Bleach: The Path to Strongest

*Year 1878, District 62 of Eastern Rukongai, Hanakure.*

The sun was shining brightly, and a cool breeze rustled the leaves on the street.

Two neatly dressed children, walking in the wind, looked strikingly out of place amid the harsh surroundings.

"Gin… Gin, hurry up! Enrollment at Shin'ō Academy is about to close; I don't want to wait until tomorrow."

A cute, orange-haired girl in a white yukata was bouncing excitedly ahead.

Following her was a silver-haired boy with narrowed eyes, who sighed before quickening his pace.

"That's Matsumoto Rangiku and Ichimaru Gin!"

"Keep it down! Don't you value your life? Those kids are not to be trifled with!"

As the two walked farther away, the souls hiding in the dilapidated houses around them either sighed in relief or watched with greedy eyes.

"Rangiku… I told you before we left, don't wear such nice clothes. I can't guarantee someone won't try to strip you clean out here."

"District 62's environment is nothing like District 1. The souls here are either bullied or downright vicious!"

Rangiku pouted and said casually:

"I only went to District 1 for a visit; this is where I've lived since I was little. Of course I know that… but this yukata was a gift from Tsukizuki…"

The street fell silent, and the hushed whispers ceased.

The souls on the street stared enviously at Matsumoto Rangiku, pouting and standing there, realizing just how lucky she was.

Rukongai, the first destination for souls after death, is divided into eighty districts in each of the four directions. With higher district numbers, security and living conditions deteriorate, and survival becomes increasingly difficult.

District 1 has ideal security, a good living environment, and abundant food. To the souls in District 62, it's nothing short of paradise.

But this girl could go there and wear clean clothes.

Some felt a twinge of sadness.

"So, that's the world of the wealthy? Damn, our whole family couldn't scrape together even a few coins."

"Man, I'm jealous. Boss, should we take her clothes…?"

"Shut it! Who's the idiot who let you in? Miss Rangiku is Tsukizuki's family! If he hears what you just said…"

They instinctively looked around, only relaxing when they were sure the one they feared wasn't there.

"Speaking of which, where did Tsukizuki go?" 

The man addressed as "Boss" asked.

"Heard the gang from District 63 wants to take over our territory…"

"Probably off fighting. It's been a whole day…"

"Yeah, Tsukizuki loves to bully the weak…"

The little gang members shared everything they knew.

"Tsukizuki would never do that!"

Suddenly, the Boss straightened, his eyes red with emotion as he scolded them:

"He's definitely protecting District 62. Dammit, such an important task, and he didn't even take me!"

The gang: … 

Why didn't he take you? Surely you know—you're as weak as a chick.

If you hadn't known Tsukizuki back then and become his lackey, we would've taken you down ourselves by now. How did you end up as our leader?

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Tsukizuki doesn't see us as his own!"

"Let's go help him!" the Boss shouted eagerly, clenching his fists.

And so, the souls followed after Matsumoto Rangiku and Ichimaru Gin, moving in a large group toward District 63.

Bang!!

Suddenly, a figure in rags flew backward like a cannonball, colliding with a large tree before collapsing in a pool of blood.

The souls were startled, then erupted in cheers.

"Tsukizuki!"

A man with black hair and eyes, standing tall and radiating an eerie mix of elegance and wildness, was surrounded by a crowd in the distance.

"Tsukizuki! I'm here!" Rangiku shouted, waving.

Tsukizuki sighed, hearing her voice, and punched away an oncoming soul.

This was Soul Society, one of the three realms in the world of *Bleach*.

Twenty years earlier, he had transmigrated here, born into a family known for swordsmanship. At that time, he wasn't in Soul Society but in the human world of *Bleach*.

Initially, he thought he'd traveled to a parallel modern world until he saw wandering souls, hollows with holes in their chests, and mysterious fighters with swords, eventually dying and awakening in Soul Society, realizing he'd come to the world of *Bleach*.

At first, finding himself assigned to District 62 had frightened him. He was constantly on guard, wary of the souls here, as the higher-numbered districts were known for poor living conditions and terrible security.

But over time, he gradually realized this place wasn't as dangerous as he'd imagined.

Unlike other transmigrators, he didn't have any "chosen one" system or cheats, but his spiritual pressure was naturally higher than average, and he was more precise in sensing and controlling spiritual particles.

Since he didn't enter the Seireitei, he didn't know formal training methods for spiritual pressure.

However, the only difference between a spiritual and physical body is that the former is composed of spiritual particles, so regular physical training also had an effect, and his foundational swordsmanship from his previous life was a big help.

Starting six years ago, he began desperately training and fighting to stay alive and avoid being bullied, eventually clawing his way to his current position.

From an ordinary soul to the Boss of Hanakure, he's confident he'll pass Shin'ō Academy's entrance exams. How many betrayals and bloody battles has he gone through to reach this point… even he's lost count.

But his spiritual pressure stands as proof of what he's endured.

He became the Boss of District 62 for the power that came with it.

Ordinary souls can absorb spiritual particles from the atmosphere and survive without food, so food in Rukongai is incredibly precious.

As a high-spiritual-power soul, however, the spiritual particles in Rukongai's atmosphere aren't enough to sustain him, so he needs food!

He defeated all who stood in his way, taking their food and swords, ruling this district, and making his followers gather resources for him.

Food replenishes his spiritual energy, swords arm him and his followers.

Excess swords can be traded for money, which buys food to continue the cycle.