Chapter 620 - Ichimaru Gin and Yakushi Kabuto's Past
To be honest…
Was Uehara’s Hado #99 really trustworthy?
If other people saw how clumsy Uehara was when he chanted to release Bakurdo #66: Six-Rod Light Restraint, they would probably look down on this sealed scroll, but Ichimaru Gin was completely different.
Ichimaru Gin smiled as he accepted the sealed scroll Uehara had given him. He believed in Uehara’s strength, just as he believed in his original choice.
Dozens of years ago.
At the corner of Rukongai.
The young Ichimaru Gin carefully unscrewed the water bottle carefully, licked the corner of his mouth, and put the water bottle in his hand on his right hand.
On the right side of Ichimaru Gin, the young Matsumoto Rangiku was biting a piece of bread with a lifeless look. Her face still had a fear of robbing the black market merchant just now.
This was the life of these Rukongai people, in constant fear.
Generally speaking, the dead soul did not need to eat. They only needed to absorb Soul Society’s spiritual energy to survive. However, Ichimaru Gin and Matsumoto Rangiku, dead souls with higher spiritual power in their bodies, had to survive by eating.
This was their luck.
It was also their misfortune.
If they want to live, they must constantly absorb food and water. These two things were especially precious in Rukongai. They can only fight for themselves with their lives…
In the most difficult times, they even eat some raw taro. Only in this way can they maintain their body movements.
“Are we going to continue like this?”
The young Matsumoto Rangiku finally came back to her senses. She looked down at the flatbread in her hand, swallowed a mouthful of water, and handed the remaining half of the flatbread to Ichimaru Gin.
The young girl was still very hungry.
One could even see her reluctance from her heaving chest. However, the flatbread in her hand was the only harvest they had today. It should not be enjoyed by her alone.
“Heh… don’t force yourself too much…”
The young Ichimaru Gin chuckled and reached out to take the flatbread from Matsumoto Rangiku. He broke off a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth.
This was because Ichimaru Gin knew the nature of the young girl.
Now was not the time for him to be humble with each others.
The young Ichimaru Gin pushed the water bottle in the direction of the young girl. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. Then, he began to eat the flatbread, “You go home first… I want to go out for a walk.”
“… Okay.”
The young Matsumoto Rangiku held the water bottle and lowered her head.
Although Ichimaru Gin asked her to go home, they did not have a home. It was just a dilapidated and desolate wooden house. The two relied on each other to survive…
“Drink more water.”
The young Ichimaru Gin rubbed the young girl’s orange hair.
However, when his palm was about to touch the young girl’s hair, he slowly stopped and took it back.
The young boy did not say anything more.
There was one thing that the young Ichimaru Gin did not tell the young Matsumoto Rangiku. Their biggest harvest today was not the food and water in their hands but a piece of news that was very important to them.
Someone bought a large amount of food and water from the black market.
Tomorrow, someone would come to the black market to make a deal.
The young Ichimaru Gin already knew the location of their meeting. He wanted to plan an attack on the buyer. As long as he could get enough money from this attack, there would be a chance for him and Matsumoto Rangiku to have a stable life.
Although Ichimaru Gin knew that there was a lot of food and water in this batch, the buyer would definitely send many people to transport it. This also meant that the degree of danger would be greatly increased.
But…
This might be the only chance he had.
It would allow Matsumoto Rangiku to have a chance to live comfortably.
Late at night.
In a desolate warehouse.
A rough-looking black market merchant appeared in the warehouse with hundreds of strong men carrying bags of food and water. His face was full of ferocious smiles.
There were no rules in Rukongai.
When this black market merchant knew that someone wanted to buy a large sum of food and water from him, his first thought was not to make a legitimate deal but to try to eat the other person directly!
This black market merchant gathered all his subordinates, including a few wandering shinigami who were willing to work for him. This kind of power could be said to be strong in the entire Rukongai.
Of course…
If the other party brought strong enough people, then he would trade peacefully, and he would also get a big client. No matter how he calculated it, it was not a loss.
The moonlight gradually became brighter.
A figure with a bamboo hat slowly walked into the warehouse.
