"Yincheng has gone out," the middle-aged man replied. "If you have any instructions, you can let me know first."
"In Yincheng's absence, I can temporarily assume the role of the organization's leader."
He grinned, showing a sincere smile.
"My name is An Hetianjing."
"I'm the oldest member in this organization."
Naruto nodded, smiling in response, "Are all your organization's members here? Has anyone left?"
"Where did Kongwu go?"
An Hetianjing glanced at the short-haired girl who was still hanging, thought for a moment, and then answered, "We received news that a Fullbringer appeared in Aomori. This morning, Yincheng took people and headed in that direction."
"As for the other members of the organization, there are still two groups out on missions."
"Four people?" Naruto inquired.
An Hetianjing paused and nodded.
"It was only this morning that they went to Aomori?" Naruto frowned.
Aomori is in the northeastern direction of this country, relatively far away. Even at his own speed, it would take several hours to get there.
If the Tsunayashiro family's target is Ginjo Kugo, then even rushing over now might already be too late.
But, he had never returned the "Substitute Shinigami Certificate" to Ginjo Kugo. With the Tsunayashiro family losing their means of surveillance, how did they react so quickly, mobilizing the moment Ginjo left?
"Captain Uzumaki, are you looking for Yincheng?" An Hetianjing asked, "We can contact him."
"Now?" Naruto was surprised.
An Hetianjing nodded and gestured.
A timid, shy little boy holding a map approached.
He looked young, only about ten years old, not very tall—indeed shorter than Naruto was at that age, at just about one meter and twenty centimeters.
With a bowl-cut covering his eyes, even though he was just a child, he exuded a gloomy, decayed aura.
"His name is Wakatsu Tomoya," An Hetianjing introduced, "His Fullbringer ability is rather unique, using a map."
"People marked by him will show their specific locations on the map."
"And he can contact marked individuals anytime, anywhere."
Naruto looked at him. Even with a gentle gaze, the young boy couldn't help but shrink back behind An Hetianjing. "Even if Kongwu is already in Aomori?"
An Hetianjing nodded, "Yes, we have conducted experiments."
"As long as it's within the area on the map in Wakatsu's hand, marking and contacting can be done seamlessly."
"He is our organization's most prized treasure."
This ability is not just unusual; it's downright incredible.
It sounds similar to "Bakudō No. 77, Tenteikūra," but the range of this ghost technique is tied to the user's spiritual pressure.
The larger the sensing range, the greater the usage range.
Even with Naruto's current sensing capability, it only covers about fifty kilometers.
But from Naruki City to Aomori, there's a distance of seven to eight hundred kilometers.
"Then please contact Kongwu," Naruto said to Wakamatsu.
Wakamatsu nodded timidly.
He unfolded the map in his hands.
It was a very old national map, with the publication date tracing back to when Ginjo Kugo was still young.
He pointed on the map, and a glow burst forth.
The spiritual pressure summoned wasn't very strong, quite weak really, even weaker than Mayuri's.
But something wonderful happened.
A series of stick figure heads popped up, all cute but distinctly recognizable.
A dozen heads clustered in the middle of the map, marking the location of An Hetianjing and his group.
Additionally, three other figures appeared in the northeast direction.
Ginjo was particularly prominent.
A square face with two high, sword-like eyebrows.
Even without the other features drawn in, it was instantly recognizable.
Wakamatsu reached out and pointed on Ginjo's head.
That face immediately contorted as spiritual pressure surged, materializing Ginjo Kugo's head floating above the map.
"Ah, Tomoya, it's a bit inconvenient here, so I'll just chat with you briefly." He sighed, "Then you can go find Uncle Tenjin, or..."
Wakamatsu interrupted him, "Brother Kongwu, it's not that I miss you."
"Someone's looking for you."
Naruto responded, "Kongwu, it's me."
Ginjo Kugo struggled to turn his head, seemingly in a cramped space, "Captain Uzumaki, what brings you here?"
"Are you the Ginjo Kugo I know?" Naruto asked.
"Of course I am." Ginjo Kugo nodded, his eyes filled with puzzled uncertainty.
He was about to ask why.
Then suddenly paused, recalling what Captain Uzumaki had said when they first met: "No one can lie in front of me."
So.
He was confirming whether he was truly himself.
"Is something wrong?" Ginjo Kugo asked solemnly.
Naruto seemed deep in thought.
Even if only a "head" appeared before him, his Kagura Mind's Eye was still active.
What is the mechanism behind this "technique"?
Though the spiritual pressure wasn't immense, how could it achieve such a level?
Was it the result of the "Power of the Spirit King"?
