Chapter 59: Developing SR-level Mind Gem and Death Gloves

"It seems you've learned my Kido techniques, but not the essence of how I conduct business." Uehara Shiroha smirked, glancing at the two young Shinigami before him. "Don't forget how these secret bases came to be. True strength isn't just about power—it's also about knowing when to let someone else foot the bill."

Rukia Kuchiki and Momo Hinamori exchanged awkward smiles but dared not argue.

Ever since becoming apprentices, Captain Unohana and Captain Kyōraku had repeatedly warned them—learn Teacher Uehara's skills, but don't inherit his personality. Though their teacher didn't seem like a bad person, some of his "deeds" were simply too bold for them to follow.

Take, for example, his partnership with Yachiru Kusajishi in systematically hollowing out the Kuchiki estate, creating countless secret tunnels and hidden rooms beneath it. Rukia's elder brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, had attempted multiple times to reclaim the lost territory, only to return in vain.

To call it daylight robbery wouldn't even be an exaggeration.

"So, you're still too naïve," Uehara continued, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "You know what they say—a thief eating stolen goods tastes the sweetest."

With a smirk, he pressed a concealed button on the wall, revealing yet another secret passage. The two young girls watched as their teacher strolled inside and emerged moments later with a large pile of Konpeitō—the latest, most expensive variety on the market.

"Wow! This is the newest edition!" Rukia's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Momo, equally enraptured, nodded enthusiastically. "It's really expensive, though..."

Uehara Shiroha's smirk widened. "That's why it tastes even better when it's free."

The two girls hesitated only for a moment before succumbing to temptation. Soon, they were happily munching on the stolen sweets alongside their unscrupulous teacher.

When Ise Nanao finally arrived at the meeting hall after a long day of handling Court Army affairs, the first sight that greeted her was Uehara, Rukia, and Momo shamelessly indulging in snacks. The table before them was covered in colorful Konpeitō candies.

Her eyebrows twitched.

"Isn't this the President's favorite snack?"

Her sharp gaze landed on Uehara Shiroha, who had the audacity to greet her casually while popping another piece of candy into his mouth.

"Nanao, you're here. You've worked hard," he said leisurely, as if he hadn't just been caught red-handed.

She exhaled sharply, trying to keep her composure. "Commander, why on earth did you fight Captain Zaraki? Do you realize how risky that was—" She wanted to scold him but found herself too exhausted to even finish the thought. Instead, she snatched a pack of Chappie-brand Konpeitō from Rukia, tore open the packaging, and began eating.

Rukia, who had been about to stuff the stolen candy into her pocket, froze mid-motion. Her expression turned to utter devastation.

"My... my precious Chappie Konpeitō…" she whispered, reaching out weakly.

Hinamori, on the other hand, feigned ignorance, happily munching away as though she hadn't seen anything.

It was a well-known fact—no girl could resist sweets, and no woman could resist Uehara Shiroha's persuasion.

Within minutes, he had skillfully coaxed Nanao into joining them. The four of them spent the evening chatting, laughing, and enjoying their stolen treats in a rare moment of peaceful bliss.

That tranquil moment, however, was short-lived.

A sharp cry suddenly echoed through the chamber, filled with heart-wrenching sorrow.

"MY CANDY IS GONE! THIEF!!!"

A pink-haired blur shot through the door.

Before anyone could react, Yachiru Kusajishi—the Shinigami Women's Association President and menace of the Soul Society—had already launched a flying kick straight at Uehara Shiroha.

"I KNEW IT WAS YOU, prettyyyy boyyyyy!" she roared.

She was fast. Almost too fast.

But to Uehara, it was nothing.

With a mere flick of his hand, he froze Yachiru mid-air, her tiny form suspended helplessly in the middle of the room.

The three girls beside him sighed in unison.

"Here we go again..."

"Captain," Nanao deadpanned, adjusting her glasses. "Why did you freeze the President again?"

"Isn't she cold like that?" Momo asked innocently.

Rukia crossed her arms. "At this point, even if the President is frozen 9,999 times, she'll still charge at Uehara-sensei the ten-thousandth time."

