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……
Three days later, after taking a leave and making all the preparations, Urahara Kisuke strode into the gate under the suspicious and sharp gaze of Shihouin Yoruichi.
He doesn't have the technology to go directly to the Hueco Mundo now, so he can only do the same as last time, go to the real world and catch a Hollow who can speak black language to help him open the door.
Fortunately, this is not a difficult task.
Standing on the land of the real world, Urahara Kisuke maximized his perception to capture the spiritual energy that might exist in the air and left behind by virtual activities, which could help him locate prey more efficiently.
……Um!?
...The sensing was wrong?
Urahara Kisuke looked towards the east with some hesitation. Why did he feel Gu Shi's presence in that direction?
A strange feeling of dislocation emerged from the bottom of his heart. Urahara Kisuke was very sure that in his perception, that direction was peaceful and there was no trace of any virtual activity at all, and he could not even feel the obvious flow of spiritual energy.
But at the same time, in that direction, he felt the familiar breath belonging to Gu Shi, and also the breath of the god of death named Asido?
...go and take a look.
Frowning, Urahara Kisuke took instant steps and quickly moved towards the place he sensed. His speed was so fast that the surrounding trees and rocks quickly retreated in his field of vision. Soon, he vaguely saw a small village.
At the same time, Urahara Kisuke slammed on the brakes and stopped himself forcibly. A look of surprise appeared on his face. He flicked his fingers lightly, and the weakest and most basic No. 1 Broken Dao "Rush" flew out from his fingertips.
The ball of energy formed by spiritual power flew for a short distance before suddenly hitting something invisible and instantly disappeared in front of Urahara Kisuke.
Was it cancelled out? Like a counter-ghost killing each other? No, that's not right. It was more like swallowing.
His expression suddenly turned gloomy, and Urahara Kisuke slowly stretched out his hand, with his fingertips approaching the place where the "rush" had just disappeared. After reaching a certain distance, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his fingertips. He withdrew his hand and looked again, and found that a layer of skin and flesh on his fingers had disappeared, and the fresh flesh and blood was directly exposed to the air.
Sure enough, it was a barrier.
Someone has set up a huge barrier here, covering the village and part of the surrounding mountains and sea areas.
...Again, the Saito family?
Feeling the aura belonging to Gu Shi within the barrier, Urahara Kisuke's eyes rarely showed a hint of murderous intent.
Having spent a long time together, Urahara Kisuke knew that Gu Shi was very smart and knew a lot of knowledge that he didn't know. However, most of Gu Shi's knowledge was biased towards the material and living.
Gu Shi actually didn't know much about the knowledge of death and souls. Even the most basic principles of the ghost way were taught to Gu Shi by him. And that level of ghost knowledge was not enough to support Gu Shi in setting up such a dangerous barrier. It must have been set up by someone else.
...So, those damn trash from the Saito family still don't intend to give up, and secretly captured Gu Shi and transferred him to the modern world to continue Saito Yamei's research?
In order to keep it secret, those guys specially set up such a barrier?
Urahara Kisuke has extensive experience in conducting research using Hollows as experimental subjects, so he doesn't need to imagine them specifically; all kinds of bad possibilities automatically pop into his mind.
When he thought about the torture his friend might have suffered, murderous intent began to surge in Urahara Kisuke's heart.
"Beast bones scattered everywhere, spires, red crystals, steel wheels..."
A low chanting voice came out of Urahara Kisuke's mouth. It was the most advanced Hadō that he could master as a first-year student, the Thunder Roar Cannon numbered 63. He wanted to directly blow up this dangerous barrier and rescue his friends.
As for the Saito family's trash inside, the worst that can happen is that they will all be killed. Even if some escape, it doesn't matter. Don't they like to use their noble power to do whatever they want? Then, let them have a taste of the power of the Shifengyuan family.
He is not a member of the Shifengin family, and it doesn't matter if the Shifengin family won't make a big fuss for him. At worst, he can just sell himself to the Shifengin family. With his talent, the old man of the Shifengin family will definitely know which side to protect and which side to destroy.
Soon, the short chanting ended, and the brilliant golden lightning gathered in Urahara Kisuke's palm, and then it was released without reservation.
The violent thunder struck the barrier. Even though some of the spiritual power was absorbed by the barrier itself, the remaining power was still strong enough. This barrier, which focused on hiding and shielding and was rough in other aspects, finally had a big hole after struggling for three seconds.
The lightning went out, and across the huge hole that began to slowly repair itself, two pairs of eyes filled with murderous intent met each other, and then became dull at the same time.
"...Gu Shi?"
"...Kisuke?"
Chapter 166: Differences in Common Sense
"So, this barrier was created by you, Gu Shi? I didn't expect you to have such technology in your hands."