The black market merchant and his subordinates looked at the person doubtfully. Their faces were full of confusion.
“One person?”
“Really?”
The man slowly took off his hat, revealing a face full of silver hair and glasses. The corners of his mouth curled into a strange smile, “Sir, you seem to have brought many people with you… This isn’t worth bringing so many people with this amount of goods, right?”
“Hahahaha… it is indeed not worth it!”
The black market merchant revealed a crazed smile. He looked at the person and shouted, “If you are alone, you don’t look like you are here to trade!”
At this point, the black market merchant suddenly stopped laughing. He stared at the person and said in a deep voice, “What do you mean? We brought all the goods. Did you bring your money?”
“Of course…”
The person reached out and adjusted his glasses. He casually took a scroll, took out a box of money from it, and placed it on the ground. He smiled and said, “According to our agreement, this money should be enough, right?”
A box full of money.
No matter who saw the box, their eyes unconsciously fell on it. This money was enough for anyone to live a hundred years of a rich life in Soul Society.
“Of course… it’s enough!”
The black market merchant narrowed his eyes and began to think about the identity of his buyer. After all, the method of taking money from the sealed scroll just now…
It seemed to be shinigami who had practiced Kido.
However, no matter how he thought about it, he was definitely not Gotei 13’s person!
However, if he was not a Gotei 13 or Seireitei’s people, then there was no need to care about who this guy was. After all, it was not like he could not afford to offend him!
Even if it was Seireitei…
It was not like no shinigami had fallen in Rukongai!
In the next moment, as the black market merchant made a gesture, a group of people swarmed forward and surrounded the silver-haired youth with glasses. A tall man directly chopped off the head of the silver-haired youth with a swing of his blade…
This group of people seemed to have never thought that this silver-haired youth who seemed to have some tricks would actually be so easily dealt with by them.
This was really…
It was absolutely unexpected.
The black market merchant didn’t care. He waved his hand and had his men carry the money and load his goods again. He planned to leave the warehouse.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Just as they were happy about the ease of this trip, the steel wires disintegrated into sharp blades and swept across the entire warehouse in the blink of an eye!
A group of people was instantly dismembered!
Only a few vigilant people managed to avoid this sneak attack!
However, the entire warehouse seemed to have turned into a battlefield of hidden weapons. Sharp pieces of iron and steel needles flew everywhere, causing these people to frown!
There were people in the dark who wanted to kill them!
Finally, the densely packed hidden weapons finally stopped. The figure of a teenager appeared in this warehouse. He held a sharp iron dagger in his hand.
In the next moment…
The young Ichimaru Gin waved the iron dagger in his hand and rushed up. The cries and screams in the warehouse were endless, and the blood flew like red silk under the moonlight!
It was he who was secretly planning all this!
When the black market merchant was planning to cheat, he carefully checked the subordinates of this black market merchant and calculated the probability of his success!
After a long time.
The warehouse finally quieted down.
Just as the young Ichimaru Gin was checking his spoils of war and thinking about Matsumoto Rangiku, who was waiting for him at home, a burst of applause interrupted his thoughts.
Clap clap clap…
A hint of shock flashed across the young Ichimaru Gin’s face.
However, when he turned around, he saw the silver-haired youth who should have died a long time ago. This caused the shock on his face to increase.
No, this was normal.
How could such a person be easily killed?
Ichimaru Gin turned around and looked at the place where the silver-haired youth had been killed. It was unknown when it had become a wooden log.
Such a person…
It was too strange!
Ichimaru Gin’s brain immediately began to think about his odds of success. He slowly turned his head to look at the silver-haired youth. Suddenly, he bent his eyebrows and revealed a faint smile, “Are you satisfied with my performance?”
“… You are really smart!”
The silver-haired youth was not stingy with his praise, “When did you figure it out? Or did you know I was observing you?”
“Just now…”
The young Ichimaru Gin gradually calmed down. He said softly, “I just understood when I heard you were about to trade yesterday; it was a trap set up for me. No, it was a test…”
“It’s enough.”