"You summed it up nicely," Uehara mused, sending the still-frozen Yachiru to the front seat of the meeting room.

At this point, she had become more of a mascot than an actual leader.

Then, as if to further mock her, Uehara picked up another piece of Konpeitō and ate it right in front of her.

It was delicious.

The three girls watched in exasperation.

Eventually, Nanao gave in and used a Kido spell to undo the freezing.

As soon as she was freed, Yachiru immediately puffed up in rage, but Uehara silenced her with a single, strategic sentence:

"If you don't eat now, all the candy will be gone."

Her fury evaporated instantly.

In the next second, she had already devoured half the pile.

Not long after, the dignified Unohana Retsu arrived.

As the Chairman of the Women's Association, she was required to attend the monthly meetings.

However, Uehara suspected she was simply here to kill time.

From the moment she entered, she radiated calm elegance, her serene smile never wavering.

But beneath that gentle facade, Unohana was deep in thought.

She had noticed something important.

After yesterday's battle, Kenpachi Zaraki's seal had begun to loosen.

This was a good sign.

More than that, she was growing increasingly curious—what would it feel like to fight Uehara Shiroha herself?

The last to arrive was the blonde, bold, and ambitious Matsumoto Rangiku.

With all these notable women gathered in one place, Uehara Shiroha—the only male in the room—stood out even more.

Yet, whether it was the adorable Rukia, the innocent Momo, or the clingy Matsumoto, he handled them all with effortless ease.

To him, this was just another day.

Once the meeting concluded, he assigned homework to Rukia and Momo.

Though both were ranked officers in the Gotei 13, they were still teenagers by human standards. There was no way he would let his students get themselves killed so easily.

When Matsumoto requested a drink, he turned her down firmly.

He had important business tonight.

After all—women only slow down a swordsman's draw.

That night, beneath the Sōkyoku hill, Uehara Shiroha trained alone in his underground base.

Upon completing his daily tasks, he was rewarded with [Shunpō +1, Shadow Clone +1].

His Shunpō, already at Millennium Captain Level, continued to grow stronger.

Beyond that lay the Transcendent Realm.

However, that was a domain no mere Shinigami could reach.

Even at the peak of Millennium Captain Shunpō, there were levels within levels.

But no matter how skilled a Shinigami became...

They could never break the limits of their own race.

The same principles applied to spiritual pressure, sword techniques, Kido arts, and Hakuda. Every Shinigami had limits, a ceiling they could not surpass.

No matter how strong one became, their spiritual body was still bound by the fundamental rules of the Soul Society. That was the nature of the so-called Shinigami Limit.

As for Uehara Shiroha, his Shunpō had yet to reach that boundary, meaning there was still room for improvement. But his Shadow Clone Technique—a perfected, high-level form—had already hit its theoretical peak.

Now, he could create clones with just a thought. No need for hand seals, no delay—just pure willpower.

And unlike ordinary Shadow Clones, which split the user's strength, his technique allowed him to create up to twenty clones simultaneously for training, effectively mimicking the effects of the forbidden Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

His training efficiency had multiplied several times over, allowing him to grasp the subtle intricacies of his skills far quicker than any normal Shinigami.

Of course, at this absurdly perfected level, improving through normal practice was impossible. There was nothing left to refine—he had truly pushed the technique to its absolute limit.

However, the system didn't follow conventional logic.

Even if his Shadow Clone Technique had already peaked, the system's attribute points could break past common sense. If he continued allocating points to it, he could theoretically evolve it into a higher-tier ability—a genuine, perfected Multi-Shadow Clone Technique.

If that happened, and he could create hundreds of clones every day for training...

His strength would skyrocket beyond anything the Gotei 13 had ever seen.

This was the true power of the system—it could turn the impossible into reality.

Abilities that had reached their absolute limit could still be pushed further. Even active skills like [Universal Barrier] could evolve into passive abilities, or be inverted into offensive techniques like [Absolute Severance].

A mere Stand ability such as [White Album] could transform into a terrifying version akin to [White Album Requiem].

