Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

Akira was furious.

He had arrived first — how dare that old man steal his thunder?

"The mission can wait, Master. First, let your disciple file a complaint!" He deftly produced a new tea set from beneath the table, poured himself some tea, and sprawled across from him with legs spread wide.

Looking at his uncouth disciple who lacked any sense of etiquette, Genryūsai let out a deep sigh.

If only this one had half of Shunsui's shrewdness, he wouldn't be struggling so much to choose his successor as Captain-Commander.

Akira was, without question, the most talented student he had ever taught. Only someone of his caliber could protect the Gotei 13 and Soul Society as Genryūsai had done.

After all, strength was what truly mattered.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Akira launched into complaints about someone's brutal behavior — releasing Bankai within the Seireitei without permission and attempting to take advantage of a young man in his prime, among other grievances.

Genryūsai felt a headache coming on. He hadn't known his foolish disciple had already established connections with Senjumaru.

But from the description, could it be that this soon-to-be Zero Division Shinigami had taken a liking to his disciple?

And wasn't his networking ability rather extraordinary?

First courting the current head of the Shihōin clan, then maintaining a long-term master-disciple relationship with Captain Unohana, and now getting involved with Senjumaru Shutara.

The old man had an epiphany!

Akira had somehow forged friendly relationships with more than half the Captains, and furthermore, the two most powerful of the Five Great Noble Houses — the Kuchiki and Shihōin — were both indebted to him.

How had this foolish disciple, who possessed neither cunning nor basic intelligence, built such an extensive network without anyone noticing?

It seemed even he as Captain-Commander couldn't match this feat — who was the real Captain-Commander here?

The ancient master furrowed his brow in contemplation.

"The matter with Senjumaru can wait — I will speak with her." His authoritative voice filled the tea room as he watched the youth pour tea, "This mission is extremely important. I expect your absolute best effort."

Hearing this, Akira took a sip of tea. The old man always said that, yet every mission had proven not just simple, but entirely trouble-free.

Indeed, his lucky streak remained unbroken!

Seeing his disciple's casual attitude, Genryūsai snorted coldly and spoke with grave authority.

"The mission involves Hell."

"Which Hell?" Akira was taken aback.

"The Central Great Underground Prison." Genryūsai said in a deep voice, "It's where history's most heinous criminals are imprisoned."

Concerned his foolish disciple might not grasp the gravity of this, he explained further.

The Central Great Underground Prison predated the Gotei 13 itself. Even as Soul Society's systems were first taking shape, the Prison already existed.

As the Thirteen Divisions and their regulations evolved, so too did the Prison. After countless years of refinement, it now consisted of eight levels, from top to bottom:

Tōkatsu (Reviving), Kokujō (Black Thread), Shugō (Crushing), Kyōkan (Screaming), Daikyōkan (Great Screaming), Shōnetsu (Heating), Daishōnetsu (Great Heating), and Mugen (Uninterrupted).

While prisoners were supposedly assigned to different levels based on their crimes, Central 46's personal judgments often influenced these decisions.

Take Sōya Azashiro, for instance. Despite committing no actual crime, he was sentenced to 20,000 years in Mugen — the longest sentence ever given — purely because of his Zanpakutō's power and his dangerous ideology.

Others found themselves imprisoned merely for offending nobles or failing missions through unfortunate circumstances.

If any place in Soul Society harbored the most resentment, it was undoubtedly the Central Great Underground Prison.

Genryūsai spoke in a low voice, "Your mission is to collect a corpse."

Akira's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Don't corpses normally break down into Reishi and return to Soul Society?"

Despite skipping many classes, he'd seen enough corpses to know this.

Typically, the stronger a Shinigami's Reiatsu, the longer their corpse would remain intact. Yet even Captain-level Shinigami eventually dissolved into Reishi, returning to Soul Society's embrace.

