Chapter 249: Squad 0

Chapter 249: Squad 0

(Ryoto's pov)

Ichibei was about to explain to me their reason for calling me here. I was still on edge because of the sudden 'attack', but I could do nothing but listen.

"You see, Kirio Hifikune here was given a proposal to become a member of Squad 0, and she accepted. Today, we came down to Soul Society to get her to Royal Palace, but we have a secondary objective." The monk pointed at me. "You, Ryoto Yuuki. You are an enigma."

Hearing him saying that wasn't good, but he was still acting happy-go-lucky, so maybe there's still a chance.

"In what way?" Better ask so I won't share too much information.

"Your Zanpakuto is very strange. It wasn't created here, and I wasn't the one to give it a name. Knowing that it is connected to you, I must ask you." He turned serious. "What are you?"

Now, what should I do? I do something wrong, and he kills me or, if I'm lucky, just erases my name.

"Would you believe me if I said that explaining it would be difficult, but I can promise that it and by that also I am not a danger to Soul Society?"

Ichibei nodded his head as his seriousness faded away in an instant.

"Works for me."

... I'm confused, and it was probably showing as Ichibei started answering some of my questions.

"When you live as long as I do, you learn a thing or two. You may be a great liar and control your body to the extent that it's impossible to distinguish truth from a lie, but in front of a monk, who calls the real name, words reveal their true meaning."

In short, he can tell when I lie, but he doesn't care since I didn't lie when I said I'm not a danger to Soul Society, so it gave me some credibility. It didn't ease my nervousness, though.

"So, what now?"

"Now it's my turn, Ryo-chan!"

A dark-skinned man with thick black hair and sunglasses jumped in front of me, giving me a nickname that I despise at this point.

Oetsu Nimaiya, the creator of Zanpakuto.

"You see, Ryo-chan, your Zanpakuto is a mystery. As I-chan said before, your partner wasn't created here, but for some strange reason, it feels like one of my creations. Do you know why that is?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself."

Which is true. I only know that I should get Zangetsu, but I got a Asauchi with Zangetsu's spirit, and I got a bonus to boot. I don't have any idea why Oetsu feels like it's his own creation besides the idea that it's a Zanpakuto and is a perfect copy of what he would create.

Ichibei didn't say anything, so he probably didn't find any lies in my words. Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

*CLAP*

Ichibei clapped his hands loudly to gather everyone's attention.

"We got what we wanted and satisfied our curiosity, and since Ryoto isn't any danger to the Soul King, it's time to return. We can't leave our post for too long." He said with an authoritative tone while still sounding cheerful.

I somehow survived this whole ordeal, and I don't know why I am still alive. Thankfully, I was deemed not a danger.

After all that, I congratulated Hifikune for her promotion while she asked me to watch over Hiyori whenever I could. It's not like we were close or anything like that. We had a cooking competition or two, but that's just that.

I said that I would try to, and I felt terrible for lying to her, but it is what it is. I'll look after her for the time she is in Soul Society.

Now that it was time for their departure, Ichibei picked up the unconscious member who tried to spook me and still didn't wake up until now. It seems Ichibei smacked him really hard.

Well, I'm alive, and Squad 0 isn't after my ass, so I count it as a win.

After a stressful afternoon like that, I decided to take the rest of the day off, and I'm going to ignore that I was already skipping work before training with Gin as an excuse.

(3rd's pov)

The Squad 0 returned to the Royal Palace with their new member, and before they returned to their own. It was also the moment that Tenjiro Kirinji 'woke up'. While he was unconscious, he was still aware of his surroundings. Even after waking up, he was mostly quiet, which was pretty unusual for him.

"Was it really a good idea to let him go?" Tenjiro finally asked.

It was a solid question to ask. Ryoto was a big unknown and possible danger to the Soul Society based on two Zanpakuto spirits alone. It was easy to deduct that if he had two Shikais, there was a possibility for him to possess two Bankais, which was unheard of.

Even Yamamoto, while possessing four different abilities in his Bankai, still revolved around a fire, and even with this limitation, he could destroy Soul Society if he wished. This was a situation where one person could wield two different Bankais, which was unheard of.

"We are not meddling with Sereitei. That's not our job. This time, we decided to meet him mostly because of Nimaiya's curiosity, but our only concern was to protect the Soul Society, Royal Palace, and the Soul King. If Ryoto ever tries to destroy either or all of these," There was a sudden change in seemingly gentle monk. "We'll eliminate the threat."

Tenjiro scratched the back of his head.

"I know, I know, I'm just annoyed that the kid was able to avoid me before I made my move. During my time in Sereitei, I was known as Lightning-fast Tenjiro, and I'm sure as hell I didn't lose my touch."

"He wasn't faster than you. He just reacted to you faster than you made a move." Senjumaru Shutara answered Tenjiro as she moved using her prosthetic limbs. "He was ready to fight the moment he saw us... He is an interesting boy." She finished with a playful smile.

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