Bleach: No cheat codes, he joined Aizen's side.

Chapter 153, Section 151: What's Between Death and Hollows?
"Who are you? Why did you save us?"

Amidst the endless white sand, Halibel stood before the Sun sisters, gazing at Higashino Shuichi and questioning him.

"Soul Society, Great Sword Hunter of the Sword Hunters, Higashino Shuichi."

Of course, you might be a little unfamiliar with this position right now. Just think of me as a captain of the Grim Reaper.

Higashino Shuichi carried the unconscious Yushima Ouko and walked over to her, saying...

Higashino Shuichi found Halibel's reaction strange.

According to the original storyline, Halibel should have already been saved by Aizen once by this point. That's why she, who was originally just an ordinary Vasto Lorde-class Hollow, along with her grandchildren, were chosen by Aizen and given Arrancar status using the Hogyoku.

So Halibel shouldn't have reacted this way to being saved by death once again; she should have been calmer.

"So what? You still haven't said why you saved us. You're a Shinigami, and we're Hollows. We should be natural enemies."

Helibel countered with a question to Higashino Shuichi.

Hearing this, Higashino Shuichi became even more convinced that because of his intrusion, Aizen had gained control of Hueco Mundo ahead of time. Therefore, the original plot where Halibel encountered Aizen was completely cut off, or rather, the protagonist changed from Aizen to Higashino Shuichi himself.
If that's the case, Higashino Shuichi felt that what he originally did just to make Barragan uncomfortable could be made into something more interesting.
After all, Halibel is a high-quality subordinate who can be rated almost perfect from any perspective.

Loyal, highly capable, with a perfect physique, and a good personality, he also lacks most of the bad habits associated with superficiality.

Aizen didn't know how to cherish such talent, but Higashino Shuichi did.

"Enemy? That's just a label defined by others. I ask you, if I asked you to raise a knife against me now, would you?"

Higashino Shuichi walked step by step to Halibel, until the distance between them was almost zero, and Halibel could even feel Higashino Shuichi's breath hitting his face.

The other person stared at him with such a menacing gaze, and Halibel's mind was filled with only three words: "You can?"

Halibel knew that in his current state, if he disregarded everything, he could still unleash two fully-formed Cero.

She also knew that Higashino Shuichi was certainly aware of this as well, because she had mentioned it to him before.

However, after putting the green-haired Grim Reaper aside, Higashino Shuichi came to her without any precautions and even pressed himself against her.

In this situation, as long as she condenses a Cero, she will definitely be able to hit Higashino Shuichi. At such close range, the latter has no way to avoid it!
but
For the first time, Halibel felt his heart pounding. Faced with Higashino Shuichi's unreasonable and oppressive questioning, Halibel, for a moment, chose to abandon thought and instead follow his heart.
"I won't"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the three Sun sisters, who were standing behind Halibel and ready to fight Higashino Shuichi to the death, were shocked. Was this still the Lord Halibel they knew?

We cannot surrender to this Grim Reaper, Lord Halibel!
Almost simultaneously, the same thought appeared in the minds of the three women, but none of them dared to voice it.

"So you are not my enemy, and I will not attack you. Therefore, I am not your enemy either. It's a very simple logic, isn't it?"

Seeing Halibel's performance, Higashino Shuichi was very satisfied, although this was a result he had expected.

"Um"

Helibel nodded mechanically. She felt there was something wrong with what Higashino Shuichi said, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it for the moment, since the logic behind it was perfectly clear.

"However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Even if we are not enemies, I have no obligation to save you. The reason I stepped in to save you is naturally because I have my own needs."

"So, what do you want us to do?"

Hearing this, Halibel finally felt that everything was normal.

"Work for me, and in return, I will make you one of the current Espada of Hueco Mundo."

Higashino Shuichi's true intentions are revealed in the final picture.

"..." Halibel was silent for a moment before asking in return, "How can you, a captain of the Shinigami, help me become one of the Espada?"

Halibel didn't question why Higashino Shuichi, as a Shinigami captain, would ask her, an Arrancar, for help. Since Higashino Shuichi could say that Shinigami and Hollows didn't have to be enemies, it was only natural that he would then suggest making her his subordinate.

