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

Chapter 169, Section 167: The Day and Moon Class Assessment Mission Seven Years Later
Mount Furyu, standing 1729 meters tall and stretching 517 meters, is located in the 61st district of Rukongai in the northern part of Soul Society.

It is the highest mountain here, and also the training ground for the famous Daylight Class in Soul Society.

Higashino Shuichi stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up. As the sole instructor of the Day Moon Class, he had designed this assessment task entirely on his own.

“Time flies by so fast”

Higashino Shuichi reflected on everything that had happened in the past seven years. Because Aizen had wiped out most of Hueco Mundo's fighting force in one battle, Soul Society had gained a rare seven years to recuperate.

Mayu Kurotsuchi used this time to steadily advance the soul modification project, and now the second phase of testing is about to begin.

As planned, since the technical direction has been confirmed to be sound in the first phase, the testing in this phase will mainly focus on testing the degree of integration in terms of modifying the soul and spirit, as well as the degree of release and guidance of spiritual pressure under this technology.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this phase of testing will require the involvement of vice-captains or even captain-level combatants.

If we also consider the controllability of the test, then it would be best to limit the number of participants to no more than two official Soul Society captains.

Originally, Shuichi Higashino had planned to get involved himself.

After all, with his current strength, it wouldn't be difficult for him to control his power and maintain a spiritual pressure output at the level of an ordinary captain.

Unfortunately, just recently, Shiba Kukaku finally brought good news to Higashino Shuichi, so much so that Higashino Shuichi had to prepare to hand over the second half of this plan to Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Oshi Yushima.

Yes, more than seven years have passed, and Shiba Kukaku has finally completed the cannon that leads to the Spirit King Palace through his own efforts.

Throughout the entire process, Higashino Shuichi was not involved at all.

Aizen's elaborate schemes failed remarkably in the face of this woman who appeared rough and carefree on the outside but was actually exceptionally shrewd.

Over the course of seven years, no matter how much Higashino Shuichi subtly tried to win over Shiba Kukaku, and even invited her to go shopping together in Rukongai's first district several times, making Soi Fon green with envy, Shiba Kukaku remained unmoved by Higashino Shuichi's advances, and their relationship seemed to remain just that of good friends.

Fortunately, Aizen did not shift the blame to Shuichi Higashino. Aizen always believed that this was because the Shiba family had not been removed from the list of the five great noble families, so the pressure on Shiba Kukaku was not enough.

Therefore, Higashino Shuichi originally did not include Shiba Kaien on his Daytime Moon Class promotion list, but Aizen approached Higashino Shuichi one night and asked him to invite Shiba Kaien to join his Daytime Moon Class.

Its purpose is almost self-evident.

Due to Shuichi Higashino's special status and the fundamental reason for the establishment of the Daylight Squad, this Shinigami Special Enhancement Squad, which was established by leveraging the immense prestige gained from Higashino's killing of Barragan, the Lord of Hueco Mundo, has, from the very beginning, enjoyed a great deal of freedom of action, just like the Sword Hunters, whose number of members remains zero to this day.

In theory, as long as he doesn't openly order the members of the Daylight Squad to do things that rebel against Soul Society, Higashino Shuichi can send these Shinigami to do anything under the guise of a mission.

This could certainly include making it reasonable for Shiba Kaien to encounter danger.

This was not a difficult task for Aizen, who possessed the ability to create illusions, and for Shuichi Higashino, who had extensive experience in design and execution.

While Higashino Shuichi sympathizes with Shiba Kaien's future fate, he will not try to prevent that tragedy from happening.

It's rare to see someone targeted by Aizen so many times. If Shiba Kaien could change his surname to Kurosaki, he would probably receive the same treatment as the protagonist.

Unfortunately, Shiba Kaien was different. His identity, the technology the Shiba family possessed for traveling to the Soul King Palace, and so on, all predetermined his fate.

The saying "possessing a treasure is a crime" illustrates this point.

