Chapter 101: Heading to the Human World

Although Mayuri claimed that there was a mole within their ranks, there was no way to prove whether this was true or not.

At least on the surface, Yamamoto didn't take any action, simply instructing Aizen and Haruki to prepare for their investigation in the human world.

As for what Yamamoto might discuss privately with Mayuri, that was beyond Haruki's knowledge.

Besides, there wasn't much else to do at the moment.

Soon, two more days passed.

The annihilation of the Tsunayashiro main family naturally caused an uproar in the Seireitei. Fortunately, the Tsunayashiro branch families still existed, and they were now busy taking over the main family's assets, duties, and positions.

It was predictable that from now on, the main family would cease to exist, and the branch families would become the new main family.

However, Haruki had no intention of letting them live.

He had dealt with Tsunayashiro Tokinada, which, from the perspective of the main family, could be seen as punishment for the branch family. But for the branch families, Tsunayashiro Tokinada was one of their own.

They were too busy now, but sooner or later, they would remember Haruki and might come after him.

Haruki wasn't the type to wait for others to make the first move. He preferred to catch them off guard.

Whether they actually intended to harm him or not, if they had the capability and posed a threat, that was enough for him to act.

So, if Haruki had the ability, he would naturally strike first.

"The Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Divisions—four divisions in total—will conduct investigations in the human world," Haruki said to Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who stood beside him. "This shows how seriously the higher-ups are taking this matter. When we get there, don't wander off. Stick close to Captain Aizen, and if you encounter danger, don't try to be a hero. Understand?"

They were currently standing in front of the massive Senkaimon, about to head to the human world.

When captains and vice-captains traveled to the human world, they had to be marked with a "limiting seal."

This was because the spiritual pressure of captains and vice-captains was too powerful. If they appeared in the human world without any restrictions, it could destabilize the spiritual particles there.

Thus, the limiting seal would suppress 80% of their spiritual power, meaning that captains and vice-captains could only use one-fifth of their full strength in the human world.

Only after the Research and Development Institute removed the limiting seal could they regain their full power.

However, Haruki scoffed at this practice. It wasn't that he thought the measure itself was unnecessary—after all, the spiritual pressure of captains and vice-captains could indeed have a negative impact on the human world.

What he found ridiculous was that they only applied the seal to captains and vice-captains!

In other words, even if someone had spiritual pressure equivalent to a captain or vice-captain, as long as they didn't hold that rank, they wouldn't be marked with the seal!

This kind of logic baffled Haruki. If Yamamoto stepped down as captain-commander and went to the human world, would he also not need the seal?

Was this just blindly following regulations?

This was pure bureaucratic laziness! If I were the captain-commander, everyone responsible for applying these seals would be in trouble!

"You…"

Hearing his words, Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If all the vice-captains of the Gotei 13 were as 'responsible' as you, I'd really be worried about the future of this organization."

"You don't get it," Haruki said, ruffling Tōshirō's silver hair. "You have no idea how terrifying Urahara Kisuke is. He'd devour a kid like you without even spitting out the bones!"

"Idiot…" Tōshirō sighed, not wanting to engage with Haruki.

"Sigh, if you don't listen to the wisdom of your elders, you'll regret it later."

Haruki shook his head.

"Haruki, stop spouting nonsense," Chikane Iba said as he walked over, having overheard their conversation. "As a vice-captain, you should set an example for your subordinates!"

"Got it, got it," Haruki said, glancing at Chikane and then around the area. "Where's your captain?"

"Captain Komamura said to let me lead the squad members here first," Chikane replied. "What about Captain Aizen? Is he not here either?"

"He's already gone to the human world," Haruki said. "Since so many squad members are passing through the Dangai this time, Captain Aizen went ahead to set up 'boundary stabilization.'"

Boundary stabilization was a method to block the Kototsu, the temporal force within the Dangai.

The Dangai was a highly condensed spiritual space. To put it simply, Hueco Mundo, the human world, and the Soul Society were like three planets, with the Garganta as the cosmic space surrounding them, and the Dangai as the passage connecting the three.

In a way, the Dangai was a crucial area, serving as the bridge between the three worlds.

However, this passage was also fraught with danger.

For example, the Kototsu was a substance that flowed down from the sides of the Dangai. If touched, one could become trapped in the Dangai.

Then there was the most dangerous entity, the Kōtotsu, a being that symbolized time and space. It was a theoretical creature that Shinigami couldn't deal with.

Although Shinigami had no way to handle the Kōtotsu, they did have methods to deal with the Kototsu.

Normally, this wouldn't be necessary, but this time, a large number of Shinigami from four divisions were passing through the Dangai. Thus, boundary stabilization had to be set up to avoid complications from the Kototsu.

Aizen, ever the model Shinigami, took the lead in this laborious task.

He really is something. I could cry.

"Alright, Chikane, you wait here for Captain Komamura. We'll head to the human world first."

Haruki waved, bidding farewell to Chikane.

Chikane nodded. "Yeah, let's hope we can find traces of Urahara Kisuke and end this conflict as soon as possible."

"Let's hope so…"

Haruki nodded.

He had Tōshirō enter the Senkaimon first, stepping into the eerie and terrifying Dangai.

Behind him were the other members of the Fifth Division.

As the vice-captain, Haruki naturally brought up the rear, ensuring the safety of the squad members.

"Hurry up!"

Haruki urged.

He couldn't wait to get to the human world.

He was curious about how Urahara Kisuke would handle this situation.

And…

Since he was in the human world, should he pay a visit to Sōken Ishida?

He had started training as a Quincy but hadn't followed up on it, which was a bit of a shame.

If he got the chance, he'd go see him.

With that thought, Haruki passed through the Dangai at the back of the group and arrived in the human world.

"What a coincidence…"

As Haruki stepped out, he saw numerous Garganta openings in his line of sight, with Menos Grande emerging from them. He narrowed his eyes.

"Quite the special welcome ceremony…"