Chapter 361: BSUS - 364: Awakened a Strange Attribute?

If someone claimed there was a being capable of rescuing a person right in front of all the Espada, Ichimaru Gin, Tōsen, and Aizen, and then escaping completely unscathed, it would probably be treated as a joke in Las Noches.

Yet, such an unbelievable thing had just happened. Ichimaru Gin looked at the spot where Resen had been moments ago, then at the shattered stone doors opposite them, seemingly still processing the situation.

"What terrifying speed. No, it feels more like he suddenly vanished and then suddenly reappeared. Even though he wasn’t far away, we couldn’t detect him at all."

After finishing his analysis, Ichimaru Gin gave a helpless smile. Since the intruder had managed to rescue the person through sheer skill, he honestly couldn’t bring himself to be angry.

"Lock down Las Noches immediately! We must capture Resen and bring him back!" Tōsen Kaname commanded angrily. Aside from the instant the stone doors were shattered, he hadn’t sensed the intruder’s presence at all. This was something he absolutely could not accept.

"Let him be rescued. Resen isn’t someone we absolutely must keep in our grasp."

Aizen’s tone was incredibly calm, and his expression showed no sign of being affected, making it impossible to tell if this, too, was part of his plan.

"Aizen-sama!"

Aizen raised a hand, cutting off Tōsen. "Did you not hear me, Tōsen?" Without paying Tōsen any further mind, he raised his voice and continued, "We have more important matters to attend to now. Of course, because of Resen’s escape, our operation will need to be slightly altered."

*Altered?* Ichimaru Gin’s interest was immediately piqued. He called it an alteration, but what he was about to announce was likely the true operation all along, wasn’t it?

Aizen didn’t keep them waiting long. With a grand wave of his hand, a series of images projected into the air, displaying Ichigo, Chad, Ishida, Inoue, and the others.

"The new targets are everyone shown in these images. All of you must bring them back to Las Noches."

*The number of targets has increased, but the main prize should still be Inoue Orihime, right?* Ichimaru Gin speculated inwardly, just as Aizen’s voice rang out again. "Jupiter, you will be in charge of this girl named Inoue Orihime. Ulquiorra will provide support."

"Understood!"

"I will not fail my mission!"

Ichimaru Gin’s thoughts seemed to be validated, yet a faint sense of unease lingered in his heart. He felt that Inoue Orihime wasn’t Aizen’s true target, but he couldn’t pinpoint any evidence to support this feeling.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

The Espada present shook their heads. The new 6th Espada looked particularly eager to try, asking urgently, "Then when do we depart? Also, we can deal with those Shinigami however we please, right? Aizen-sama!"

"As long as you complete the mission, do as you please. As for the time..." Aizen said with a smile, his voice suddenly rising, "It is now!"

Moving slightly back in time, in the World of the Living, Naruki City.

Hiroe sat cross-legged on the ground, his Gigai standing about ten meters opposite him. He continuously traced his finger through the air, and with every movement, the Gigai across from him performed a different action.

"I need to add a few more fluctuation points, and the distribution needs to be readjusted as well."

Having sorted out his thoughts, he was just about to begin the next test when a restless little mouse quietly crept over.

Hiroe lowered his hand, and the Gigai opposite him collapsed slowly to the ground like a deflated balloon, revealing Yukio crouching behind it.

"You seem to have arrived a little earlier than usual today."

It had been almost a month since he arrived in Naruki City. During this time, he had been living with Ginjō and the others; after all, they could now barely be considered his subordinates.

Of course, these subordinates were rather special. As their master, Hiroe not only had to develop Kidō and teach it to Ginjō and the rest every day, but he also had to constantly guard against their sneak attacks while maintaining a good mindset.

There was no helping it. He had to uphold the bold persona he had established for himself, even if he had to grit his teeth to do it.

Naturally, Hiroe hadn’t actually gotten angry. Instead, he found these occasional, probing sneak attacks somewhat amusing. At the same time, it made him a bit distressed—had he been beaten up by Yoruichi so much that he had awakened some terrifying attribute? *Yikes~!*

Everyone here had tried to ambush him at some point, but even Ginjō had temporarily given up on such meaningless sneak attacks a week ago. Only Yukio remained persistent, coming to ambush him punctually every single day.

"But I still couldn’t touch you. I spent nearly a month planning this, and it still ended in failure." Yukio shrugged, shaking his head as he complained helplessly, "You definitely weren’t a kid who went to bed on time when you were little."

"Hahaha."

Hiroe chuckled, resting his right hand on his chin as he actually began to critique Yukio. "Attacking me punctually every day cultivates a habit in me. Although I remain vigilant, I might slowly let my guard down at other times."

"Especially now, at a time extremely close to that habitual window. It seems no different, but because of the illusion that the habit hasn’t been broken, I would actually be in my most relaxed state. You might have actually succeeded."

Yukio’s face fell little by little. He had been treating Hiroe entirely like a boss to be farmed, slowly figuring out his habits to find a flaw—the normal approach when stuck on a level in a game.

But now, the boss was the one collecting the player’s data and seeing right through the player’s mind. It was completely unfair!

"Oh, right, attacking me from the front was also a good move. Even though my attention was focused in that direction, the frequent Reiatsu fluctuations served as the best screen to hide you." Hiroe extended his index finger to point out the final takeaway, nodding at Yukio in praise. "Although under normal circumstances, very few people would give you this much time to set things up, the line of thought is quite good. A very thoughtful strategy."

"Ah! Stop talking!"

Yukio yelled in frustration. No matter how he listened to it, such praise left a bad taste in his mouth. He plopped down next to Hiroe and grumbled resentfully, "Do you have any idea how punchable you are when you compliment people?"

Hiroe chuckled and asked in return, "Do you have any idea that you’re the first person to dare sit next to me? Aren’t you afraid I might kill you just to be on the safe side?"

"Tch~, you said it yourself, normal people rarely give me this much time to set up a sneak attack. Since you aren’t a normal person, why would you mind a ’brat’ like me getting close to you?" Yukio clasped his hands behind his head, tilted it to the side, and raised an eyebrow at Hiroe, asking slyly, "Or could it be that you aren’t confident in blocking my sneak attack from this distance? Or maybe..."

"Or maybe it’s because you all are still useful. Haven’t I been teaching you Kidō?" Hiroe interrupted Yukio. He suddenly turned his head, his eyes shifting upward as a bizarre smile crept onto his face. "If you still can’t learn it after two months, I will kill you all. Useless people aren’t worth my patience, heh heh."

"*Gasp!!!*"

Yukio drew in a sharp breath, his body involuntarily shifting backward. His throat bobbed as he stammered, "That’s a bit scary..."

Even though at this moment, the smile on Hiroe’s face had already turned bright and sunny.

"I admit, you actually scared me just now..."