Help! I am bound to Aizen!
Chapter 388

Chapter 388

2-in-1 chapter:  

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“Master! Gin!”

Seeing the two of them, Isshin grinned and walked over quickly.

Looking at his disciple—who appeared even older than himself—Aizen gave him a slightly disgusted glance.

He raised a hand to stop the man from getting any closer.

“How’s your condition? Any adverse effects from the gigai?”

Isshin shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Master. With a gigai made by your own hands, how could there be any issues?”

“I’m full of energy right now, absolutely in top form!”

As he spoke, he lifted his arm and struck a couple of bodybuilder poses.

Gin Ichimaru chuckled and shook his head.

Though Shiba Isshin had always been like this for decades, having come to the World of the Living seemed to have worsened the condition.

Aizen nodded.

He raised his hand and made a slow pulling gesture toward Isshin.

As he moved, a sphere of Reishi floated out and landed in his palm.

Isshin didn’t react at all.

He’d seen this too many times over the years.

The sphere was a Reishi-monitoring device Aizen had implanted in him, specifically for collecting data on his internal state.

Eight years ago, Kurosaki Masaki had been wounded by a Hollow, fusing deeply with it.

To save Masaki, Isshin had accepted Aizen’s proposal and established a Reishi conduit between himself and her, using his strong captain-class spiritual pressure to suppress the Hollow within her.

To monitor the Hollow’s condition inside Masaki, Aizen would periodically visit the World of the Living to retrieve Reishi data from Isshin.

What Isshin could never quite understand, though, was that Aizen had told him more than once—

...............

*“Regarding Kurosaki Masaki, there’s no need to thank me.”*

*“I saved her for my own reasons. What those reasons are, I won’t tell you.”*

*“Just know, I didn’t do it out of any lofty ideals.”*

....................

Upon hearing this, Isshin had paused for a moment.

Then he smiled:

“With your abilities, Master, if you really didn’t want to tell me anything, I’d never know a thing.”

“The fact that you told me this much... it means you still care about me, doesn’t it?”

Aizen looked at him in slight surprise.

He had assumed that when it came to matters of his wife and child, even Shiba Isshin wouldn’t accept it so easily.

But to his surprise, his disciple was even dumber than expected.

He paused for two seconds, about to say something when Isshin continued:

“Come to think of it, big bro once told me... ‘Sōsuke is secretly a tsundere. The more he emphasizes the bad things he’s done to someone, the safer that person actually is around him.’”

Aizen: “?”

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Very well. Kaelith's private grudge notebook would need another page.

As if hearing the noise outside, the door to Kurosaki Clinic opened, and a figure walked out.

It was a woman with long orange hair, wearing a long dress.

Seeing the group outside, she smiled just like Isshin.

“Aizen-san, Ichimaru-san, please come in before we talk!”

Entering Kurosaki Clinic, Gin Ichimaru curiously looked around.

Though not his first time here, on previous visits the schedule was always tight, so he hadn’t had time to look around.

Honestly, at first glance it felt odd, but the more he looked, the more he felt that the architectural style of the World of the Living was actually quite nice—no worse than the traditional houses in the Soul Society.

Especially combined with various modern technologies, the place had a warmth that Soul Society homes couldn’t replicate.

After checking Isshin’s condition, Aizen had Kurosaki Masaki turn her back to him so he could sense the state of the Hollow inside her from a distance.

A moment later, he nodded.

“No worries, she’s completely fine now.”

“Currently, Kurosaki-san has almost no remaining traces of the Hollow inside her. Only a few fragmented remnants of contamination remain, circling her soul. The integration is very low—there’s no way they can affect her core.”

Isshin looked surprised.

“That’s it? That thing was at least Vasto Lorde-class—it’s just gone like that?”

Aizen gave a quiet affirmative.

“Though it’s unclear what exactly happened, it is indeed no longer there.”

That was a lie.

Of course he knew where White had gone.

The current White had already transferred from Kurosaki Masaki’s body to Kurosaki Ichigo’s.

According to what a version of himself from another world had once said, White would lie dormant in Ichigo until his teenage years, when it would gradually awaken and become part of his power.

That was also the most critical catalyst for Ichigo’s rise as one of the top-tier beings across all three realms.

Everything was going according to plan.