This assessment was for a dish of vinegar, a plate of dumplings designed jointly by Aizen and Higashino Shuichi.

As the sun rises, the morning light shines on the earth, and white clouds drift back and forth in the sky like boats on a lake, leaving trails of light on the azure sky.

The entire Day Moon Squad members also arrived one after another.

The one who arrived earliest and was also the most enthusiastic was, without a doubt, the bald man, Ikkaku Madarame.

"Aren't the others too unenthusiastic? Wasn't it promised that the reward for succeeding in this assessment would be unprecedented? Don't they care at all?"

As soon as Madarame Ikkaku landed using Shunpo, he saw that only Higashino Shuichi was at the agreed-upon foot of the mountain, and immediately began to complain.

"Actually, we arrived early. Ichika and Mr. Shuichi agreed to meet at 10 o'clock, and there are still 20 minutes until 10 o'clock."

Behind Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika followed closely.

As someone with strong learning and comprehension abilities, he easily absorbed the knowledge that Higashino Hideichi had imparted to them in class over the past seven years, including some worldly knowledge that Higashino Hideichi taught them, such as timekeeping.

Ayasegawa Yumichika checked the time using the pocket watch in his hand.

Higashino Shuichi gave one of these items to every Shinigami in the Daylight Squad, but only a small number of Shinigami carried them with them at all times.

"So what? Being slower than me is being late! Especially that guy, what's his name again? Oh, right, Izaba Tetsuzaemon! We didn't even settle our score in our last sparring match. Yumichika, you have to catch that guy for me later. I'm going to settle this with him today!"

Madarame Ikkaku scratched his bald head and said.

Seven years was enough time for Madarame Ikkaku to truly realize the gap between himself and Higashino Shuichi. Originally, Madarame Ikkaku was still stubbornly determined to carry forward the spirit of getting up and falling down wherever he fell, and to keep challenging Higashino Shuichi.

Two years ago, Higashino Shuichi couldn't take it anymore and invited the Grim Reaper named Iba Tetsuzaemon to join the Daylight Squad, which gave Madarame Ikkaku a new and suitable opponent.

Fighting Higashino Shuichi would only result in him getting thrashed, but fighting Iba Tetsuzaemon would be a close and evenly matched contest. It's obvious to anyone which one to choose.

In particular, after a sparring session with Ichikaku Madarame, he learned from Ichikaku that his mother had died during the defection of the Hollowfied Shinigami group led by Shuichi Higashino and Kisuke Urahara.

Although Higashino Shuichi kept insisting that he was wronged, Iba Tetsuzaemon only believed the judgment of the Gotei 13.

As long as the Captain-Commander doesn't personally admit that Higashino Shuichi is innocent, he will hold Urahara Kisuke, Higashino Shuichi, and their group of defecting death gods responsible for his mother's death.

However, Isaba Tetsuzaemon is also contradictory. Having fully accepted his mother's ideas, he has always regarded upholding justice as his motto in life.

Looking at the entire life of Shuichi Higashino as a Grim Reaper, it can be said that, apart from the defection incident, Higashino was the Grim Reaper who best fit his image of justice.

Therefore, after receiving Higashino Shuichi's invitation, Iba Tetsuzaemon hesitated for almost a year before finally deciding to join the Daylight Class.

However, he always made defeating Higashino Shuichi and getting the truth about that year from him his goal.

For Ikkaku Madarame, wasn't that a perfect coincidence?
"Brother, I also set defeating Higashino Shuichi as my small goal in life. Why don't we improve together and cut down Higashino Shuichi as soon as possible?"

Therefore, if Madarame Ikkaku were to choose two people he values ​​most from the Daylight Class, one of them would definitely be Ayasegawa Yumichika, and the other would certainly be Iba Tetsuzaemon.

And when you speak of Cao Cao, he arrives.

Following Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika was Iba Tetsuzaemon.