The silver-haired youth slowly walked in and slowly squatted in front of him. He smiled and looked at the youth, who looked somewhat similar to himself, “Originally, this test should not have existed… But I want to see your ability…”
Now it seemed that this little fellow’s wisdom and talent were really good, and with a little polishing, it could become a suitable assistant.
The young Ichimaru Gin revealed the same smile as the silver-haired youth and softly said, “Then can you tell me your name now?”
“Kabuto.”
The silver-haired youth stretched out his palm and placed it on his shoulder, “Now that you have passed the test, do you want to come with me?”
“If I follow you, what can I get?”
“You won’t get anything.”
Kabuto’s smile gradually became gentle. He calmly approached the young Ichimaru Gin and smiled, “No, it should be said that there is still one thing that can be obtained, such as…protecting your companions.”
“…”
The young Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes and nodded.
In fact, it was enough to get this.
Soon after, Kabuto’s orphanage had two more children.
Ichimaru Gin and Matsumoto Rangiku grew up in this orphanage, and they no longer needed to live a life of hunger and fear.
Here, the young Ichimaru Gin and the young Matsumoto Rangiku began to learn to take care of the children in the orphanage after they grew up. Both of them inevitably learned a part of Kabuto.
Ichimaru Gin learned about Kabuto’s deep obscurity, and his nature gradually became more and more like Kabuto, or he and Kabuto were the same kind of people.
Matsumoto Rangiku learned the gentleness of Kabuto, which was Yakushi Nono’s maternal nature.
In fact…
Kabuto lied.
No, this could not be called a lie at all.
Ichimaru Gin was very clear that what they had obtained in this orphanage was actually far more than what Ichimaru Gin had initially expected; what they needed to pay was nothing at all.
Because according to Kabuto’s ability, they did not need to do anything at all. His goal was very simple as if he really only wanted to adopt two orphans…
Until Ichimaru Gin finally thought that he had to do something for Kabuto to pay off everything owed by him and Matsumoto Rangiku, so Kabuto gave Ichimaru Gin two options.
One choice was to join an organization named Akatsuki.
The other choice was to inherit this Kabuto orphanage in the future.
Ichimaru Gin remembered that his expression was a little puzzled at that time. He really did not expect Kabuto to adopt him, only to find an orphanage caretaker!
However…
Ichimaru Gin chose to join Akatsuki.
He was qualified to come into contact with a whole new world.
A different world.
A secret history of a thousand-year-old wealthy and powerful family, a thousand-year secret case sealed in time, a god hidden in the Soul Society for a thousand years.
No one would think of it.
The head of a thousand-year-old family has always been the same person. He was like a shadow in the dark that never showed up.
Lord Naraku.
Compared with this Lord Naraku in front of him, the 5th Division Captain Sosuke Aizen, who hides his true face, looks like a child playing.
Although everything Sosuke Aizen had in Ichimaru Gin’s eyes was enough to make people uneasy, it was still far from being as shocking as this person.
Perhaps the only pity was…
This boss was always a little off-line habitually.
For example, Uehara’s question made it difficult for Ichimaru Gin to answer, “Speaking of which, do you think I am a kind person?”
“…”
How was Ichimaru Gin supposed to answer this question?
Ichimaru Gin lowered his head to look at the scroll in his hand before speaking softly, “Of course, if not for Lord Naraku, there would have been many orphans in Rukongai who wouldn’t be able to live until adulthood…”
“That was all thanks to Kabuto because his adoptive mother was the caretaker of an orphanage. He only inherited the will of his former dean.”
Looking at Ichimaru Gin’s expression, Uehara seemed to think that this subordinate suspected his seal scroll. He couldn’t help but say, “You don’t have to doubt the things I gave you. Perhaps it is not enough to destroy the entire Soul Society, but it should be more than enough to destroy Seireitei, even if it has spirit-reducing stone’s protection…”
“Uh… Yes.”
Ichimaru Gin carefully put away the scroll.
Wait, why did this superior give him a scroll that could destroy Seireitei and also let him carry this scroll to protect himself…
This superior…
Did he overestimate the power of his subordinates?
If he had known earlier…
Ichimaru Gin somewhat missed the other choice that Dean Kabuto had provided him. Perhaps he should have chosen to inherit the position of the dean of the orphanage.