Time flew swiftly, years passed in the blink of an eye.
Hueco Mundo remained much the same, its eternal twilight unchanging.
Perhaps the only real difference was that the Akatsuki had grown in size. With the addition of new members, its structures had expanded, and the oasis had become more like a true settlement.
The dense spiritual energy still lingering in the air was proof that Natsuro remained in seclusion, unchanged. The constant flow of reiatsu meant nothing had gone wrong, he was still alive and cultivating.
Aside from that, Ulquiorra was no longer in Hueco Mundo.
After years of training, his control over his power had finally reached the standard Natsuro had set for him.
And so, without hesitation, and without any concern for his high position within the Akatsuki, Ulquiorra left for the Human World.
He wasn't worried about leaving the organization behind.
After all, Starrk was still there. Since overcoming his loneliness, Starrk had focused entirely on strengthening himself, and his progress had been extraordinary.
Even without him, Harribel and the other newly joined members stood ready.
Every one of them had passed strict examinations before joining; while their personalities varied, their shared purpose was aligned with Akatsuki's ideals.
As for the Soul Society, those years were peaceful and uneventful.
Though Natsuro had long vanished, the Fourth Division functioned perfectly under its vice-captain, Isane Kotetsu. His absence made no difference to their operations.
The biggest changes had occurred in the Eleventh Division.
First, the disappearance of Yachiru Kusajishi left the vice-captain position vacant.
Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa fought fiercely for the title, and after Ikkaku revealed his Bankai in battle, he claimed victory and the position.
Meanwhile, Renji Abarai rose from an Eleventh Division officer to become the vice-captain of the Sixth Division, under none other than Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.
Then there was Kenpachi Zaraki. When he awoke from his long slumber, he seemed like a completely different person. He no longer needed the eyepatch that suppressed his reiatsu, nor any form of self-restraint.
Kenpachi had learned to adjust his strength freely according to his opponent, and could even return to full power afterward, mastering control at last.
Yet even so, few could withstand him. Some things never changed, such as his skin, which no blade could cut.
In the years that followed, Kenpachi challenged nearly every captain in the Gotei 13. Aside from those who outright refused, he had fought and defeated almost all of them.
But even then, he couldn't find the same thrill he'd once felt fighting Natsuro.
That battle had been unique, one that even now he longed to relive. Yet no matter how hard he searched, no one knew where Natsuro was. It was as though he had vanished completely from the Soul Society.
Aside from that, the Soul Society continued its eternal routines, its rigid order functioning as it always had.
Within that order, Rukia Kuchiki, now a seated officer of the Thirteenth Division, was dispatched to the Human World for her first mission: the purification of lost souls.
But beneath that calm surface… who could say what hidden currents stirred?
...
The Human World
When Ulquiorra emerged from a spatial rift, he looked around at the buildings and the bustling streets filled with people.
"So this is the Human World? The spiritual energy here… is so thin," he muttered, frowning.
He had arrived in Karakura Town, known as one of the few spiritual hotspots in the world, where reiatsu concentration was unusually high.
Yet even so, compared to Hueco Mundo, especially the Akatsuki's oasis where Natsuro's spiritual current still surged, it was like heaven and earth. Not even comparable.
Still, Ulquiorra had expected as much. After a brief frown, he said nothing further.
Adjusting the sword at his waist, he slipped his hands into his pockets and began walking in no particular direction. His destination: the Urahara Shop, the place Natsuro had told him to find.
As he walked down the street, no one noticed him. That was natural, ordinary humans couldn't see spiritual beings until they had awakened spiritual sensitivity.
The more he observed, the less he understood why Natsuro had sent him here.
"What is there to see in this world?" he wondered. "So many of them walk around listlessly… though some laugh, for reasons I do not understand."
After searching for some time, he finally sensed a high concentration of spiritual energy, but when he arrived…
"This doesn't look like a shop," he murmured, staring at a school building. Within it, several strong spiritual presences stood out.
Still, it clearly wasn't the place he was looking for, so he turned and left.
He didn't notice the orange-haired teenager sitting by a window on the third floor, watching him curiously.
Ichigo Kurosaki tilted his head, squinting through the glass.
"What kind of outfit is that? Cosplay? Who cosplays in front of a school?" he muttered. "Lost, maybe?"
When the pale stranger turned to leave, Ichigo shrugged and went back to staring out the window.
Eventually, Ulquiorra found the Urahara Shop, after questioning numerous wandering souls along the way.
"So this is Urahara's shop? It doesn't look special," he said, examining the old-fashioned building. He couldn't sense any spiritual power inside.
But then his expression changed, his eyes narrowed in recognition.
If Natsuro had sent him here, then the shop's owner couldn't be ordinary. The fact that he couldn't sense anything at all meant only one thing:
Not that the man lacked reiatsu, but that his control over it far exceeded Ulquiorra's ability to perceive it.
"As expected of someone recommended by Natsuro," Ulquiorra murmured in quiet admiration.
After a moment's thought, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.
"Who's there?"
The voice that answered was annoyingly bratty. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal a red-haired boy holding a broom, Jinta Hanakari, one of the shop's assistants.
Jinta froze, staring at the pale stranger before him.
