Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 265

2-in-1 chapter

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On a bright, clear day with a pleasant breeze, Tōsen Kaname sat atop a rooftop, savoring the wind brushing against his cheeks.

Another peaceful day.

Watching the 11th Division members bustling about in the distance, he felt a tinge of emotion. Compared to the filthy underbelly of the Seireitei, the 11th Division was like an oasis in the desert. No scheming for profit, no sinister backstabbing, no leveraging power to bully others. It was exactly the kind of society he dreamed of.

He smiled. Right then, a voice drifted into his ears—

“Kenpachi, this won’t do!”

“…Huh?”

Not far from the training grounds, Zaraki Kenpachi was stretched out under the shade of a tree, enjoying a midday nap. Hearing the voice beside him, he lazily opened one eye.

He saw Rangiku Matsumoto crouched next to him, her expression earnest.

“Kenpachi, this is no time to be sleeping!” she said. “We and our buddies have run into an unprecedented crisis! If we don’t catch on soon, disaster’s inevitable!”

“?”

Kenpachi gave her a puzzled look, then shut his eye again.

“Hey, don’t doze off—I’m being serious!” Rangiku patted him on the shoulder.

“Tch, annoying. Spit it out already,” Kenpachi grumbled, frowning.

If it were anyone else, he’d have laid them out with a punch by now. But Rangiku—along with Tōsen, Komamura, and a few others from their cohort—were special. They’d joined the squad at the same time, hanging around Kaelith’s side, so he gave them more leeway.

Under Kenpachi’s impatient gaze, Rangiku cleared her throat.

“Kenpachi, haven’t you noticed how Kaelith is giving Gin Ichimaru way too much attention lately? Think back to when we were in the academy—he never visited us that often! Does that mean Kaelith cares more about that kid than about us?”

Kenpachi responded flatly, “I never attended the academy, came straight into the Division.”

“Oh, come on, you get what I mean. Don’t sweat the little details!”

“…”

He fell silent. After a few seconds, he shrugged. “Back then, there were a bunch of you at the academy all at once. How could the Captain have the time to watch over each of you individually? Gin is different—he’s the only one in his current batch going off to train at Shin’ō Academy, so of course Kaelith pays closer attention.”

Rangiku wagged a finger. “That’s where you’re wrong! Shiba Isshin arrived at the same time as Gin. Yet Kaelith doesn’t hover over him nearly as much. Gin Ichimaru is a real wildcard. If we don’t act early, he’ll become a huge problem!”

Kenpachi sounded bored. “Gin’s someone the Captain adopted personally. Isshin belongs more to Aizen’s side of things. Obviously, the Captain’s gonna favor his own people first.”

Seeing that Kenpachi had zero inclination to share her concerns, Rangiku put on a thoughtful look. A moment later, she spoke again:

“Kenpachi, Kaelith’s eye for talent has never been wrong, right?”

“Of course.”

He’d never doubted Kaelith’s judgment. Whether it was someone like Komamura—who had some foundation already—or complete novices like Tōsen or Rangiku herself, Kaelith always identified their strengths precisely and helped them grow. The facts spoke for themselves: they were all well on their way to captain-level power.

Rangiku gave a low chuckle. “Then if Kaelith values Gin Ichimaru so highly, it means that even among geniuses, Gin is another step above. Think about it—once he levels up, you’ll have a perfect new sparring partner, right? Another skilled fighter to clash with?”

This made Kenpachi pause for the first time. Rangiku seized the moment:

“My suggestion, Kenpachi, is for you to pay him more visits—train him hard. Let him discover how wonderful battle can be, show him the thrill of crossing blades! Under your guidance, Gin will become your perfect dueling partner!”

Zaraki stared at the sky for a few seconds. Then, in one swift motion, he jumped to his feet and dashed off toward the division’s front gates.

Watching him run off, Rangiku lightly raised a fist in triumph. With Kenpachi pestering Gin day after day, that kid wouldn’t have the time to stick to Kaelith like glue. Feeling pleased, she grabbed her sword and went off to find someone to spar with.

