Inside the underground secret chamber of the 5th Division barracks, Ichimaru Gin stared intently at the monitor.
On the screen, the jet-black Hollow, White, had just finished brutally slaughtering two stationed Shinigami and was now racing at high speed toward Naruki City · Uzuhara District.
A thought flashed through Gin's mind, yet the smile on his face never faded.
"Oh? It seems… White has discovered a new target," he said with a soft chuckle. "Tsk tsk tsk… I wonder who it could be?"
"Could it be that guy?" Tōsen Kaname asked.
The "that guy" he referred to was Fūjin Taichi—a Shinigami who had been stationed in Naruki City for ten full years without ever encountering White even once. That abnormality alone made him impossible to ignore.
"Hm… most likely," Gin replied as White on the screen suddenly halted in front Yasutama Cemetery. Clearly, a very familiar figure had entered its field of vision.
Hearing this, Aizen stepped forward and leaned slightly toward the monitor, carefully observing the Shinigami White had discovered. A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Heh… what a stubborn fellow. Though his habit of hiding away is rather unsightly, it is a clever strategy."
"But…" Gin tilted his head and glanced sideways at Aizen. "Looks like his good luck has finally run out, Captain Aizen."
"..."
Aizen did not answer immediately. He merely watched White on the screen calmly. After a long pause, he finally spoke:
"Gin, there's no need to focus too much attention on such a small fry. If an experimental subject were to be defeated by a Shinigami who can only use Shikai, then it wouldn't even qualify as a failure—just defective scrap."
"It's not an experimental subject, Captain Aizen," Tōsen corrected him seriously. "Please refer to it as White. Unlike the hundreds of modified Hollows before it, this one is fundamentally different—it is the first Hollow created using a Shinigami soul as its vessel."
"Kaname, my apologies—you're right," Aizen nodded, responding courteously. Then he sighed softly.
"Still… a being clad entirely in pitch-black armor, yet possessing a 'white' core… Calling it White truly is ironic."
"..."
Gin narrowed his eyes at the screen, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
"Oh? Captain Aizen—an uninvited guest is approaching."
"Heh… how unexpected," Aizen said as he glanced up. When he saw the additional figure on the screen was Shiba Isshin, Captain of the 10th Division, he raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the Captain of the 10th Division? What is he doing there?"
"Hm… there was no deployment report from the 10th Division today," Gin said, tapping his head. "Ah—Captain Shiba must have gone to the Human World without authorization. This could get troublesome."
"No—on the contrary, this is quite the pleasant surprise," Aizen laughed softly. "For White , only a captain-class Shinigami can be considered a worthy opponent."
"It seems this will be a truly exhilarating battle. Gin—can we get closer to observe?"
"Oh?" Gin mused. "A method to completely conceal one's spiritual pressure without being detected… I believe there's only that thing, Captain Aizen."
"Good. Then we shouldn't waste time," Aizen said decisively. "We depart immediately—for Naruki City."
Aizen knew exactly what Gin was referring to: the Reiatsu-Concealing Cloak invented by former 12th Division captain Urahara Kisuke.
Not only could it completely suppress spiritual pressure, but with a bit of Kidō, the wearer could blend seamlessly into the surrounding scenery—essentially becoming invisible.
"Got it, got it~" Gin replied lazily, stretching as he stood up. He rummaged through a nearby storage room for quite some time before finally retrieving several of the black cloaks.
"What a thoughtful keepsake you left behind, Kisuke Urahara," Aizen murmured as he gently ran his hand over the pitch-black cloak before slipping it on.
Then he turned and headed for the exit.
"Let's go. Gin, Kaname."
"Yes, yes~ Captain Aizen!" Gin replied cheerfully as he donned the cloak as well. Together with Kaname Tōsen, he followed Aizen out of the underground chamber.
"Release."
Tōsen drew his Zanpakutō and opened an extremely concealed Senkaimon outside the chamber.
In the next instant, Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen vanished together into the passageway—