Chapter 104 - Two Renji Abarai!?
In the Soul Society, Seireitei, First Division Office.
Yamamoto sat at the head, with the other captains lined up on both sides.
At that moment, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was reporting, "As of now, over one-third of Seireitei has been destroyed, and the casualties have yet to be fully calculated."
Yamamoto didn't respond to this, but instead turned to Soi Fon and asked, "What's the situation with Mayuri?"
Soi Fon stepped forward and respectfully replied, "After our investigation, we discovered that Mayuri has lost a significant portion of his memories. His memory currently stops at the time when he was imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest."
Back when Mayuri was imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest, Kisuke Urahara was still the Captain of the 12th Division.
It was Urahara who saw potential in Mayuri and rescued him from the Maggot's Nest.
By the timeline, that was over a hundred years ago.
In other words, Mayuri had lost at least a century of memories.
But why had Mayuri lost his memories, and how was this connected to the current disaster?
As he pondered this, a sharp glint flashed in Yamamoto's eyes, and he said, "Try again and see if there's any way to restore Mayuri's memories."
Soi Fon acknowledged his order and stepped back.
Yamamoto then turned to Unohana and asked, "How is the Fourth Division's rescue effort progressing?"
Unohana stepped forward, her expression grave, and replied, "There's been little progress. Those who were rescued are all encased in a layer of reishi crystal, and Kaidō has no effect on them. We can't determine if the people inside are alive or dead."
As she spoke, Unohana glanced at Renji Abarai, who was standing nearby, with a hint of hesitation before continuing, "During the rescue operation, I found two individuals that I believe the Captain-Commander should see."
Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised. "Who are they?" he asked.
Unohana didn't respond directly but signaled to her lieutenant, Isane.
Isane nodded and quickly left the office.
Moments later, she returned, carrying two figures encased in reishi crystals.
The reishi crystals were white and transparent, allowing those present to clearly see the individuals inside.
Unohana's earlier words had piqued everyone's curiosity, and now, all eyes turned to the two figures encased in the crystals.
Soon, a voice filled with disbelief echoed in the room: "That... that's me!?"
The speaker was Renji, the lieutenant of the Sixth Division.
At that moment, Renji was staring in shock and awe at the other Renji sealed in the reishi crystal.
Not only Renji, but the rest of the captains—except for Byakuya—wore expressions of astonishment and disbelief.
Their eyes darted between the two Renjis, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
Meanwhile, Byakuya's gaze was fixed on the other individual encased in reishi crystal. His expression was stunned as he murmured unconsciously, "Hisana?"
Byakuya stared intently at the figure inside the reishi crystal, emotions flickering in his eyes.
But soon, he suppressed those emotions.
Byakuya knew that the person inside the crystal wasn't his wife, Hisana Kuchiki, but someone who merely resembled her.
Moreover, the individual encased in the crystal looked much younger, around 12 years old.
Most importantly, this person was wearing the uniform of the Shin'ō Academy.
Hisana had never attended the Shin'ō Academy.
And since Byakuya had lost all memories related to Rukia, he didn't recognize her and had no memory of Hisana having a younger sister.
Byakuya then shifted his gaze to the other Renji, also encased in reishi crystal and wearing the Shin'ō Academy uniform.
This realization made Byakuya's eyes tremble slightly.
Among the Gotei 13, Byakuya had spent the most time with Renji, as Renji was his lieutenant.
Because of this, Byakuya knew Renji very well.
Though the Renji encased in the reishi crystal looked only 12 years old, Byakuya instantly recognized him as the same Renji—just as he had recognized that Rukia wasn't Hisana.
But how was this possible!?
How could there be two Renji Abarais in this world!?
Byakuya's mind reeled with confusion.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone felt their worldview shattering, unable to make sense of what was happening.
After a few moments, Renji broke the silence, his voice trembling: "There's no mistake—this is me, from when I was a student at the Academy."
"But how could my younger self appear here?"
"Could the reishi riot have disrupted space and time?"
Hearing this, the others felt a chill run down their spines.
Renji's theory, though outlandish, seemed plausible when they thought about it.
After all, time was an enigma, and even as Shinigami, they couldn't fully understand its mysteries.
Breaking the silence, Yamamoto spoke, "Bring Mayuri here. Even though he's lost his memories, his talents remain."
"In the current Soul Society, there's likely no one else who can figure this out."
Soi Fon, ever efficient, immediately set off to carry out the order.
After Soi Fon left, Yamamoto spoke again, "Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Abarai, stay here. The rest of you are dismissed to return to your divisions."
"The mastermind behind this disaster is undoubtedly targeting Seireitei."
"So they will surely strike again. In the meantime, strengthen the patrols of Seireitei. We must find out who is behind this!"
"Yes, sir!"
The captains responded in unison before returning to their respective divisions to begin preparations.
Soon, patrol Shinigami filled the streets and alleys of Seireitei, everyone on high alert.
Meanwhile, at the secret base of Urahara Shōten.
Urahara had already opened the Senkaimon leading to the Soul Society.
Gilgamesh, holding the black cat form of Yoruichi of the Past, looked at Ichigo beside him and asked, "Are you planning to come with me to the Soul Society?"
Ichigo, his expression determined, nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm going."
"I've remembered everything about Rukia."
"She's in trouble now, and I have to save her!"
Gilgamesh smiled slightly. "Then let's go."
After Gilgamesh and Ichigo left, Urahara looked at the mess Gilgamesh had left behind and felt a headache coming on.
Setting everything else aside, just undoing the memory inversion was a huge hassle.
Originally, Yoruichi of the Future had wanted to go along.
But with her memory inversion unresolved, she couldn't go to the Soul Society yet.
Otherwise, she might end up seeing everyone there as an enemy.
___________________________________________
To read 45 advanced chapters you can visit my Patreon:"https://patreon.com/Hiddenfanfics