Chapter 356: Aizen, Stranded in the Shinobi World
"He chose to pursue power, so he must be prepared for failure."
"Just like I taught you—those with true strength must learn to control it, even when they don't want to crush an ant beneath their feet."
"So, if you don't want to be crushed by the world like an ant… then do whatever it takes to become stronger. Only then will you be qualified to stand beside me as a companion."
Aizen turned his head.
Wearing his trademark glasses, he looked as kind and affable as ever, smiling gently at Gin Ichimaru.
"Companion?"
Gin, who knew Aizen's true nature all too well, felt a chill run down his spine.
He understood very clearly—
there was no one in Aizen's heart that could truly be called a "companion." Everyone was just a tool.
The only distinction lay in how useful that tool was, and how much impact it could deliver.
A being like this, who had completely abandoned the emotional framework of life,
could no longer be called human—or even a Shinigami.
He was less than a Hollow.
Gin had slain many Hollows, and even they, at the moment of death, displayed anger, regret, or despair.
Aizen, however, rarely showed even negative emotion.
Gin didn't even know what to call someone like him.
Disgusting, maybe.
"You came all the way to the Rukongai to find me. I assume you've brought something that will interest me?"
Aizen walked toward the door.
As he passed by Gin, he casually dropped the question.
Gin put on his fake smile and pulled out a pitch-black scroll from his robes.
"As expected, nothing escapes Captain Aizen. I've acquired a teleportation scroll from the Shinobi World. I wonder if it interests you?"
Aizen stopped walking.
Gin's expression turned apologetic.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't acquire an invitation that would allow Captain Aizen to become a Reincarnation Game player directly."
"I haven't collected a full armor set yet, and my Zanpakutō only has two branded skills. I don't have the strength to take on a Corruption Lord."
"But," Gin continued, "Shinobi World players have issued missions to open up teleportation permissions. That gave me a chance to get this scroll."
He placed the scroll on the lab table.
Still smiling, he added,
"If Captain Aizen is too impatient to wait, you could use this to enter the Shinobi World now."
"The players there already have established family systems and receive player invitations monthly. Although those are reserved for natives…"
"But with your Kyōka Suigetsu, it should be easy to disguise yourself as a native and deceive your way to an invitation."
Then Gin changed tone.
"Of course, if you find that troublesome, give me a bit more time. I'll get an invitation for you personally, Captain Aizen."
He didn't look Aizen in the eye as he spoke.
It was a basic test.
By playing on Aizen's curiosity and desire to join the game, Gin hoped to lure him into the Shinobi World—
which would buy Gin time to grow stronger, since Aizen wouldn't be able to return to the Shinigami World for a while.
To Gin, being under Aizen's shadow felt like living with Kyōka Suigetsu hanging over him at all times.
In the past, he had no hope—he simply gave up and accepted his fate.
But now that he'd glimpsed a chance, the suffocating pressure grew unbearable. It wrapped around his soul like chains.
Of course, Gin knew this was just a probe.
If he were Aizen, there's no way he'd abandon the upcoming plan and leave Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society to venture into an unfamiliar world.
For Gin, it was like buying a lottery ticket—he didn't expect to win.
If it only served to deepen Aizen's interest in the game and help solidify Gin's own value, that would already be enough.
Clink.
A radiant soul gem flew toward Gin.
Instinctively, Gin drew his Zanpakutō to block it.
Then his eyes widened in disbelief.
"The… Hōgyoku?"
That brilliant gem pulsing with soul light—
it was the object he'd dreamed of day and night.
The one torn forcibly from Rangiku Matsumoto's soul—his most beloved person.
And Aizen had just… tossed it to him?
Aizen's face remained calm,
as if he'd thrown away a pebble.
"You managed to briefly disrupt my Kyōka Suigetsu. Then, in the middle of my experiment's failure, you showed up here in Rukongai, right in front of me. That's a lot of effort, Gin."
"I've seen your conviction. So take it. The Hōgyoku."
In that moment,
the Hōgyoku was no longer the culmination of years of scheming—a wish-granting machine or a tool to fulfill ideals.
It was a toy Aizen casually handed to a subordinate.
"Is this… an illusion?"
Gin felt elated at first.
Then the alarm bells screamed in his mind.
He activated his Phantom Serpent ability, along with his Sharingan,
forcibly tearing a rift in the false world of Kyōka Suigetsu.
Just doing that consumed nearly half of his energy.
Gin smiled bitterly.
He had once believed Aizen's dominance came solely from his Zanpakutō.
But after peeking beyond the veil, he realized—
Even without his blade, Aizen's spiritual pressure alone made him one of the strongest in the Soul Society.
He could kill Gin effortlessly.
But soon, Gin's attention turned to the Hōgyoku again.
He stared at it. "It's real…?"
There were no words for what he felt.
Like someone who bought a lottery ticket as a joke and hit the jackpot.
Then got offered a free mansion on top of it.
He was dizzy.
"It's real."
Aizen wore a wounded look, smiling helplessly.
"I never lied to you, Gin. It's just that your eyes couldn't yet see the truth."
"Why would I create a fake Hōgyoku with Kyōka Suigetsu?"
"The Espada?"
"My plan in Soul Society?"
"So naïve, Gin. So naïve it's boring."
"You only see the value in the Hōgyoku because you're admiring it from the edge of a cliff.
You're too afraid to leap for it, fearing the fall."
"So, leave me your left eye.
That will be your punishment for being… dull."
The moment Aizen spoke,
Gin had no time to react. His vision blurred.
He reached up and found his left eye gone—replaced by a gory, empty socket.
Aizen's fingers, stained with blood, held his stolen Mangekyō Sharingan.
He casually picked up the teleportation scroll from the table.
A ripple of space tore open as the scroll activated.
Aizen's figure vanished.
Leaving behind only a light, almost dismissive farewell.
"While I'm gone, take care of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo."
"Try it. See if you can make that dream come true. If you really do manage to kill me…"
"I'll be sure to applaud you—right before I die—for breaking free of your chains."
"Gin-san."
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