Urahara Kisuke smiled and tested the source of Gu Shi's barrier technology, which meant that he was suspicious, but at the same time, he calmly entered the barrier and started to test after entering Gu Shi's position. This was trust, trust that Gu Shi would not harm himself.
It was very contradictory behavior, and Urahara Kisuke himself felt that his behavior was not rational enough.
However, Gu Shi could understand his irrationality, because Urahara Kisuke was not a researcher known for his rationality. On the contrary, his emotional side was far greater than his rationality.
Moreover, he has a strong gambling nature.
For example, although he had an excellent talent and it would not be difficult for him to master Bankai step by step, in order to master Bankai as soon as possible and for some personal fun, he forcibly developed something called "Shintoku", and forcibly dragged the soul of his Zanpakutō, which should only exist in the spiritual world, into the real world, and fought with the opponent in real swords and guns, and forcibly defeated his own Zanpakutō.
For example, even though he knew that Aizen was planning to take the unfinished Hogyoku in his hand, he still put it into Kuchiki Rukia's soul and sent it to Aizen, betting that as long as Aizen came out from the dark, he could be defeated by everyone even if he got the complete Hogyoku.
For example, although he had all kinds of incredible techniques in his hands, when he was helping Ichigo Kurosaki regain his power as a Shinigami, he chose the most dangerous "cutting the chain of cause and effect", causing Ichigo Kurosaki to be just one step away from completely falling into depravity and becoming a Hollow.
Kisuke Urahara is always gambling, gambling that things will develop as he expects. Perhaps because of his incredible talent and ability, he always wins the bet, which makes him more willing to gamble when faced with difficult choices.
This time is obviously the same. Urahara Kisuke wants to trust his friend, so he once again puts his own safety on the table, betting that Gu Shi will not hurt him, and that even if Gu Shi really betrays him, he can evacuate safely.
Gu Shi could understand Urahara Kisuke better than he thought, so...
"We have not eaten humans so far, nor have we killed any death gods."
Gu Shi did not directly answer Urahara Kisuke's question, nor did he explain the source of the technology in his hands, but his answer was what Urahara Kisuke wanted to hear most at this moment.
Urahara Kisuke breathed a sigh of relief, and his posture relaxed a lot.
What he was most worried about was not the barrier technology of unknown origin, but the fact that Gu Shi and others appeared in the world.
The most likely reason why Hollows come to the real world is to eat humans. The most crucial reason why Urahara Kisuke can become friends with Gu Shi and others is that Gu Shi and others are different from ordinary Hollows. They do not eat humans.
As long as this point remains unchanged, even if Gu Shi has the barrier technology of unknown origin in his hands, Urahara Kisuke doesn't really care.
Just like Asido became Gu Shi's companion and taught Gu Shi basic knowledge of ghost ways, maybe in places he didn't know, Gu Shi had other death god friends, and that person taught Gu Shi the barrier technique?
As a quasi-shinigami who was born directly in Soul Society and had never appeared in the human world several times before, the "common sense" that Urahara Kisuke acquired in Soul Society is undoubtedly different from that of living people in the human world, such as his views on the act of "killing".
In the eyes of some Shinigami, especially those who were born directly in Soul Society instead of being buried in Soul Society by their souls, the body is just the external manifestation of the essence of the soul. As long as the soul is not eaten by a Hollow or destroyed by a Quincy's light arrow, then even if the body of a living person is destroyed, it is only a layer of protection and a layer of restraint that is taken away, achieving a transformation in form.
Although this is also an evil act, compared to the unforgivable sin of "killing souls", the "murder" in the human sense of the world, in the eyes of these death gods, is more like snatching something that is destined to be discarded in the future, and the degree of badness is not at the same level at all.
The duty of the Grim Reaper is to "protect ordinary people", and what they protect is always the soul rather than the body. They never interfere in disputes between people to destroy the body, but only ensure the survival of the soul.
Even Asido only does his best to protect the physical survival of ordinary people, and does not value their souls as much as he does.
Therefore, as long as Gu Shi came to the world not to eat humans, everything would be fine. Even if Gu Shi destroyed the bodies of some people during his activities, as long as those people's souls were not harmed, Urahara Kisuke could convince himself not to care.
"So, Kisuke, why did you come to the human world? Could it be that you made Yoruichi angry and fled to the human world for refuge?"
Seeing that Urahara Kisuke had relaxed, Gu Shi asked about Urahara Kisuke's condition with some joking.
Thinking of Yoruichi's unhappy expression when he set out, Urahara Kisuke smiled awkwardly and quickly explained his purpose.
"… That's basically the situation. By the way, this is the letter from my senior. If you're interested, please write a reply. If not, forget it. I'll go back and explain it to him myself."
