"Yare yare, that old man Yama, really. Finally found time to have a drink with you, and then he suddenly calls a captains' meeting."
Kyoraku complained to Ukitake.
Kyoraku had finally gotten a day off today and went to find his good friend Ukitake, only to suddenly receive a notice that Yamamoto was calling a Captains' Meeting. So, Kyoraku and Ukitake headed to the 1st Division together.
Following behind them was 13th Division's Lieutenant Kaien Shiba. For Captains' Meetings, the Lieutenant also accompanies the Captain. As for 8th Division's Lieutenant, Ise Nanao, since she wasn't with Kyoraku, they would have to meet at the 1st Division.
"Ukitake, what do you think happened? Why would old man Yama suddenly call a captains' meeting?"
On the way to the 1st Division, Kyoraku asked Ukitake, who was walking with him.
"Cough, cough, cough... I don't know. But it must be something important. Otherwise, Genryusai-sensei wouldn't suddenly call a Captains' Meeting," Ukitake replied.
"Hey, Ukitake, are you alright? Why don't you go back and rest instead? Skip the Captains' Meeting. I'll get you a leave," Kyoraku said, concerned, seeing Ukitake cough as if his lungs were about to come out.
Kaien, following behind Ukitake and Kyoraku, also expressed concern: "Yes, Captain, don't push yourself. You should go back."
"I'm fine. It's an old problem, nothing serious. Besides, if Genryusai-sensei called a Captains' Meeting so suddenly, it must be important," Ukitake refused.
"Alright then," Kyoraku said helplessly.
"Captain, can't you walk a bit faster? Stop dawdling! The meeting is about to start. If you don't hurry, we'll be late!"
Rangiku yelled at Isshin.
"I know, I know! Sigh, if only Toshiro could handle the Captains' Meeting too," Isshin couldn't help but say.
"Tch! If you even let Toshiro handle Captains' Meetings, what's the point of having you as Captain?" Rangiku mocked.
"Captain, don't you know? You, the Captain, have already been sidelined by the Third Seat and turned into a puppet!" Rangiku said.
"So what? That's perfect. I don't have to work and can laze around every day," Isshin said, unconcerned.
Rangiku was speechless looking at Isshin. Being this lazy was something else. Well, there was also herself!
Although Toshiro had never actively sought power in the 10th Division, thanks to these two unreliable people, 10th Division's members had to turn to the reliable Toshiro whenever anything happened. Gradually, Toshiro became the backbone of the 10th Division, and Isshin slowly became a 'puppet'.
Of course, neither Toshiro nor Isshin really cared about these things.
Meanwhile, the Captains and Lieutenants of other Divisions were also rushing to the 1st Division.
1st Division, Meeting Hall.
"Wa ha ha! Sorry I'm late!" Isshin walked in with a foolish grin. A quick look showed he was the last of the thirteen Captains to arrive.
Yamamoto's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
Thud!
Yamamoto struck the floor forcefully with his cane.
"Then, the Captains' Meeting begins now!"
"Old man Yama, what important thing happened? Today's my hard-earned day off," Kyoraku spoke up first.
The other Captains also looked at Yamamoto. Apart from regular work reports, Captains' Meetings weren't called arbitrarily without important matters.
"It's regarding matters in Hueco Mundo," Yamamoto said.
"Hueco Mundo!"
All the Captains couldn't help but be taken aback.
"What about Hueco Mundo?" Sui-Feng asked.
Most of the Gotei 13's Captains were newly appointed in recent years. Few had served for over a hundred years, so most weren't very familiar with Hueco Mundo.
Although the Gotei 13 had always fought Hollows, it was mostly against Hollows that entered the Soul Society or the Living World. They rarely took the initiative to invade Hueco Mundo.
Yamamoto explained, "Actually, several hundred years ago, the Seireitei dispatched an expeditionary force to Hueco Mundo."
"The Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force?" Byakuya asked.
Byakuya, who had become a Captain only a few years ago, hadn't heard about the expeditionary force before.
"Yes. Since the first expeditionary force was dispatched to Hueco Mundo several hundred years ago, there has always been an expeditionary force active there. As everyone knows, the number of Hollows increases continuously. If left unchecked, once the Hollow population reaches a certain level, it can affect the balance between the three worlds: the Soul Society, the Living World, and Hueco Mundo. Therefore, the primary mission of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force is to control the Hollow population within a certain range," Yamamoto explained.
Yamamoto continued, "The expeditionary force contacts the Soul Society periodically to report their situation, replenish supplies, and rotate personnel. However, in the most recent communication, the expeditionary force reported they suffered heavy casualties in battles with Hollows, and the expeditionary force's commander-in-chief also died in battle. As a result, the Hollow population has begun to increase drastically. If this continues, it could very well affect the balance between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society."
Hearing Yamamoto's words, all the Captains immediately looked grave.
If the balance between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo were broken, the entire Soul Society could collapse.
"Cough, cough. Then what should we do?" Ukitake asked.
"The expeditionary force requested aid from the Soul Society, hoping we could dispatch reinforcements to support them. So, what are your opinions?" Yamamoto asked.
"I think we should agree to their request for aid and immediately dispatch reinforcements to support them," Kyoraku replied.
Although usually lazy and carefree, once something serious happened, Kyoraku was quite serious.
"I think Shunsui is right. We should send reinforcements immediately. Otherwise, if left unchecked, the rate of Hollow increase will get faster and faster, affecting the balance between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society," Ukitake also agreed.
"Seconded!" Sui-Feng, Captain of the 2nd Division, said succinctly.
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
All the Captains voiced their agreement.
"Good. It seems everyone agrees to dispatch reinforcements to Hueco Mundo. Then it's decided," Yamamoto nodded.
"Now, let's discuss how many personnel each Division should contribute," Yamamoto said.
After discussion, the Gotei 13 would dispatch a total of five hundred members. The number from each division would be decided based on their individual circumstances.