The man's face was expressionless, his skin ghostly white, with two green tear-like streaks running down from his eyes. He wore a high-collared white outfit that covered his neck, and at his side hung a sword.
At first glance, Jinta assumed he was just another Soul Reaper.
"You a new Shinigami?" Jinta asked bluntly.
"I am not a Soul Reaper," Ulquiorra replied evenly. "Is this the Urahara Shop?"
"What else would it be? You can't read the sign?" Jinta said, frowning. "You're old enough to know your kanji, right?"
"It is the Urahara Shop, then. Natsuro sent me. I was told to request a gigai from the shopkeeper so that I can live in the Human World."
The mention of Natsuro made Jinta's eyes widen.
"Wait, Natsuro sent you?" he said, astonished. Then, without hesitation, he pulled the door wide open.
"If that's the case, then come in."
Since he was a guest introduced by Natsuro, there was no reason to be cautious.
Thinking this, Jinta led Ulquiorra toward the back room.
"Shopkeeper!" he yelled. "Someone's here, Natsuro sent him!"
As Ulquiorra passed through the front of the shop, he suddenly felt something and looked up.A black cat was perched above, staring intently at him, or rather, at the bony helm-like fragment on the side of his head, the remnant of the mask he had worn before becoming an Arrancar.
"This cat… isn't ordinary," Ulquiorra thought as he met its gaze.
Yoruichi Shihōin, in her feline form, was watching him closely as well. She had overheard Jinta's words—this stranger had been sent by Xia Li.
From Ulquiorra's body, she sensed a strange aura. It wasn't human, nor was it that of a Soul Reaper—it felt unmistakably… Hollow.
Moreover, that bone-like armor on his head—it looked exactly like the same substance that made up a Hollow's mask.
And yet, there was no mask covering his face. That alone made Yoruichi uncertain what to make of him. Still, since he had been introduced by Xia Li, she decided he was unlikely to pose any danger.
Stretching like an ordinary cat, Yoruichi shook her fur and leapt down from her perch, heading toward the back room. She wanted to see what would happen.
Soon after, Jinta led Ulquiorra inside to meet Kisuke Urahara.
"Well, well… sent by Natsuro you say? That guy hasn't shown any sign of life in years. How's he doing these days?"
Kisuke's pupils contracted briefly when he saw Ulquiorra, but then he smiled as usual, his voice light but curious.
"I don't know," Ulquiorra replied. "After returning to our side, Natsuro entered seclusion and hasn't emerged since."
"I see," Kisuke mused. "Then I suppose he must be making quite a breakthrough this time."
He couldn't even imagine how powerful Natsuro might become after another round of training, he had already been strong beyond measure before.
"Before going into seclusion, Natsuro told me to come to the Human World and find you," Ulquiorra continued calmly. "He said I should request a gigai, a false body, so I can experience life here."
"Is that so?" Kisuke studied him carefully, his gaze lingering on the half-mask-like bone structure on Ulquiorra's head. After a pause, he asked, "Would you mind showing me your Hollow hole?"
The question made both Jinta and Yoruichi jolt in shock.
Jinta had never once suspected that Ulquiorra might be a Hollow, while Yoruichi, though she had guessed as much, still felt a jolt of surprise upon hearing the confirmation.
Ulquiorra tilted his head slightly, puzzled, but he didn't refuse. Since he was asking for Kisuke's help, it was only natural to comply with his request.
He unzipped the collar of his high-necked coat, revealing his pale neck, and the black Hollow hole in the center of his collarbone.
"No way… he's really a Hollow?!" Jinta shouted, eyes wide with disbelief, instinctively raising his broom in a defensive stance.
"Jinta!" Kisuke barked. "There's no need to panic, he isn't an enemy."
At Kisuke's words, Jinta reluctantly lowered his broom, though he continued to glare warily at Ulquiorra, ready to strike at any sudden movement.
Kisuke, meanwhile, examined the Hollow hole with interest and nodded slowly, "I remember Natsuro mentioning that he met two rather unusual Hollows in Hueco Mundo who managed to become Arrancar, intelligent beings nearly indistinguishable from Soul Reapers in mind and ability."
"Yes. The other one has no interest in the Human World, so he didn't come," Ulquiorra said plainly.
"Heh. Natsuro did say he'd bring you two around someday. I didn't expect we'd meet like this instead." Kisuke smiled faintly. So it was true... there really were Hollows who could, by their own strength, transcend the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami.
"I didn't come earlier," Ulquiorra explained, "because my control over my spiritual power wasn't yet sufficient to suppress my reiatsu. If I had entered the Human World then, the Soul Reapers' sensors would have detected me immediately. Only recently did I complete my training and gain enough control to hide it."
"I see," Kisuke nodded, recalling Natsuro's words about how he might one day encounter evolved Hollows like these.
Back then, Kisuke hadn't been sure what to think.
But now looking at Ulquiorra, he could tell the man was calm, rational, free of the madness and bloodlust that defined most Hollows.
His face was still expressionless, his voice devoid of emotion, but there was unmistakable clarity in his eyes.
And considering that he had clearly been in the Human World for some time without causing harm, that alone was enough proof.
Perhaps, Kisuke thought, this was already a sufficient beginning.
If you want to read more...
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 518 - The Royal Guard