As for becoming someone's subordinate or working for someone, Halibel didn't actually have any resistance in her heart. She was never someone who loved power, nor was she a free spirit who was naturally promiscuous. For the original Halibel, she simply held the simple wish of "not wanting to become stronger by killing others."

So even when she heard Higashino Shuichi make such a request, she did not object, and even had a little bit of expectation in her heart?

However, Halibel expressed his doubts about another promise made by Higashino Shuichi.

She did want to become one of the Espada, so that she would have the freedom to act and a sufficient status in Hueco Mundo to ensure that Barragan could no longer cause trouble for her and her grandchildren as often as he does now.

However, she seriously doubted that Higashino Shuichi, the captain of the Shinigami, had no idea what the Hueco Mundo Espada meant, or how one could become a new Espada.

A Shinigami wants to interfere with the selection of the Espada? What kind of fantastical story is this?
Then, Halibel realized she was wrong.

Because Higashino Shuichi is not only clear-headed, but also very domineering.

"It's simple. Just take out those Espada who are stronger than you. As long as the position is vacant and no stronger Arrancar fills it, then that Espada position can only be yours, right?"

Higashino Shuichi smiled nonchalantly.

Yes, that's very Grim Reaper.
Halibel had just thought that Higashino Shuichi was a Shinigami who was friendly to Hollows, but now it seemed that Higashino Shuichi was only friendly to her.
Ok?
Are you only friendly to her?
Halibel, who had been making normal eye contact with Higashino Shuichi, suddenly lowered his head.

An emotion she couldn't quite describe suddenly welled up inside her.

There shouldn't be a connection between Shinigami and Hollows, right?
Unaware of Halibel's thoughts, Higashino Shuichi, seeing Halibel suddenly lower his head, assumed the latter was questioning the truthfulness of his words. What? Wasn't that Hell's Execution Song shocking enough?

No problem, watch me show you another trick!
Higashino Shuichi refused to believe it. In the original story, Aizen could handle Halibel with just a few words, but today, with almost the same plot development, he couldn't handle it!

So Higashino Shuichi stretched out his left hand and gently placed it on Helibel's left arm, which had been decayed into bones by Barragan's aging ability.

If you were to ask what Higashino Shuichi learned from the members of the Zero Squad in that fictional future, then this top-tier counter-attack technique, enhanced by "Hot Spring Demon" Kirinji Tenjiro, would certainly be one of them.

By guiding the power of his own Soul King fragments to merge into it, and then releasing it through the vessel of the Return Path, Higashino Shuichi easily restored Halibel's left arm to its original state.

This was originally Higashino Shuichi's fantasy about his future Fullbring ability, but in front of the Zero Division members who knew the characteristics of the Soul King's body ability so well, even without Fullbring as a carrier, it would be easy to redevelop the Soul King fragments that were in Higashino Shuichi's body at that time.

Looking at his left arm, which was almost indistinguishable from its original state, Halibel dared not look directly at Higashino Shuichi even more.

She knew all too well how domineering Barragan's aging ability was, yet Higashino Shuichi actually helped her restore her arm. So how much did Higashino Shuichi himself have to sacrifice?
Although Higashino Shuichi didn't say it, Halibel knew that there was definitely more than she imagined.

So, Higashino Shuichi was indeed interested in her.
No way. Her Halibel is Vasto Lorde, while Higashino Shuichi is the Grim Reaper. There's absolutely no way they can be together.
Halibel mustered his courage, raised his head, and finally looked directly into Higashino Shuichi's eyes again: "I understand. I will work for you from now on, Shuichi-sama!"

She decided to define their relationship as it is, so that perhaps Higashino Shuichi would no longer have those unrealistic fantasies about her.

After all, one is a Grim Reaper, and the other is a Hollow.
Shuichi Higashino had no idea what Halibel was thinking; he simply believed that Halibel had finally been conquered by his strength.

As expected, these Hollows are all bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. As long as you show them your invincible strength, it doesn't matter who you submit to.

"Very good, then the first thing you will do after you start following me is to follow my instructions and go to the mortal world to cause a great disturbance!"

Fortunately, Shuichi Higashino did not forget his original purpose in bringing Yushima Oshu to Hueco Mundo: to create an opening for Tsunayoshiro to promote the Arrancar threat theory.

However, what Halibel said next left Higashino Shuichi feeling depressed.

"Go to the mortal world and wreak havoc? To what extent?"

