Chapter 70: Aizen’s Information

Chapter 70 - 70: Aizen’s Information By evening, Nanatsuki returned carrying a pile of ingredients. To celebrate the recruitment of two new disciples, he prepared a grand feast. "If only Sensei could take in disciples every day!" Chijō Kana said, cheeks puffed out like a hamster storing food. After tasting the dishes, Chijō Sōya's eyes lit up slightly. He finally understood why his sister had stopped coming home for meals after joining the dojo. He wasn't a glutton, but even he could tell this was an exceptional meal. "Sensei's cooking is even better than those top banquet chefs!" Chijō Sōya exclaimed in admiration. Aizen Sōsuke watched the harmonious atmosphere around him, feeling a swirl of mixed emotions. After a full day of conversations, he'd already gathered a great deal of information. It was now clear that there was nothing shady going on here—it really was just a proper, legitimate Katori-ryu Dojo. The students weren't confined. Those who needed to go to school did so, and those who lived nearby went home regularly. A few of them even stayed at the dojo full-time. Having sorted out the situation, Aizen no longer felt in a hurry to leave. After all, he had originally planned to find a relatively well-off area in Rukongai to quietly develop his strength for a while. His Reiatsu had been increasing rapidly lately, and his body now required large quantities of food to sustain it. Only the top-ranked, well-supplied districts offered any real chance of acquiring that kind of nourishment. This area appeared peaceful and resource-rich. And this dojo wasn't just well-resourced—it had strong instructors and even a former Gotei 13 captain on site. It was a great environment for stable growth. Just then, Nanatsuki received a notification. [Aizen Sōsuke's Reputation Level has increased. Current level: Indifferent] One needed to reach the "Friendly" level before disciples would start giving meaningful feedback. "Indifferent" was the level between "Hostile" and "Stranger." If not for having formally accepted Aizen as a disciple, Nanatsuki might never have seen this tier appear. He nodded inwardly. It seemed Aizen had already abandoned the idea of leaving. 'It's always best to pull someone into the dojo first,' Nanatsuki thought. 'You can build up the reputation later.' "Aizen, are you settling in okay here?" Nanatsuki paused briefly, then added, "Sorry about this morning—I had to rush to the Spiritual Arts Academy and didn't get the chance to give you a proper introduction." "This place is great. Everyone here is really kind. They answered all my questions patiently, and Shinji even showed me some sword stances," Aizen replied with a gentle smile. "Good to hear. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. You're not a student at the Academy yet, and you don't have a place in the Fuwai District, so why not just stay here? We're not crowded, and we've got plenty of rooms." "Thank you so much. I feel lucky to have met you, Sensei." "I hope you can get used to life here. I'll start teaching you swordsmanship tomorrow. Aside from that, is there anything else you'd like to learn?" "I'll study whatever you think is appropriate. I don't have much experience, so I'll trust your judgment." "Then you'll train in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kidō, and Shunpo. Before entering the Academy, it's important to build a solid foundation in all disciplines." A few days passed, but Nanatsuki still hadn't located the Kasumioji family's Makō Blade forge using the "Monitoring Points." It wasn't easy to track the Kasumioji clan's movements. These Monitoring Points had their limitations—they were stationary observation markers. They couldn't be moved remotely, and their duration depended on how much Reiatsu was invested into them. When the Kasumioji clan carried out secret operations, they always wore cloaks of invisibility. To catch them using a Monitoring Point, you'd have to place it near a location where they happened to reveal themselves. But the Soul Society was vast, and Nanatsuki could only install Monitoring Points in a limited number of places—not every spot had the right kind of shadow. And with his current level of Reiatsu, he couldn't cover every shadowed corner of the Soul Society. "Aizen," Nanatsuki asked while watching him swing a wooden sword, "when you lived in the Inudaka District, did you ever hear of anything unusual? Like spirits going missing?" Aizen paused mid-swing. Given his sharp observational skills and his time spent in Inudaka, Nanatsuki figured he might've caught wind of something. "Sensei, in places like Inudaka, disappearances and deaths happen daily." Aizen set down the wooden sword. "You didn't really go there just to find me, did you? You must've had another reason for being in that area." "Ah, so you noticed." Nanatsuki chuckled. "You looked so tense that day, I decided to play along with you and have a bit of fun." Before meeting Aizen in person, Nanatsuki's impression of him had always been one of perfect composure—calm, masked, and dignified. But seeing him nervous and flustered in real life had been unexpectedly amusing. "...", Aizen gave a helpless look. 'Sensei really has a twisted sense of humor. That day was like a battle of wits.' "It was understandable given the situation..." Nanatsuki continued, "But judging by your actions, it seemed like you were planning to leave Inudaka. You even altered your appearance a bit before descending the mountain." Aizen thought for a moment, then decided to share something related to the "Divine Blade"—a good chance to test how his teacher viewed such things. What allowed him to survive in some of Rukongai's most dangerous districts was his attention to information. Sometimes, what seemed like a small, trivial detail could end up being the key to solving everything. Locking eyes with Nanatsuki, Aizen said: "I was planning to leave Inudaka at the time. It was just too hard to get food there." "But... if we're talking about unusual events—" "I did encounter something strange right before I left." "I knew someone who'd caught the attention of an influential figure... and was given a so-called 'Divine Blade.'" "But that blade, while it did increase strength, also demanded offerings of blood and Reiatsu from its wielder." Nanatsuki's heart skipped a beat. Aizen's description matched the Makō Blade almost exactly. This was likely connected to the Kasumioji clan hunting down spiritually gifted souls to feed those blades. "You're quite sharp," Nanatsuki said, impressed. "That 'Divine Blade' likely isn't something good. Avoiding it was definitely the smart move." From what Aizen described, Nanatsuki guessed he'd probably left Inudaka specifically to stay clear of the blade and its dangers. "This is valuable intel," Nanatsuki continued. "I want to investigate this further. Aizen, can you take me there?" "Of course." Nightfall — Inudaka District Katori Nanatsuki followed Aizen Sōsuke back to the place where he had once lived. "Sensei, someone came here after I left." Aizen checked the door and window, noticing that the window had been opened. Before he had left, he'd tied a strand of hair to both the door and the window. If anyone entered and didn't notice them, the strands would be snapped. But the hairs were still intact—undisturbed. His judgment that someone had been here wasn't based on the hair traps. It came from something else entirely.