Meanwhile, Tōsen Kaname sighed inwardly.

I was too naïve. It’s just as Lord Kaelith said: Wherever people gather, there’s bound to be friction. Achieving my ideal world will take a lot more work.

…

“You’re making too many useless moves,” came a calm voice. “No stepping wide at that part; your balance goes off. And don’t swing with full power here. If your opponent sees it coming, they’ll exploit the opening and end it with one blow. Always keep about thirty percent in reserve. If you don’t land the hit, pull back in time.”

In a small grove, Sōsuke’s voice resonated coolly. Not far from him, a young Shinigami in standard uniform swung his blade, looking hopelessly distraught.

This was Shiba Isshin, a member of one of the Five Great Noble Houses. Although he was from a branch family, his “genius” reputation surpassed many of the main line.

Even the clan elders tended to spoil him a bit. Life was pretty smooth—until the day he received orders to join the 11th Division.

Truth be told, Isshin was thrilled about the 11th. He’d heard many tales of Captain Kaelith—this legendary man made him curious. He never expected that he wouldn’t be trained by Kaelith or any of the 11th’s officers, but rather by the 5th Division’s lieutenant, Aizen Sōsuke.

When he first learned of this arrangement, Isshin protested on the spot. If he was in the 11th Division, then everything he did reflected on the 11th. How could he let himself be guided by someone from another squad?

Aizen had nodded calmly…then taken him to a dojo. Thirty minutes later, Isshin emerged in tatters, face bruised and swollen, and immediately pledged eternal loyalty to Lieutenant Aizen. Kisuke Urahara had called it “expert-level strategy.”

Hearing Aizen’s frosty advice now, Isshin dared not slack off. He adjusted his stance and how much force he put into each slash. After a few attempts, he realized with surprise that the strike felt smoother than before. He looked at Aizen with renewed excitement.

“Incredible, Aizen-senpai! Thank you for the pointers!”

“Heh…glad it helps.”

Aizen slid his glasses higher, eyes hidden by the glare on the lenses. A faint, cryptic smile showed on his face. He picked up a folder filled with that day’s training plan for Shiba Isshin, ready to start in earnest—when suddenly a shout rang out:

“Sōsuke!!!”

Aizen paused briefly, then tucked the folder away. Isshin glanced over, delighted to see a familiar figure flashing toward them not far off.

“Captain!”

Beaming, Isshin waved. Kaelith responded in kind, greeting him casually. Then he walked over to Aizen.

Under Aizen’s scrutiny, Kaelith let out a sly chuckle. “Sōsuke, I’ve prepared a wonderful present for you.”

“A present?” Aizen narrowed his eyes. His first instinct was that Kaelith had caused some mess and needed him to clean it up. But judging by the smug look on Kaelith’s face, it seemed he’d genuinely done something he considered worthwhile.

Glancing at Isshin, Aizen spoke: “Isshin, you’ll be doing solo training today. Practice that sword style thoroughly. Tomorrow I’ll give you a pop quiz. If you can’t execute it flawlessly the moment I test you, your training load for the next week doubles.”

Faced with this merciless proclamation, Isshin looked ready to cry. Kaelith chipped in:

“If you need someone to practice with, go ask Lieutenant Kenpachi. I’m sure he’d be very happy to join.”

Isshin’s face twitched—nobody in the Seireitei enjoyed a good scuffle more than that man. “Captain, if you have time, could you coach me sometime?”

“Sure thing. I’ll find you when I’m free.”

With that, Kaelith vanished in a burst of Shunpo, and Aizen followed suit. Isshin stared at the empty spot they’d just occupied, envy written on his face. Both men were so fast that he, a self-proclaimed genius, couldn’t even detect their departure. They weren’t that much older than him, either. Compared to them, was he really any kind of “genius” at all?

…...

..

.

