Shinigami: Medicine Can't Save The Soul Reaper Society

Despite everything, Makoto had to admit that Koga's zanpakutō ability was undoubtedly one of those that could be considered invincible in internal conflicts.

It was as if Koga noticed Makoto's gaze. Turning his head slightly, Koga cast him a look, followed by an ambiguous smile that revealed little.

Shortly after, Koga led Makoto into a villa-like area. Without much care, he picked a random villa and walked in, as if he owned the place.

Once inside, Koga began setting up a small barrier within the villa to prevent any spiritual pressure fluctuations from leaking out.

Surprisingly, Koga neither imposed a seal on Makoto nor broke the binding locks on him. It was as though he harbored no concern at all that Makoto might escape or retaliate.

Or perhaps, in Koga's eyes... Makoto simply posed no threat.

After all, Makoto was merely a v

Vice-captain of a Medical Division who hadn't even mastered his bankai. Being a child of the Rukongai slums meant he was unlikely to know any forbidden kidō techniques or possess dangerous artifacts.

Meanwhile, both Koga and Muramasa possessed captain-level power. Even the weakest among them, the materialized Senbonzakura, held combat capabilities on par with a proficient Vice-captain.

Once Koga finished setting up the barrier, he reentered the room with Muramasa. Collapsing onto the couch in a casual yet arrogant manner, he gazed at Makoto with an air of complete dominance.

"Makoto-kun, you're a smart man. We might need to live here in the human world for a few decades. Surely, you wouldn't want to do anything to make things difficult for me, would you? Otherwise, I might have to resort to... methods you might not be so keen on witnessing."

"I understand."

Makoto's hands remained buried in his pockets, his gaze downcast, as though he had resigned himself to his fate.

Muramasa stepped forward and extended a hand toward Makoto. "Please hand over Shinro Bansho."

Faced with Muramasa's demand, Makoto kept his hands in his pockets and ignored him entirely. Instead, he looked directly at Koga.

"I refuse. Shinro Bansho holds a special meaning for me, akin to a beloved family member or close friend. There's no way I'm handing it over."

For a moment, Koga stared at Makoto, his expression unreadable. Then, a mocking laugh broke from his lips.

"Hahaha! Makoto-kun, you're really soft. A zanpakutō is merely a tool for a Shinigami, yet you see it as something as precious as family?"

Muramasa, who had been contemplating warning Koga about Shinro Bansho's potential complexity, grew visibly gloomier. His eyes lingered on Koga with a deeper, more thoughtful intensity.

Unbothered by Muramasa's change in demeanor, Koga continued speaking.

"Makoto-kun, feel free to pick any room in the villa as your residence. However, without my permission, you are forbidden to leave the premises."

"No problem."

Makoto responded tersely, selecting the most isolated room in the villa before retreating into it without another word.

Koga, unfazed by Makoto's cold demeanor, stretched his limbs lazily before assuming an exaggerated, arrogant posture on the couch.

"Being freed from the Kuchiki clan is so liberating. No more tedious and revolting family rules. No more upholding that insufferable so-called Kuchiki honor..."

"Honor of the Kuchiki clan? What a joke!"

A twisted satisfaction spread across Koga's face as he muttered to himself.

"We'll lay low in the human world for a while. Once the Seireitei's vigilance wanes, Muramasa can infiltrate again. Little by little, we'll identify the spiritual cores of all the captains' and vice-captains' zanpakutō..."

"When the time comes, we'll materialize all their zanpakutō spirits at once, forming a true zanpakutō army. Who in the Seireitei would dare oppose me then? My will shall become the glory of the Kuchiki clan and, eventually, the entire Seireitei!"

By the end of his monologue, Koga's eyes gleamed with fervent ambition, as if he believed his vision was already within reach.

Listening from his room, Makoto couldn't help but feel a trace of pity and sympathy for Koga's delusions.

This child had entered the Kuchiki family as a son-in-law but hadn't learned its rigid discipline or humility. Instead, he had absorbed only the aristocratic arrogance of looking down on everything.

Setting aside the fact that depriving Shinigami of their zanpakutō spirits only rendered them temporarily unable to wield their powers, it wasn't as if their abilities were stolen outright.

And someone like Captain Unohana? A monster like her would remain terrifying even without her zanpakutō. Her power alone could devastate the Seireitei.

"Speaking of which, I wonder if Captain Unohana already knows I've been captured..."

Makoto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

This incident was undoubtedly a prime opportunity to play the victim.

Even though Koga had shown far more courtesy than Makoto had expected, his arrogance in neglecting to impose a seal was laughable. Makoto had already resolved to milk this situation to the fullest, presenting himself as a victim to Captain Unohana.

He even began rehearsing his lines for his eventual "performance."

Makoto envisioned himself lying bloodied before Captain Unohana, clutching her hand with tear-streaked cheeks. With one finger, he'd trace the character for "tragedy" (惨) in blood on the floor.

"Captain... I missed you so much... I thought I'd never see you again..."

"I resisted with all my might, refusing to submit. I tried to escape countless times, just so I could return to your side."

"But Koga... he was too cruel. You know me, Captain, I'm no fighter. And now, even Shinro Bansho has been corrupted by Muramasa."

"Captain, please don't leave me... At least... let me see you one last time..."

Makoto's lips curved into a grin as he imagined the scene.

Surely, after such a heartfelt display, even Captain Unohana's icy demeanor would soften. She wouldn't hold any lingering grudges over the minor misunderstandings from before, would she?

At that moment, Makoto felt a renewed sense of pride in his cleverness.

Of course, he had no intention of staying in the human world with someone as foolish as Koga for decades.

Even if the Seireitei failed to locate Koga, Makoto had plenty of methods to escape and return on his own.

Smiling to himself, Makoto pulled Shinro Bansho out of his pocket.

After being fiddled with incessantly for so long, Shinro Bansho looked utterly worn out—its eyes vacant, its body limp, and drool pooling at the corners of its mouth. Even its tiny pink tongue lolled to one side helplessly.

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