{T/N: Some, but those who are especially powerful must be purified and "thrown" into Hell, which is a separate space, due to the energy imbalance between the three worlds after the tremendous sum of Reishi is released. An example from the original story was Yamamoto himself.}

"The Central Great Underground Prison exists in a space separate from Soul Society." Genryūsai explained patiently, "When criminals die there, their Reishi decomposes extremely slowly. Their bodies must be retrieved for proper burial in the Seireitei. The Prison's structure resembles the Dangai, though less sophisticated, and requires a special key to enter — one usually held by the Captain-Commander."

Noticing Akira's lingering confusion, Genryūsai continued.

"With Central 46 not fully selected, I must remain at the First Division barracks. And I trust no one else with this task. It falls to you."

Akira frowned but didn't object.

Though he didn't mind such missions, something about this one felt odd, even if he couldn't pinpoint why.

Genryūsai waved his hand, dismissing him.

"Go prepare yourself. Tomorrow at this time, I'll wait for you in the Inner Court."

Akira nodded and turned to leave.

Watching his retreating figure, Genryūsai's half-closed eyes slowly opened, revealing a contemplative gaze.

"Chōjirō, do you think he can handle such an important task?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe, who had appeared in the corridor outside, remained silent for a moment before responding:

"Captain Kisaragi is exceptionally capable and talented. Though he acts on impulse, his intuition is remarkably precise, and he grasps the core of most situations. More importantly, he serves as a bridge between various factions within Soul Society. Despite recent major events, I sense the Seireitei — no, all of Soul Society — has grown more vibrant than ever..."

This assessment didn't surprise Genryūsai.

No one understood Akira better than him. Though his foolish disciple proved unreliable in mundane matters, he shone brilliantly in crucial moments, often turning the tide of events.

This quality alone demanded special consideration.

Initially, Shunsui had been the sole candidate for Captain-Commander. But Akira's emergence had caused him to reconsider.

Perhaps a backup plan wasn't such a bad idea?

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

The next morning, Akira arrived at the Inner Court as promised.

This wasn't his first time here; he had previously come to mourn the deceased Central 46 members during the Kyoga Rebellion incident.

Although he was beaten severely by the old man for laughing during the funeral, he felt it was worth it. If he came again, he'd laugh even louder.

Soon, he saw the dignified and slightly benevolent old man, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

Perhaps because today's matter was so important, the old man had paid special attention to his appearance — even his waist-length beard was neatly combed and tied into a braid.

"Follow me." Genryūsai said, glancing at Akira, "The Central Great Underground Prison is beneath the Assembly Hall. We'll need to pass through multiple Bakudō barriers. Don't get lost."

If it were anyone else, he would never have added that last warning. But he couldn't trust this dumb kid not to lose his way. Who knew what kind of trouble he'd cause if he got lost in the Central Great Underground Prison?

Genryūsai never doubted his disciple's ability to cause problems. Even if Akira were to demolish the entire prison, he wouldn't find it strange — his blood pressure would just spike, that's all.

The two passed through several Bakudō barriers and a dark area before finally arriving at the entrance. To Akira's surprise, there was a familiar face guarding the place.

"Captain-Commander, sir." Hachigen Ushōda bowed respectfully, "Are you planning to enter the Central Great Underground Prison?"

Genryūsai shook his head and gave the dazed kid a push, "He's going. I need to stay and guard the Seireitei."

Hachigen glanced at Akira and nodded, saying nothing more. His duty was simply to maintain the Bakudō barriers here, and once his assignment was complete, he would return to his position as Vice Kidō Chief.

He had a deep impression of this young student. His brilliant performance during the graduation exam had impressed every member of the Kidō Corps. Even now, in the vast Kidō Corps, no one had reached his level in Kidō.

Thinking of this, Hachigen couldn't help but sigh. Sometimes, the gap between people's abilities was truly unfathomable.

Genryūsai turned to face his disciple with grave seriousness and handed him a wooden seal pulsing with powerful Reiatsu, "This is the key to open the prison. Guard it well. Follow its guidance, and it will show you the correct path."

Akira tucked away the wooden seal, released his Zanpakutō, and locked it between the clasps. This way, unless Kūkan Mukai itself was lost, the seal couldn't possibly fall.

Seeing this, Genryūsai narrowed his eyes. This troublemaker shouldn't lose his Zanpakutō.