He was wearing a Shinigami uniform underneath a uniform from his family's dojo, with trendy sunglasses on his nose and a long pompadour hairstyle. He carried his Zanpakuto on his shoulder and slowly walked to the foot of the mountain.

"I'm here, Commander of the Great Sword Showdown!"

"Izaya Tetsuzaemon shouted at Higashino Shuichi."

He is also the only one in the entire Daylight Crescent Squad who still calls Higashino Shuichi the Grim Reaper with such an unfamiliar title.

However, Higashino Shuichi didn't blame him, because he knew that it was just Iba Tessaemon deliberately reminding him in this way not to forget his mother's death.

After all, for the Soul Society, what exactly happened on those battlefields on the day so many captains and vice-captains were Hollowfied is a complete black box.

Those who knew the truth woke up in the present world, only to find themselves as traitors to Soul Society.

Therefore, the death of Iba Tetsuzaemon's mother remains an unsolved mystery in Soul Society, without any concrete evidence.

"Perfect timing! Before the assessment begins, let's finish that match we didn't complete last time!"

As soon as Madarame Ikkaku saw Iba Tetsuzaemon, he rushed over, and the two started fighting in front of Higashino Shuichi without saying a word.

Only Ayasegawa Yumichika gave Higashino Shuichi a look that seemed to ask for his forgiveness.

"There's nothing we can do, that's just his personality!"

That is the meaning behind his eyes.

While the battle between Madarame Ikkaku and Iba Tetsuzaemon was still raging, two more people fell from mid-air.

"Lord Shuichi, I apologize for being late! Well, today is the fourth division's apprenticeship day, and as the third seat, I needed to assign tasks before I could come."

One of them, Kotetsu Isane, who had tied a headband in one side of her hair, rushed to Higashino Shuichi as soon as she landed and apologized to him hastily.

"It's alright, it's not even the agreed time yet, there's no need to apologize to me."

Looking at the trembling and fearful Kotetsu Isane, Higashino Shuichi smiled and shook his head to comfort her.

These two Kotetsu sisters have such different personalities. Kotetsu Isane, the older sister, is a bit too timid. In comparison, he prefers Kotetsu Kiyone's personality. Unfortunately, Kotetsu Kiyone only has eyes for her Captain Ukitake and can't tolerate anyone else.

"But what about your vice-captain, Seinosuke Yamada? Shouldn't this be his responsibility as vice-captain?"
"Has he disappeared again?"

"Issue Higashino then asked."

Although Higashino Shuichi had been deliberately avoiding anything related to the Fourth Division to avoid trouble, due to a certain woman, he inevitably learned a great deal about the Fourth Division from Kotetsu Isane as he trained her to the level of a vice-captain. After all, ever since his position as vice-captain was taken over by Yamada Seinosuke, Yamada Seinosuke had consistently prioritized the return of Kotetsu within the Fourth Division to demonstrate the legitimacy of his appointment.

In other words, the status of a member of the Fourth Division is determined not by overall strength, but by the strength of their chakra.

Therefore, although Kotetsu Isane was still far from being a vice-captain in terms of combat strength, her exceptional talent in the art of navigating the battlefield allowed her to quickly secure a third seat in the Fourth Division.

If Kotetsu Isane hadn't shown no desire to advance further, given her current skill in the Daoist arts, it wouldn't be impossible for her to replace Yamada Seinosuke.

Because the current Higashino Shuichi possesses the complete advanced knowledge of the Reincarnation Technique taught to him by Kirinji Tenjiro. In terms of the use and application of the Reincarnation Technique, in the current Soul Society, without considering the Zanpakuto's abilities, if Higashino Shuichi claims to be second, no one dares to claim to be first, not even Unohana Retsu.

Therefore, Higashino Shuichi knew long ago that Yamada Seinosuke would inexplicably miss many important events within the Fourth Division.

This is quite different from Shuichi Higashino's preconceived notion of Seinosuke Yamada.

In Higashino Shuichi's memory, Yamada Seinosuke was a Grim Reaper who strived to do everything perfectly in order to gain the attention of Unohana Retsu.