"It doesn't need to be too serious, but you must let most of the nearby Shinigami know that you exist. It would be best to bring the three Arrancar behind you as well. The more Arrancar, the better."

"Well"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"I think we might not even need to go there?"

"What do you mean?"

Helibel looked at Higashino Shuichi, who sat back down next to the unconscious Yushima Osh, and was a little confused. In her mind, wasn't this a good thing?

However, for Shuichi Higashino, only heaven knows how complex his inner emotions were when he learned from Halibel that the day before he came to Hueco Mundo from Soul Society, the very day he had just told Aizen about Tsunayoshi Tokinada's ideas and part of his upcoming plans, Aizen had temporarily transferred a group of Arrancars from Hueco Mundo, including Koyatai Stark, leaving only Arrancars from the Barragan faction, including Barragan, in Las Noches.

Fine, fine, fine, you Aizen Sousuke, I treated you with sincerity, so you had a plan but didn't tell me, huh!

Although Higashino Shuichi couldn't discern Aizen's true intentions from Halibel's few words, it was obvious to everyone that after Aizen had clearly stated that he had no interest in the Quincy of the human world, who else, besides the Shinigami in Soul Society, was qualified to command Aizen's troops?

Kisuke Urahara is still in the West Coast Bureau with a kind of Hollowfied Shinigami vibe and hasn't come back yet!

In other words, Shuichi Higashino didn't actually need to come to Hueco Mundo at all!
However, for Higashino Shuichi, there was no point in sulking over Aizen. After all, Aizen was his boss, and a boss has no obligation to inform his subordinate what he wants to do.

Therefore, it didn't take long for Higashino Shuichi to regain his composure, but those who knew him well could tell from his flickering eyes that he was still simmering with anger.

Well, people from Higashino Shuichi's country in his past life all have an old saying: "Since we're already here..."
You, Aizen, took away all of Hueco Mundo's main fighting force, didn't you?
Alright, perfect timing. It's been a long time since Higashino Shuichi has had a go at Barragan's place. If he doesn't teach Barragan a lesson today, his trip to Hueco Mundo will have been for nothing!

Rewind to the night before, the night before Higashino Shuichi was to take Yushima Osh from Soul Society to Hueco Mundo, a horrific incident occurred in Ichimoku-cho, Kanda Prefecture, in the human world. During a gathering that was supposed to be attended only by humans from the human world, a Hollow of a special form broke in, killing all the humans and then killing a nearby Shinigami member of the 13th Division who noticed the anomaly and rushed over to investigate.

The death of a Shinigami soldier immediately alerted the Shinigami of the mortal world, but up to this point, most of the Shinigami of the 13th Division had not yet truly taken the matter seriously, because the casualty rate of ordinary Shinigami soldiers was indeed very high when facing Hollows.

It wasn't until the second support team, led by the Ninth Seat of the 13th Division, was also wiped out that the report on the incident was finally delivered to the 13th Division Vice-Captain, Shiba Kaien.

"Captain, it seems there's an unusually powerful Hollow in the mortal realm. I need to go there immediately to deal with it. I'd also like to ask you to apply to the Central 46 for permission to lift my spiritual pressure restrictions if necessary while I'm in the mortal realm!"

Nominally the vice-captain, but having actually been handling captain affairs for many years, Shiba Kaien did not rashly head straight to the human world. Instead, he first went to Amegando, where his captain Ukitake Jushiro was located, to seek his instructions.

This is the normal procedure, although generally speaking, it is not necessary to do so. As long as the reason is reasonable, most of the time, the Central 46th Bureau will not really pursue the matter. At least most of the Death Gods at the deputy captain level and above will not specifically apply for this kind of authority from their superiors.

But Shiba Kaien did it anyway.

And the answer he received was, of course, agreement.

However, after Shiba Kaien left, Ukitake Jushiro's heart was never at peace, and he always felt that something bad was going to happen.

So he left his small Yuqian Hall after a long absence and went to the family shrine, where there was a statue that had been moved there by family members. The common people near the former Rukongai would call that statue Mimihagi-sama.

Although Jushiro Ukitake was not a professional priest, his divinations were usually quite accurate due to his special connection with the shrine of Mimihachi.

Tonight, the object of my affection is Shiba Kaien.

The divination result is extremely inauspicious!

(End of this chapter)