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Outside Repentance Palace, Deep Cell No. 4.
Kuchiki Rukia and Hanatarō slumped on the ground, looking at Aizen, who held the Hōgyoku, with horrified expressions.
They weren't terrified to the point of losing their minds; rather, they couldn't move!
The reiatsu unconsciously emanating from Aizen made the two people nearby feel completely powerless; not only could they not move, they couldn't even make a sound!
Monster—!
The sudden change left Kuchiki Rukia completely bewildered as to what had happened, and even more so, what Captain Aizen had taken from her body…
But one thing, she was certain of!
That was…
The person before her was not the kind and gentle Captain Aizen she remembered.
"Are you very curious about what this is?"
Aizen suddenly chuckled, as if seeing through Rukia's thoughts, and said, "After dispelling your doubts, I will send you to your deaths. For people like you, this should reduce much of the unwillingness before death." As he spoke, Aizen turned his gaze to the bottom of the rope bridge.
"Coincidentally, the person who came to save you is also here."
The person who came to save me?
Kuchiki Rukia was startled upon hearing this. Before she could understand what Aizen meant, a Captain-level reiatsu surged forth without warning.
This reiatsu felt incredibly familiar to Kuchiki Rukia, but this familiarity also brought an expression of disbelief to her face.
How is this possible!?
Whoosh—
With a whoosh, a figure shot out from the abyss beneath the rope bridge and landed on the bridge.
"I… Ichigo?"
Kuchiki Rukia asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.
It wasn't that she couldn't recognize Ichigo, but the reiatsu on Ichigo's body was completely different from what she remembered, as if he had become a different person.
After Ichigo stood firm, he didn't answer Kuchiki Rukia. Instead, he put away the wing-shaped spiritual tool in his hand, then leaned down to check Ganju's condition.
Not optimistic~
Although he didn't know Kaido or similar techniques, nor had he formally studied medicine.
But because he often helped out at his family's clinic, he could barely tell that Ganju's condition was extremely poor and that he needed treatment as soon as possible!
"Hanatarō, I'll leave Ganju to you."
As Ichigo finished speaking, he suddenly vanished from his original spot. When he reappeared, he was already holding two people—Kuchiki Rukia and Hanatarō, who had been beside Aizen. The sudden change in scenery left both of them bewildered.
Aizen, standing in front of the Repentance Palace, seemed not to notice Ichigo taking the two away, merely standing there with a faint smile.
"After fighting Zaraki, have you already recovered your ability to move so quickly?"
Aizen chuckled and shook his head: "However, a vitality completely disproportionate to one's strength is clearly not a good thing in this situation. If you hadn't come here, you wouldn't have died so tragically here."
As soon as his words fell, Ichigo, who had brought Kuchiki Rukia and the other to Ganju's side, his pupils dilated sharply.
Pfft—
Blood gushed out from Ichigo's back like a fountain.
A huge sword wound, nearly tearing his entire back, appeared. Before he could even put down Rukia and Hanatarō, whom he had brought back, he stumbled forward and fell!
He was stabbed?
Ichigo's eyes were filled with confusion.
He hadn't felt it at all!
The last time he had this feeling was during his fight with Kuchiki Byakuya in the Human World.
So familiar…
He had originally thought that after this period of training, plus the strength he gained from consecutive battles after coming to Soul Society, he was no weaker than a so-called Captain.
But reality had slapped him hard.
No resistance at all!!
Was he really a Captain like Zaraki?
Thud—!
With a dull thud, Ichigo fell into a pool of blood.
"Ichigo!!"
This scene caused both Rukia and Hanatarō's expressions to change dramatically.
"I admire your courage."
Aizen slowly walked towards the group, looking at Ichigo, whose body trembled on the ground as if trying to struggle to his feet: "But from the moment I changed my plan, you no longer held any value to me."
"Of course, as a listener, you can still play some role."
Value? Listener?
Ichigo's eyes were full of doubt. He was certain that he had never seen this person before, but from the information revealed in his words, this middle-aged man with glasses seemed very familiar with him.
"In my original plan, you, who came to rescue Kuchiki Rukia under Urahara Kisuke's command, were supposed to play a huge role in helping me attract the attention of the Seireitei."
"This way, even if a Captain died, it wouldn't cause too much of an uproar."
"However, this plan was disrupted before it even began." Aizen shook his head, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes as he thought of something, then he chuckled: "But in some ways, the plan succeeded, only the person who faked their death wasn't me."
"Are you talking about Kaname Tōsen?"
