As a result of his rebirth, Gosuke Shigure's soul underwent profound changes, allowing him to give birth to a new Zanpakutō, now known as Thunderbolt.
The emergence of this new Zanpakutō also brought complications. When Gosuke Shigure retrieved the Zanpakutō from his previous life, although he could communicate with its spirit, true soul fusion was nearly impossible. Without that resonance, he could not pour his Reiatsu fully into the blade nor wield its power to the highest degree.
In other words, there was little difference between Gosuke Shigure holding the blade called The Deceased and an outsider holding it. The only distinction was that an outsider would need to sacrifice their soul to activate its abilities, while Gosuke, being its master in his previous life, could channel its spirit directly.
That seemed beneficial on the surface. But the core issue was critical: the source of The Deceased's power was unstable — like a tree without roots. If he continued to draw from it without replenishment, the blade would eventually wither, and Gosuke himself risked vanishing with it, becoming a "King of Disappearance" consumed by its void.
Of course, as a soul-based Zanpakutō, it could replenish itself by devouring Shinigami souls or even Hollow souls. Yet such a method only treated symptoms, not the root cause. Gosuke knew this wasn't sustainable.
For now, he resolved to keep the blade safe. Even though he already possessed a new Zanpakutō, Thunderbolt, his bond with The Deceased was too significant to abandon. After all, his rebirth itself was intertwined with this sword. Though Gosuke still had not discovered the exact reason behind his reincarnation, The Deceased had given him the soul power to persist after death, keeping his essence intact. That alone made it invaluable.
Under such circumstances, he could not allow the blade to fade into nothingness.
"It seems, in the coming days, there's something I must attempt," Gosuke murmured. He was not a natural researcher, neither in his past life nor his present one, but to preserve The Deceased, he was willing to take on the role.
Still, setting a goal did not mean he had to act immediately. Beforehand, he decided to travel once again to Rukongai.
Rukongai was divided into four great sectors — north, south, east, and west — each with 80 districts, totaling 320. The number of souls living there vastly outnumbered those in the Gotei 13. Within these districts, the dead lived new cycles of life, aging, sickness, death, love, and hatred, much like in the living world.
Some regions were harsh and unforgiving. Yet for the souls, even in suffering, the chance to live again after death was a kind of blessing.
This time, Gosuke ventured to South Rukongai, District 64 — Numaoka. It was a poorer area, though not as brutal as Zaraki, North District 80, where people would kill even for a mouthful of water. In Numaoka, while conflict was common, it rarely escalated to outright slaughter. Still, compared to the districts closer to Seireitei, its residents carried an air of sorrow born from hardship.
Notably, this was where Tsunayashiro Kakunuma — the pride of the district — once lived, and it was also the current home of a blind youth: Tōsen Kaname.
Kakunuma's story was well known. Rising from an ordinary soul to a Shinigami through the Spiritual Arts Academy, she later married into a noble family — the dream of many in Rukongai, like a pheasant transforming into a phoenix. She often returned to her home district, keeping bonds with her old friends. Yet even she never knew the dark fate awaiting her.
On one such return, Kakunuma's husband followed her in secret and murdered her in the wilderness. That husband was none other than Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
Normally, such a crime should have left no witnesses. Yet by chance, Kakunuma had arranged to meet her blind friend, Tōsen Kaname, in that very place. And so, though his eyes could not see, Tōsen heard the murder.
Whether through arrogance or oversight, Tokinada did not notice, or did not care, that Kaname had been nearby. After killing Kakunuma, Tokinada carried her body away for the Tsunayashiro family's secretive purposes but left behind her Zanpakutō. That blade fell into Tōsen Kaname's hands — a twist of fate that forever changed him.
The aftermath was known to few, but Gosuke understood it. Driven by justice for his murdered friend, Tōsen, blind but resolute, made the long journey from Rukongai's 64th District to Seireitei, determined to stand before Central 46. Instead, he was blocked, nearly killed by Tokinada himself. One could only imagine the despair he felt.
Now that Tokinada had finally been executed, Gosuke felt it was only right to seek out Tōsen Kaname.
In the 64th District, near Kakunuma's old residence, Gosuke questioned a local soul about Tōsen's whereabouts. The soul was curious why a Shinigami sought him — was it because of his attempt to complain to Seireitei years ago? Was this good news or bad? Still, Tōsen was not well liked. His blindness, his solemn nature, and his taciturn manner made him stand apart. Kakunuma had been his only true friend. With her gone, few cared to protect him.
The soul revealed where Tōsen lived without hesitation.
Gosuke made his way to a fringe area backed by a mountain. Tōsen's home was a small, dilapidated hut. As a blind man, even with sharper hearing than most, his life was difficult.
When Gosuke approached, inside the cabin, a dark-skinned man with unseeing eyes sat with a Zanpakutō resting in its sealed state upon his lap. His ears twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps. Few ever came here. None, since Kakunuma's death.
Quickly, he set the sword aside and called out in a low voice, "Who's there?"
The wooden door creaked open.
Gosuke Shigure stepped inside, meeting Tōsen Kaname's wary gaze.
"I've come to tell you some news," he said quietly.