{T/N: Red flag raised!}

Under his command, Hachigen opened the outer Bakudō barrier. As layers of light screens bloomed, a deep black door materialized before them.

On the door, flowing calligraphy formed the symbol "卍"!

{T/N: No, this swastika is not the Nazi one. It's the one most commonly used since ancient times and present in many Buddhist temples, which is basically what this Underground Prison is based on.}

When Akira pushed the wooden seal forward, the massive door opened in response. Beyond it lay only darkness.

"Teacher, I'll be going then." He waved back with a carefree grin and strode straight in.

Genryūsai watched his silhouette vanish into the darkness, a trace of worry flickering in the depths of his eyes.

Hopefully everything would go smoothly...

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

The interior wasn't as dark or complex as Akira had imagined. The stairs descended deep underground, with massive white pillars appearing occasionally along both walls, providing some illumination.

Unable to see clearly in the dim light, he conjured a Shakkahō. Two ping-pong-sized fireball spheres floated beside him, lighting the path ahead and behind.

At the bottom of the stairs, a black vortex materialized. Beyond it, Akira realized, lay the true Central Great Underground Prison.

Without hesitation, he extinguished the fireballs and stepped forward.

The moment he touched the vortex, twisted and oppressive Reiatsu engulfed him like an ocean's depths, pressing in from all directions.

The space beyond revealed a standard prison layout — an endless dark corridor flanked by special cells made of Sekkiseki (Spirit Reducing Stone). The structure reminded him of a tower game from his previous life.

But unlike typical prisons, here the cells held prisoners instead of being guarded by wardens.

As he gazed around curiously, a familiar notification sound rang out.

〈 Location Check-in: Central Great Underground Prison! 〉

〈 Obtained Reiatsu Level +3! 〉

〈 Reiatsu Level increased! Currently at Level 89! 〉

〈 Obtained Hakuda Level +5! 〉

〈 Hakuda Level increased! Currently at Level 70! 〉

〈 Obtained Hohō Level +5! 〉

〈 Hohō Level increased! Currently at Level 60! 〉

〈 Obtained Kidō Level +5! 〉

〈 Kidō Level increased! Currently at Level 60! 〉

〈 Obtained Exclusive Trait: Indestructible! 〉

〈 Indestructible: The best defense is offense? Wrong, completely wrong! Defense is defense, don't confuse it with offense. Spiritual Body Defense increased by 50%!! 〉

This is excellent!

Akira grinned. He had been worried about his defense being insufficient, but this was exactly what he needed — a major upgrade.

His defense was already impressive, but lately he'd been running into monsters. Unohana and Senjumaru, those two fearsome women, had completely ignored his powerful Spiritual Body, inflicting wounds with mere waves of their hands.

Now with this exclusive Trait boosting his defense, he'd love to see anyone try to break through!

After basking in his smugness for a while, Akira began walking down the dark corridor with the wooden seal key, searching for prisoners who had lost their life force.

He harbored no particular sympathy. Even if some of the imprisoned Shinigami might be innocent, he wouldn't release them.

After all, who could truly tell innocence from guilt? If he accidentally freed someone evil, he'd have to clean up that mess himself.

The prison wasn't crowded — only a few dozen prisoners occupied each level. Most of them radiated vitality, their Reiryoku brimming and Reiatsu surging strongly.

The prisoners here endured various physical punishments, different for each level of the prison.

In the 2º Level, Kokujō, chains bound the prisoners in place, restricting their movement. In the 7º Level, Daishōnetsu, relentless heat scorched everything within.

Descending from top to bottom, Akira found few corpses — just a handful who had died from natural causes.

Using the wooden seal key, he opened their cells and wrapped the bodies in black chains, bundling them like rice dumplings before dragging them along.

As he passed through the 3º Level, Shugō, a pair of bloodshot eyes from within a cell fixed upon him, their depths burning with desperate longing for freedom.

"Akira Kisaragi..."

⤫⤬⤫

T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

For just $1 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!

That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)

https://www.patreon.com/mrblackwing