A voice suddenly entered everyone's ears.
Following the sound, a slightly dark-skinned figure appeared silently in front of Ichigo and the others.
This figure was none other than…
Yoruichi!
She appeared in front of Ichigo and the others like a ghost, completely unnoticed by them.
"Exactly."
Aizen smiled slightly: "When I met that Ishikawa-sama at Central 46, I had already decided that Kaname Tōsen should 'die' within Central 46."
Ishikawa?
This name caused a stir among the four present.
Ichigo looked at Aizen, somewhat confused by the meaning conveyed in their conversation.
"He is indeed a very interesting person."
Aizen looked at Yoruichi and continued: "Initially, he was just an ordinary person with some talent in my eyes, but… when I saw him attacking Central 46, I suddenly became interested in him."
"I don't know what Ishikawa told you, but given his personality, he would only attack Central 46 if he was already certain that Central 46 had been completely slaughtered by me!"
"And do you know what's most interesting?"
Aizen paused, a look of inquiry on his face: "Although he once fought Kaname Tōsen under your and Urahara Kisuke's surveillance, he had never seen Kaname Tōsen's Bankai. Yet, when he was affected by my Kyōka Suigetsu, he had already prepared to deal with Kaname Tōsen's Bankai in advance."
"He even knew about my Kyōka Suigetsu."
As Aizen spoke, his mind couldn't help but recall the battle with Ishikawa in front of Central 46. At that time, after Ishikawa was struck by his sword, he was incredulous for a moment, but then it turned into sudden realization.
From beginning to end…
He never felt horrified by his Kyōka Suigetsu.
Nor was he confused by his presence there.
Most importantly…
Before forcibly entering the Central 46, he had already prepared a backup plan.
Whether it was Unohana Retsu's actions or Ōmaeda and other Vice-Captains secretly investigating…
It all gave Aizen a feeling, which was…
Before he forcibly entered Central 46, he seemed to have already confirmed that he was the one who massacred Central 46.
And while Ishikawa was in the Fourth Division's intensive care unit, Aizen recalled everything about Ishikawa.
Coming to Soul Society, first entering Seireitei, invading Hueco Mundo…
Aizen found that many things he had not originally paid attention to, when recalled again, revealed a kind of strangeness.
His vigilance towards himself could still be explained by Urahara Kisuke informing him of the events of a hundred years ago, but whether it was invading Hueco Mundo or forcibly entering the Central 46… it was difficult to explain with Urahara Kisuke.
Of course, it's not completely unexplainable.
Ishikawa's first trip to Hueco Mundo at the request of the Golden Seal Association was not strange; the only strange thing was his ability to see through Aaroniero's identity, but this could be explained by his close familiarity with the Shiba family.
Ishikawa's second invasion, when he invaded Hueco Mundo, was during Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division's Floral Arrangement Society. The timing was very well-managed, as if he was deliberately waiting for this moment, but it could barely be explained as a coincidence.
However…
While Ishikawa was in the intensive care unit, Aizen found out something from a Fourth Division Squad Member: during the Floral Arrangement Society, Ishikawa had requested the Fourth Division Squad Member to report all information about the Captains and Vice-Captains present.
Of course, what he asked for was a list of all Captains and Vice-Captains present, and he did not reveal that he wanted to 'focus on someone'.
There were also things like: his inexplicable vigilance towards the Seireitei, his defense in Central 46 after returning, his order for the Supervisory Team to monitor Kuchiki Rukia, forcibly entering Central 46...
Even if Ishikawa had appropriate and unsuspicious reasons for all these actions.
But when Aizen thoroughly investigated all of Ishikawa's movements in Seireitei, hypnotized everyone he had contact with, and then put all the gathered intelligence together...
What Ishikawa did could no longer be explained by mere 'coincidence'.
This made him completely abandon his original idea of extracting the Hōgyoku from Rukia's body during the Sōkyoku execution, and instead, under the guise of protecting Central 46, he asked Commander Yamamoto to reforge the ten barriers of Central 46.
Because he had a feeling that if he continued to wait, he might not be able to get his hands on the Hōgyoku.
"After orchestrating Kaname Tōsen's 'death,' I had him stay in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, which forcibly collects all matters and intelligence from Soul Society, to research all of Urahara Kisuke's past research materials in Soul Society for me."
"And I acted as bait to attract those who were suspicious of me."
"To make this operation even smoother…"
Aizen smiled at Yoruichi: "I also diligently helped Ms. Yoruichi land near Squad Nine. It was truly not easy to achieve this without Ms. Yoruichi noticing."
