Chapter 139: This Old Man Says, The Meeting Is Adjourned!
Seireitei, Central 46 Grand Conference Hall.
At this moment, the conference hall was filled with an atmosphere of intense tension.
"...The Tsunayashiro Clan has colluded with rebel forces, causing significant casualties among the Gotei 13 members!"
"Among them, eighty-six perished, while one hundred seventy-five suffered injuries too severe to recover, losing their status as Shinigami!"
"Three captains, deceived by the Tsunayashiro, have embarked on a path of evil!"
"Simultaneously, the Tsunayashiro Clan has propagated gravely erroneous ideologies, slandering the great million-year-old institutions of the Soul Society—an act of treason and immorality!"
"The Tsunayashiro Clan is steeped in wickedness, their crimes unforgivable!"
"Hence, it is proposed to strip them of their status as one of the Five Great Noble Families and expel them from the Soul Society!"
Behind the third seat, a man spoke with fervent passion, his voice ringing out in condemnation.
"Audacious! How dare you slander the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families?!"
A sharp voice rose from behind the eighth seat.
"The Tsunayashiro Clan leads the Five Great Noble Families! Old man Fujita, have you lost your mind? How dare you make baseless accusations!"
"Fujita family! Do you have evidence for what you just said?"
In response, a laugh came from behind the twenty-second seat:
"Evidence? Never mind that we certainly have it... Kaito, don't you already know in your heart who is behind this?"
"What do I know? I know all of you are nothing but lackeys of the Kuchiki!"
"Stubborn and unyielding!!"
"Framing and false accusations!!"
Heated arguments raged throughout the entire meeting.
Those aligned with the Kuchiki Clan relentlessly hurled accusations at the Tsunayashiro Clan.
Those siding with the Tsunayashiro Clan refuted each charge and insisted that the Kuchiki Clan were the true traitors colluding with the rebels.
In the shadows, a man hiding behind the first seat faintly curled his lips into a smile.
As a core second-generation figure of the Tsunayashiro Clan, his duty was to protect the clan's interests during Central 46 meetings.
Under normal circumstances, faced with such a situation, he would likely be trembling with fear.
Led by the Kuchiki Clan, this full-scale assault could easily lead to utter ruin with a single misstep.
But today... he felt no fear.
Before coming here, the old master had already informed him of all possible scenarios.
The Tsunayashiro Clan would not only avoid defeat but emerge victorious—and decisively so!
As the war of words intensified, the four judges responsible for maintaining order in the chamber jointly called for calm.
One of them stood up:
"Since both sides hold their ground, let us proceed according to the rules of the Central 46 meeting."
"Members, please cast your votes."
"Decide whether the Tsunayashiro Clan is guilty or the Kuchiki Clan is guilty."
Upon hearing this, many nobles concealed behind their seats showed expressions of shock.
They had assumed the judges would act as mediators, muddying the waters to postpone the matter.
Unexpectedly, the judges had spoken such words.
Was this a complete breakdown of decorum?!
Behind the second seat, Niwa, representing the Kuchiki Clan's interests, smiled.
Kuchiki, Shihōin, Shiba.
Three of the Five Great Noble Families were on their side.
How could the Tsunayashiro possibly win!
He declared loudly, "The Tsunayashiro Clan is guilty!"
Hearing this, nobles aligned with the Kuchiki Clan understood what they must do.
One by one, seats cast their votes in succession.
The Tsunayashiro representative sneered, "The Kuchiki Clan is guilty!"
Nobles loyal to the Tsunayashiro followed suit.
Under the judges' record, the vote counts for both sides began to rise rapidly.
Niwa slightly furrowed his brow, looking toward seat number seven.
There sat an elder of the Shihōin Clan.
Now, the Shihōin Clan had to step up.
The Kuchiki Clan didn't have as many votes as the Tsunayashiro.
Only if the Shihōin Clan intervened now could the advantage tilt in their favor!
Just as the Shihōin elder behind seat seven was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
It was a messenger from the Shihōin Clan, permitted to enter and exit the assembly.
Under the elder's somewhat puzzled gaze, the messenger leaned in and quickly relayed something.
Hearing this, the elder's eyes widened.
The clan head... missing?!
He looked over in shock, lowering his voice to ask, "Did she go off somewhere to have fun?"
The messenger shook his head. "All the elders have sent people to search. Whether it's the Onmitsukidō or our clan's own dispatched personnel, no clues have been found."
"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, the clan head was likely attacked in Rukongai. There was a massive explosion at the scene, and his current condition is unknown!"
"After discussion among the elders, it has been decided that we should not take the lead in this assembly and should maintain neutrality."
"If the clan head has truly met with misfortune, we absolutely must not make an enemy of the Tsunayashiro!"
The elder's pupils trembled violently.
This...
Remaining neutral sounded good in principle, but in reality, wasn't it just siding with the Tsunayashiro Clan?
Afterwards, the Kuchiki Clan would never let this go!
The moment this thought occurred to him, he suddenly understood.
If Kuchiki lost today, there probably wouldn't be... much of a Kuchiki Clan left in the future.
That person from the Tsunayashiro Clan, whether in terms of power or temperament, would never tolerate a defeated Kuchiki Clan.
By then, naturally, there would be no need to worry about retaliation from the Kuchiki Clan.
But... was this really alright?
Trembling slightly, he opened his mouth but couldn't produce any sound.
The nobles aligned with the Shihōin Clan looked over in confusion.
Why hadn't the Shihōin Clan spoken up yet?
Now was the critical moment!
Sensing the numerous gazes from behind the council seats, the elder of the Shihōin Clan took a deep breath.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the main entrance—
"This meeting is suspended!!"
?!
Hearing this voice, everyone turned to look.
They saw the conference hall doors slowly open.
A tall figure stood there quietly, leaning on a cane with both hands.
The blazing sunlight from outside poured into the dim conference hall.
That imposing figure stood within the light.
Yet, his overwhelming presence—so intense it was impossible to look away—seemed even more dazzling than the sunlight itself!
One noble couldn't help but exclaim—
"Y-Yamamoto Shigekuni?!"
"Genryūsai?!"
"Why is he here?!"
"This is a Central 46 meeting!"
"Yamamoto Shigekuni! Without reason, barging into the conference hall is the grave crime of overstepping your authority!"
"Yama... mmph!!"
Amid the chorus of angry rebukes, Yamamoto raised his eyes and calmly looked at the assembly.
He didn't release any Reiatsu, didn't emit any killing intent, and didn't use any abilities.
He simply glanced at them.
Yet that single look instantly plunged the entire conference hall into deathly silence!
Many nobles couldn't help but swallow hard, their bodies stiffening.
Under everyone's gaze, Yamamoto slowly declared:
"A major incident has occurred in West District 2 of Rukongai."
"Currently, the identity and whereabouts of the assailant remain unknown."
"To prevent any issues in the main conference hall, from this moment forward, I will personally take command here."
"Until security is confirmed to be restored, this meeting is temporarily suspended."
"I... must ensure everyone's safety."
Upon hearing Yamamoto's words, some people showed confused expressions.
Others appeared surprised.
And still others... couldn't suppress their furious glares!