The more attribute points he collected, the stronger he would become.

With that in mind, Uehara flipped his palm, revealing a glowing yellow gemstone.

The Mind Gem—A Treasure Beyond Worlds

In his hand rested an SR-tier artifact—the Mind Gem.

A legendary Infinity Stone from the Marvel universe.

Even in the vast multiverse, this was an artifact of unfathomable power. It was how he had effortlessly crushed that group of so-called monstrous bodyguards in a past battle.

Now, he was ready to explore its full potential.

As he infused it with spiritual pressure, the gem resonated, and in an instant—

Countless scenes flashed before his eyes.

Hundreds, no—thousands of voices whispered in his ears, overlapping like an endless tide of thoughts.

"I want to become stronger. I want to be the sharpest blade under Commander Uehara!"

"Abarai-senpai is so strong! I want to follow in his footsteps!"

"The 11th Division is too dangerous. I want to transfer to the 4th Division after graduation!"

"Mr. Uehara... I just want to draw!"

Uehara shut his eyes for a moment, focusing his mind, ensuring he was not overwhelmed by the voices.

He quickly realized—this was the Mind Gem linking him to the thoughts of others.

The scenes he witnessed were fragments of their dreams.

The voices he heard were the deepest desires hidden within their hearts.

When he experimented further, he discovered that while he could read and slightly influence thoughts, his control was limited. The Mind Gem was still in its early development, and the range was too vast to exert fine-tuned influence.

Even so—this was already terrifying.

Why?

Because every Zanpakutō had a will of its own.

Some blades refused to acknowledge their wielders. Some could be stolen, sealed, or even turned against their owners.

If he fully developed the Mind Gem, it would be an enhanced version of the infamous demon blade, Muramasa.

He wouldn't just control people—he could dominate the souls of their weapons.

If taken to the absolute limit, he could override the will of the Hōgyoku itself, achieving true immortality.

After all—the Hōgyoku and the fragments of the Soul King all had sentience.

He activated the Mind Gem once more.

This time, the change was completely different.

The world around him began to shift.

The real world was no longer a solid, unshakable reality—it had become a canvas.

With the Mind Gem's power, Uehara could "paint" upon this canvas, modifying and reshaping reality itself.

He could add new details.

He could erase existing ones.

The scenes and figures he created were so vivid, so lifelike, that even he struggled to distinguish illusion from reality.

The effect was nearly identical to Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu.

But unlike Kyōka Suigetsu, which relied on sight, his illusions manipulated cognition itself.

With just a minor expansion, he could alter thoughts, memories, and perception itself.

In just a short experiment, Uehara had developed three major abilities:

Consciousness Link – The ability to connect with and read the thoughts of others.

Illusion Creation – The ability to fabricate hyper-realistic illusions that affect reality.

Minor Thought Manipulation – The ability to subtly alter perception and memory.

And this was only the beginning.

This was an ability that directly targeted the mind and cognition.

And in Soul Society, where most combatants were "glass cannons"—strong in body, but weak in mental defense—this was a game-changer.

Even the Almighty, the supposed "omniscience" of the Soul King's power, required active activation.

But the Mind Gem's abilities worked passively, seeping into its targets without them even realizing it.

As he pondered, Uehara sealed the Mind Gem within a subspace.

Its development would take time.

But thanks to his Shadow Clones, he could practice using it endlessly within the sealed space, gradually refining its power.

He was satisfied with his progress.

The Mind Gem, at its full potential, was a pseudo-Soul King-tier artifact.

With it, he would be able to stand against beings like Gerard Valkyrie or Lille Barro without fear.

Just as Uehara was lost in thought—

A purple blur suddenly appeared behind him, her slender leg swinging out with explosive force.

A sharp gust followed, cutting through the air like a blade of spiritual pressure.

But—

Her attack hit nothing but air.

Uehara's figure flickered, vanishing like a mirage.

The intruder's golden eyes widened.

From behind her, a deep voice chuckled.

"I'm afraid you'll have to try harder than that, Yoruichi."

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