"Fortunately, it succeeded. As long as you landed near him, then based on Ishikawa-sama's past experiences, it would be impossible for him not to make contact with you; and you, having learned of the Central 46' demise from him, are the most suitable person to contact other Captains."
"Whether it's your identity or your former position. Everything you say, even if Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui don't believe it, they will definitely take action."
"And I only need to expose some flaws at just the right time, making them even more certain that I am problematic, and then I can easily lead them into Central 46."
Yoruichi listened quietly, her expression showing no significant change.
Because when she discovered Aizen in the Repentance Palace, she already had an ominous premonition, and now it was merely coming true.
"Although the operation was somewhat rushed, just like Ishikawa's distrust of the Seireitei, the Seireitei never trusted him from beginning to end."
"Because Commander Yamamoto was worried that Ishikawa would cause trouble during the Ryoka invasion, he imprisoned him in Squad Nine under the guise of a commission, which actually made my plan proceed even more smoothly."
At this point, Aizen looked up into the distance:
"When reforging the ten barriers outside the Central 46, Commander Yamamoto left his reiatsu within them. Once an intruder appears, he will immediately detect it. If there are no surprises, he should have already arrived at Central 46 by now."
Hum—
Just then, a heavy aura suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pressing down on everyone present.
Yoruichi looked up in the direction from which the aura came, only to see a small figure appear at the top of the Repentance Palace behind Aizen.
Almost as soon as she looked, the figure vanished from the tower top, reappearing in front of Aizen, her gaze sweeping over Ichigo and the others, finally resting on Yoruichi.
"After all this time, have you fallen so low as to associate with Ryoka?"
"Yoruichi!"
Soi Fon's face lacked its usual calm and coldness. After calling out Yoruichi's full name, syllable by syllable, with a somewhat gritted teeth, a look of mockery appeared on her face:
"That's right, after all, you've been a traitor to Soul Society for many years, and the target of all Onmitsukidō pursuits."
"Soi Fon, don't stand there!"
Yoruichi's expression darkened upon seeing this, and her body instantly tensed up.
"Don't stand here?"
Soi Fon walked around Yoruichi and looked at Ichigo behind her, sneering, "Am I not to stand with a Captain of the Gotei 13, but rather with you, a former… traitor?"
Upon hearing this, Yoruichi was about to explain, but then her expression changed, and she suddenly burst forward.
Seeing this, Soi Fon's expression tightened.
Clang—!
The sound of a blade cutting through the air was heard. Soi Fon only felt a sudden violent reiatsu fluctuation from behind her, causing her expression to change dramatically, but having never guarded her back, it was too late for her to react now.
And just as that sharp intent was about to arrive, Soi Fon suddenly felt a pair of hands embrace her, pulling her to roll sideways.
Puff—
Blood splattered from Yoruichi's left shoulder to her waist, and seeing the blood flying everywhere, Soi Fon's face instantly turned incredibly pale.
"Yoruichi… Lady Yoruichi…"
"Oh?"
Aizen chuckled with some surprise: "Should I say, as expected of 'Goddess of Flash' Yoruichi? In this situation, she still managed to avoid vital points."
Yoruichi didn't reply. As she rolled out, she instantly distanced herself from Aizen, bringing Soi Fon back to her original position.
"You…"
Soi Fon looked at Yoruichi, who was holding her, her eyes completely devoid of their usual coldness, instead filled with worry and anger.
"I'm fine."
Yoruichi put Soi Fon down, her gaze fixed on Aizen, and said with a solemn expression: "I'll explain to you later. You just need to know that I am not your enemy."
Soi Fon didn't reply, but instead turned her gaze to Aizen, her eyes revealing a chilling glint, filled with rampant killing intent.
"Aizen Sōsuke!!"
"Your arrival was indeed somewhat unexpected for me."
Aizen merely smiled indifferently at Soi Fon's killing intent: "Because from beginning to end, I never thought of making any special preparations for you." He paused, then continued:
"Don't worry. Yoruichi is right; the only person here who can be called an enemy of the Gotei 13 is me."
"Worry?"
Soi Fon's killing intent surged: "I'm just considering what method to use to kill you that will make you feel the most pain!"
"So?"
Aizen shook his head slightly: "As the Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukidō, are you so consumed by anger that you plan to stand in front of your enemy and attempt an assassination?"
Soi Fon didn't reply, but slowly drew the Zanpakuto from her waist.
"Strike down the enemy, Suzumebachi!"
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