You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Saito gave a disgruntled look: "Can you say something nice? Hurry up and prepare a feast to welcome me, and hot water too. In Hueco Mundo, I can't take a bath even once every ten days or half a month."

The official naturally agreed, since Saito had returned alive, so no matter how great the losses were, they were still within an acceptable range, which was undoubtedly good news for the Seireitei, which was in a state of war.

"Anyone else?"

The officer saw the light screen flash again, followed by a series of elite Death Gods, each wounded to varying degrees, their faces bearing a resolute expression unlike that of ordinary people, and a hint of relief at having narrowly escaped death.

After a short while, the last to emerge from the interdimensional gate were a young man and woman who were dressed neatly and had outstanding appearances.

"Soul Society, Seireitei..."

Iori gazed at the undulating black and white buildings in the distance, which exuded a sense of grandeur amidst their solemnity, and smiled from the bottom of her heart.

"I'm finally back~"

-

"Commander-in-Chief, Lord Saito has arrived."

"Let her in."

"Yes!"

As the wooden door was pulled open, Saito Immortal, who had taken off his haori and was only wearing ordinary shihaka attire, walked in. Without bowing to Yamamoto, he sat cross-legged on the futon.

Looking at the captain's slightly bowed back, the one-eyed girl frowned and said bluntly, "Is there anything else? I've already said everything I needed to say in the report. What questions do you have that you need to call me over specifically?"

"Saito, the report is too simple, and the handwriting is very messy. As the team leader, you can't even do basic paperwork properly. What kind of behavior is this!"

The old man in a haori slowly turned around, his thick wooden cane slamming heavily on the floor. His admonitory tone made Saito grin.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, judging by his appearance alone, was just an ordinary old man with droopy eyes, loose skin, deep wrinkles, and a slightly hunched back. Apart from his long eyebrows and waist-length beard, which seemed somewhat extraordinary, he didn't seem to have anything awe-inspiring about him.

In fact, the Captain-Commander has not personally participated in battle for a long time, and ordinary soldiers have never even seen this old man take action.

Although we have great respect for him, we often guess that his strength is far weaker than at his peak. He is above the average captain, but the gap is not so large that it cannot be bridged.

Of course, considering that the Thirteenth Division is a violent organization, and that the Captain-Commander has maintained the title of "strongest" for a thousand years, his strength should indeed be the strongest in Seireitei.

According to many speculations, to be able to match the Captain-Commander... it would take at least two or three captains to come together, right?

—The above is the opinion of the new generation of Shinigami. However, veterans with more experience or a certain level of strength would scoff at such speculation.

But the captains wouldn't explain this to the ordinary team members, because Yamamoto Shigekuni's strength was beyond their comprehension.

After all, from a rabbit's perspective, the threat posed by jackals and lions is indeed about the same; only those who are both predators can understand how big the difference is!

Saito had followed Yamamoto for over 800 years and was one of the first captains, so he naturally knew how strong his physique was hidden under the haori of this seemingly frail old man...

So, despite the flippant attitude, the matter still needs to be explained clearly.

“Simply put, it was an unexpected encounter with Vastord,” Saito added, “and from both ends.”

“It has been speculated for a long time that there is more than one Vasto Lorde deep in Hueco Mundo. Although this was an unexpected encounter, it is not something that is particularly incredible.”

Yamamoto said in a deep voice, "But the skeleton Hollow you mentioned seems to be acting as a 'king' to command Adjuchas. If left unchecked, it might become a hidden danger."

"Indeed, but that guy is definitely not young. Although he is strong, he has an undeniable air of old age about him... I was tricked into going there and that's how I got into trouble with him."

Do you believe the other party doesn't have any undue ambition?

"I'm afraid so... But if war really breaks out, then we must make preparations in advance. I suggest that you, old man, take action personally."

Saito said seriously, "That ability is too troublesome. Although the current Squad Thirteen has a few experts, only you are absolutely confident in your ability to deal with it."

Yamamoto nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Some things can't be seen from reports alone, but after talking to Saito in person, you can tell from the old subordinate's attitude that the Vastod-class Hollow King was indeed powerful enough to make the first captain give up the idea of ​​a one-on-one revenge.

"The war with the Quincy is not over yet. We should focus our attention on the present world. As for Hueco Mundo... let's temporarily suspend our exploration of Hueco Mundo and reorganize the expeditionary force after the war ends."

"It's not over yet?"

Saito laughed dismissively: "A bunch of remnants are having such a hard time? The Thirteenth Squad has really fallen from grace these days~"

"Old man, if it were the old you, you could have wiped out all the Quincy in the world in just one day, right? Why go through all this trouble!"

Yamamoto Shigekuni didn't respond, and Saito, understanding the situation, also refrained from continuing.

First of all, as the Captain-Commander, Yamamoto needs to stay in the Soul Society and cannot easily go out.

