Time passed—several days, in fact.
It seemed that after learning from Gosuke Shigure that the Eighth Division had started investigating the disappearance of souls in Rukongai, Muguruma Kenpachi had remained indoors for a while.
As before, he secluded himself in the training hall behind the captain's quarters, avoiding unnecessary contact.
Gosuke Shigure didn't disturb him.
Over the past year, their relationship had developed a quiet mutual understanding. Though captain and vice-captain rarely conversed, their synergy in team affairs was flawless. Kenpachi entrusted Gosuke with full authority to manage the Eleventh Division, intervening only during combat or Hollow suppression missions.
The rest of the time, he was uninvolved.
Occasionally, lower-ranked officers like Yumi Chika Ayasegawa would jest in front of Gosuke Shigure—saying that compared to the captain, who bore the Kenpachi title in name only, Gosuke seemed more like the true leader of the squad.
Gosuke never responded to such remarks—he merely smiled.
That day, however—
The elusive Kenpachi of Muguruma District left the barracks again.
Though he attempted to conceal his movements, Gosuke Shigure, as always, noticed.
"So even now… you can't hold back?"
Gosuke murmured to himself.
He calmly set aside the brush he was using to work through the division's paperwork, grabbed his Zanpakutō, and departed.
---
North Rukongai, District 80 — Zaraki District.
It was a land synonymous with chaos. Barren, violent, and devoid of any form of governance. Despite its desolation, countless souls dwelled there.
Contrary to popular assumption, souls didn't choose where to live in Rukongai. Upon entering the Soul Society, new spirits were issued "residency tickets" by the Central Rukongai Immigration Office and sorted into one of the eighty districts in each of the four cardinal directions—based loosely on the order and nature of their deaths.
The lower-numbered districts, such as District 1 or 2, were peaceful and resource-rich.
The higher the number, the greater the lawlessness and scarcity—Districts 78 through 80 were essentially death zones.
Strong souls could migrate from weaker areas to better ones—might made right.
Weaker souls remained trapped in their assigned districts, eking out desperate lives.
For many, being cast into these backwater zones was a fate worse than death—but with no power to alter it, they adapted… or perished.
These brutal conditions hardened the residents, turning many into bandits, killers, or worse.
And so, for someone like Muguruma Kenpachi—driven by ambition and cloaked in cruelty—these were ideal grounds for experimentation. The disappearance of such souls wouldn't even ripple the surface of Seireitei's bureaucracy.
On a windswept hill of dry, cracked earth, Kenpachi stood in silence.
Before him, several souls lay convulsing. Their bodies trembled violently, engulfed by unstable spiritual pressure. Screams echoed in the air, only to be silenced one by one as their bodies disintegrated into particles of spirit energy.
Kenpachi watched them fade, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Still not stable…"
He muttered, voice low.
These past few weeks, he had conducted countless tests using his Zanpakutō.
He was attempting to create a transformation—something radical.
He wanted to turn ordinary souls into vessels of combat power. If successful, these commoners from Rukongai could become Shinigami-level warriors, or even surpass that.
Hueco Mundo birthed Hollows every moment—born of sorrow, hunger, and instinct.
By contrast, Soul Society's Shinigami were finite. Even with all thirteen Gotei squads, the total number of active Shinigami barely reached into the thousands. And not all were strong—many couldn't even handle a Gillian-class Menos.
If things continued, Kenpachi believed, Hueco Mundo would eventually overpower Soul Society.
So, he asked himself: What if the tide could be turned?
What if he could awaken hidden potential in the countless forgotten souls of Rukongai?
Zanpakutō—his Zanpakutō—seemed to hold the key.
But the theory, promising as it was, continued to yield only failure in practice.
He turned to leave the hilltop, intent on locating new subjects.
Yet before he could get far, he sensed a familiar spiritual signature.
His eyes narrowed.
Sure enough, a figure approached from the ridge—Zanpakutō sheathed at his hip, footsteps steady.
"Gosuke," Kenpachi said, surprise flashing briefly in his eyes.
"You came all the way out here?"
His tone was calm. Not defensive. Not surprised. Just... matter-of-fact.
Gosuke Shigure didn't answer immediately. He stopped a few paces away, gaze falling on the half-dispersed souls behind the captain.
His voice was quiet, but sharp.
"You're using them... for your experiments, aren't you?"
"So the disappearances in Rukongai—it was you."
Kenpachi met his eyes, unreadable.
But then, he gave a small shrug.
"Yeah. It was me."
"No point lying."
"Honestly, I'm impressed you tracked me down."
He didn't ask how Gosuke had discovered the truth.
To him, it was irrelevant.
What mattered was: he had done it. And Gosuke had found out.
That alone was enough.
Gosuke stood still. There was no rage in his tone—only the weight of resolution.
He already had his answer… but still, some questions deserved to be asked aloud.
"Why?" he asked.
Kenpachi's expression shifted slightly.
"Do you remember," he said, "that night on the roof, when I asked you about Hueco Mundo and the noble families?"
"You said the balance between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo must be preserved. That Shinigami exist to maintain that balance."
"You were right."
He turned his eyes to the barren district below.
"But Shinigami... are limited. Finite."
"Hollows grow every day. Their hunger fuels their evolution. Even as we kill them, more are born. Vasto Lordes. Arrancar. The cycle strengthens them."
"But us?"
"We kneel to nobles. We beg for budget approvals. We're shackled by tradition."
"And what do the nobles do? Nothing. They hoard resources. Their power stifles the Gotei 13."
"Even legends like Takuyashiki, strong enough to take on a thousand men, eventually die."
Kenpachi's voice was steady.
"I'm not waiting for Soul Society to rot from the inside. I'm building something new."
Gosuke Shigure's gaze hardened slightly.
"I see."
And truly—he did.