Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160 - 160: Little Nanao

Masatsuki Aozaki lowered his head slightly, his voice laced with persuasion.

"Think carefully. If you keep getting involved with someone like that, how do you think your wife and father-in-law will see you?"

"They'll be deeply disappointed, convinced that you're not someone they can trust. But if you choose to go undercover... that changes everything."

"Not only will you be blameless, but you'll also have the chance to accomplish something great."

"You wouldn't want to let down your wife and father-in-law, would you, Kōga?"

Kōga Kuchiki couldn't stop his mind from conjuring an image of Ginrei Kuchiki's face, full of disappointment. A sharp pain twisted in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his teeth and answered,

"...Fine, I promise."

Hearing his response, Masatsuki Aozaki let out a silent sigh of relief, his grip on his sword's hilt slowly loosening.

Had Kōga given even the slightest indication of refusal, he wouldn't have hesitated to take his head right then and there.

Kōga Kuchiki frowned, his suspicion lingering.

"Is he really planning to go against all the noble clans?"

Masatsuki Aozaki didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave a faint smile and said,

"There's no denying he holds grand ambitions—his vision of changing the world might even be in the best interest of most people."

"But even if his ideals serve the greater good, in the current era, Soul Society isn't ready to accept them. Right now, nobility dominates everything."

"To overturn a way of thinking that has been deeply ingrained for centuries, someone must stand up and break through the chains of tradition. But that is an incredibly long and difficult path."

"In truth, it's far harder than simply cutting people down."

Kōga Kuchiki listened quietly, then nodded in understanding.

"I see."

Masatsuki Aozaki glanced at him, then carefully probed further.

"What if he swore never to target the Kuchiki Clan? What would you do then?"

Kōga Kuchiki's expression turned cold.

"I wouldn't believe a single word from someone as cunning as him."

Masatsuki Aozaki pressed on.

"But what if he actually kept his word?"

Kōga Kuchiki hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I know what you're worried about. Since I gave you my word, I'll stand by it. As long as you don't betray me, no offer—no matter how tempting—will sway me."

Masatsuki Aozaki remained silent, simply watching him.

That condition—"as long as you don't betray me"—was telling.

At his core, Kōga Kuchiki was an extreme egotist. The ones he truly cared about weren't his wife or even his revered father-in-law.

It was himself.

Kōga Kuchiki scoffed.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not an idiot. He claims to know everything and uses it to threaten me—that alone proves he's not someone to be trusted. We are not the same."

Masatsuki Aozaki nodded before asking,

"Where is he now? Will he come looking for you?"

"I don't know. They took me to the Tsunayashiro estate and disappeared," Kōga said, shaking his head. "They only told me to return to my cell when the time was right, and they'd take care of everything."

Masatsuki Aozaki thought for a moment before speaking.

"This place isn't safe. Conceal your Reiatsu, recover your strength, and get back to your cell as soon as possible."

The cave wasn't far from where Masatsuki and Kōga had fought earlier.

If the Gotei 13 failed to track down the intruders, they would undoubtedly use the battlefield as a focal point, expanding their search in all directions.

It wouldn't be long before they found this cave—staying here wasn't an option.

Fortunately, the battle between the two had only involved widely known techniques, such as pressure-based sword strikes, or elemental Kidō attacks. There were no unique traces that could reveal their identities.

Although lingering Reishi from the clash still remained, the current level of investigative technology in the Gotei 13 wouldn't be able to extract anything useful.

He couldn't sense his junior's Reiatsu—had something happened to him? _{f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll.com}

But that was only one of his concerns.

Men who married into the Ise family never lived long.

This was a well-known fact among the nobility. His own older brother hadn't escaped this fate, leaving Nanao fatherless at a young age.

If those two ended up together... they could very well destroy each other.

Still, Nanao was young. It was too soon to worry about such things.

Taking a deep breath, Shunsui Kyōraku refocused on the matter at hand.

"What happened here?"

"I tracked the intruder here and fought him," Masatsuki replied.

Shunsui gave him a once-over, then nodded.

"Looks like you won. Where is he?"

"He got away."

Shunsui's eyes widened slightly.

"Someone actually managed to escape from you?"

He knew the extent of Masatsuki's strength—second only to some of the veteran Captains.

No ordinary Captain-class opponent should have been able to slip from his grasp.

Masatsuki Aozaki simply shrugged.

"The enemy could use Bankai. He wasn't strong enough to defeat me, but if he was dead set on running... there wasn't much I could do to stop him."

...

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