Secondly, there's the rule of the Thirteenth Division: to avoid disrupting the human world, Shinigami of the rank of vice-captain or higher will not be dispatched to the human world unless absolutely necessary. Even if they are sent on a mission, they must seal most of their spiritual pressure.

The current situation is special due to the war, and the captains who went to the human world were not sealed away. However, the Seireitei has strictly limited the size of its army and the number of captains to reduce the damage to the human world.

If even the captain has to be this careful, then Yamamoto is even more so. With his destructive power... even his Shikai isn't really suitable for use in the human world!

Saito was just making a sarcastic comment, but she also understood that Yamamoto was no longer the same person he was eight hundred years ago. He had many concerns when doing things and always "put the big picture first." He was no longer the reckless "Flame Demon" and would never be the first to break the rules.

"It's good to stop exploring Hueco Mundo."

Saito casually lifted his shihaka (a type of Japanese armor) to show Yamamoto the wound on his abdomen.

"In order to stop the erosion of 'aging', I had part of my internal organs removed."

"I've already had the elites of the Fourth Division examine it. Although it can be treated using regeneration and resurrection techniques, a Shinigami's internal organs are responsible for the gathering and transfer of spiritual pressure, making it much more complicated than treating limbs... I won't be able to use Bankai for a while, nor will I be able to continue serving as the commander of the expeditionary force."

"Don't think too much during this time, just focus on recovering."

Yamamoto opened his eyes a narrow slit, seemingly concerned about Saito's injuries, but said little, only offering a few words of simple comfort.

"You've really had a tough time these past few years..."

"Ha~"

Saito laughed heartily, "I don't need pity or sympathy. Although Hueco Mundo is a godforsaken place, I quite like it!"

Furthermore, compared to my comrades who died much earlier, I've been incredibly lucky to have survived until now, and even managed to escape this incident.

"When it comes to this matter, you have been vague about how you and others escaped in your report."

All I can say is that a member named 'Aizen Iori' fought bravely and bought you some time.

Is there anything you'd like to add?

"Have!"

Saito put aside his dissolute nature and sat properly on the futon.

She gazed at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni and said with utmost seriousness, "You should take Aizen Iori under your wing—no Shinigami can inherit the essence of 'Genryu' better than him, I'm certain of that!"

A glint of light flashed in Yamamoto's eyes: "To receive such high praise from you, he must be no ordinary soldier."

Aizen... I remember that surname. His sister is a promising and outstanding talent, and she was also very active in this incident.

"But I'm very curious, what qualities does he possess that make you value him so highly?"

"He is strong!"

Saito said as if reciting a familiar list: "The four skills that every Shinigami must master are swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, instant step, and Kido... Human energy is limited, and most people will focus on one thing at a time. Even Shinigami who have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years may not be proficient in all of them."

But Aizen Iori… he’s an extremely rare all-rounder, his flawless and exceptionally pure strength is just like yours… no, his growth rate is even faster than yours!”

"Oh?"

Yamamoto opened his eyes and stared directly at Saito, while the one-eyed girl met his gaze calmly.

“How come you see?”

"Just because he's already mastered Bankai!"

Chapter 172: Does the Soul Society also have feudal superstitions?

Swastika…

This wasn't mentioned in the report!

Aizen Iori?

As the captain-commander, Yamamoto naturally wouldn't pay attention to the situation of every ordinary soldier, but he did know about Aizen Iori.

This person had previously applied to join the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force as a student and received a recommendation from Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the vice-captain of the 12th Division. This absurd thing was actually approved by the immortal Saito.

—At the time, the process seemed to be completed easily, but the Thirteenth Team was under military management. Transfers and promotions between different systems were not so easy.

The expeditionary force was described as a group of marginalized cannon fodder, but they were all genuinely selected from within the Thirteenth Squad. At the time, Iori was just a "temporary worker" and didn't seem qualified to join the expeditionary force at all.

It was Saito who spoke up to accept Iori, which allowed the personnel transfer order to be issued so smoothly.

There aren't many people that the captain can personally intervene in, and Saito is a single guy without any family members to hold him back, so Yamamoto noticed Iori when he was handling documents in his daily life.

At the time, he didn't think much of it. He just thought of Yuuki after seeing the surname "Aizen". He was slightly moved by how outstanding the two siblings were and pleased that his Shinigami Academy had cultivated many talents.

However, when the expeditionary force retreated back to Soul Society, Yamamoto saw that name again in the battle report, but the situation was very different.

According to the information gathered by the Sparrow Club, he was previously a reserve Shinigami at the Shinigami Academy of Spiritual Arts, and was exceptionally promoted to join the 13th Division and enter Hueco Mundo... It must have been less than a year, right?

In such a short time, he became a mid-level officer (one of the Four Heavenly Kings) in the expeditionary force and made great contributions in covering the retreat of the main force. His strength, talent, character and loyalty are impeccable. He can definitely be said to have a bright future.

