After that, Nanao Ise's journey back to the Seireitei was smooth sailing. After all, no matter how much the nobles wanted to cause trouble, they would not make a move right in front of Shunsui Kyoraku. To surround and kill a combatant of Captain-level strength, the Five Great Noble Houses would have to step in personally.
And if Shunsui Kyoraku were to die outside the Seireitei, all those backroom maneuverings would become meaningless.
It was only when they walked into the Seireitei that Shunsui Kyoraku turned his head to look back with a grave expression, yet he still found nothing.
"What is it, Captain?"
"Nothing. Let's go report to the Old Man first."
"Eh? Do I go personally?"
"My Lieutenant is about to retire, and you will definitely be the one to take the position later. There will inevitably be times when you have to interact with the Captain-Commander in the future, so it's better to start training for it now."
"Yes! I will definitely not fail your expectations!"
Shunsui Kyoraku looked at the high-spirited Nanao Ise and beamed with joy. Now he could finally get rid of that old fellow who nagged him about drinking every day. Sure enough, subordinates one cultivated oneself were much more obedient.
The two walked straight into the 1st Division barracks and saw the Captain-Commander, who was practicing calligraphy.
"Did Suzuki Makoto sign the treaty?"
The Captain-Commander did not seem surprised that Shunsui Kyoraku had come along, but he did not look at his student. Instead, he directed his question straight at Nanao Ise.
"It has been signed."
The young girl hurriedly took out the treaty and respectfully submitted it to the Captain-Commander's desk.
"Good handwriting."
Looking at the elegant signature, Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded slightly. This indicated that Suzuki Makoto was no boorish brute, but rather that he had established the Yellow Turbans after careful deliberation.
"Lord Captain-Commander, on my return journey, I encountered an interception by an unknown force."
"Mn. Let Shunsui investigate that matter. You go to the 4th Division for a checkup; don't let any hidden injuries remain."
"Yes."
"Understood."
After sending his Seated Officer to the 4th Division, Shunsui Kyoraku returned to the 1st Division barracks without alerting anyone and met with Shigekuni Yamamoto once again.
"Teacher, those people were from the nobles of the Seireitei."
Shigekuni Yamamoto remained silent, the brush in his hand hovering over the paper for a long time without falling.
"You are not surprised by this?"
"What Suzuki Makoto is doing is what I wanted to do a thousand years ago, but... compared to those people in the Rukongai, the Soul King is the one who must be maintained. Therefore, I had no choice but to choose the Seireitei."
The Captain-Commander's words plunged Shunsui Kyoraku into silence as well. As one of Shigekuni Yamamoto's first batch of disciples, he certainly knew about some of the circumstances from back then.
"Then this treaty..."
"It no longer counts. Regarding the matters of the Rukongai, the most this old man can do is keep the Gotei 13 out of it. But as for how the nobles wish to act—this is the answer they have given."
"But what if Central 46 issues an order? Do we comply or not when the time comes?"
"I have already expressed my attitude through Nanao Ise. The nobles will not feel at ease letting the Gotei 13 mobilize to deal with the Yellow Turbans."
Shigekuni Yamamoto judged the situation very clearly. Since he had expressed his silent support for Suzuki Makoto, if the nobles still dared to order the Shinigami to take action, then how long that war would last, and how long it needed to last, would naturally be up to him, Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Back then, fighting the Quincies took so long. Facing a battlefield as vast as the Rukongai, and having to consider the balance of souls across the Three Worlds, it would naturally take even more time.
Would the nobles dare to let Shigekuni Yamamoto stall for such a long time?
Or rather, would the nobles dare to let the ideology of the Yellow Turbans spread for such a long time?
Shunsui Kyoraku now understood his teacher's attitude—he indeed harbored goodwill toward the Yellow Turbans and hoped the Rukongai could maintain the order the Yellow Turbans had established. However, if the nobles did not wish to see this scene, then Shigekuni Yamamoto would tacitly allow their crusade against the Yellow Turbans.
Because protecting the Soul King was the true duty of the Gotei 13. As long as the Soul Society under the nobles' notification continued to revere the Soul King, then Shigekuni Yamamoto would not go against the will of the nobles, just as he had always been obedient to Central 46.
Passively making the nobles give up on having the Gotei 13 launch the crusade was already the greatest opposition the Captain-Commander could offer.
"That really is... such a pity."
"Indeed, such a pity."
The brush finally descended. The two characters completed on the calligraphy scroll, 'General of Heaven' [Tian Gong], were bold and vigorous.
Then, under Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto's Reiatsu, they were incinerated into a pile of ash.
-------------------------
"Captain Aizen, it seems things haven't gone according to your plan. Why is the Gotei 13 still acting like this, while the nobles, on the other hand, are acting like they've been injected with chicken blood, constantly sending people to the Rukongai?"
Gin Ichimaru, the Captain of the 3rd Division who was still maintaining order in the Rukongai, voiced his doubts to his superior.
"Because the Captain-Commander still harbors goodwill toward the Yellow Turbans. He likely also hopes the Rukongai can maintain that kind of order, so he does not wish to destroy the Yellow Turbans with his own hands. The nobles, of course, cannot force the Captain-Commander to do such a thing, so they have no choice but to do it themselves."
Aizen did not feel that his plan had failed. The internal turmoil within the Seireitei was evidently greater than he had anticipated. After all, compared to the Gotei 13, which had passed down its traditions for a thousand years and whose rules and regulations were perfected to be no different from a military, the forces the nobles scrambled together themselves were obviously much more chaotic.
"Then should we interfere in this matter? Help that fellow named Suzuki Makoto, so the nobles get a bit busier?"
The man proposed a new plan.
"If action is to be taken, I can take responsibility for it."
Kaname Tosen, who rarely spoke up, actually volunteered this time. Even Gin Ichimaru looked at his colleague with some surprise.
"Your anger... you must suppress it a while longer, Kaname. I understand your hatred for the nobles, but this kind of slaughter cannot solve the problem. Only by dealing with the Soul King can all of this finally change."
"This subordinate lost control of his emotions. Please forgive me, my Lord!"
Kaname Tosen immediately apologized.
"It doesn't matter. I can understand your attitude. After all, even the Captain-Commander harbors goodwill toward the rules of the Yellow Turbans; a righteous man like you would naturally yearn for them as well. If Suzuki Makoto's Yellow Turbans can withstand the nobles' first wave of attacks, then I will allow you to go to the 'Yellow Heaven' to help."
"Yes!"
Aizen would not use false words to fool his subordinates. He was indeed somewhat curious about Suzuki Makoto, only this curiosity would not affect his decision-making.
If Suzuki Makoto was merely superficial and the Yellow Turbans were flattened in one wave, he could simply continue his original disruption plan. If Kaname Tosen were to act, he would easily be targeted, only increasing the risk of exposure.
But if the Yellow Turbans could bring him extra surprises, then he naturally wouldn't mind adding 'flowers to the brocade' of the current situation.
_____
New Story: Bleach: Dominating Soul Society in One Sting
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