— Soul Society, Technological Development Bureau, under 12th Squad jurisdiction
Hiyosu is yelling at Tsubokura Lin to stop eating sweets. This is the heart of Soul Society. Seireitei, surrounded by the Rukongai, is the place where soul reaper live and work. And the Technological Development Bureau lies inside Seireitei. It's a place most soul reaper prefer to avoid, but it's also one of Seireitei's most important institutes. The Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab is vital to the soul reaper working in Soul Society and the World of the Living. It monitors the appearance of hollows in both worlds and observes the Dangai. Normally a few members such as Lin work in the lab, but the entire staff is present today. They're monitoring Karakura Town, because a few hours ago, over a hundred Garganta and arrancars were measured in that area. But the arrancars had disappeared before they could even declare a state of emergency. They didn't know what the arrancars were after, and Karakura Town was an important area to Soul Society. That's why the 13 Court Guard Squads was on strict alert, ready to strike, and why the Institute was monitoring Karakura Town.
Niko murmurs it's weird that the arrancars all had a very similar spiritual-matter quality and that they opened separate Descorrer instead of one big one. Hiyosu agrees and asks for Akon's opinion. He says they need more data first. Meanwhile Kon is being experimented on. He yells that they should at least pay him or something. Rukia won't let it slide if anything happens to him, you know! But he won't mind if Nemu or another female researcher experiments on him… The Institute's President isn't present. He's on trial. Central 46's court is the highest juridical organ in Soul Society, second in power only to the Soul King Office. Mayuri was summoned to court as the accused of a certain incident. But none of the researchers were worried about the outcome. Not because they didn't care. They respected their president. No, because they knew that Central 46 couldn't judge Mayuri currently.
— Central 46
The judges and sages of Central 46 are angry with Mayuri KUROSTUCHI ("Are you even listening!?"), but the man in question wasn't concerned in the slightest. He merely found the trial a waste of time and he didn't hesitate to tell them that.
— Technological Development Bureau
Hiyosu asks Akon what Mayuri is on trial for. He answers it's about Mayuri making several 12th Squad soldiers blow themselves up, during the time when Kurosaki first appeared in Soul Society. The 12th Squad also had members who weren't Institute researchers. Mayuri had deemed this to be a good way to make use of those soldiers.
This incident had happened quite a while ago, but Central 46 didn't have time and capacity until now. First, the previous members had all been murdered by AIZEN, then the arrancar ordeal happened and then, after AIZEN had been sentenced to the Muken, they had spent more than a year arguing about the fate of the Visoreds. The new Central 46 can't condemn Mayuri for experimenting on quincies because that had been authorised by the old Central 46. Akon surmises that the new Central 46's true motive is to try and strike their president down with this self-destruct incident. The other researchers agree. They're not impressed. Most of them were originally residents of the Nest of Maggots.
Lin admits that from a normal person's perspective, Mayuri may belong in prison. Akon says that Central 46 isn't thinking in ethical terms, not truly. It's the same as when they stopped the project of developing mod souls, Project Spearhead: They're simply scared of weapons falling into enemy hands. If they did care, they would never have ordered things like the execution of hollowfied captains without even checking the facts properly. Lin rebuts that that was done by the previous Central 46. Akon says nothing has changed. If it had, then Central 46 would call URAHARA back. But they're too scared that URAHARA holds a grudge for being falsely accused. Hiyosu adds that the current Central 46 is bringing Mayuri to court in order to dangle the promise of a reduction of penalty in front of him to make him their tool. Moreover, Central 46 benefits a lot from the Technological Development Bureau. They wouldn't send its president to prison quickly.
Akon jokes that even if Mayuri was sent to Muken, he'd be happy with the opportunity to dissect his fellow prisoners. The others agree. Lin asks if they are other prisoners besides AIZEN in Muken. Akon says there should be a few. Muken was the lowest underground prison, level #8. It held the worst criminals who, due to circumstances, could not undergo execution by the Soukyoku. Another prisoner was AZASHIRO, a man sentenced to over 10,000 years in prison. But Akon's explanation is interrupted by the loud sound of candy being crunched in someone's mouth. Akon scolds Lin, but it's not him. No, it's the 11th Squad's Vice-Captain, Yachiru KUSAJISHIA. Akon asks why she's here. She says she's here to help Lin eat candy, but Lin refuses to give her any. Suddenly one of their measuring instruments rings. It signals the arrival of an intruder. It's the arrancars that entered Karakura Town earlier. They've appeared in various locations, spread out over Soul Society. The researchers quickly send out a warning to all areas. And Yachiru leaps out the window with a smile on her face. — "I'm gonna wake up Ken-chan!"
— Rukongai, Western Area, White Road Gate
There are four gates in the wall that separates Seireitei and Rukongai. The giant Jidanbô, the guard of White Road Gate, is on alert for the intruder. One of the Picarro appears before him and she tells him she wants to go into Seireitei. Jidanbô, who didn't sense any hostility from her and didn't know arrancars look similar to humans, assumes she's a Rukongai child and gently turns her down. 12 of 37 Oh, he's a guard? So, if she kills him, she can pass? How about they play a game? Jidanbô doesn't take her serious until he notices the sword hanging from her waist. …Could she be an intruder? Suddenly the girl closes her eyes, tilts her head and, as if she's talking to someone, says, "No way. SHIBATA-kun? Really?" The girl tells Jidanbô she doesn't have time to play with him anymore and leaves. Jidanbô is happy he didn't have to raise his axe against a little girl and continues guarding his gate. A few minutes later, he'll hear a thunderous sound which will shake the air surrounding Seireitei.
