35 CHAPTER 36: Encounter in Town

For people still debating whether Nnoitra is a Vasto Lorde or Adjuchas, here is a quote from Bleach Databook 2 Masked written by Kubo himself:

"Among the many Arrancars in Hueco Mundo, those with extraordinary ability and skills are called Espadas. Most of the Espadas are Vasto Lorde, the highest class of Menos Grande. They are each given a number by Aizen depending on their skill level."

Databook 2 Masked / Page 133

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Kazuya sped after Cirucci, soon finding himself hovering above a bustling road. Cars zoomed by below, their screeching horns and shrieking brakes reverberating through the stormy night. The familiar landscape of Japan surrounded him, but there was an unmistakable difference in the atmosphere. Billboards promoting games or anime were conspicuously absent, and video advertisements were nowhere to be seen. The city, devoid of its usual vibrancy, felt strangely subdued.

Of course, nobody around them reacted to the massive fracture in the sky.

A rain-soaked newspaper, carried by the wind, caught his attention. Most of the text in the newspaper was illegible, but the date in the top right corner remained fairly visible: 3rd May, 1950.

'Did I arrive here on the first of April?'

It seemed as though his reincarnation happened as an April Fool's joke. It made all the sense in the world when he recalled his "Zanpakutō's" shape.

"Suppress your Reiatsu as much as you can," Cirucci advised. "We should change our locations."

"I know, I know. Don't start acting like my mom." Kazuya paused and shook his head. "What am I saying? I… never had a mom. Cirucci, would you be so kind as to adopt me as your child?"

Cirucci flipped her middle finger in his face. "Buzz off."

"Haha, you can leave now. I'll call you when I want that one day." He waved his hand with a charming smile. "Do consider my proposal about adopting me. It'll be fun being my mommy, you know?"

"Pervert." Cirucci reopened Garganta and glanced at him over her shoulder. "Don't get killed."

"Awww, you're such a considerate mom," he teased. "If Baraggan attacks in my absence, bring the girls over here. Do not fight him, I repeat."

"I know his strength, Kazuya. It'll be foolish for us to engage him head-on. I'll do as you say. When will you return there?"

"A few days at the very least."

He had to use the opportunity to scout some things.

Cirucci nodded and vanished into the void, the fractures in the space healing on its own.

Kazuya, now alone, looked around the street. "What's in fashion in this era, I wonder."

He spotted a clothing shop on the same street, saving him the trouble of searching all over the city. A glance at the shop's address and he was left dumbfounded.

Karakura Town.

'What absurd luck is this?'

There could be another reason for Cirucci to be drawn to this place — Karakura Town was a Concentrated Spirit Zone. The town concentrated the greatest spiritual beings in the world.

'Should I stay around? Urahara and Yoruichi should be here in that shop.'

He decided to stick around for some days instead of leaving for another town. After swiftly 'borrowing' some fancy clothes, Kazuya ducked into a shadowy alley and transformed into his human form, donning the perfect disguise to explore the town. He ruffled his unruly hair, which seemed to be the wildest part of his getup.

'Let's spend the night in some hotel?'

The thought of sleeping on a soft bed raised his spirit. Apacci's meaty body or Sung-Sun's snake body couldn't bring him the comfort of a real bed.

'So much to do.'

Strolling alone in this form, particularly amid unfamiliar surroundings, left him feeling exposed, as though he was walking around naked. He had grown accustomed to the power of oppression at his fingertips. One could argue that he had embraced his Hollow identity wholeheartedly, and the four Hollow women gave him ample reason to remain Hollow for the rest of his days.

'Wouldn't it be simple to make me the strongest from the start?'

He sighed, feeling wronged by the one who had reincarnated him. He might have skipped honing his other races if Hollows hadn't been the weakest race in the world of Bleach. The mightiest Arrancar, Yammy, could perhaps contend with one or two Captain-Class adversaries simultaneously, but he was mere cannon fodder for behemoths like Aizen and Yhwach.

He had to train the other races to their maximum or perhaps find a way to fuse them. Those were the only ways for him to survive the disasters Aizen and Yhwach would bring to the world without leaving everything on Ichigo.

As he rounded a corner, he halted, petrified, for a long moment. The eruption of Reiatsu hadn't gone unnoticed by the spiritual beings lurking within Karakura Town. The presence of two formidable Hollows had drawn these powerful entities out from their lairs.

One such being was a tall Shinigami perched atop a house, a bucket hat concealing his visage. The hat's green and white stripes imbued him with an air of frivolity. The saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" was tailor-made for individuals like Kisuke Urahara.

Despite his laid-back demeanor, he was a fearsome genius who had crafted an array of specialized equipment that aided the Soul Society even to this day.

'He is probably here after Aizen pinned his crimes on him.'

Urahara was accused of conducting experiments on his fellow Shinigami—that's how the Soul Society remembered the former Captain of the 12th Division and the founder of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. In reality, Aizen was the one performing such experiments on Shinigami. Knowingly or unknowingly, Aizen had created an enemy out of one of the most dangerous people in the world.

'Does Urahara still have Hōgyoku?'

At some point, Urahara would deactivate his version of Hōgyoku and conceal it within Rukia's soul. Kazuya was unsure if that had already transpired in this timeline. As it stood, Hōgyoku would prove immensely valuable to him, as it could safely convert Sung-Sun, Apacci, and Harribel into perfect Arrancar without risk.

The only two versions of Hōgyoku were in the possession of Urahara and Aizen. He sure as hell wasn't going anywhere close to Aizen this early, so he had to get the Hōgyoku from Kisuke at any cost.

'Let's troll him a little.'

Kazuya gave a bright smile as he waved at Kisuke Urahara. "Hey, don't stand there in the rain. You'll slip and break your legs!"

He was flirting with disaster by taunting one of the most formidable Shinigami. One could say he was courting death.

***

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