The Hōgyoku Is placed Within Me

"Hey, you're my fiancé anyway. You just don't have any clothes on, what's the fuss about?"

In the room,

Shihouin Yoruichi had returned to her human form, putting on Shinji's slightly oversized clothes over her head.

"Then don't be so sudden. Why don't you give a heads-up first?"

Shinji looked helpless and threw a pair of pants over, covering Yoruichi's face.

"Ah, are you getting shy?"

Yoruichi laughed, tossed the pants aside, walked over, draped an arm around Shinji's shoulders, and bumped into him playfully with a teasing grin.

Shinji: "..."

Hey, guys, don't expect a cat to give birth to a dog.

"This time, you're not just here to tease me or just to see me, are you?"

Pushing Yoruichi's head aside, Shinji sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at the woman in front of him.

Her long purple hair was tied into a ponytail, her golden eyes gleamed mischievously, her skin had a healthy bronze tone, and every movement carried an air of confidence and maturity.

"Ah... With your intelligence, you should've already guessed the reason I came this time."

Yoruichi leaned against Shinji and smirked. "Do you want to meet that guy Kisuke? He really wants to see you."

"Urahara Kisuke wants to see me?"

Shinji thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "If I say no, what will you do? Take me by force?"

At that, Yoruichi rolled her eyes dramatically.

"If it was you three years ago, I could've easily taken you down."

"But now… You've completely mastered 'Bankai,' haven't you?"

Yoruichi turned to gaze at Shinji's profile.

Although she wasn't sure how strong Shinji was at the moment, she was certain of one thing—Kuchiki Shinji, having mastered Bankai, had undoubtedly risen to the top tier of Shinigami. He was now at the captain level, standing above most other Shinigami.

It was also three years ago that she truly started paying attention to this man.

Before then, despite their engagement, Yoruichi had always treated it as a mere verbal agreement. To a woman like her, who followed her own path, such an arrangement meant nothing.

But three years ago, when Shinji was ambushed by a Menos Grande and left on the brink of death, Yoruichi had secretly snuck into the Soul Society to check on him. That was the first time she truly acknowledged his presence.

Whether it was his strength, talent, or intelligence, Kuchiki Shinji was the best choice.

Maybe it was due to that life-or-death experience that stimulated him. Within days, he had suddenly grasped Shikai and begun his journey toward Bankai.

And then, Yoruichi was left utterly shocked by Shinji's ability to see the bigger picture.

She never imagined that, despite being merely a student at the Shin'ō Academy, someone without any insider knowledge or special access to information, Shinji had deduced the hidden flaws within the Soul Society.

Even more astonishing—he managed to uncover Aizen, the man hiding in the deepest shadows, just from a few scattered clues.

In the past hundred years, no one had realized the Soul Society's internal corruption. But a mere student had noticed.

Even now, when Yoruichi thought about it, she still felt that she had underestimated her fiancé.

But this brilliant fiancé of hers was... too cautious.

No, she should say he was extremely cautious.

Despite his immense talent and proven skills, he remained careful, never showing his full hand unless necessary.

She didn't know whether to call this a flaw or an advantage.

But for some reason, in Yoruichi's eyes, it was... kind of cute?

"Just mastering Bankai doesn't make someone strong," Shinji scratched his head and said.

"Just mastering Bankai doesn't make you strong?"

Yoruichi widened her eyes and almost couldn't resist smacking him.

For a Shinigami, achieving Shikai typically increased their Reiatsu more than fivefold, while Bankai amplified it by at least ten times.

To put it simply, anyone who mastered Bankai possessed at least fifty times the Reiatsu of an ordinary Shinigami.

But in reality, that was an understatement.

Because unlocking Shikai raised a Shinigami's Reiatsu threshold—their maximum potential.

And after achieving Bankai, this limit was raised even further by a geometric scale.

That's why a captain-class Shinigami's Reiatsu wasn't just fifty times stronger than a normal Shinigami—it was far beyond that.

And he's saying this level of power isn't strong?

Then what is strong?

"I don't think just mastering Bankai is enough," Shinji mused.

At the very least, one should reach the 'Hōgyoku fusion state'—similar to Aizen's final form in the Thousand-Year Blood War—to be considered truly powerful, right?

"Then how do you define a strong fighter?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, now completely sure that her fiancé was absurdly cautious.

"I think someone who can single-handedly suppress both Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society should count as strong."

After a pause, Shinji added, "Not asking for much—just someone as strong as Captain Yamamoto."

Yoruichi: "???"

So, all along, this was his definition of "strong"?!

She suddenly felt like she was talking to a lunatic.

Seeing Yoruichi's speechless expression, Shinji thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Since Urahara Kisuke wants to see me, I'll go. Besides… I have something to ask him as well."

---

With Shihouin Yoruichi leading the way, Shinji soon arrived at Urahara's shop.

It was hard to believe that Urahara Kisuke, along with Shihouin Yoruichi and Tessai Tsukabishi, would hide in such a remote corner of the world.

Yoruichi stepped forward in her human form and pressed her palm into the air in front of her.

Suddenly, faint ripples spread out like waves on the surface of water before gradually fading away.

"This barrier is necessary to prevent Aizen from tracking us," Yoruichi explained.