— Rukongai, somewhere in the Western Area
— "Hey, could you be SHIBATA-kun?" Yûichi SHIBATA turns to the owner of the voice and stiffens. The boy in front of him is smiling innocently but has the faint air of a hollow. SHIBATA affirms that he is indeed SHIBATA. The boy smiles and calls the other Picarro ("Come over here, everyone. SHIBATA, who once turned into a parrot, is here!"). Several Picarro appear and surround SHIBATA. Amongst them are those who look like little animals with white skulls. SHIBATA is immediately reminded of the hollow who killed his mother, Shrieker. The Picarro start chatting amongst themselves, "SHIBATA? The boy we found when one of us slipped into the World of the Living? We talked about saving him and killing Shrieker for him once he became a hollow. But a soul reaper saved him, so SHIBATA never became a hollow… No fair… He could've become our new friend." Yûichi, not knowing what to do, tries to talk to them. The Picarro turn to him and tell him he was quite famous for playing chase with Shrieker. How about you become a hollow and play with us?
Yûichi is scared and thinks of Chan, the man who he had relied on before. But it's not Chan who saves him. A large shadow suddenly appears like a gust of wind, grabs him by the neck and tosses him to the roof of a nearby house. The man who tossed him has a bald head and a stern look on his face. A soul reaper. MADARAME Ikkaku, 3rd Seat of the 11th Squad. MADARAME had been on patrol in West Rukongai just as the alarm rang. All seated officers had been ordered to repel the intruder and/or to investigate their motives. He thought this meant it was his lucky day, but after seeing a bunch of children before him, MADARAME felt he was unlucky instead. Seeing as the arrancars weren't attacking anyone nor radiated any hostility, MADARAME tells them to just scram off back to Hueco Mundo. — "No, no, you can't just let them leave like that, you know? The mission also includes finding out the enemy's motives."
Yumichika AYASEGAWA, 5th Seat of the 11th Squad, appears behind MADARAME.
The Picarro ask them if they're soul reaper. If so, can they take them inside Seireitei? MADARAME angers at the ridiculous request. AYASEGAWA explains arrancars aren't allowed inside. The Picarro say that's unfair. After all, "that lady" is an arrancar, yet she's inside. Their words surprise AYASEGAWA and MADARAME. Seireitei is protected by its Sekkiseki wall, which doesn't allow any spiritual-matter to pass through, and the Soul Warding Membrane. Yes, gates could be breached, or the dome could be pierced with great force, but for an arrancar to sneak in, unnoticed, was unheard of. — "After all, her "threads" continue inside the walls." MADARAME asks them what they mean, but then suddenly there's a thunderous noise and black smoke rises from Seiretei's centre. Where the Technological Development Bureau is located. Maybe there's really someone inside already? MADARAME turns back to the Picarro to ask them who "that lady" is, but they're already gone. Yûchi says they ran away and MADARAME tells himself, "I really am unlucky today…"
— 3 minutes earlier, Technological Development Bureau
None of the researchers had noticed "that". If Mayuri had been present, he may have, but he was currently on trial. A thin thread of negación, so thin it was invisible to the human eye. It crept further and further into the Institute. The researchers are chatting amongst themselves while analysing the data about the intruder that's being sent in. It seems KURUMADANI had also reported about the masked woman earlier, but they hadn't analysed his report yet. Akon suddenly felt a chill. Not only him. The others did too. They could sense a sinister spiritual-pressure boil up from inside the observatory room — the room which they were currently in. Everyone stopped what they were doing. And yet they heard someone typing on a keyboard from the corner of the room. From the president's desk. When they turned to the sound, they saw a man sitting behind the desk, with a faint smile on his face. — "I see… The man who killed me is the president of this place?" While looking at the data on the screen, the arrancar with a glasses-shaped mask, calmly uttered those words. One of the researcher whispers, "Isn't that the specimen that's being preserved in fluid..?" The word 'specimen' angers the arrancar. His corpse has been degraded to specimen!? How insulting. — "Even so, I think I'll take a look at this 'specimen'. You don't get the chance to observe your own corpse every day, you know. I don't clearly remember the moment I died, though." The researchers remember the name on the specimen's tag:
Szayelaporro GRANZ. One of the Espada. Akon and the arrancar, who looks identical to the specimen, exchange some words until the arrancar draws his sword. — "Enough chatter. If you want to know more, figure it out yourself. If you can survive long enough, that is." A few seconds later. Even though the following explosion in the Institute acted as a signal to everyone that an intruder had infiltrated Seireitei, only one person had actually noticed the negación thread. This person was locked deep underground. In a place for the worst criminals.
— In the dark
The criminal remained silent, only opening his eyes. As if on cue, a woman's laughter rang in his ears. — "Kyahahaha! It's been a while! When did you last open your eyes? 250 years ago? Or 500? Or maybe 20,000? Or was it 3 seconds ago? Kyahahaha!" The criminal slowly opens his mouth and says, "When Sôsuke AIZEN was locked up here." A small light, as if triggered by his voice, burns in the darkness. Left, right, up, down — darkness everywhere. The criminal sees a woman in a white kimono with a leather obi (kimono sash) covering her eyes. She remembers. It's true, the criminal last opened his eyes when AIZEN had been sent to this place. She retells the events that lead to AIZEN's downfall — receiving the orange-haired soul reaper Representative's massive attack, being sealed by Kisuke URAHARA, being sentenced for 20.000 years. She knew it all. So why did the criminal open his eyes this time? — "A thin thread… entered me.
A thread of spiritual-matter…? No, of negación." He offered no further explanation.
The criminal was a man of few words. — "…I'll take a moment to consider whether I should leave this place, the Muken."