CHAPTER 370: CHAPTER 370: BEFORE THE THOUSAND YEAR BLOOD WAR

Hueco Mundo.

A realm of endless white sands and oppressive skies, devoid of time and color. It was here that Kenpachi Azashiro resided—albeit reluctantly.

He didn’t like Hueco Mundo. In fact, he found it detestable.

The terrain was dull, an endless desert of yellow-white sand, bleached trees, and ruins without history. The reiryoku-rich air was sharp and unsettling, and the hollow presence—the constant oppressive pressure of spiritual beasts—made his skin crawl. To him, this place wasn’t a battlefield. It was a graveyard.

But what kept him here wasn’t the location—it was the man standing in the room beside him.

Kyo Mazuru.

Though Azashiro wouldn’t admit it aloud, he found the man fascinating. Especially after hearing the incredible revelation: over two hundred and fifty years ago, Azashiro had fused his being with all of Seireitei using Urozakuro’s unique ability. And even through that fusion, he never uncovered a hidden realm—a spiritual anomaly buried in the heart of Seireitei that Mazuru had discovered.

A mysterious spiritual space... housing an army of ancient enemies sealed away from history.

At first, Kenpachi Azashiro hadn’t believed it.

Even now, the thought twisted in his mind like a splinter. How could such a place exist without his knowledge? How could something like this escape the notice of the Gotei 13, of the Central 46, of him, the Eighth Kenpachi?

He didn’t like the feeling.

But that was in the past.

Now, knowing what he knew, Azashiro no longer focused on what he had missed. Instead, his attention turned to the new threat—an ancient one—the quincies who had survived their supposed extinction and were preparing to rise again from the shadows.

As a shinigami, and especially as a Kenpachi (former), he had no love for quincies. Their entire existence was antithetical to shinigami philosophy, their powers destructive in nature and incompatible with the balance of souls. They were enemies. Plain and simple.

But recently, Mazuru’s gaze had shifted once more—from ancient ruins to the modern day. His attention was focused back on the human world.

More specifically—Karakura Town.

A grainy screen floated before them, flickering with arcane reiryoku-infused tech. A group of figures were visible. Humans, yes—but different. Their spiritual pressure was faint yet unique.

Azashiro’s eyes narrowed.

"This group of humans also deserves your attention?" he asked flatly, tone bordering on disdain.

Beside him, Mazuru chuckled.

"Don’t underestimate them. They’re not as ordinary as they appear."

He pointed at the man in the center of the image—middle-aged, swept-back hair, and a cold sharp gaze.

"That one—Ginjo Kugo. The First-generation Substitute Shinigami appointed by the Soul Society. I’ve been searching for him for a long time."

Azashiro’s frown deepened. He had heard whispers of this name. Long ago, Ginjo had severed ties with the Soul Society and vanished.

On the screen, Ginjo was shown training two familiar faces: Inoue Orihime and Sado Yasutora. Their auras pulsed faintly—still weak, but with potential.

’Fullbring... or more precisely, Complete Art.’ Mazuru muttered, eyes flickering with calculation. ’In the original timeline, it was this arc that preceded the Thousand-Year Blood War.’

And yet, Mazuru recalled that in this world, things had already diverged.

Ginjo Kugo should have been at odds with the Soul Society, driven by betrayal and conspiracy. But here, he hadn’t turned against them. There was no grand rebellion. No final confrontation. He simply vanished—peacefully, it seemed.

And now, he was here again, alongside Tsukishima Shukuro, teaching Orihime and Sado how to wield their Fullbring powers.

Strangely, Kurosaki Ichigo was not among them.

’That’s a deviation.’ Mazuru thought. ’Ichigo never learned Fullbring. But why not?’

He didn’t have long to ponder.

A few days later, a familiar silhouette appeared beside Ichigo in the present world.

Kuchiki Rukia.

The very shinigami who had first awakened Ichigo’s spiritual powers, the one who had thrust him into the path of the shinigami.

But this time, she didn’t come alone.

In addition to her own Zanpakutō, she brought another sealed blade, hidden in cloth and bound by Kidō threads.

No one could hear what was said between them. But they could see what happened next.

Rukia raised the secondary Zanpakutō and gently—without hesitation—stabbed it into Ichigo’s chest.

There was no cry of pain.

Instead, whoooosh!

A powerful surge of reiryoku erupted. Ichigo’s soul was forcibly ejected from his body, glowing with fresh energy. His form shimmered—and in his hand appeared a Zanpakutō.

Ichigo Kurosaki had become a shinigami again.

"Ho... that’s impressive." said Ichimaru Gin, whistling low. "Didn’t think he’d pull it off."

Standing beside him, Tousen Kaname—still blinded, still unreleased—nodded slowly.

"He’s recovered his powers... and just like that."

Kaname had never interacted with Ichigo, but he knew of him. He had once doubted that a young human could defeat Aizen Sosuke, the man he had followed for years.

Now, witnessing it through Mazuru’s vision, he couldn’t deny it any longer.

He believed it.

Elsewhere, other former Espada were watching too—Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and others—each silently noting the shift. The boy who once lost everything had returned. Not just as a shinigami, but potentially something stronger.

Azashiro grunted. "You expected this to happen, didn’t you?"

Mazuru gave a nonchalant shrug. "The Soul Society isn’t sitting still. If we’re preparing for the coming storm, then so are they."

He wasn’t wrong.

While Hueco Mundo watched Ichigo’s revival from the shadows, in the Soul Society, a different kind of preparation was underway.

Far from the eyes of Hueco Mundo, in an unmonitored section of Rukongai, Captain Yamamoto once again summoned the Gotei 13.

Another round of military exercises was ordered.

But these weren’t ordinary drills.

After the training ended, Yamamoto called each captain individually and entrusted them with an object—sealed and discreet. He gave no speech, no explanation. Just a command.

Pass it to the strongest combatants in your division.

Not all power in the Gotei 13 lies with captains. Some lieutenants, even seated officers, possess Bankai—but have never been allowed to show it.

The object Yamamoto distributed—rumored to be developed by Urahara Kisuke.

In secret, those tools were handed over. Quietly. Without fuss.

The message was clear: War is coming.

And this time, the Gotei 13 intended to be ready.

*****

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