Giriko's words went unheeded by the three individuals present. Each held their own thoughts and priorities.
"Hahaha, he is my teacher after all..." Ginjo chuckled, transforming his double-edged sword into a cross-shaped necklace and placing it around his neck. "Let's wait and see what Teacher Ailin uncovers. If he tries to attack me again next time, I'll give him a big surprise."
A confident smirk spread across Ginjo's face as he spoke.
After recognizing Ailin through Yukio's ability, Ginjo had chosen not to use his Zanpakuto but the Fullbring he had acquired from those Fullbringers before that fateful battle.
On one hand, Ginjo wanted to appear weaker, concealing his true strength from his teacher. On the other hand, he wanted to gauge Ailin's intentions.
If Ailin sided with the Shinigami, Ginjo wouldn't hesitate to retaliate, regardless of their past connection.
For now, Ailin's actions were satisfactory; he hadn't disappointed Ginjo. Unfortunately, Ginjo was destined to disappoint his teacher...
Being a Substitute Shinigami paled in comparison to leading the Fullbringer organization. His path as a Shinigami had reached its limits, whereas with Fullbring... As long as certain conditions were met, the powers of those Fullbringers would all be his!
This world was not peaceful.
Due to their reiatsu, Fullbringers were often targeted by Hollows. Even if they escaped the Hollows, the families of those who perished due to their involvement would ostracize them as "unlucky."
Therefore, most Fullbringers endured harsh childhoods. When they lost everything, the power of "love" would awaken within them, revealing their abilities.
Many Fullbringers perceived their powers as a curse and yearned to discard them, become ordinary people, and live normal lives.
Coincidentally, Ginjo, with his Shinigami, Hollow, and Fullbring powers, could absorb the Fullbring abilities of others...
Recently, with Yukio's financial resources, they had contacted several Fullbringers...
A sunny smile spread across Ginjo's face, once again resembling the cheerful young man he used to be.
...
Within Unlimited Blade Works, Ailin tossed a cross-shaped necklace in his hand.
If Ginjo could see it, he would be shocked to discover that the necklace in Ailin's hand was identical to the one around his own neck.
"Fullbring..." Ailin murmured, carefully examining the power within the necklace.
Compared to the Shinigami's reiryoku, Ailin felt that Fullbring was closer to the "Soul King's Power." Or rather, Fullbring was essentially an incomplete version of the "Soul King's Power."
After all, the "Soul King's Power" was an "omnipotent power," capable of achieving anything.
Fullbring was the power of "love," allowing one to channel and utilize the power of something they deeply cherished.
Each Fullbringer's ability manifested at their moment of greatest need for "love," becoming their strength.
In a sense, it was as if Fullbringers made wishes upon the Soul King's power, and the "Soul King's Power" within them responded, fulfilling their desires.
However, due to the limited quantity and quality of the "Soul King's Power" within them, their wishes weren't fully realized.
The pinnacle of the Soul Society world was the "Soul King."
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Naturally, if Ailin wanted to progress further, transforming his own "Shinigami Power" into the "Soul King's Power" was an essential step.
Compared to the "Soul King's Power," Shinigami Power was inferior in both strength and versatility.
Unfortunately, the Fullbring power contained within Ginjo's necklace was still too weak.
Ailin shook his head and waved his hand, instantly transforming the cross necklace into an Asauchi. It flew out of his hand and landed among the countless swords at the base of the hill within Unlimited Blade Works.
"Aura Michibane..." A woman's image flashed through Ailin's mind. If it were her...
As the "Linchpin" of the Soul King, Aura Michibane was the strongest Fullbringer, possessing reiatsu that far surpassed that of ordinary captains, nearly reaching the "Shinigami limit."
Furthermore, her skill in Hakuda and Kidō rivaled that of Sosuke Aizen at his peak "Shinigami limit" state.
If he could meet Aura Michibane and replicate the Soul King's "Linchpin" from her...
"If my guess is correct, Tokinada Tsunayashiro wasn't monitoring Ginjo through the Research and Development Institute but through other means. Perhaps through the ability of a Zanpakuto or by having Aura Michibane directly surveil Ginjo... If I could use Ginjo to lure out Aura Michibane, that would be ideal...”
