That night, at the 7th Division barracks.
"Coming so late, does Master have instructions for this disciple?"
Sajin Komamura sat upright and asked in a low voice.
It was already past midnight. If it weren't important, his Master wouldn't come to find him at this hour.
"I do have something to see you about." Sora nodded gently. "You must have heard about the Hell Expeditionary Force, right?"
Seeing Komamura nod, Sora continued:
"The Gotei 13 will send five Captain-class combatants to form the Hell Expeditionary Force."
"Three candidates have already been confirmed: Head Captain Yamamoto, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, and Saitō Furōfushi."
"But Batsu'unsai told me today that she also wants to join the Hell Expeditionary Force."
"I am a bit worried about letting her go to Hell like that. After all, the enemy they might encounter is Yhwach, and I am tied up with important matters and cannot go with them..."
Komamura understood his Master's meaning and said without hesitation: "Master, rest assured. This disciple will protect Grandmaster with his life!"
"Batsu'unsai doesn't need your protection. Her strength is ranked among the top even amongst the Captains."
Sora patted Komamura on the shoulder and smiled. "But you are my most trusted disciple. I'll feel more at ease if you are by her side!"
Sajin Komamura was loyal and devoted. Under Sora's training, his strength was much greater than his original version.
He just hadn't been promoted to Captain because there were no vacancies.
In addition, Komamura's wolf-man physique was quite durable.
With several Captain-class combatants as companions, even if they encountered Yhwach, he wouldn't be killed instantly.
Sora couldn't go to Hell himself. He needed to seize the time to train his disciples and enhance his own strength.
He would only go to Hell when the Hell Expeditionary Force found Yhwach.
So, Sora wanted Komamura to join the Hell Expeditionary Force to help look after Batsu'unsai and prevent any accidents.
Komamura said solemnly, "This disciple will not fail the mission!"
"This trip is quite dangerous. I have a way to let you gain the power of a Hollow, but it requires a firm will to withstand this power."
Sora continued to ask, "Are you willing to accept this power?"
"Hollow power?" Komamura instinctively wanted to refuse.
But since it was proposed by his most respected Master, he ultimately nodded. "This disciple is willing!"
Komamura was already an outlier among the Shinigami. If he became a Shinigami with Hollow powers, he would be an outlier among outliers.
If anyone else had asked him, he probably would have drawn his sword on the spot.
Sora saw through Komamura's thoughts and said gently:
"Don't feel mentally burdened. Mastering Hollow power is a necessary path to break the limits of a Shinigami."
"Did you know that the high and mighty Soul King also possesses Hollow power? Not only that, but the Soul King even possesses Quincy power!"
"So, a Shinigami possessing Hollow power is not an anomaly!"
"It means stepping into a higher level!"
Komamura looked surprised. "The Soul King actually possesses the powers of Hollows and Quincys!"
"That's right. This is a secret known only to a few in the three worlds."
Sora took out a glowing orb. "This item is called the 'Hōgyoku'. It is a wondrous object created with the Soul King's power as its core. It can grant you the power of a Hollow."
Sora planned to let Komamura gain the ability of Hollowfication. This was the fastest way to improve his strength.
In a critical moment, Hollowfication was a trump card that could save his life.
Batsu'unsai Katori had already mastered Hollowfication long ago.
Sora had no discrimination against Hollow power. He didn't think that a Shinigami possessing Hollow power was an aberration.
Under Sora's influence, Batsu'unsai Katori had also accepted the power of the Hollow.
"Understood," Komamura said gravely. "Please grant me power, Master!"
...
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni led the team to Hell to search for traces of Yhwach.
Currently, the Acting Captain-Commander was the Chief of the Sages and Chief Judge of Central 46, Yanagi Danzō.
After Yanagi Danzō took over the duties of Acting Captain-Commander, the first thing he did was go to the 1st Division's archives.
He carefully reviewed the resumes of the Captains and Lieutenants of each division.
Central 46 also had copies of these resumes, but the ones they had were not as detailed as the collection in the 1st Division and lacked many details.
In name, both Central 46 and the Gotei 13 were now managed by Yanagi Danzō. He was currently the most powerful person in the Seireitei.
But Yanagi Danzō had struggled in Central 46 for hundreds of years. He was no longer the Yanagi Kenpachi who charged at the front lines of the battlefield.
He knew very well that the title of Acting Captain-Commander was just a hollow name.
Whether he could control the Gotei 13 depended on how many Captains he could win over.
"Yoruichi Shihōin, Kana Azashiro, Sōsuke Aizen, Kensei Muguruma, and Isshin Shiba are all disciples of Sora Katori."
"The Lieutenant of the 4th Division is too. Not only that, even the son of Sōjun Kuchiki is this man's disciple!"
"This man's prestige in the Gotei 13 is probably no less than that of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!"
Yanagi Danzō calculated in his heart which Captains could be won over.
Then he discovered that more than half of the Captains and Lieutenants had close relationships with Sora Katori!
"This man is quite tricky... However, Love Aikawa, a Captain from the Rukongai, might be tempted with benefits."
Yanagi Danzō didn't think about directly suppressing the people of the Katori lineage. If he did that, he would probably be ousted before long.
"Yoruichi Shihōin and Kana Azashiro... given their relationship with Sora Katori, I don't have any chips in my hand that can move them..."
"I was the one who took over Retsu Unohana's position as Kenpachi back then. She should have some nostalgia for the past."
"But with her temperament, she probably won't help me. At most, she'll stay neutral."
Yanagi Danzō ruled out the idea of winning over Retsu Unohana. He knew very well how terrifying she was. Avoiding her was the best choice.
"Sōjun Kuchiki... The people of the Kuchiki family are stubborn. As long as I operate properly, they are easy to use."
"Kyōraku Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake are Captains of the Yamamoto faction. I need to find an opportunity to sow discord between them and the Katori faction."
"Isshin Shiba... forget it."
Yanagi Danzō automatically ruled out the idea of winning over Isshin Shiba. To the high-ranking nobles, the Shiba family was a disgrace to the nobility. There was no possibility of winning him over.
"Sōsuke Aizen and Kensei Muguruma are both Captains born in the Rukongai. Perhaps I can try to lure them with benefits."
Yanagi Danzō believed that the master-disciple relationship was not immune to poaching.
Especially those born in the Rukongai, who hadn't seen much of the world and had lower baselines.
Under heavy profits, even a rock-solid master-disciple relationship could develop cracks.
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