Under Yoruichi's guidance, they arrived at Karakura Town.
"You've been here all along?" Naruto was surprised.
His visits to Karakura Town were not infrequent.
"It's a spiritually rich area. Only here can we live somewhat comfortably," Yoruichi yawned, "I heard the little fox inside you can manifest now. Why didn't you bring it along this time?"
"Yoruichi's intelligence is always on point," Naruto smiled, his tone becoming gentle too. "It's with Uncle Shunsui and the others, they're quite the drinking buddies."
Yoruichi flicked her tail and snorted, "I also know Soi Fon almost treats your office like her home."
Naruto chuckled.
"Take good care of her," Yoruichi stopped, "But don't tell her about me."
"She's quite single-minded."
"We're here."
Naruto looked up.
In a clearing stood a house, its renovations still fresh.
On the roof was a sign: "Urahara Shop."
"Captain Urahara plans to open a store?" Naruto was puzzled by the four characters. "Is he planning to fully integrate into human life?"
Yoruichi was nonchalant, "Who knows what he's thinking."
"Oh, this is not just any ordinary shop!" a voice came from behind, "Besides human merchandise, it's also prepared to sell important tools to the Soul Reapers!"
"Naruto, don't you think
the connection between humans and Soul Reapers is too dull?"
It was a familiar voice, but the tone and intonation had grown mature, more suave than decades ago.
Naruto didn't even turn around, "Normal humans don't want to see Soul Reapers."
"Haven't seen you in years, Naruto, you've grown so much," Kisuke Urahara exclaimed, "You would never have said that before."
Naruto tilted his head, "Same goes for you, Captain Urahara."
"Don't call me Captain anymore," Kisuke Urahara shook his head, "Just call me Kisuke. Shall we go inside and chat?"
They pushed the door open and entered.
The decor was no different from a typical human store.
"Captain Shinji and the others aren't here?" Naruto expanded his senses throughout the room, detecting only the spiritual pressure of "Goring Tensai" engaged in some activity in an adjacent area, apart from the two individuals beside him.
Naruto refrained from forcibly penetrating a barrier-sealed area.
"They don't want to stay with me," Kisuke Urahara shook his head. "They're staying at a different place outside."
"Considering—"
"Their appearance is somewhat unsightly for a Soul Reaper." Naruto nodded, "Sounds like they're safe for now."
"Although we couldn't completely eliminate the effects of 'hollowfication,' their lives aren't in danger," Kisuke Urahara gestured for Naruto to sit, "and they've gained the ability to voluntarily hollowfy."
"Even Byakuya Kuchiki of the Kuchiki family was infected with hollowfication," Naruto whispered, "I used a different method to seal the hollow's power within his body."
"Turning him into an existence similar to me."
He waved his hand, summoning a scroll onto the table through conjuration.
"It seems you've gotten along well with Captain Mayuri," Kisuke Urahara discerned at a glance the source of the technique's modification. "Is this the technique you used to seal Vice-Captain Kuchiki?"
"Yes," Naruto nodded slightly, "Here, Brother Kisuke, take a look. Although it might be a bit late for Captain Shinji and the others."
"But it should still be somewhat useful."
Kisuke Urahara smiled, folding up the scroll.
"I can now confirm—the enemy is Sosuke Aizen," Naruto spoke softly.
Surprised, Kisuke Urahara looked up, "You can confirm it?"
"How did you manage that?"
Although Shinji Hirako had been insisting it was him
he himself had suspicions, yet had no evidence on hand.
Even the hidden forces that Yoruichi had in the Soul Society found nothing.
"I have the ability to distinguish truth from lies," Naruto stated calmly, "I captured Tosen, causing him to slip up."
"So he straightforwardly admitted it to me."
"However—"
"Given his abilities, without evidence or the power to break his techniques, we can't act against him yet."
Kisuke Urahara was deep in thought.
"But if Brother Kisuke called me over, he must have some ideas, right?" Naruto asked him.
Kisuke nodded slightly. "Yes, I have some ideas."
"I've been pondering for a while why that guy Aizen was so eager to make a move against me."
Naruto squinted his eyes.
Oh.
This was indeed a question he hadn't considered before.
Aizen, that guy, was a proud person.
Even when discovered, he preferred a "fair confrontation" rather than setting him up like he did with Kisuke.
"Now I understand," Kisuke spoke softly. "He wanted to obtain the Hōgyoku from me."
"The gemstone you showed us that night?" Naruto immediately recalled.
Kisuke nodded. "That's right."
"What exactly is that thing?" Naruto inquired.