With a plan in mind, Ailin stopped dwelling on the matter and resumed his daily routine of drawing cards.
It seemed his luck had run out, as among the thousands of Zanpakuto he drew that day, only one reached the level of a seated officer.
"Beep, beep, beep...”
The next day, Ailin was awakened from his meditation by a ringing sound.
"Oh? A message from Captain Ukitake?"
He retrieved the Denreishinki from his pocket and saw the caller's identity.
"Hello? Captain Ukitake?"
"Captain Ailin."
"I'm currently at the 12th Division's Research and Development Institute. Captain Kurotsuchi confirmed that no information has been leaked from the institute."
"So, Kugo Ginjo lied?"
"Not exactly. I've reviewed the records of all Shinigami within the Gotei 13 and discovered that those deceased Shinigami weren't from the same division. Furthermore, there were no records of them applying to travel to the World of the Living... In other words, besides us, there's another group monitoring Kugo Ginjo."
Within Soul Society, after reviewing the data of the deceased Shinigami, Jushiro Ukitake had formed his own suspicions.
As the host of the Soul King's Right Arm, he could perceive Ginjo's potential as a "Soul King candidate" through his "Kamikake."
If others had discerned Ginjo's secret and coveted the Soul King's power, it was indeed possible that they would target him.
Two figures came to Ukitake's mind.
Former Captain of the 12th Division, Kisuke Urahara.
Current Captain of the 5th Division, Sosuke Aizen.
Ukitake suspected that the ones targeting Ginjo were likely one of these two.
After all, when the Central 46 Chambers discovered evidence of Hollowfication research within Urahara's laboratory, Ukitake realized that Urahara had touched upon the secrets of the "Soul King's Power."
As for suspecting Aizen, it stemmed from information he had received from Shunsui Kyoraku.
Ukitake and Kyoraku had known each other since childhood and were both disciples of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, sharing a deep bond.
Of course, their connection went even deeper. That connection compelled Kyoraku to protect Ukitake. Therefore, Kyoraku would share any information he obtained with Ukitake without reservation.
To a certain extent, in Kyoraku's mind, Ukitake was practically synonymous with Soul Society.
Aizen had also delved into the realm of "Shinigami Hollowfication," even achieving results comparable to Kisuke Urahara.
For Ukitake, his suspicion of Aizen was greater. After all, Urahara had left Soul Society and lacked the resources to monitor someone like Ginjo.
Aizen, on the other hand, was different. If Kyoraku's suspicions were correct, all Shinigami within Soul Society were currently under the hypnosis of Aizen's Zanpakuto, "Kyōka Suigetsu." With many Shinigami secretly aligned with him, monitoring a human would be effortless for Aizen.
Moreover, the true allegiance of those Shinigami remained unknown until their identities were exposed. It was impossible to determine when they might have secretly applied to travel to the World of the Living.
Under Aizen's manipulation, the deaths of those Shinigami could have easily been concealed if not for Ukitake's immediate investigation.
After all, during the investigation into the identities of those Shinigami, even Kyoraku had sensed a force obstructing his efforts.
The 8th Division was an intelligence unit, comprised of true professionals.
Within Soul Society, only the 2nd Division's Onmitsukidō and the 12th Division's surveillance unit could rival their intelligence gathering capabilities.
Without the assistance of the 12th Division's surveillance unit, those deceased Shinigami could have easily ended up on the casualty list of some future operation...
The thought was chilling.
"Captain Ailin..." Ukitake took a deep breath and said in a grave tone, "Captain Ailin, I suggest that before the other faction takes action against Substitute Shinigami Kugo Ginjo, we must eliminate him to prevent any harm to Soul Society."
"After Ginjo's death, please bring his body back to Soul Society."
Ailin understood the reasoning behind Ukitake's request. He was concerned that if Ginjo fell into the wrong hands, it could lead to breakthroughs in their research on the "Soul King's Power," which would have implications for the Soul King...
Bringing Ginjo's body back to Soul Society suggested that Ukitake was aware of the Soul King's aspirations.