Given his current behavior of frequently slacking off or even skipping work, it's no longer surprising. You could even believe that he's been possessed by a ghost.

However, Higashino Shuichi is currently very busy and has no time to care about what's going on with Yamada Seinosuke.

In any case, given Yamada Seinosuke's behavior, Higashino Shuichi felt that even he could sense something was wrong, so as the captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu should have been even more aware of it than him.
Well, although this woman doesn't seem to be involved in much of the work.

Knowing doesn't seem to make any difference?
It seems that Higashino Shuichi suddenly discovered a blind spot.

He always remembered that Retsu Unohana was very clever and a cunning old fox.

However, he always overlooked the fact that while Unohana Retsuzo was good at hiding her true feelings, she didn't interfere in anything. If something happened, she would truly keep it to herself and not say anything.

In the original story, this woman guessed the truth about Aizen's faked death entirely based on her intuition and investigation.

But she just wouldn't expose it; she was just playing along!

It seems that after this matter is resolved, I will have to talk to Aizen about Yamada Seinosuke.

Given Higashino Shuichi's current status, it would be inconvenient for him to conduct any useful investigation into a vice-captain of the 4th Division of the Gotei 13. However, Aizen is different; such a matter is a piece of cake for him.

Just as Higashino Shuichi was contemplating launching a thorough investigation into Yamada Seinosuke, another Shinigami who had accompanied Kotetsu Isane crossed his arms and spoke to Higashino Shuichi in a businesslike, indifferent tone.

"Captain Kyoraku said, 'Captain Shuichi, your reward for this assessment is to teach a Shinigami Bankai 100% and help him become a captain?'"

The person who would say such a thing is undoubtedly Ise Nanao, the nominal assistant captain and actual vice captain of the Eighth Division.

She is also one of the few Grim Reapers who uses the title of Captain to refer to Shuichi Higashino.

Mainly because of her captain, Kyoraku Shunsui, that's how he called Higashino Shuichi.

This shows that in Kyoraku Shunsui's heart, he always regarded Higashino Shuichi as a member of the Gotei 13.

Although Kyoraku Shunsui always maintained that nonchalant attitude, Higashino Shuichi knew very well that his subtlety was evident in the way he addressed himself.

It's fair to say that any other Shinigami might have been moved by the name Kyoraku Shunsui.

If Kyoraku Shunsui were to actually become the Captain-Commander in the future, he might very well defect to the Gotei 13.

Unfortunately, Shuichi Higashino is no ordinary Grim Reaper.

Kyoraku Shunsui's good intentions were destined to be wasted by Higashino Shuichi.

"What? I remember you don't have a Zanpakuto, Nanao?"

"That guy Shunsui only left you with me so you could learn Kido from me. You probably don't need to master Bankai, right?"

Higashino Shuichi replied with a smile, which was tantamount to admitting it.

After the original Grand Master Tessai Katsuhishi and Vice Grand Master Hachigen Ushōda fled to the human world with Kisuke Urahara, the entire Soul Society's Kidō system, if not completely destroyed, was at least left with very few truly skilled members.

Aside from the older generation of Shinigami captains, among the new generation of Shinigami, excluding Aizen, who is considered an "ordinary" Shinigami captain, only Higashino Shuichi's Kido skills are truly impressive.

"It's just curiosity. Captain Kyoraku said that you didn't even tell Captain Soi Fon how to help the Shinigami master Bankai, let alone him. But he trusts you. You wouldn't make empty promises. If you say you can, then you definitely can."

So the captain wanted me to come and witness it for myself.

Ise Nanao adjusted her glasses and earnestly explained her purpose to Higashino Shuichi.

After all, Higashino Shuichi did not invite her to participate in this assessment.

Even if she is indeed a member of the Day Moon Class.

"Is that so? That's fine too. You can just watch from the sidelines."

Higashino replied generously.

