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Fate In Bleach (321)
🕑 Added 2024-10-18 17:00:07 +0000 UTCChapter 321 - Captains’ Meeting
Within three days, the Gotei 13 managed to restore order to the Seireitei. Of course, restoring a semblance of peace only took a few hours.
After Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen left, the chaos subsided.
After all, they were all seasoned Shinigami. They knew that once Aizen, who had drawn the attention of the captains, escaped to Hueco Mundo, the captains would turn their focus on them.
If they continued to cause trouble, the captains wouldn't hesitate to punish them.
They couldn’t escape.
The captains’ spiritual pressures could cover at least a portion of the Seireitei.
Those like Head-Captain Yamamoto, Shunsui Kyoraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Retsu Unohana could even encompass the entire Seireitei with their reiatsu.
As expected, after they ceased their rebellion, the captains didn’t pursue them.
After all, the captains weren't entirely unaware of the nobles’ nefarious deeds.
Moreover, many of them had sensed Rukia Kuchiki and Kaien Shiba’s spiritual pressures during the nobles’ “cleansing.”
Kaien Shiba, the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division.
Rukia Kuchiki, the Third Seat of the Thirteenth Division.
On the surface, it seemed that Kaien Shiba was the one responsible for the nobles' deaths.
However, the other captains hadn't forgotten that over forty years ago, after Rukia was attacked, Captain Ailin had nearly purged the Seireitei’s nobles himself.
But Rukia had stopped him.
She had argued that, since she was the one who was attacked, she wanted to handle the matter personally.
It was clear that Ailin had seen this as a rare opportunity during the chaos caused by Aizen. Under his guidance, Rukia had begun her “revenge.”
Kaien Shiba followed closely behind her.
Forty years ago, he had lost his beloved wife.
Not only that, but because of him, the Shiba Clan had nearly been eradicated. Kaien could never forgive himself.
All these years, he had been driven by two desires: to avenge Miyako Shiba and to seek justice for the persecution the Shiba Clan had suffered.
Therefore, when Kaien saw Rukia taking action, he immediately joined her.
With Kaien’s example, other Shinigami, either followers of Aizen or those who had been oppressed by the nobles, rose up and followed Rukia, carrying out their own “judgment” against the once-powerful nobles.
Currently, over seventy Shinigami, including Rukia, were being detained by Byakuya Kuchiki, the captain of the Sixth Division.
…
Clank, clank, clank, clank…
After a long time, the sound of the captain summons echoed from the First Division barracks.
“Oh dear, oh dear, another captains’ meeting…
“My vacation hasn’t even started yet…”
Shunsui Kyoraku sighed within the Eighth Division barracks, forcing himself to focus.
It was clear that, despite claiming to be on vacation, he hadn’t slept in three days.
As the captain responsible for intelligence gathering, after Aizen left the Seireitei, no longer interfering with their senses using Kyōka Suigetsu, Shunsui had easily obtained information about those who had joined Aizen.
This included Kaname Tōsen, the captain of the Ninth Division, and his reasons for following Aizen.
“Justice…”
“How ironic…”
Shunsui sighed.
He still remembered the incident from over a hundred years ago.
The Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the five great noble families, had been slaughtered.
Thinking of the perpetrator, a shadow crossed Shunsui’s face, even under the sunlight.
That vile man, Tokinada Tsunayashiro…
If he had the chance, Shunsui would kill him.
Besides other factors, based on Shunsui’s investigations over the years, Tokinada was heavily implicated in the deaths of his older brother and sister-in-law.
It was highly likely that Tokinada had killed them personally.
However, as the head of the Kyōraku Clan, a higher-ranking noble family, and a captain of the Gotei 13, Shunsui couldn’t attack Tokinada directly.
He set aside the intelligence reports, called out to Nanao Ise, and headed towards the First Division barracks.
This time, not just Shunsui, but all the other captains used Shunpo to reach the First Division after receiving the summons.