This is already quite surprising, but now they're saying he's already mastered Bankai?

Yamamoto said, "Tell me the details of that day, carefully and thoroughly, without any omissions."

Saito also appeared very serious at this moment, knowing that the following conversation would have a great impact on Iori's life. He put away his cynical and dissolute side and instead earnestly told Yamamoto the whole story.

Without exaggeration or excessive embellishment, Saito explained the matter clearly and simply, leaving the Captain-Commander in a long silence.

On the day of the battle in Hueco Mundo, Saito was unable to fight Barragan due to his injuries and was surrounded by the Menos Grande along with his subordinates. At the critical moment, Aizen and his sister stepped forward, releasing their swords to repel the Adjuchas and temporarily stop the Hollows.

Then, Barragan, impatient, left the arena, and Iori unexpectedly unleashed Bankai.

His Zanpakuto, [Meijō Shisui], is a "Kidō-type, Water-based" sword. Its ability is to create and manipulate water, and to inject spiritual pressure into the water to increase its destructive power. Its Shikai is already quite powerful, and its Bankai can create a flood-level shockwave in a desolate desert, directly shattering the Hollows' formation.

Aizen Yuuki also played a significant role; her Zanpakuto was also of the "Flowing Water" type, but it was skilled in illusion rather than physical destruction.

During the battle between the expeditionary force and the Void Legion, she repeatedly used illusion magic to create the illusion of "corpses," covering the escape of the heavily wounded Grim Reaper and greatly reducing the casualties of the expeditionary force.

Although she was only at the Shikai level, she was clearly very talented in manipulating spiritual energy, even causing the Skeleton Emperor to fall into a trap multiple times, and doing her best to help Aizen Iori deal with him.

It was only through the combination of his mid-to-long-range water attacks, his self-developed lightning-style Kido, his impressive Shunpo skills, and Aizen Yuuki's assistance that he was able to barely hold off the Skeleton Emperor!

—After all, Barragan's "aging" power only takes effect when it is close to or directly touched.

Originally, this was just a desperate struggle, because such a battle consumes an enormous amount of spiritual pressure, and the two boys and girls who have not yet reached their peak certainly cannot last long.

Fortunately, just as the battle was becoming increasingly difficult, something seemed to have happened at the Skeleton King's lair, Las Noches, forcing the Vasto Lord-level Hollow King to abandon his pursuit of the Death Gods.

Subsequently, the remaining elite troops of the expeditionary force fought their way out of the Hollow Tide and successfully returned to Soul Society.

—This is everything that happened from Saito's perspective.

Despite being severely injured and having her mental and sensory abilities greatly diminished, she was absolutely certain that she had not overlooked any crucial details.

Yamamoto also believed her statement and did not question the matter itself; instead, he expressed concern in another aspect:

"Saito, you should know what it means to have mastered Shikai and Bankai in less than a year, right?"

"Of course I know that, which means Aizen Iori is most likely a 'mutant', right?"

The "alien species" mentioned here refer to those souls that are born with powerful spiritual pressure or unique abilities, and can grow to an extremely powerful level without much training, making them unpredictable by common sense.

That's not something that can be achieved simply through "talent" or "intelligence"; there must be some kind of absolute abnormality involved!

The most common situation is that the soul carries a "Spirit King Fragment". However, depending on the individual's aptitude and the size of the fragment, the form it manifests is also different. Some will bring powerful abilities, while others will be obscure and inconspicuous.

In addition, there are other species whose cause is unknown, whose true nature is unknown, and whose existence is unknown... This type is extremely rare, but it definitely exists; at least Saito knows of one.

That was many years ago, not long after the Thirteenth Division was established, when one of the first Kenpachi encountered such a monster while he was out and about!

This incident left a deep impression on the veteran captains. Saito still can't forget the shock of that day; she never imagined that "Yachiru" would lose to an unknown savage...

But now, having met Iori and witnessed this astonishing rate of growth firsthand, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy:

It's uncertain whether Iori can reach Yamamoto's level, but she'll probably surpass her in just a few years!

"If that's the case, then why did you recommend him to my school?"

Yamamoto squinted and asked, "He has already mastered Bankai. With more experience, he will have the qualifications to be promoted to captain. People at this level usually already have their own path. Besides, it would be absurd to talk about becoming an apprentice."

Moreover, he came from the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy. Although he was not my disciple, he was still a disciple of the same school.

Even without this official title, my experience as a senior should suffice to guide them.”

"Old man! Stop beating around the bush, just say it!"

Saito straightened his back and stared sharply at the Captain-Commander: "Letting him become an apprentice is not only to guide him, but more importantly, to protect him!"

His Zanpakuto, [Mirror of Still Water], and Aizen Sōyūhime's [Kyoka Suigetsu], both belong to the Water-type, and both possess exceptional talent. However, they both hail from Rukongai and are not related by blood—this is not a good thing!