Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

In Hueco Mundo, amid the endless sea of silver-white sand.

A massive palace stood among stone pillars, exuding an ancient aura.

Though called a palace, it was merely an open-air plaza — majestic and imposing in appearance, yet lacking any substance.

If Akira saw this building, he would surely laugh out loud, showing no respect for the palace's owner.

A skeleton wrapped in a purple robe sat on the throne, supporting its skull with slender bone fingers. In its deep eye sockets, a wisp of soul fire burned brightly, emitting a faint glow.

The God-King of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan Louisenbairn.

As ruler of this realm, Baraggan was in a foul mood, thanks to his subordinate's report.

An Adjuchas lay prostrate on the ground, speaking in a muffled voice.

"Your Majesty Baraggan, something has happened to Lord Szayelaporro. His Reiatsu vanished in the northern direction of Las Noches. Based on the residual Reiatsu at the scene, the enemy was a Shinigami — an extremely powerful one. I fear Lord Szayelaporro is dead."

Without permission, the Adjuchas dared not raise his head even once, remaining completely prostrate.

Baraggan remained silent.

The Vasto Lorde he had recently recruited had been killed by a Shinigami. How irritating.

Should he seek revenge?

It didn't seem necessary. Though Szayelaporro had submitted to him, he often paid mere lip service while secretly defying orders, showing no proper respect for the King of Hueco Mundo.

He'd deal with it later if the opportunity arose.

However, he had discovered two other Vasto Lordes in Hueco Mundo recently. They were powerful and fully qualified to be his subordinates.

It was time to expand Las Noches once again.

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East Rukongai, 80th District.

Inside the secret base laboratory.

Looking at Szayelaporro floating in an unknown liquid, Akira smiled with satisfaction.

"So you're the one who wanted to put me in a container, huh? Don't you know what goes around comes around, you pink pineapple! Now that you've fallen into the hands of Soul Society's number one villain Sōsuke, you're in for something worse than death!"

Aizen: "..."

His blood pressure rose.

So this was how that guy saw him... Considering the effort he'd put into this battle, Aizen would let this grudge slide for now and settle accounts later.

After brief research on Test Subject #0, he had drawn some "insignificant" conclusions.

Szayelaporro Granz, one of the few Vasto Lorde hollows in Hueco Mundo, had Reiatsu exceeding 90% of the Captains.

If it weren't for his special abilities being unsuited for combat, capturing him would have been extremely difficult. One wrong move and they could have ended up in serious trouble.

Moreover, his combat experience was severely lacking. He relied entirely on Reiatsu superiority, and even after gaining new powers, he merely used his tentacles to whip at enemies — showing absolutely no combat technique whatsoever.

{T/N: Just a reminder that Reiatsu is the energy emitted by the amount of Reiryoku, so the more powerful it is and the greater it is compared to your enemy, you can somewhat restrict them from doing anything and even kill them with a simple release. Most Captains are walking atomic bombs if they decide to release everything at once in a human city.}

If Szayelaporro had possessed even half of Akira's combat experience, forget about capturing him — they would have been lucky not to end up in containers with their names on them.

But that was all in the past now. He had been placed in a container as Test Subject #0, and the power and abilities he demonstrated were closely related to Aizen's current research project.

The limits of the soul.

Szayelaporro's Reiatsu had surpassed that of normal Vasto Lordes, and he displayed abilities similar to those of Shinigami. This suggested he had found some way to break through the soul's limitations.

If a Hollow could achieve this, then surely Shinigami could as well.

In fact, Aizen had discovered this phenomenon long ago: whether Hollow or Shinigami, due to the soul's limitations, Reiatsu growth would cease after reaching a certain level.

Different individuals had different upper limits. Take Genryūsai and Chōjirō — both thousands of years old, yet their power levels were worlds apart.