Anyway, it's not exactly a secret. Higashino Shuichi estimates that once Urahara Kisuke and the others return from the West Bureau, Yoruichi Shihouin will start secretly returning to Soul Society to gather intelligence.

At that time, Yoruichi Shihouin will definitely contact Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro first.

At that time, Kyoraku Shunsui only needed to mention it briefly, and Shihouin Yoruichi would know what was going on.

After all, Higashino Shuichi asked Aizen to gather information for him from Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Tsunayoshiro Tokinada, and used it to create a inferior version of the Transcendental Body that Kisuke Urahara had previously developed.

Yes, it's unclear what Kisuke Urahara's considerations were, but after developing the overpowered divine artifact, the Tenshintai, he neither promoted it to the Soul Society nor abused it in private. Instead, he brought it to the human world and hid it away with the half of the Hogyoku.

It's unclear how long Higashino had been eyeing it, but after combining the powers of the two major bosses, Tsuna, Yashiro, Tokinada, and Aizen, he finally created a low-quality version of the Transcendent Body.

The reason it's called a low-quality version is that, although this pirated God Transformation Body is functionally identical to the original, it's limited by the fact that Kisuke Urahara somehow hid the key technology, meaning this pirated God Transformation Body can only be used three times. Furthermore, due to the difficulty in obtaining the materials used to make it, it's very difficult for Shuichi Higashino and his team to replicate a second one.

One of those opportunities was undoubtedly taken by Tsunayoshi Tokinada. Although Higashino Shuichi knew it was a waste, since his own Zanpakuto ability was utterly useless and he was going to use his family's heirloom weapon anyway, why bother?

But there was nothing Higashino Shuichi could do; after all, Tsunayoshi Tokinada had put in a lot of effort this time.

Without his video hall, Higashino Shuichi really wouldn't have been able to get such detailed research data for Aizen.

As for the second chance, Higashino Shuichi intends to give it to Yujima Oshu.

This guy's Zanpakuto's Shikai ability is practically invincible, and Higashino Shuichi is really looking forward to his Zanpakuto's Bankai.

Of course, we adhere to the fine tradition of fully extracting the value from a matter.

Of course, it was impossible for Higashino Shuichi to simply hand over the Transcendental Body to Yujima Oshu.

Thus, this assessment task came about, in which he and Aizen jointly "submitted" their work.

Although, just like the various variety shows in my previous life, the final winner was predetermined.

But there's an old saying that goes something like, "It's all about participation."

He, Higashino Hideichi, guaranteed that every participant—or rather, every person who came to fill a quota for this assessment—would have an unforgettable experience.

As for the third and final test, Higashino Shuichi planned to save it for the next test to motivate more Grim Reapers.

He, Higashino Shuichi, has completely mastered the art of making grand promises!

What's more, this isn't even a pie in the sky.

Time continued to pass, and it wasn't until one minute before Higashino Hideyoshi's appointed time that Shiba Kaien finally arrived late.

"I'm sorry, Shuichi-kun, I'm late."

Seeing the large number of Shinigami gathered at the foot of the mountain, Shiba Kaien knew he was late and said very apologetically.

Before Higashino Shuichi could answer, Madarame Ikkaku, who had just finished his sparring match with Iba Tetsuzaemon and was still basking in the joy of victory, immediately jumped in to answer.

"Haiyan, what's so late about you? There's a guy who hasn't even shown up yet!"

"Huh? Who else hasn't arrived yet?"

Shiba Kaien, who had also just finished dealing with his own team's affairs and rushed over, was surprised to find that there were others who were even later than him. After looking around, he knew the answer.
"It's Ou Xu? That can't be right. He's usually the first one to arrive, isn't he?"

Shiba Kaien's casual remark immediately caught the attention of Higashino Shuichi.

He knew what Yujima Oshu was doing, so it was understandable that he would arrive later than usual. However, the fact that she hadn't shown up yet was indeed a bit strange.

"Osh."

Higashino Shuichi frowned.

(End of this chapter)