"And, according to my investigation, the people in Central 46 have been dead for a long time."
Matsumoto Rangiku's voice fell into the silence.
On Sōkyoku Hill, only Shiraha, Unohana Retsu, Kyoraku Shunsui, and Ukitake Jūshirō remained calm. Everyone else stiffened in shock.
If Central 46 had been slaughtered long ago, then the orders they had been receiving since—who had truly given them? Could it be Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname, the very ones who had just abducted Rukia? What purpose lay behind their actions?
The air grew taut. No one dared to speak.
"Vice-Captain Matsumoto, how is Captain Hitsugaya's condition now?" Unohana's gentle voice finally broke the oppressive quiet.
"Captain Unohana, the situation is very bad. I managed to send him to Fourth Division in time, but his wounds are severe. I fear only you can treat him personally." Rangiku's words carried the weight of her worry.
She had come to Sōkyoku Hill partly to report the horror of Central 46, and partly to seek Unohana's aid for Tōshirō.
"I understand. Yumi, let us return first," Unohana said, her expression darkening as she turned to her lieutenant.
"Yes," Kotetsu Isane answered quickly.
"Minazuki," Unohana called softly, drawing her Zanpakutō and releasing its form.
In an instant the blade dissolved, becoming a vast one-eyed manta-like creature. Its massive wings unfurled as it swallowed Komamura Sajin whole, lifting into the air.
Minazuki, Unohana's Shikai, transformed into a flying ray capable of carrying passengers upon its back. Those it swallowed were healed swiftly within its body.
"Captain, I shall return to Fourth Division. Please trust Shiraha in the meantime."
With those words, Unohana and Isane leapt onto Minazuki's back. In the next heartbeat they vanished into the distance, soaring toward the Fourth Division barracks.
Their departure left the hill heavy once more.
"Vice-Captain Ise," Yamamoto Genryūsai's stern gaze shifted, his voice low and commanding. "Trace the reiatsu trail left by Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname. Locate them."
Tousen and Gin had stolen Rukia. Hitsugaya had been struck down during his search for Aizen's killer. Central 46 lay slaughtered. All threads wound back to the same two men. Catching them was now paramount.
"Yes, Captain." Ise Nanao adjusted her glasses, her tone steady.
She possessed remarkable Kidō talent. Her family's Zanpakutō, the legendary Eight Mirror Swords, remained sealed within Katen Kyōkotsu by Shunsui's keeping. For now she relied solely on her own Kidō skill.
"The heart of the south, the pupil of the north, the fingertips of the west, the toes of the east, gather with the wind, scatter with the rain—Bakudō #58: Kakushitsuijaku!"
Kneeling, she traced intricate circles upon the ground, pressing her hands within as azure light flared. Kakushitsuijaku allowed her to perceive and lock onto spiritual energy, tracking it across vast distances.
"Thirty-four… ninety-eight… fifty-seven…" Her eyes narrowed as numbers fell from her lips. "The location is confirmed. East, six hundred seventy-three. North, one thousand one hundred sixty-six. Within the grounds of the Fifth Division barracks."
Shock rippled across the gathered captains and lieutenants.
Tousen and Gin had taken Rukia—into Fifth Division?
"Wait—no…" Nanao's voice faltered. Her body trembled, pupils shrinking with sudden terror.
"Xiao Nanao, what is it?" Shunsui's tone sharpened, concern in his eyes as he watched her pale.
"I detected another reiatsu beside Captains Tōsen and Ichimaru. It is unmistakable. It belongs to Captain Aizen."
Gasps broke the air.
"Vice-Captain Ise, be certain of your words," Sasakibe Chōjirō said gravely. "Aizen is dead. Perhaps you are mistaken."
"I am not mistaken," Nanao replied firmly. "Captain Aizen made no effort to conceal it. The moment I sensed it, I knew it beyond doubt. It is his reiatsu."
Her words crashed into them like a storm.
Aizen… not dead? Then whose corpse had they displayed upon the Eastern Holy Wall?
Three captains—men who had walked entirely separate paths—had now converged. Rukia's execution, Hitsugaya's near-death, Aizen's false demise, the slaughter of Central 46. Each thread wove into their hidden conspiracy.
Shiraha's thoughts hardened. So the truth is out. Aizen's existence cannot remain hidden. If so, then I must speak to Genryūsai-dono directly.
He drew a breath and faced the Captain-Commander. "Captain, earlier you asked me to explain. Now I shall, but I must ask that you restrain yourself, no matter what you hear."
All eyes turned to him.
Could Shiraha's words unveil what tied Aizen, Tōsen, and Gin together?
"Speak," Yamamoto said at last, his eyes narrowing, voice a deep growl.
Beforehand, Unohana, Shunsui, and Ukitake had vouched for Shiraha, granting him a reprieve from punishment for shattering the Sōkyoku. Now, at such a critical moment, his initiative to speak could only mean the truth was grave.
And so Shiraha revealed it. He told them of Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu, its perfect hypnosis, its ability to deceive even the keenest eye. He told them how Aizen had staged his own death, manipulated every detail, and twisted the court of Soul Society into his hand.
When the final word left his lips, silence reigned. Terror reflected in every gaze—save Shunsui and Ukitake, who had already braced themselves for this truth.
"Such rebellion…" Yamamoto's expression, carved of stone, finally cracked. Horror gleamed in his eyes, tempered by fury. His voice thundered, seething with restrained rage. "Aizen Sōsuke… a great traitor to Soul Society!"
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