Aizen prided himself on his Reiatsu talent, but he too had encountered such bottlenecks during training. He sensed that once Reiatsu reached a certain threshold, it would completely stop growing.

{T/N: And please, don't think that bottleneck is something that Chinese authors like to use to create tension. The only one in the Bleach universe without any logic about growth is Ichigo — everyone else in the entire world, including us, has genetic limiters.}

The threshold's size was tied to the soul's strength. How to break through these soul limitations was a question that had intrigued him since his days at the Shin'ō Academy.

His forbidden experiments collecting other Shinigami's souls were all aimed at breaking through this limitation.

Now, Szayelaporro's appearance had given him hope for successful experimentation. With some time for research, he would surely obtain the results and answers he sought.

At this thought, Aizen's lips curled into a slight smile, already eager to begin his research.

Meanwhile, nursing injuries from the battle in Hueco Mundo and having been mercilessly driven away by Aizen, Akira headed to the Shihōin training grounds, planning to enjoy a relaxing soak in the Hell Hot Spring.

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Suì-Fēng had been very happy lately.

Due to her diligent training, she had not only gained her great-grandmother's approval but was also given the name "Suì-Fēng".

{T/N: Her given name is Fēng Shāolíng. Can't be any more chinese than this, really.}

Moreover, she had been promoted to become a member of the Commander-in-Chief's personal guard unit, specifically responsible for protecting Lady Yoruichi.

However, the intense training had taken its toll, leaving lingering injuries. Captain Unohana had warned that without proper rest, her body might collapse, rendering her unable to fight ever again.

Though she didn't fully grasp what bodily collapse meant, the prospect of being unable to serve Lady Yoruichi was unthinkable.

Thus, to better serve her Commander-in-Chief, Suì-Fēng decided to take some time to rest.

She recalled the training grounds where Yoruichi had once brought her — specifically, the hot spring carved into a cave behind the mountain.

This secret spot was known only to the two of them, according to Yoruichi. The thought never failed to bring a smile to Suì-Fēng's face.

Now seemed the perfect time to make use of her rest period with a relaxing soak...

After traversing the concealing forest and deep tunnel, she emerged into a vast cavern. Wisps of mist hung in the air, shrouding the hot spring in a gentle haze.

The young woman sensed for any Reiatsu but found none. Satisfied with her privacy, she removed her garments, crouched by the rock wall, and tested the water with her toes.

To her amazement, the usually clear spring water had transformed into swirling patterns of red and white, emanating faint waves of Reishi. Even more remarkable was the immediate sensation of comfort as her blood vessels dilated at the mere touch.

Best of all, she felt relief in the very areas Captain Unohana had identified as troublesome.

Encouraged by these effects, Suì-Fēng carefully lowered herself into the spring.

Powerful yet gentle Reishi coursed through her body like countless massaging hands, gradually releasing the tension from years of training and missions.

The sensation was so divine that she let out an involuntary sound, immediately blushing at her own voice.

Startled to awareness, she glanced around anxiously, relaxing only after confirming her solitude.

Wait! What is that?!

Through the misty haze, a fluffy mass drifted along the boundary between the red and white waters, floating lazily on the spring's surface.

Seeing this, Suì-Fēng's heart skipped a beat as she cautiously approached to investigate.

When she got a clear look, she patted her modest chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just a peculiar-looking cat.

With its unusually long fur soaked in the hot spring water, it looked rather distinctive — like a floating carpet.

Unlike typical water-fearing cats, this one sprawled lazily on the hot spring's surface, eyes tightly closed, seemingly oblivious to its surroundings. If not for its strong heartbeat and occasional upward glance, Suì-Fēng might have thought it had succumbed to drinking too much hot spring water.

She stood in the hot spring, her delicate hand against her chin, contemplating the floating cat.

Yoruichi really liked cats, she recalled. Bringing this one back would surely please her!

After all, such a strange yet adorable cat was quite rare.

With this thought, Suì-Fēng abandoned her plans to continue soaking.

