Bleach: The Path to Transcendence

Inside Ginjo Kugo's house, in Tsukishima Shukuro's room.

Tsukishima Shukuro collapsed powerlessly on the bed, a sense of weakness that penetrated deep into his bones, spreading rapidly throughout his body like a tide.

"As expected, even with the help of the main body's spiritual pressure, trying to change the past on such a large scale is still too much of a burden for this Fullbringer clone of mine! It seems that only when I truly achieve the fusion of the four elements will I be able to fully master this power!"

Although Tsukishima Shukuro looked exhausted, with fatigue written all over his face, his eyes were becoming brighter and sharper, revealing a sense of determination and excitement. After this attempt, he was now certain that the Book of the End's ability was definitely on the same level as Yhwach's Almighty, and its potential was immeasurable.

Tsukishima Shukuro held the Book of the End, which had transformed back into a bookmark, a look of joy in his eyes.

......

Two years later, in the Tenth Division barracks, Shiba Isshin was lying leisurely on a branch of a large tree in the courtyard, basking in the warmth of the sun.

"Captain!"

"Captain!"

Matsumoto Rangiku, the Tenth Division's lieutenant, who had come to report, looked around and, seeing that no one was around, immediately shouted at the top of her lungs.

"That's strange, I clearly sensed the Captain's spiritual pressure here just now, how did he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

After a careful search, Matsumoto Rangiku heard a faint snoring sound and discovered that Shiba Isshin was lying leisurely on the tree branch, sound asleep.

Seeing this, Matsumoto Rangiku immediately picked up a fist-sized stone from the edge of the lawn and threw it with force.

"Bang!"

Caught off guard, the lazy Shiba Isshin fell straight from the tree branch.

He opened his eyes groggily and saw Matsumoto Rangiku, drenched in sweat, her eyes involuntarily activating their homing mode. Facing this unreliable captain, the veins on Rangiku's forehead were about to burst, and she shouted loudly:

"Damn it, Captain, can you stop slacking off all the time!"

Just as Rangiku was scolding Isshin Shiba, Hitsugaya Toshiro walked in with a large stack of documents, his expression particularly serious.

Seeing his captain and lieutenant arguing again, Hitsugaya Toshiro sighed helplessly.

"Oh, it's Shiro-chan, what's the matter?"

When Shiba Isshin finally noticed him, Hitsugaya Toshiro immediately straightened his face and said:

"According to our investigation, many Shinigami have recently gone missing in Naruki City, including members of the Tenth Division."

Hearing this, Shiba Isshin immediately put away the playful look on his face and said seriously:

"I'll go to the Human World to investigate the situation, you two wait here for my news. To avoid causing unnecessary panic, don't report this to Captain-Commander Kyoraku yet!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shiba Isshin quickly opened the Senkaimon, and with a flash step, stepped into the gate.

"But... Captain!"

Matsumoto Rangiku, who was beside him, looked worried and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Hitsugaya Toshiro. Hitsugaya Toshiro looked solemn and said firmly:

"The Captain must have noticed that this incident is strange and unusual, so he decided not to bring anyone else and plans to investigate it himself first. Although he usually acts like a slacker and is unreliable, his ability and judgment are trustworthy at crucial moments. Let's just wait here for him to return and not worry too much."

Hitsugaya Toshiro's tone was firm, his face full of trust and affirmation in Shiba Isshin's strength, as if in his heart, Shiba Isshin would never let them down and would definitely solve this problem smoothly.

But no one expected that after this farewell, the three of them would not reunite until decades later.

......

At the same time, inside the Image Hall of the Great Spirit Book Repository, which has now become Aizen's exclusive laboratory.

Aizen Sosuke, along with Ichimaru Gin and Tosen Kaname, not only entered and exited this place at will as if it were their back garden, but also placed a large number of experimental materials in the hall, with all kinds of bottles and jars and strange instruments filling the space.

At this moment, the three of them were staring intently at the screen, closely monitoring every move in the Human World, with a hint of excitement and anticipation in their eyes.

In Naruki City in the Human World, which is adjacent to the spiritually significant Karakura Town, Hollow incidents occur frequently, and the security situation has always been worrying.

Now, with the unexpected death of several Shinigami here, the situation has undoubtedly become more tense and strange. The two Shinigami stationed here were filled with unease, and looking at the gloomy sky that seemed to be pressing down, a strong sense of foreboding welled up in their hearts.

"Yo!"

Suddenly, a shout broke the silence. The two Shinigami shuddered in fright, instinctively drew their swords, and turned their heads sharply, only to find that the person who came was Tenth Division Captain Shiba Isshin.

"Phew, Captain Shiba, you scared us to death, suddenly speaking like that can easily lead to misunderstandings!"

One of the Shinigami said with lingering fear, his face still showing the undiminished horror.

Just as he was about to say something, he noticed that Shiba Isshin's face did not have the slightest playful expression, his eyes staring fixedly in a certain direction, and he said solemnly:

"You guys go back to Soul Society first, I'll take care of things here!"

Not far away, a ray of moonlight shone on the roof, vaguely revealing a figure. The figure was as black as ink, with a strange shape on its head resembling bull horns.