With Tessai Tsukabishi—the former Kidō Corps Commander—on their side, the burden was significantly eased. Thanks to his barrier techniques, Aizen had been unable to pinpoint their exact location.

Following Yoruichi into the store, Shinji pushed open the door and was met with the sight of two men squatting at the entrance, trembling.

But when he saw their faces clearly, his eyelid twitched, and he blurted out, "Who are you two...?"

The man wearing a fisherman's hat had a face that was almost unrecognizable—covered in scratches, bruises, and swelling.

The other man, a tall figure in overalls, had his glasses askew and was missing part of a tooth.

After staring for a moment, Shinji was finally able to confirm their identities.

The former Captain of the 12th Division and first Director of the Technology Development Bureau—Urahara Kisuke.

And the former Kidō Corps Chief Commander—Tessai Tsukabishi.

But... why did they look like this?

"Ah, ah, you must be Kuchiki Shinji, Yoruichi's fiancé, right?"

Urahara Kisuke forced a chuckle and waved his hand. "It's nothing, really. Tessai and I just, uh, had a little accident while cleaning out the storage room. You know, these things happen..."

He trailed off when he saw the state of his own hand—bloody and covered in torn sleeves. With a sigh, he slowly lowered it.

Shinji: "???"

Why do those injuries look like claw marks?

Do you really think I'll believe that nonsense?

"Uh... please, have a seat," Urahara Kisuke quickly changed the subject when he saw Shinji's skeptical expression.

"Where exactly do you want me to sit?" Shinji asked, glancing around at the mess.

Urahara Kisuke: "..."

His brain was still a little scrambled from the beating.

He slapped his face to refocus. "Please, follow me."

They moved to another room, where Urahara Kisuke and Tessai took the chance to change their clothes. Their faces and bodies were now covered in bandages, which, while still strange-looking, were much easier on the eyes than before.

"Shinji-kun," Urahara Kisuke began, his playful tone gone, replaced with a serious one. "Because of your relationship with Yoruichi, I'll be straightforward. The recent Reiatsu fluctuations in Karakura Town—those were yours, weren't they?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you've already mastered Bankai?"

Hearing this, Shinji glanced at Yoruichi and noticed her smirking at him, winking playfully.

It was obvious—Yoruichi hadn't shared any details about him with Urahara Kisuke.

She had chosen to keep all of Shinji's information confidential, prioritizing his stance over Urahara's.

After all, she was his fiancée. Urahara Kisuke? He was just her informant.

No doubt, Urahara Kisuke was a man with immense intelligence and a strong sense of strategy. However, at the same time, he was also a dangerous individual.

People tend to forget—how was the Hōgyoku created?

That transcendent artifact was born by fusing human, Shinigami, and Hollow souls in precise proportions—an accidental, unrepeatable success with an incredibly low probability.

But where did the souls for Urahara's Hōgyoku come from?

That was a question few dared to ask.

Even during the Thousand-Year Blood War, Yoruichi had admitted that she stayed by Urahara's side to monitor him. Urahara himself acknowledged this, even joking, "If I keep doing dangerous things, Yoruichi will definitely kick me out."

When Urahara realized how dangerous the Hōgyoku was—and that Aizen was after it—he chose to withdraw and abandon his research.

Shinji understood all of this clearly.

So he simply responded, "I won't admit to having that kind of power."

Urahara Kisuke's eyes flashed. "Oh? So… you're not admitting it?"

"Aha, Yoruichi was right. Underestimating Shinji-kun is a terrible mistake."

Think about it—an Academy student, not even an official Shinigami, suddenly unleashing Bankai mid-battle?

His enemies must have lost their minds on the spot.

"You don't need to sugarcoat things," Shinji interrupted. "You want me to help you deal with Aizen, don't you?"

Urahara Kisuke's pupils shrank.

This noble boy from the Kuchiki Clan—Yoruichi's fiancé—not only mastered Bankai at such a young age but had also already discovered Aizen?!

A wave of shock surged through Urahara's mind. He subtly glanced at Yoruichi, and upon seeing her nod slightly, he took a deep breath.

Unbelievable. What a terrifying kid.

No wonder Yoruichi told him not to underestimate Shinji.

At first, he thought she was just defending her fiancé, but now he realized… she was absolutely serious.

Even Aizen's existence—Shinji had already seen through it?

Urahara inhaled deeply, then stared directly at Shinji.

"Shinji-kun, I have an important question. Please answer truthfully."

"Have you… seen Aizen Sōsuke's Shikai, Kyōka Suigetsu?"

The room fell silent.

Tessai Tsukabishi and Yoruichi held their breath, waiting for Shinji's response.

The answer to this question was crucial.

"Ah, that," Shinji said nonchalantly.

"Every now and then, Aizen would claim he was helping students understand Shikai in advance. As an excuse, he would publicly demonstrate Kyōka Suigetsu at Shin'ō Academy."

"So inevitably, I've already seen his Shikai."

Upon hearing this, Tessai and Yoruichi's faces fell with disappointment.

Urahara Kisuke sighed.

"As expected… I was hoping, just maybe, Aizen would've left a gap in his plan, but of course, he wouldn't."

"Especially after noticing you."