Chapter 64: The One Behind the Curtain

Chapter 64 - 64: The One Behind the Curtain "Level 11 Spiritual Pressure...?" Katori Nanatsuki pondered over the scene he'd just witnessed. He had spent the past few days focused on developing his Shikai abilities, and by now, he had come up with quite a few ways to use them. The pitch-black eyes hidden in the shadows of the ruined Karakura Town in the World of the Living—that was one of the abilities he'd developed. As long as he left a trace of his Reiatsu in the shadow, it could act as a surveillance point until the Reiatsu fully dissipated. Nanatsuki had a hunch that the "bait" left behind in Karakura Town this time wasn't something released by a Quincy. So before leaving the ruins, he had scattered several surveillance points, hoping to catch anyone who might come by to inspect the aftermath. And he did. The three figures wore cloaks that concealed their presence and suppressed their spiritual fluctuations. If they hadn't revealed themselves while collecting the residual Reiatsu from the battlefield, even Nanatsuki's surveillance shadows wouldn't have been able to detect them. Nanatsuki was now certain—these people were targeting him. The Reiatsu they were collecting from the ruins? It was his! And from the way they talked, this wasn't the first time they had done so. "Level 11 Spiritual Pressure... which means it was when my Status Interface showed Reiatsu around level 50 to 54. That would be before the autumn assessment, right?" Nanatsuki combed through his past fights in his mind. Even though a Shinigami will naturally leak faint traces of Reiatsu when not actively suppressing it, that residual energy is too weak to determine one's strength accurately. So for someone to gather a proper sample of his power, they'd have to collect Reiatsu from places where he had fought. He reviewed the locations he'd fought in. The Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy could be ruled out. Apart from demonstration purposes during sword technique lessons, he hadn't used his Reiatsu there at all. He had only demonstrated sword techniques twice at the academy. Once, shortly after the school term began. The second time, during an evaluation of the sixth-year class. The Reiatsu exposed during those two events didn't match what the cloaked figures had detected. The Katori-ryu Dojo could also be ruled out. While it was the place where Nanatsuki most often unleashed his Reiatsu, Katori Batsu'unsai was at the dojo every day. If those cloaked figures had dared to sneak around collecting Reiatsu there, she would've cut them down on the spot. "The mountain forest out back?" Nanatsuki suddenly recalled his encounter with a Hollow in the forest once. That would line up with the cloaked figures' detection results. 'So that Hollow I ran into in the mountains... it wasn't just a coincidence.' Nanatsuki felt he needed to talk to Batsu'unsai about this. He wanted her to help him check the records and see how that incident had been handled. Back then, after his encounter with the Hollow, he had reported it to the 10th Division and requested an investigation into whether there were any lingering spatial fissures. Hollows appearing in the Soul Society was rare, but not unheard of. They usually came through sudden rifts in space. The closer to Seireitei, the more stable the space. And the forest behind the dojo was located in the relatively high-ranking Fuwai District—making a Hollow sighting there even more unlikely. He didn't have clearance to access the 10th Division's mission archives, but Batsu'unsai, as a long-standing captain, might be able to pull some strings. One week later. Nanatsuki received word that all the students who participated in the recent exam had passed. Among them, the team led by Shihōin-san received an "Excellent" rating for discovering and thwarting a Quincy plot. Nanatsuki couldn't help but feel there was an invisible hand pushing things along, placing the blame for the bait on the Quincies. Because just earlier, Batsu'unsai had told him that the 10th Division's archives had recently caught fire—many documents were destroyed, including the mission scroll he wanted to examine. Both Nanatsuki and Batsu'unsai suspected Kasumioji Gojō. Why? Because all these events started happening right after he failed to buy the dojo. Before that, Nanatsuki hadn't offended anyone. No one else would go to such lengths to eliminate him. Batsu'unsai's health problems were common knowledge in Seireitei. Everyone knew she didn't have much time left. If Katori Nanatsuki were to die in Karakura Town, it wouldn't be long before Kasumioji Gojō could take over the dojo. "He's willing to go this far just for a piece of land?!" Nanatsuki fumed. "It's not just the dojo," Batsu'unsai snapped. "The mountain forest out back is ours too—we just never took care of it. That bastard's after all of it. I'm going to cut him down right now!" "We don't have any evidence. If you kill him, the Kasumioji family will retaliate. We might even be executed by the Central 46!" Nanatsuki said calmly. "I don't have long anyway. I'll just wipe out the whole Kasumioji family. Let them kill me if they want. No one's going to trouble you over a bunch of corpses!" Batsu'unsai's fury burned hot. No one was allowed to touch her reverse scale. Nanatsuki was her only brother, her successor—there was no way she'd let them kill him without a fight. "Give me some time," Nanatsuki said gently. "Trust me. I'll find a better way to deal with this." Batsu'unsai stared into his eyes. His unwavering determination seemed to reach her, and she softened. "If you really can't resolve it... don't shoulder it alone. I'm still here." "Don't worry. Just focus on resting. We've got a long road ahead. Don't waste your energy on garbage like that." Nanatsuki left the courtyard and returned to his room. He focused on the prompt displayed on his Status Interface. Several unclaimed rewards were listed. [Disciple Shihōin Yoruichi has learned the sword technique 'Quadrant Shun Strike'] [Guided Shihōin Yoruichi through one sword training session (Completed)] He focused his attention on the completed training task. [Disciple Shihōin Yoruichi completed a sword training session. Reward Settled] [You have received: 5,000 General Ability EXP] [You have received: Sword Technique – Frostfang Wild Dance (Beginner Level)] In addition, the battle assessment rewards were also available to claim. [First time serving as instructor and successfully leading a class through a live-combat assessment. Reward Settled] [Disciple Shihōin Yoruichi completed the live assessment with an "Excellent" rating. Reward Settled] [Disciple Hoshino Rie completed the live assessment with an "Excellent" rating. Reward Settled]