First Division, Captain's Office.
"Captain, that's what happened."
After reporting the details of the match to Yamamoto, Arata handed over the sealed Bakkōtō, Kaminari Ōkami, to the old man.
"Please be careful. I feel this sword is very aggressive."
"Arata, you worry too much." Yamamoto Genryūsai took the long sword and smiled faintly.
Then, a powerful and terrifying aura burst from his body, and with just one breath, the seal on the blade's surface was crushed!
Boom!
In the next moment, Kaminari Ōkami seemed to transform into a living creature and sprouted countless bloody, fleshy tendrils, as if it wanted to devour the power of the old, decrepit Shinigami before it.
"Hmph! How dare you be so insolent!" Yamamoto growled coldly, mobilized a tiny portion of spiritual pressure in his palm, and gently pressed the wolf's head on the blade.
Splat!
Dark red, unknown blood spilled onto the floor, and all the fleshy tendrils instantly withered and shriveled, losing all ability to move.
Arata and Soi-Fong on the side also clearly sensed that the sinister aura from the Bakkōtō had completely vanished with that grip, as if it had never appeared at all.
Arata sighed inwardly. The old man truly is number one among pureblood Shinigami. That tiny bit of power he released would leave countless captains far behind.
That's why he could never understand where those noble families who stirred rebellions and wanted to overthrow Soul Society found such courage.
Maybe it's because Yamamoto hadn't acted personally in a long time, so some inexperienced nobles believed he really was just a kind old man.
Yamamoto casually took a handkerchief and wiped the stains from his hands. Then he demonstrated one of Ryūjin Jakka's everyday tricks, at which he was incredibly skilled, burning the blood off the floor with fire.
It's said incredibly skilled because not even a trace of burn was left on the floor.
"Arata, what do you think of Hatake Hayato and this weapon of unknown origin?" Yamamoto's gaze fell on the purple-haired young man with a hint of inquiry.
In combination with a series of strange events that had occurred earlier in Rukongai, he already had some suspicions.
But as captain, it wasn't fitting for him to do everything personally.
You must always leave some difficult matters to the capable younger generation, otherwise, you're just raising them like flowers in a greenhouse, nice to look at, but useless.
"Hmm…" Arata thought for a moment, organizing his thoughts and choosing his words.
Since he was familiar with the original story, of course, he knew the truth and background of the Bakkōtō plot, but how to tactfully and clearly express that, that was a test of his linguistic skills.
"Captain, based on previous incidents and clues, I suspect that Hatake Hayato and this weapon called Kaminari Ōkami are closely connected to the Kasumiōji family," he stated his opinion.
"Oh? Why do you say that, Arata?" asked Yamamoto, though a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
Soi-Fong also watched Arata closely, wanting to know what he based that on.
The Second Division had actually collected a lot of data during this period, but they had only concluded that some disturbances were occurring within the Noble District. However, due to jurisdiction and class issues, they couldn't conduct a deeper investigation.
"Captain-General, Captain Soi-Fong, do you remember that series of mysterious metal fragments we seized after returning from our vacation in the human world?" Arata reminded them with a single question.
"Of course I remember." Soi-Fong nodded. After all, she had just finished a lovely vacation, only to learn that a big problem had broken out in Rukongai, it didn't sit well with her at all.
Yamamoto Genryūsai said nothing, only giving Arata a look to continue.
"At the time, I speculated that the metal fragment was of exceptionally refined craftsmanship and high-grade forging, and most likely a product of the Noble District…
Even after we obtained that piece of metal, the strange deaths continued in Rukongai, and the Kasumiōji family even proposed holding this kendo tournament on the first day of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy.
If you look at these events individually, maybe they don't seem suspicious, but if you connect them, it's easy to see something's wrong."
Arata paused there. Not because he didn't have more prepared, but because both of the people before him were smart.
One was old man Yamamoto, who had ruled for a thousand years, and the other was Soi-Fong, who led the Onmitsukidō and solved cases daily. A little hint was enough for them to reach the rest of the conclusions on their own.
"Arata, are you saying that the Kasumiōji family is the mastermind behind this series of events and that the kendo tournament was just a front to cover up the creation of this bizarre weapon?!"
Even Soi-Fong, who Unohana Retsu had described as sharp, realized the weight of the situation at this moment.
Her professional instincts as commander of the Onmitsukidō kicked in directly, and based on Arata's thoughts, she quickly deduced a conclusion very close to the truth.
"Captain Soi-Fong, that's just your one-sided assumption. I didn't say anything." Arata spread his hands, showing that he wouldn't take responsibility, but everyone knew it was deliberate guiding.
"Very well. What you two are saying actually makes sense. I think so too." Yamamoto Genryūsai tapped his cane on the floor, signaling them to be quiet.
"Now that we have a direction, the next question is how we'll conduct the investigation." He glanced at Arata, as if wanting the young man to step forward.
Arata understood what the old man wanted and stepped up: "Captain, I'm willing to infiltrate the Noble District and investigate the case, and I guarantee I'll find the true culprit!"
He remembered he still had that side mission to investigate the nobles that hadn't been completed, so it was best to use this opportunity to wrap it up.
Besides, that B-level item in his system backpack, the Void mask had barely been used a few times. Arata felt regret about that and was already impatient to use it again.
"Good. After all, the identities of the Second Division and Onmitsukidō are too conspicuous, and Captain Soi-Fong is also notorious, so they're not suitable for infiltration-type tasks." Old man Yamamoto nodded with satisfaction, growing increasingly pleased with the young man before him.
He had incredible abilities, great strength, and good character. What a pity he didn't become his disciple, otherwise, the position of the next captain would already be settled.
As for Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō, Yamamoto had said he wasn't particularly close to them.
"However, it's still too risky to have you carry out such a mission completely alone. I'll ask Captain Shiba of the Tenth Division to assign another capable Shinigami to you, so at least you'll have someone to rely on."
"Captain Soi-Fong doesn't need to infiltrate but must continue leading the Onmitsukidō and conducting external investigations."
"Yes, Captain!"
After Yamamoto distributed the tasks, he sent Soi-Fong and Arata back to their duties.
On the way back, Soi-Fong was the one who brought up the mission.
"Arata, are you confident enough in this infiltration investigation? Do you need support from our Second Division?"
Soi-Fong's concern wasn't without reason.
After all, the man before her was 2.2 meters tall, over half a head taller than her.
Every time Soi-Fong talked to Arata, she had to look up like she was talking to a giant.
With such a build, he would be eliminated immediately in covert operations. There's no way he could do infiltration or assassination tasks, he stood out too much!
Arata wasn't stupid, so of course, he understood what lay behind her words. But she didn't know he had a miraculous item like the Hollow mask.
He understood she was worried out of good intentions, but to avoid revealing the system's existence, he responded calmly: "Captain Soi-Fong, don't worry. If I dared to boast in front of the Captain, it means I have enough confidence."
"Alright, but if you need anything, you must let me know. After all, you're half a member of the Second Division." Seeing how confident Arata was, Soi-Fong didn't pry further. She just smiled and patted his strong waist muscles.
It's not that she didn't want to pat his shoulder, it's just that her height didn't allow it.
Arata replied with a confident smile that clearly said, "Don't worry."
In his memories from his previous life, there was an old, legendary game centered around assassins and infiltration.
It had one classic line:
"As long as I kill all enemies present, no one will know I snuck in."