She tiptoed over to the cat, slipped her small hands under its armpits, and cradled it against her chest.

Akira: "?"

How is this role reversal operation so skillful?

Then Suì-Fēng swiftly dried herself with Reiatsu, put her clothes back on, and flash-stepped away from the cave with the cat in her arms.

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2nd Division, Captain's quarters.

"Lady Yoruichi!"

After announcing herself, Suì-Fēng entered the room with the cat and, under her commander's curious gaze, nervously recounted the entire story in detail.

"Mm, the hot spring water there does have healing properties. You should visit when you can to help with those lingering wounds." Yoruichi nodded, "Just remember not to stay in too long — extended soaking can be harmful. Hmm, this is quite a nice cat. Let's keep it. Well done, Suì-Fēng."

Beaming with joy at her praise, Suì-Fēng left, already determined to catch any similar cats she might find for her commander.

Looking at the fluffy "lynx" lounging in her lap, Yoruichi asked playfully, "So, how was your hot spring experience with a young lady?"

It bared its teeth, but in this form, even its attempts at fierceness looked harmless, so it gave up with resignation.

"Hmph, nothing special!"

Studying the stubborn cat, Yoruichi set aside her work, lifted it up, and nuzzled it against her cheek with enthusiasm.

The texture was perfect!

After a thorough cuddling session, Yoruichi set the cat down with satisfaction. Having a cat to pet during these stressful work hours was truly a blessing.

"By the way, why were you in the hot spring?" Her expression suddenly turned serious, "Were you injured?"

Akira nodded and said, "Just a minor injury — it's almost healed now."

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed.

She knew his combat prowess well — even among Captains, he ranked among the finest. Few in Soul Society could manage to wound him.

Recent reports from her subordinates hadn't mentioned any significant battles within Seireitei. Even the typically tumultuous 1st Division had been peaceful.

After a moment's reflection, she frowned, "Did you go to Hueco Mundo?"

Akira: "?"

He'd spoken just one sentence, yet somehow she'd figured it out!

Was this women's intuition? Or just her cat obsession?

Under Yoruichi's probing stare, he scratched his head with his paw, conflicted.

He hated lying to this foolishly devoted cat. But the Hueco Mundo incident involved too many of Aizen's secrets. While small deceptions might be forgivable, completely exposing his friend would be disloyal as his adopted father…

After pondering for a moment, Akira crafted a new version.

He explained that after being badly beaten by Genryūsai, he'd needed to blow off steam. Fighting his colleagues wasn't an option due to their camaraderie, and suppressing rebels was beneath his abilities.

So he'd ventured through the Senkaimon to Hueco Mundo, where he encountered a Vasto Lorde named Pink Pineapple Pen.

The battle between Shinigami and Hollow had been fierce, but Pink Pineapple Pen ultimately fled in defeat. He, Captain Kisaragi, had escaped with only minor injuries.

Though she couldn't find any holes in his story, Yoruichi sensed something amiss. She studied the innocent-looking cat before her, searching for any sign of deception.

After a long staring contest between woman and cat, she conceded defeat.

Akira's psychological fortitude was truly remarkable — though perhaps she was simply reading too much into things.

"Let's move on." Yoruichi said, changing the subject, "I was going to find you after work anyway, but since you're here, stay. I've had a breakthrough with that incomplete secret technique I used at the Shihōin shrine. After several trials, I've discovered it's perfect for the Second Division's fighting style — and especially suited to you."

"Based on my projections, once fully developed, this technique will make history in Soul Society. It might even rival Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka!"

Yoruichi's chest swelled with pride as she spoke, clearly hoping for praise.

Seeing this, Akira raised his paw and clapped, thoroughly satisfying her vanity. Only with him would she display such an attitude.

"This technique combines Kidō and Hakuda." She said with a satisfied smile, "I've named it 'Shunkō'!"

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