In a way, one could even say Aizen had done more to bring about Ichigo’s birth than Shiba Isshin himself…

Oh, and by the way—when Isshin operated in the World of the Living, for convenience in registering his identity, he used his wife’s surname. His legal name was recorded as “Kurosaki Isshin.”

That’s why their son carries the Kurosaki surname.

As for the name Shiba and his role as the head of the Shiba clan’s branch family, Isshin still held that title. Unlike in the original story, where he vanished from Soul Society to support Masaki and lost all his ties, here he retained his status.

Because both Isshin and Kaien Shiba had survived, the Shiba family’s position in the Soul Society remained unshakable.

Though the Shiba were never fond of power struggles, with two geniuses in both the main and branch lines, their influence had inevitably increased.

This left Shiba Kaien with a headache, and he repeatedly requested his uncle Isshin to come back and help.

Shiba Isshin, however, had no hesitation—he simply pretended not to see his letters.

But when it came to the duties of the Sixth Division captain, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

To treat Kurosaki Masaki and stabilize the spiritual particle passage between the two of them, Isshin couldn’t use his Shinigami powers and naturally couldn’t return to Seireitei to perform his duties as captain.

He once submitted a formal request to the First Division to resign from his position as captain of the Sixth Division, but the old man didn’t approve it.

Fortunately, as his former teacher, Sōsuke helped him again.

Under Aizen’s arrangement, the newly graduated Hitsugaya Tōshirō was transferred from the Eleventh Division to the Sixth Division.

Though he appeared to be a child, Tōshirō’s intellect far exceeded that of most adults.

As assistant captain, he took over handling the Sixth Division’s daily operations in Isshin’s place.

And whenever a mission required strong execution, Tōshirō would simply call for backup from the Eleventh Division.

As a result, even though the Sixth Division’s captain was nowhere to be found, the division’s efficiency had drastically improved.

After a few years, many members of the Sixth Division even began to feel that maybe things were fine without a captain at all.

To that, the members of the Fifth Division expressed a strong sense of camaraderie.

After discussing the current state of Soul Society, Aizen and Gin Ichimaru said their farewells and left.

Shiba Isshin and Kurosaki Masaki saw them off at the door.

On the way back, Gin spoke with some emotion:

“A Seireitei captain… and the head of a branch family of one of the Five Great Noble Clans, marrying a Quincy—something like that? When I was a kid, I wouldn’t have even dared to imagine it.”

Aizen chuckled softly.

Just as Gin said, something like this would’ve caused a massive uproar in the past.

With the manipulations of schemers like the Tsunayashiro, the Shiba Clan would have been devastated.

But now… who would dare say a word?

Not to mention the current influence of the Shiba Clan—just the name “Kaelith” alone was enough to silence all the noble houses.

Before this, no Shinigami had ever gone to the Royal Palace and stayed there for years without returning.

The Royal Palace was the upper realm—even just going up for a report was considered a great honor. Who treated it like a vacation resort like Kaelith?

Rumors about Kaelith’s connection with the Zero Division had circulated in countless versions.

Some of those rumors had even been spread by Aizen’s own people.

With both deliberate and incidental nudging, Kaelith’s current status had practically turned into that of a “preselected candidate for the Zero Division.”

Back in Soul Society, Aizen looked up toward the sky.

That guy—just how much longer does he plan to stay up there?

....He was starting to get bored.

.................................................

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Ichigo was confused.

Just what exactly had his dad done in his youth?

Clearly just a second-rate doctor running a small clinic, and yet all kinds of strange people would often come looking for him.

He hid outside the door, peeking through the glass.

A black uncle with an eye mask who looked blind.

A burly man whose entire head was enclosed in a large helmet.

A cheerful blonde woman with big waves in her hair.

The three of them sat on the couch, happily chatting with his dad, occasionally saying things Ichigo couldn’t understand at all.

His mom sat on the side, listening with great interest and occasionally asking questions.

Every time that happened, his dad would panic and hurriedly try to stop his friends from talking.

The room was filled with a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

As Ichigo was spying, a voice suddenly came from behind him:

“What are you doing?”

“Wah!”

Startled, Ichigo quickly turned around.

He saw a silver-haired boy, only slightly older than him, frowning as he looked at him.

The boy wore a white shirt and black slacks—though still youthful in appearance, he already carried a bit of an adult demeanor.

