story to illustrate a simple point: there are some things in this world that should never be sold lightly."
"It's perfectly fine to sell your talents, your time, or your company," Kaito said, lifting his gaze to meet hers with sudden intensity. "But a person's life is something you can never trade away without their permission."
Kana appeared completely oblivious to the underlying warning in his words. She merely tilted her head and nodded gently. "I understand. I don't sell anything but my art, Mr. Kaito."
Kaito nodded. "That's good to hear."
Right at that moment, the door to the private room was violently kicked open. A petite, strictly professional woman stood in the doorway, flanked by the panicked, apologetic madam.
Seeing the uninvited guest, Kaito froze mid-sip, utterly dumbfounded.
"Captain Soi Fon...?"
"Weren't you supposed to be back in the Seireitei...?"