After taking the ridiculously thick envelope, Gu Shi nodded, put it aside, and stared at Urahara Kisuke with interest.
"I never thought that you, Kisuke, would worry about something like this. I thought you had already decided to dedicate your whole life to Soul Society."
After all, when the plot of "Bleach" begins, the earth, the universe, extraterrestrial life and so on were already known to everyone, but Kisuke Urahara in the plot still regards Soul Society as his entire world and shows no intention of "going out to see the world".
It seems that if you want to change a person, you really have to do it while he is still young. Young people have sufficient motivation to make changes. When they are older and more mature, even if they know that there is a bigger world outside their comfort zone, they have long lost the urge to go out.
[Perhaps, if I try harder, I can really pull Urahara Kisuke away as well? ]
Urahara Kisuke smiled awkwardly. He was born into a noble family and was destined to become a god of death. Theoretically, he should devote his whole life to Soul Society, but he was indeed a little unwilling. After seeing the vastness of the world, he really didn't want to be trapped in such a small place for the next hundreds or thousands of years.
"Ha, haha, Soul Society is full of talented people. For an ordinary student like me, it shouldn't matter if there's one more or one less, right?"
At the moment of subconscious defense, Urahara Kisuke suddenly realized his own feelings. He hoped that someone could persuade him to choose freedom and a wider world.
Therefore, he did not discuss with Yoruichi, who had the mission of the Shihouin family and must have valued Soul Society more than him.
So, when Aizen just made a slight suggestion, he couldn't wait to agree.
So, please don't try to persuade me with some great truth like "This is about your life, you have to make your own choice"! Give me a reason to be free!
A hint of pleading gradually appeared in Urahara Kisuke's eyes.
Chapter 167: "Consideration"
There is no doubt that at this time, Urahara Kisuke's mind became unstable and he fell into some kind of confusion because he suddenly saw the real world.
If Gu Shi had a decent character, he should have advised Urahara Kisuke to go out and relax, calm down, and then think about the problem slowly on his own after he had calmed down.
Unfortunately, Gu Shi is not a decent person.
"Well, since you asked that, Kisuke, I'll tell you my answer for your reference."
With a considerate smile, Gu Shi pulled Urahara Kisuke and motioned him to sit down and talk slowly. After he sat down, he began to tell him his thoughts frankly.
“To be honest, this planet is too small. No matter what others think, once I have the ability to set foot in the universe, I will definitely leave here and look for other planets where life may exist, looking for life that can make me feel novel and happy.
"Also, I have started preparing for this a long time ago. In order to avoid being too lonely on the journey alone, I have been actively making friends and looking for people who can travel with me. Erlang, Tianpeng and the others are my reserved travel companions. We have already agreed to set off together."
When Urahara Kisuke heard this, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and was about to question, but before he could make a sound, Gu Shi interrupted him at a faster speed.
"I know what you want to ask, why didn't I invite you, right? Kisuke, you think I'm being mean and don't consider you a friend, right? If you think so, then I'll be sad, Kisuke, we get along very well, and I sincerely consider you a friend, but that's why I didn't invite you."
Under Urahara Kisuke's puzzled gaze, Gu Shi's expression became serious, and he spoke righteously, like a true friend who stood on his friend's side and thought for his friend from the bottom of his heart.
"From the first time we met, I could tell, Kisuke, that you are the kind of person who takes yourself very lightly. Of course, I'm not saying that you look down on yourself, but I'm saying that compared to the needs of others and the responsibilities of society, you take your own preferences and happiness very lightly.
"I believe that if I invite you, you will definitely be excited and eager for a bigger stage. But no matter how excited you are or how much you want to be, you can't abandon your responsibilities and put down everything to go to the starry sky with me. If that's the case, why should I let you struggle and entangle in vain?"
What Gu Shi said was the truth, he really thought so, so his words were justified and righteous.
Urahara Kisuke closed his eyes somewhat disappointedly, smiling bitterly in his heart.
[Really? I’ve been completely seen through. 】
Gu Shi was right. Even though he was full of impulse now and hoped that someone could persuade him to let go of his responsibilities and pursue his own life, when he calmed down, he would definitely choose to return to Soul Society. Yoruichi still needed his help, and he also had to create a real research institution for the Seireitei. He couldn't abandon the responsibilities he had chosen for himself.
[If Gu Shi could be a little bit more evil, he could just lie to me at this time. But, it is precisely because he is not a bad person that I choose to be friends with him, right? ]
Sighing secretly in his heart, Urahara Kisuke rubbed his face, cheered himself up again, and bowed slightly to Gu Shi seriously.
"...Thank you, Gu Shi."
"Don't be so polite. We are friends, right? I can't just watch you make a decision that you will regret in the future."
He patted Urahara Kisuke's shoulder and continued to comfort him with considerate words.