Kisuke lowered his head. "Let me think about how to explain it."
"Naruto, since you've been in contact with those Fullbringers, with your sensory abilities, you should have perceived the source of the 'Fullbring' power within them, right?"
"Are you referring to the fragments of the Soul King?" Naruto murmured.
Kisuke was surprised and nodded, "You know so much already."
"I heard everything from Gang Myuda Jitan," Naruto glanced at Yoruichi, who was napping on the table, "the oldest stories of the Soul Society, the origin of everything."
Yoruichi immediately perked up her ears. "Gang Myuda actually told you all that?"
Naruto nodded.
"Miss Yoruichi, please wait a moment," Kisuke spoke gently, "let Naruto and me discuss the issue with Aizen first."
Naruto stayed silent.
"The creation of the Hōgyoku revolves around fragments of the Soul King," Kisuke explained slowly, "I used the souls of hundreds of Hollows as supplementary materials to create this artifact."
"It's a treasure capable of breaking the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollows. Upon awakening, it releases an extremely terrifying spiritual pressure, even captains would be insignificant under it."
"But..."
"Even so, the crystalline fragment I crafted is still immature."
Naruto squinted, "Immature?"
"Yes." Urahara Kisuke tapped the table, "I speculate that the one in Aizen's possession is also incomplete."
"I chose to use the souls of the 'Hollow' as materials."
"Aizen opted for 'Shinigami' souls as his materials."
"Therefore."
Urahara Kisuke raised his hands, gently bringing them together in a prayer-like gesture, "Only by combining the piece he has with mine will it achieve true maturity."
"He's resorted to unscrupulous means to frame me."
"His goal is to acquire the other crystal."
Naruto glanced towards the door, "So you still run this shop, Kisuke-sensei."
"Aren't you afraid he'll find you?"
Urahara Kisuke shook his head, "No secret can remain hidden forever."
"With his capabilities, it's only a matter of time before he finds us."
"Since we can't hide, we might as well act proactively."
Naruto pondered, "So what do you need me to do?"
"I've heard about what Tosen is up to as well." Urahara Kisuke smiled, giving a thumbs up, "You've done an excellent job!"
"You've blocked one of Aizen's paths, making it difficult for him to act freely against the Shinigami."
Naruto didn't seem particularly pleased, "But he surely won't stop there."
"That guy isn't the type to be cowed by external pressures."
"Have you considered he might shift direction?" Urahara Kisuke asked softly.
Naruto was taken aback.
Shift direction, what does that mean?
Urahara Kisuke didn't respond directly, only smiled gently, "Think carefully, Naruto. I'm sure you can figure it out."
Naruto went into deep thought.
Tosen's words from that night echoed in his mind.
Breaking the boundaries between "Shinigami" and "Hollow."
Since it's inconvenient to take action against the "Shinigami,"
then we'll turn in another direction.
"Is it transforming Hollows into Shinigami?" Naruto reached a somber conclusion, speaking heavily.
"Bingo!" Urahara Kisuke raised an index finger, "Correct answer!"
"Understood." Naruto exhaled, "I'll have to keep an eye out for any Hollows with unique characteristics."
Urahara Kisuke rubbed his hands together, "Besides that, I have some other ideas I'd like to test."
"I'd appreciate it if you could gather more intel on Aizen for me," he requested.
Naruto spread his hands, "Whatever Aizen shows on the surface, it's all a facade."
He paused, then shook his head with a bitter smile: "No, sometimes when I talk to him, I sense that the things that don't seem like they come from him are actually the truth."
"Am I uncertain which aspects of his persona are real or fake?"
Urahara Kisuke chuckled, "Leave the troublesome analysis to me."
"I'll dissect it for you."
Naruto nodded, "Got it."
"You've worked hard," Urahara Kisuke sighed, "You've fought alone for too long."
"Now I'm here to help."
Naruto smiled and shook his head. Seeing Urahara Kisuke had no more to say, he turned his attention to the black cat: "Yoruichi, can I ask you a few questions now?"
Urahara Kisuke sat upright, showing no intention of leaving.
Yoruichi made no move to drive him away.
"You want to know about the things Komamura mentioned?" Yoruichi asked cautiously, stepping gently on her tail, a bit uneasy, "But first, I need to confirm how much you know."
Naruto spoke frankly, "The Five Noble Clans sealed the Spirit King, making him the lynchpin that stabilizes the three worlds, leaving him as a mere existence."
"As expected," Yoruichi stepped on her tail again, "I can only say."
"That's right, there's nothing wrong with that claim."
(End of Chapter)