Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

Akira blinked, staring intently at the elder before him.

After thousands of years, had Old Man Yama finally lost his mind?

An enemy that even Shunsui and Jūshirō couldn't defeat together — and he was sending him to arrest them?

Why not just send him to slay Yhwach in the Wandenreich while he's at it?

Seeming to sense his unworthy disciple's rebellious thoughts, Genryūsai shot him an irritated glare, then picked up the bubbling tea kettle and poured himself a cup, instantly filling the room with its fragrance.

Akira deftly took the kettle and poured himself a cup as well. The old man had talked so much today that he was parched.

"The main reason lies with Kōga Kuchiki's Zanpakutō, Muramasa." Genryūsai took a sip of tea and explained, "Based on what he revealed to Captain Kuchiki and myself, combined with battle analysis, Muramasa's Shikai ability allows him to control opponents' Zanpakutō, forcing them to kill either themselves or their companions."

"If the sword hasn't been drawn, the materialized Spirit Muramasa appears to launch attacks, though this proves ineffective against those with closed hearts and minds. Its Bankai possesses three abilities: mental attacks, memory reading, and turning Zanpakutō against their masters."

"These abilities have already been proven against Kyōraku and Ukitake. In their words, it's formidable — Kōga Kuchiki truly deserves his title as the Shinigami Killer. For Captains of slightly lesser strength, once their Zanpakutō turns against them, they stand no chance of victory."

Akira nodded, indicating he thought the same.

"Right now, your senior fellow disciples are tracking Katen Kyōkotsu and Sōgyo no Kotowari — the only pair of twin Zanpakutō in Soul Society, which appear to share a special compatibility. Working together, these Zanpakutō caught them off guard, allowing Kōga Kuchiki to escape and leaving your seniors without their weapons."

Genryūsai furrowed his brow, clearly dissatisfied with their slowness. With their strength, they should have easily handled the rebellious Zanpakutō.

Still, considering the sudden nature of the attack and their lack of preparation, such mishaps were understandable.

"No, Old Man Ya—Ahem, I mean, Master." Akira's eyes widened, "Both senior disciples fell to this. Aren't you worried about my Zanpakutō turning against me? You know that Kūkan Mukai is my beloved family, my brother in arms!"

Genryūsai silently gazed at the nonsense-spouting youth, his eyes seeming to say 'what are you barking about?' Anyone in Soul Society could make such claims, except this brat who had no right to.

He had lived for thousands of years and witnessed countless historical events, having cut down more Shinigami than Akira had ever seen. But never had he encountered a Shinigami who would greet others with two punches first.

"How can cutting compare to the satisfaction of landing solid punches?" He'd often declare.

This would inevitably result in Unohana grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back to the 4th Division's training grounds.

His use of Zanpakutō was even more outrageous.

Genryūsai vividly recalled allowing Akira to use his Zanpakutō in a combat assessment — only to have the weapon hurled directly at his face at the battle's start!

What followed was a barrage of techniques like Supernova Burning, Heaven Headbutt, Four Winds Strike, Star Fire Kick, and Meteor Punch — all delivered right to his face.

Genryūsai, enraged, had promptly taught him a stern lesson.

Yet this very behavior made Akira uniquely suited for this mission.

While most Shinigami lost 50% to 60% of their power — or more — without their Zanpakutō, this peculiar student actually fought at 120% strength when separated from his blade.

This disciple was, without question, extraordinarily unusual.

Contemplating this, Genryūsai sighed helplessly. The thousands of years of Genryū Style's prestige would surely end with this one.

Under his master's piercing stare, Akira could only offer an awkward but polite smile. He knew he spoke truth, even if his master couldn't understand.

Seeing his student's complete lack of common sense, Genryūsai continued his explanation.

"Though I possess both the ability and confidence to handle Kōga Kuchiki, Ryūjin Jakka is too dangerous to risk even the slightest error. A mistake would spell catastrophe for all of Soul Society."

Akira frowned, "What about the mind-closing technique? Wouldn't that defend against Muramasa's abilities?"

"Indeed it would." Genryūsai replied, "But unless one is highly proficient, it impairs one's actions. To prevent even the smallest mistake, you'd need complete barrier sealing — and barriers can be broken. I cannot risk Soul Society's fate on such uncertainty."

Akira nodded, accepting this logic.

The situation was clear: this version of Kōga was more formidable than expected.

His ability to fight Byakuya Kuchiki head-on without drawing his Zanpakutō, even after a century of imprisonment, proved just how fearsome his true power was.

"To give you a better chance of success." Genryūsai said softly, "I will teach you the advanced technique of Ikkotsu — something you've always wanted to learn."

Akira's eyes lit up.

He had longed for this moment. Despite asking his master countless times, attempting to figure it out himself, and even roping Aizen into helping, he had never mastered the technique.

Perhaps Genryūsai's thousands of years of Genryū style research would prove valuable after all.

"While Sōkotsu may appear to simply add one more punch to Ikkotsu, its complexity is tenfold — both in force technique and Reiatsu flow paths." Genryūsai said gravely, "Its overwhelming power can cause self-injury if not mastered properly."

"Therefore... watch carefully and learn well!"

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"Sōsuke, you can't just leave me to die!"

In the 12th Division's private research lab, someone's shameless wailing echoed through the room.

Aizen looked at Akira, who lay sprawled across the sofa with not even a pretense of proper etiquette while begging for help. He took a deep breath that turned into a helpless sigh.

Getting stuck with such a close friend was truly his misfortune.

"Tell me, what is it this time?" He set aside his experimental research, recorded the final data, committed all the soul research content to memory, and destroyed any traces that might expose it.

