"In other words, the Patriarch and elders are ready to abandon me?"
Inside the Tsunayashiro branch house, Tsunayashiro Tokinada sat calmly within his residence, gazing at the young man before him who shared his black-and-green hair and similar facial features. His tone was soft.
There was no despair in his eyes despite being abandoned. His expression remained utterly calm.
Tsunayashiro Tokio looked at Tokinada's composed face and felt rage boiling within him.
"What is that expression supposed to mean? Do you realise how much trouble you've caused the family?"
"The family placed great value on you. They let you marry that woman, yet you killed her without hesitation."
"More importantly, Central 46 knows about this now. The Kuchiki family knows too."
"So what?" Tsunayashiro Tokinada replied disdainfully. He faced Tokio's anger with cold indifference. "Even if they know I killed Uta Kuwa, so what? She was just a commoner. Her life was insignificant. I, however, am a great noble. The blood running through my veins is noble."
"Do you really expect me to pay for a mere commoner's life?"
Their eyes met sharply. Tsunayashiro Tokinada's gaze was so calm and cold that, despite Tokio being the most outstanding young member of the main family, he felt a chill of fear deep within.
But he quickly repressed it, replying icily, "Yes. The order of Soul Society was established by us nobles. As great nobles, we must abide by these rules."
"If your crimes had remained hidden, the family would have continued to shield you. But now, your actions have been exposed. To protect the family's honour and maintain order, you can only die."
Tokio's words were blunt, leaving no room for illusions.
According to the patriarch and elders, he was merely a branch house's last seat.
The Tsunayashiro family, passed down for countless generations, could easily discard someone like that at will.
Originally, he had value because of his potential. But after what he did this time, that value vanished completely.
"It's truly… a ridiculous notion."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada sneered lightly.
"A family so stained with ancient sins, and you dare speak of maintaining order."
When he uttered the word "sin," a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Tokio frowned deeply. "What do you mean by that? Or… are you saying you refuse to make sacrifices for the family?"
Tokinada answered truthfully, without the slightest hesitation, "Of course I refuse."
"Back then, the ancestors of the Tsunayashiro family were willing to murder even the Soul King for their own benefit. Now you expect me to willingly sacrifice myself for you?"
His tone was as natural as breathing.
Tokio's eyes widened in shock. The secret of the Soul King was the greatest secret of the Tsunayashiro family.
As the most outstanding youth of the main family, Tokio was qualified to know these truths.
But he never imagined that Tsunayashiro Tokinada knew them as well.
"How do you…"
Tokinada interrupted coldly, "I know far more than you ever will."
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he attacked.
Although Tokio was the most talented of the Tsunayashiro youth, he had no chance to react. Before he could even draw his Zanpakutō, Tsunayashiro Tokinada struck him down instantly.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada appeared young, but that was only outwardly.
His actual seniority was ancient. He had been a classmate of Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō, studying directly under Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Upon graduation, however, he chose not to join the Gotei 13.
As a noble, he had that right.
All these years, he remained within the Tsunayashiro estate, enjoying the luxuries of nobility.
Yet secretly, his strength never diminished.
On the contrary, after reading the family stele as a child and learning the Tsunayashiro family's true sins, his hatred for them only grew deeper.
The so-called great nobles were nothing but descendants of traitorous opportunists.
However, he never renounced the privileges his noble blood granted him.
Because he himself was also a despicable man.
Knowing the truth only fuelled his ambition.
The ancestors of the Five Great Noble Houses were originally mere humans who served the Soul King. By betraying and murdering him, they became the world's greatest profiteers.
Although Tsunayashiro Tokinada was only a branch house's last seat, if given the chance, he believed he could rise to become the Tsunayashiro family head, and from there, seize the entire world.
That was Tsunayashiro Tokinada's ambition.
Yet, he never imagined his ambitions would be threatened by something so trivial – the killing of a mere commoner-born woman.
He felt utterly unconvinced.
But he would not bend to any predetermined fate.
His destiny was his to decide.
Therefore, he killed Tsunayashiro Tokio without hesitation.
What would he do after killing Tokio?
He had already devised a plan.
As expected, once the patriarch and elders discovered Tokio's death, they would send people to hunt him down.
To protect himself, he needed power.
And that power lay within the Tsunayashiro estate: two swords.
One was the sword left by their ancestors. It was immensely powerful and had been wielded by successive patriarchs before being sealed away by the current head.
The other was the Zanpakutō of a Tsunayashiro clan strongman from over a thousand years ago. After his death, the family managed to preserve the blade.
It had since become a dormant Zanpakutō that could be reactivated at a great cost. Like the ancestral sword, it had been passed down secretly through the generations.