Their spiritual pressures, radiating outwards, reassured the Shinigami in the Seireitei.
…
“Tch, how troublesome…”
Ailin frowned within his courtyard after hearing the captain summons.
However, he couldn’t skip this meeting.
Both Shino Madarame’s fate and Rukia Kuchiki, who was currently imprisoned in the Ninth Division’s detention center, required his attention.
Otherwise, Ailin didn't know if Yamamoto would be stubborn enough to uphold the Central 46's verdict and execute Shino Madarame.
Furthermore, Rukia’s actions, purging the Seireitei’s nobles, had resulted in the eradication of thirty-five of the forty-six noble families.
The remaining nobles had also suffered significant losses.
This included the Kuchiki Clan, the Shihōin Clan, the Kyōraku Clan, the Shiba Clan…
If Ailin didn’t intervene, Yamamoto might punish Rukia to appease the nobles.
Golden spatial ripples appeared before Ailin.
The next moment, he stepped into the ripples and reappeared within the First Division's captains’ meeting chamber.
“Oh? Everyone’s here?”
Ailin glanced around. All the captains, besides Aizen, were present.
Besides those who had seen Ailin use his spatial ripples to retrieve Rangiku Matsumoto from Sōkyoku Hill, it was the first time the other captains realized that he could use his ability for spatial travel.
Bang!
As usual, Yamamoto opened his eyes slightly after striking the floor with his staff.
“Captains, a few days ago, the Seireitei suffered its greatest blow in centuries.”
Indeed, the chaos caused by Aizen was merely the “greatest blow in centuries” for Yamamoto.
Because, a hundred years ago, due to Aizen’s machinations, the Seireitei had lost four captains and a Grand Kidō Chief, whose strength rivaled the captains’.
Currently, they had only lost three captains. It was nothing compared to a hundred years ago.
Moreover, the current Gotei 13 was much stronger than it had been a century ago.
Besides everything else, the Eleventh Division alone could fill those three vacant captain positions.
Therefore, to Yamamoto, Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen’s betrayal didn’t truly affect the Seireitei.
Even Aizen’s declaration that he would replace the Soul King, filling the “empty throne,” didn’t faze Yamamoto.
After all, no one knew Hueco Mundo better than Yamamoto.
Maintaining the balance of the three worlds wasn’t simply a matter of protecting the Seireitei.
The source of energy in the Soul Society was “souls.”
What maintained the balance of the three worlds was also “souls.”
Once the number of “souls” in a world became unbalanced, the three worlds would lose their stability and face destruction.
Therefore, to prevent the world’s destruction, the Seireitei had to constantly monitor the number of Hollows in Hueco Mundo and the number of souls in the Soul Society.
If a large number of Hollows died in Hueco Mundo, and their souls didn't enter the world’s cycle of reincarnation, then the Shinigami would have to kill an equal number of souls in the Soul Society to restore balance.
In Yamamoto’s view, even if Aizen united all the Hollows in Hueco Mundo, the threat he posed to the Seireitei was still less than Aizen alone.
However, when Yamamoto learned from Yoruichi Shihōin about the true nature of the thing Aizen had stolen, even he felt a sense of unease.
But he glanced at the captains under his command, especially Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake. His two disciples had truly surprised him.
“Currently, we can confirm that Sōsuke Aizen, a traitor to the Seireitei, intends to replace the Soul King. This means that war between the Seireitei and Hueco Mundo is inevitable.
However, that’s a matter for the future. To ensure the Seireitei's stability and prepare for the coming crisis, we need to maintain order.”
The coming crisis referred to both Aizen and Yhwach.
Yamamoto didn’t take the prophecy of Yhwach’s return in two years lightly.
After all, Yhwach’s status as the “son of the Soul King” demanded their attention.
“Kyoraku, share the information you’ve gathered.”
“Yes, Head-Captain.”
Shunsui stepped forward.
