Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - 2: East Gate

All of this was just to sustain his existence and grow even stronger.

Because of everything he had endured, Masatsuki Aozaki had developed a reckless indulgence toward his own desires.

Rangiku Matsumoto was a soul living in Kagarashi. As someone with the potential to become a Shinigami, the Reishi in the air wasn't enough to sustain her. She had been on the verge of starving to death when she encountered Masatsuki Aozaki, who was collecting protection money on the streets.

"Hey, kid. What's your name?" Masatsuki had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen this scene before.

"Rangiku... Rangiku Matsumoto..." The frail girl spoke weakly.

Without hesitation, Masatsuki used the food he had scavenged to pull her back from the brink of death—securing himself a future beauty of a wife in the process.

...

"Aizen-sama, are you interested in that man?"

Under the shade of a tree, a blind man with dark skin and goggles gazed toward the battlefield where Masatsuki was rampaging through the streets.

"Interested? No... That man has been mine from the beginning. He's been quite helpful with my operations in District 62."

Aizen casually flipped through a file in his hands. It was Masatsuki's dossier.

Name: Masatsuki Aozaki

Age: 20

Origin: Soul from the World of the Living

Assigned Territory: District 62, East Rukongai—Kagarashi

Reiatsu Rank: 17

Assessment: Appears easygoing and carefree, extremely self-indulgent. However, in truth, he is ruthless and ambitious.

Note: Displays Lieutenant-level potential.

"Tōsen, this is his final evaluation."

With that, Aizen picked up a pen and began making adjustments to the report.

The Reiatsu Rank was changed to 16, and the Note was updated to captain-level potential.

"You seem to have high expectations for him. Are you planning to bring him to our side?" Kaname Tōsen couldn't see, but the tone in Aizen's voice made his stance clear.

"Four years ago, I first saw him in Kagarashi. Back then, his Reiatsu rank was below 20—he was just another insignificant soul."

Aizen glanced at the evaluation report and spoke in a calm, even tone.

"But in just four years, his Reiatsu has reached 16th rank—the level of an average squad member."

"The most important thing is that he is a soul from the World of the Living, yet he has survived in Rukongai. This level of talent is incredibly rare. He doesn't belong here."

"So, you're sending him to Shin'ō Academy?"

Aizen's lips curled into a gentle smile—one that radiated warmth, naturally putting people at ease.

"Exactly. His talent shouldn't go to waste here. Seireitei is where he belongs."

...

Masatsuki tightened his grip around a soul's neck, lifting him into the air. His gaze shifted toward a large tree in the distance. He couldn't see anything, but he knew someone was watching him from there.

A surge of excitement stirred within him.

Not because he was about to enter Shin'ō Academy—no, that was merely a stepping stone.

It was because he was one step closer to the Hōgyoku.

Ever since meeting Aizen in District 62 and catching his interest, Masatsuki had remained here, hunting down souls with Shinigami potential. He stripped them of their Reiryoku, not only to trade for resources but to get closer to Aizen—searching for a way to seize the Hōgyoku for himself.

After all, the year was 1878.

The Hōgyoku experiment hadn't even begun yet. That miraculous artifact—the one capable of manifesting one's deepest desires and guiding their evolution—was still in its infancy.

Aizen was still gathering materials for its creation. It would be another century before he successfully fused with it.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto remained the strongest Shinigami, still as formidable as ever.

The most powerful Arrancars at this time were limited to Starrk, Lilynette, and Ulquiorra.

Yhwach had yet to invade Soul Society.

And Ichigo Kurosaki?

He hadn't even been born yet.

In this era, the war between the Shinigami of the World of the Living and the Quincy still rages on. The noble families of Soul Society continue their endless struggles for power, marked by assassinations and political intrigue. Meanwhile, the Hollows of Hueco Mundo never stop seeking to fill the emptiness in their souls. Chaos and bloodshed reign across all three realms.

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