Ichigo was surprised:

“Who are you?”

“Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Sixth Division… forget it, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

He already knew who the kid in front of him was.

Kurosaki Ichigo, the child born to the captain while living in the human world.

Humans really were strange creatures—just eight years, and he’d grown this much already....He was a little jealous.

Ignoring that thought, he turned to enter the house.

Ichigo suddenly realized something and grabbed his sleeve:

“Wait a second… you’re also a friend of my dad?”

Tōshirō shook his head:

“Not a friend—his subordinate.”

“Sub… subordinate?”

Ichigo looked stunned.

At his age, it was hard to comprehend how someone who looked barely older than him could be his dad’s subordinate.

In what way? Did they work at a hospital together once?

That had to be a joke…

Seeing Kurosaki Ichigo’s puzzled face, Tōshirō didn’t get angry like he did with Isshin Shiba. Instead, he explained patiently:

“Kurosaki Ichigo, there’s no need for you to worry about this right now.”

“When you’re older, you’ll understand it all.”

As a child born from a captain-class Shinigami and a Quincy who also had power equal to a captain, Kurosaki Ichigo couldn’t possibly be mediocre.

Tōshirō was confident—this kid was destined to be extraordinary.

He stepped past Ichigo and entered the house.

The moment he stepped inside, his expression changed instantly.

The gentle calm vanished, replaced by icy sharpness.

“Captain! What’s the meaning of these documents?!”

Hearing Tōshirō’s voice, Isshin nearly jumped off the sofa in fright.

He turned to look behind him and saw the white-haired boy walking over with a stack of papers:

“Your situation is special, so you can’t handle squad duties—I get that.”

“But… these documents require your personal confirmation. What kind of response is this supposed to be?!”

“If you keep shirking responsibility, I’ll have no choice but to report your misconduct to the Captain-Commander!”

Rangiku walked over curiously and took a look at the documents.

When she saw what was written, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

[Just let little Tōshirō decide!]

That kind of response… was exactly Isshin’s style.

Hearing Tōshirō’s words, Isshin chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head.

Seeing he wasn’t the least bit afraid, Tōshirō frowned.

After a few seconds of thought, his eyes lit up:

“If you keep this up, I’m going to report you to Vice-Captain Aizen!”

Isshin froze and immediately started panicking.

Watching him flail and apologize, promising not to do it again, Tōshirō folded his arms, looking quite pleased.

Masaki Kurosaki came over holding a tray:

“Little Tōshirō, it’s been a while—here, have something to drink~”

“Th-thank you.”

Tōshirō’s demeanor changed instantly. He bowed politely and accepted the drink.

A shameless captain didn’t need respect, but the captain’s family certainly deserved it.

As a polite and reliable Shinigami, unlike his captain, Tōshirō would never be rude in this kind of setting.

Watching him, Rangiku couldn’t help but grin, reaching out to ruffle his white hair.

Tōshirō instantly flared up, roaring as he chased her around.

The room once again filled with cheerful energy.

After chatting, everyone invited Isshin and Masaki to visit Yūtendō HQ.

There, they had a specialized training ground for combat practice.

Since Isshin had stayed in the Human World for years, sealed inside a Gigai, his combat skills had gotten rusty.

To help him stay in shape, members of the Kaelith's Unit would periodically come to the Human World, wear Gigai, and spar with Isshin.

That way, when Isshin was finally able to remove the Gigai and regain his Shinigami powers, he could resume duty in a healthy state.

Out of curiosity about Quincy abilities, Rangiku also invited Masaki to a duel.

Back when she lived with the Quincy family, Masaki rarely had the chance to enjoy combat with friends.

In the spacious arena, she used Hirenkyaku and spiritual arrows to fight Rangiku. As sweat flew, she couldn’t help but smile.

For her husband to have such good friends—it was truly a blessing.

Though the Soul Society was a cold place, with companions like these, she felt hopeful for the future.

However, unlike his cheerful parents, Ichigo wasn’t in such a good mood.

He went out for a bit, came back… and found his parents had gone out to play.

Once again, he was stuck home alone.

So annoying!

Just as he was sulking, the door suddenly burst open—

“Hoho! So this is Kurosaki Clinic?”

“Doctor! I need urgent treatment!”

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