What kind of power was it exactly?
"If nothing has happened to you, then there is no issue." Naruto shook his head, replying to him.
Ginjo Kugo let out a sigh of relief. "I'm all right here; haven't encountered any enemies."
"You look like you've had a hard time." Naruto noticed the expression on his face.
That sour face didn't seem to say "all right."
Ginjo Kugo frowned. "The car I bought is a bit cramped; several people packed together isn't very convenient."
"Can you proactively contact Wakamatsu?" Naruto asked him.
Ginjo Kugo shook his head.
"I can't," Wakamatsu replied softly, "I can only reach out if I want to see someone."
"How long can you maintain this?" Naruto turned his head to look at him, his voice softening, gently asking.
Naruto sensed the spiritual pressure from him, detecting hardly any depletion.
The feedback from the Kagura Mind's Eye confirmed the truth.
Hence, he truly could achieve what he claimed.
Unbelievable ability.
It seemed he had slightly underestimated this unique and novel ability of Ginjo Kugo's because of his infrequent use of Fullbring.
Is this the strength of the "Power of the Spirit King"?
"Then please keep it up." Naruto raised his hand, slowly reaching out.
Wakamatsu was a bit frightened, closing his eyes. "But it will be troublesome for Kugo brother this way."
"It won't be." Ginjo Kugo immediately denied, "This is a serious matter. Tomoya, thank you for your hard work."
Wakamatsu opened his eyes and lifted his head.
Naruto touched his head, giving it a rub.
Yet his thoughts drifted afar.
The organization hadn't encountered any issues.
Ginjo Kugo was also unharmed.
So, what was the real purpose of the mission that was initiated by Tsukishima's team?
Could it truly be the reason they stated on their application, that they're here to hunt Hollows in the real world?
That seems unlikely.
"Among you, are there Fullbringers who have been in contact but haven't yet joined the organization?" Naruto pondered out loud, posing a question.
Ginjo Kugo chuckled, "Captain Uzumaki, I've been working hard for more than half a year."
"I've convinced all the Fullbringers."
"Except for the one we're about to meet, there's no one who hasn't agreed yet."
However.
The man named "An Hetianjing" had a slight change in expression.
Naruto immediately noticed and turned his gaze, "Mr. Hetianjing, are you hiding something?"
An Hetianjing didn't respond.
"This is very serious," Naruto frowned, "It concerns the safety of the person you're hiding."
"No one should be able to find her," An Hetianjing shook his head, "I've protected her well."
"Don't overestimate your abilities," Naruto's voice became forceful, undoing the chains to release a short-haired girl, "Your protection is feeble in the face of true strength."
"Please tell the truth."
An Hetianjing raised his head and met Naruto's gaze.
Near the town of Naruto City.
At the An family.
In a dimly lit basement.
An eight-year-old girl, with an iron chain locked around her ankle, was chained to a bed in the corner, calmly and expressionlessly handling an invisible wooden doll.
Suddenly.
A beam of light appeared.
"Daddy!" she turned her head, exclaiming.
But.
The face behind the light was not the one she knew. It was a young man with short, dark green hair, dressed in exquisite clothing.
"Who are you?" She dropped the wooden doll from her hands, peering over without any fear of the stranger, "I haven't seen you before."
"How pitiful, to be locked up here since childhood," the man leaned closer, scrutinizing her, "Have you ever seen the outside world?"
The girl shook her head, "Daddy says the outside world is dangerous."
"He won't let me out."
"But, Dad is going to find someone very powerful. He said this powerful person might be able to bring us safety."
"Then I can go out."
She spoke for a long time, but even the concept of "freedom" barely caused any fluctuation in her tone.
She did not seem to yearn for such things.
The man extended his hand, his voice dangerous: "Would you like me to take you out?"
"To see the world outside."
"I possess more strength than your father and can protect you."
The girl tilted her head, reaching out to place her hand on his: "What is your name?"
The man smiled: "Gang Myuda Jitan."
"Soon to become the noblest, yet most sinful man in this world."
The girl found it hard to understand.
Her vocabulary did not support her grasp of "noble" and "sinful."
Soul Society, Seireitei.
Aizen and Gin Ichimaru stood atop the high tower, gazing at the flames and clashes not far away.
"I thought Lord Aizen's intricate plans were to deal with Captain Uzumaki." Gin Ichimaru spoke softly, grinning broadly, "I didn't expect this to be the actual goal."
"Seireitei is going to get lively."
Aizen chuckled, speaking softly: "The purifying flames of sin are truly wonderful."
"Truly captivating."
(End of Chapter)