[Rank 5 – Zanpakutō: Shinso]
New subtitles appeared.
The moment "Shinso" flashed across the screen,
the entire Soul Society and Hueco Mundo shook.
The Captains of the Gotei 13,
the Hollows, and the Arrancar of Las Noches—
all reacted with visible shock.
"Shinso…"
"So it really is Ichimaru Gin's Zanpakutō!"
"Unbelievable—he's ranked fifth?!"
Inside Squad One,
the air had barely recovered from the tension of Aizen's earlier revelations.
Now, every face turned vivid again—
some in awe, some confused, some disturbed.
"Gin! Fifth place… it's him?!"
Behind Hitsugaya,
Matsumoto Rangiku's eyes widened, her expression complicated.
Everyone knew her connection to Gin wasn't ordinary.
They'd grown up together as children in the 62nd District of West Rukongai—Hogiku District.
In their poorest days, they'd survived on dried persimmons just to fill their stomachs.
To her, Ichimaru Gin was more than a comrade—
he was someone tied to her heart by countless invisible threads.
So seeing his name on that ranking,
she couldn't help but recall the faint smile Gin always wore when greeting her.
But…
after the betrayal within the Fifth Division,
Rangiku had never been able to confront him again.
He had ignored her completely,
and that wound still haunted her.
She could never understand—
how could the man she once saw as kind and righteous
end up siding with Aizen, sinking into darkness?
Beside her,
Hitsugaya turned his head and noticed her trembling hands.
As her captain, he spoke softly yet firmly:
"Rangiku… let go of the past.
The ranking makes it clear—Ichimaru Gin, like Aizen, is one of the most dangerous men alive."
"His Zanpakutō, Shinso, ranked fifth… means he too was hiding his true strength all along!"
His brows tightened.
Deep down, Hitsugaya had always felt a chill from Gin's fox-like smile.
A danger that was instinctive.
The other captains nodded in grim silence.
None doubted the ranking now.
"Ichimaru Gin…" Soi Fon muttered, frowning.
"A hundred years ago, he graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy and became Third Seat of Squad Five right away."
"That was unheard of—he was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius."
"If it's really him, then… nothing about this ranking surprises me."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi chuckled coldly:
"Heh… so it all fits.
Gin joined the Gotei under Aizen, who was then Vice-Captain of Squad Five.
I'd bet the seeds of their conspiracy were planted right there."
Even without having witnessed it,
Mayuri could easily picture it—Aizen's false gentleness meeting Gin's cunning youth.
A perfect act of deception.
"So that fox smile of his… was calculating us from the very beginning?"
Renji blurted out in disbelief.
Aizen. Gin.
Both snakes in human skin.
Working together flawlessly for years right under everyone's nose.
It was terrifying.
"Whatever the case…"
Unohana Retsu spoke calmly, stepping forward to steady the group.
"This next segment will reveal everything—Shinso's true power, just as the earlier rankings did."
"We must remain composed."
Her tranquil tone soothed the uneasy captains.
Order returned to the First Division.
All eyes turned back to the translucent screen.
The scene shifted.
"Ichigo, is it?"
"I'm not sure what you and your friends are after…"
"But since I made a promise—
I'll open this gate and let you pass."
At the western edge of the Seireitei,
before the massive gate Hakutōmon,
stood its guardian, Jidanbō.
His booming voice filled the air.
The camera panned out, showing the towering white gate.
Jidanbō, crouched, pressed both hands under its base, straining to lift it open.
Behind him stood Kurosaki Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, and Uryū,
waiting anxiously for the passage to open.
But this moment—
the sight of Jidanbō helping intruders—
immediately sparked uproar across the Soul Society.
"That fool Jidanbō!"
"He's the one who let the humans—the ryoka—invade the Seireitei!"
Inside Squad One, the captains fumed.
For over three hundred years, Jidanbō had faithfully guarded Hakutōmon.
Not once had anyone breached it.
Yet in the future… he betrayed his duty.
The Head Captain's fury was palpable.
He was about to issue punishment when Shunsui Kyōraku laughed gently:
"Now, now, Head Captain, don't lose your temper.
This is just a recording of the future—Jidanbō hasn't done this yet."
Then his gaze turned thoughtful toward the screen.
"If I had to guess… waiting beyond that gate is Ichimaru Gin."
He smiled knowingly.
"Which means that the boy who fought Captain Kuchiki earlier—Ichigo Kurosaki—
will face Gin before even setting foot inside the Seireitei."
And sure enough—
Shunsui's prediction was right.
The footage continued.
Boom—!!!
With a roar, Jidanbō finally heaved the gate upward,
straining with every ounce of strength to lift the colossal door.
But as the path opened,
a shadow appeared in the distance—
a slender figure, walking with that same lazy smile.
Ichimaru Gin.
"He really was there…"
The captains glanced at Kyōraku, who smirked in quiet satisfaction.
"If Gin wanted to, he could kill those humans instantly," said Komamura gravely.
"Even if this Ichigo seems special, a human is still a human.
Against a captain, he wouldn't last a second."
And indeed—
just as Komamura expected,
the next moment unfolded exactly that way.
Gin smiled, eyes narrowing to slits.
"Ahh… can't have that, now, can we?"
He didn't even appear to move.
A flash of white light streaked across the screen.
In an instant, a deep slash tore through Jidanbō's wrist.
Blood burst into the air.
With a cry of pain, the giant dropped the gate,
its immense weight crashing down onto his shoulder.
Bang!
The white stone shuddered.
"Gin," Aizen's calm voice echoed from his throne in Hueco Mundo.
"Well done.
Stopping the ryoka invasion exactly as predicted.
That was how it should have happened from the start."
He smiled faintly—
a smile of remembrance.
Yes.
This was how it was meant to unfold in the original timeline.
The ryoka invasion was always part of Aizen's plan—
to throw the Seireitei into chaos,
fake his own death,
and shift all blame onto Ichigo Kurosaki.
Only then could he manipulate events from the shadows, unseen.
Now, through the video,
that hidden timeline was being exposed piece by piece.
Ichimaru Gin's presence at the gate
wasn't coincidence—
it had been an essential step in Aizen's script.
And the truth behind it all…
was that Gin had never failed to play his part perfectly.
He wasn't just fighting Ichigo.
He was testing him—
and holding back on purpose.
(End of Chapter)
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