Akira sat up straight and explained Genryūsai's commission, describing Kōga's combat performance and Muramasa's abilities.

After listening, Aizen frowned slightly and asked, puzzled, "So, what are you worried about? Your Zanpakutō being turned against you? What does that have to do with you?"

Akira: "???"

People always had so many prejudices against him!

Aizen tapped the counter and retrieved some snacks from his previous food research stored in the cabinet below, pushing them toward Akira.

These weren't his own creations but Kirio Hikifune's personal handiwork. They were just ordinary pastries and snacks — though admittedly of superior taste — without any strange additions.

"I don't think Muramasa's abilities will pose any threat to you." He explained analytically, "Having a Zanpakutō or not makes little difference to you."

"No, no, it's not about the Zanpakutō." Akira interrupted, shaking his head, "It's mainly about the mental attacks and memory reading. You know about the mind-closing technique, right? While closing off your mind prevents memory reading, it also impairs your fighting ability, and extended use affects your mental state. Plus, external forces can disrupt this state. If I could avoid having my memories read through other means, I could crush him with one hand."

{T/N: I could make a joke and say that Muramasa would die from a stroke if he saw the things that go through the MC's mind, but he does have a point. If Muramasa also had access to future events and somehow managed to escape, shit would really hit the fan.}

Aizen nodded.

Everyone in the Gotei 13 knew about Kōga's betrayal. Having many secrets of his own, Aizen had studied the mind-closing technique and related knowledge as a precaution.

Akira clearly didn't want to risk exposing the secrets of the forbidden experiments while arresting Kōga — that explained his anxiety.

A slight smile curved Aizen's lips.

"It's actually quite simple. Remember Captain Hikifune's Artificial Soul technique?"

Akira stared blankly for a moment, having completely forgotten what the Artificial Soul technique was. He never wasted brain cells on things that didn't directly concern him. He had too few of them for that.

Aizen hadn't expected an answer anyway and proceeded to explain his research.

"Create a temporary soul with false memories, place it within yourself, and add Bakudō barrier defenses as a shield in front of your true inner self. In essence, it's just soul manipulation..."

"How long will it take?" Akira cut in, uninterested in the details, "Just tell me what to do."

Looking at the young man's guileless expression, Aizen sighed helplessly and reached for the snacks on the table.

Akira: "?"

"Wait a moment."

Under his curious gaze, Aizen began working at the experiment station.

Brilliant Reiatsu light burst forth occasionally as dazzling techniques appeared one after another. His brown eyes held an unprecedented seriousness.

Half an hour later, he placed a seemingly ordinary pastry on the tea table.

"This is the crystallization of Captain Hikifune's wisdom — a special confection based on Gikon technology and enhanced with Bakudō barrier." Aizen explained, "Through Reishi manipulation and mind-closing techniques, eating this will let you fabricate false memories and implant them into the external binding barrier. Muramasa's memory reading will only access this false layer."

"Just need to fabricate memories..." Akira grinned, "That's my specialty. I've already prepared a gift for Muramasa."

For some reason, seeing that smile, Aizen felt an inexplicable pity for the Zanpakutō he had never met...

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Inner Court of the Seireitei.

Under the moonlight, cold winds whistled through the empty streets.

The 7th Division, led by Captain Jin'emon Kotsubaki, was tasked with patrolling and guarding the Inner Court.

Despite his advanced years, Jin'emon performed his duties with meticulous care. Central 46 had often praised his conscientious protection, expressing their complete trust in his guardianship.

As usual, he led his Shinigami squad through their rounds, checking the critical locations and vulnerable entry points.

Yet tonight, an inexplicable unease gripped him — a premonition of impending disaster.

As he strode through the brightly lit corridor toward his final patrol area, a shadowy figure watched him from the darkness, its presence concealed in dim light.

⤫ Bakudō #26: Kyokkō ⥤ Bent Light! ⤬

This technique, combined with Muramasa's core ability of Hypnosis, allowed its user to manipulate others' perception of space and distance, temporarily severing their connection to reality.

It was this very ability that had enabled his escape from Shunsui and Jūshirō.

The hypnosis had clouded their perception while Kidō shadow binding restricted their movements. Then, exploiting Shunsui's concern for Jūshirō, he had created a crack in their mental defenses.

This breach awakened Katen Kyōkotsu's battle instinct, which he then used to manipulate Jūshirō, forcing Sōgyo no Kotowari to materialize.

Now, wielding both Kyokkō and Hypnosis — and armed with memories extracted from Shunsui — Kōga slipped past Jin'emon's patrol to reach his target:

The Central Underground Assembly Hall.

Here lay Central 46, and here his revenge would begin.

After penetrating multiple layers of Bakudō barriers, Kōga stood in the vast assembly hall. His bloodshot eyes blazed with hatred as he gazed down at his prey.

These were the ones who had destroyed him!

Consuming rage shattered his last remnants of sanity.

A blade flashed in the chamber. A screen shattered. Blood sprayed across the platform.

The Central 46 members could only stare in horror, their minds struggling to comprehend the scene unfolding before them.

By the time they discovered the killer and prepared to cry out for help, brilliant blade light had already erupted in the assembly hall.

In the next moment, silence fell. Blood smeared across screens and floor alike, with forty-six corpses sprawled in various poses at their stations.

Kōga did not linger to admire this hellish scene that had satisfied his thirst for revenge.

The death of Central 46 would certainly throw the Seireitei and Soul Society into chaos. He had to leave immediately.

This was just the first step of his revenge.

If he could never gain Ginrei's approval no matter what he did, then he would make the world witness his true power!

⤫⤬⤫

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