Aizen froze momentarily at the sight before him. Even someone as composed as he was couldn’t hide his astonishment. Inside the lab, over a dozen people were bound and arranged in neat rows. Judging by their spiritual signatures, every single one was a fairly capable Shinigami. One figure in particular stood out—a two-meter-tall, six-hundred-pound hulk. His presence was impossible to ignore. Aizen assessed him briefly and felt a spark of excitement.

That Reiatsu…he’s on the level of a captain.

“Kaelith, what’s all this?” he asked, though he already had a clue.

Kaelith chuckled. “Rejoice, Sōsuke. This is the mighty realm your chancellor—yours truly—has seized on your behalf. That big one there, name’s Guiyanjō, was a tyrant out in Rukongai. Ages ago, he tried challenging me to steal the 11th Division captaincy. Captain Unohana happened to be around and frightened him off with a burst of killing intent. Lately, I tracked him down again, just out of curiosity.

Turns out he was lying low for a while, then went right back to being a thug. Guy’s a menace—figured we might as well make him useful for an experiment.”

Aizen eagerly nodded. With a subject of that caliber, he certainly wasn’t giving him back. Kaelith gestured toward several others.

“These are from the Tsunayashiro clan defectors in Hueco Mundo. A group of them tried sneaking back to the Seireitei through the Garganta while we were away, hoping to report us. To reward their courage, I decided to gift them a shot at ‘new power.’”

Aizen simply nodded. Their attempt at betrayal didn’t surprise him in the slightest; after all, he was the one who’d “accidentally” leaked the Garganta’s location to them.

Two days of preparations later, Aizen began his experiments. One by one, these Shinigami broke through the taboo boundary under the Hōgyoku’s power. Though none survived in the end, the wealth of data gleaned let Aizen discover the key he needed. Sifting through his notes, he further refined the Hōgyoku. Half a month passed before he finally turned to his most precious specimen: Guiyanjō.

When Shinigami undergo Hollowfication—successful or not—they lose control briefly and their power surges. To prevent accidents, Aizen specially invited Kaelith for backup. Together, they layered over a dozen barriers. With everything secured, Kaelith watched as Aizen lifted the dazzling jewel and pressed it to Guiyanjō’s forehead.

A burst of light flared.

Even under heavy anesthesia, Guiyanjō abruptly thrashed.

“Urrgh…Hrrr—Rrraaaagh!!”

He let out a frightening roar, colossal body shaking off the drug’s effects. White fluid gushed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, solidifying into a stark-white mask over his entire face. The eyes behind that mask opened—where the sclera had once been black, an eerie crimson glow now shone.

“Hurgh… Kaelith…Kaelith…!!!”

The mask’s jaws parted, revealing row upon row of teeth in a dark cavity, scraping together with a nerve-grating screech. In the next moment, a terrifying Reiatsu erupted from Guiyanjō’s body.

BOOM!!

A towering pillar of spiritual pressure soared upward—only to be hammered back down by two colossal forces. Almost simultaneously, Kaelith and Aizen unleashed their Reiatsu like a falling sky, slamming down on Guiyanjō’s power. They couldn’t risk letting him burst through the barriers and spread his presence across half the Soul Society.

Sensing how strong Guiyanjō’s Reiatsu had become, Kaelith was momentarily taken aback. He’d expected it to be high, but not on this level. None of the Visored had shown so much sheer force… Aside from Kurosaki Ichigo, most Hollowfied Shinigami in the original story were unimpressive.

What Kaelith didn’t know was that Aizen’s research progress here far surpassed its pace in the original timeline. Back then, even by the time he defected, Aizen hadn’t perfected the Hōgyoku, so the one used to create the Visored was essentially a failure. Had Kisuke Urahara not cleaned up the aftermath, none of those Hollowfied captains or lieutenants would have survived. Now, though the Hōgyoku still wasn’t “perfect,” it far exceeded what made the old Visored.

“Kaelith! Be careful,” Aizen called out. “The specimen’s strength is beyond our estimates.”

Kaelith simply grinned. “Relax, Sōsuke. My strength, too…might be beyond your expectations.”

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