"The Captain-Commander is right! The Stealth Force has no right to search our division's affairs at will!"
"Even if you're the Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force, you're still technically equal in rank to the Captain-Commander, baldy!"
"Hirako, he has hair, so he's not a baldy."
"Coming here to fight for power and fame with the Gotei 13 is such a vulgar act. It lacks even a hint of artistic beauty."
The captains had been provoked by Ren's actions today, and they voiced their dissatisfaction one after another.
To have someone show up to conduct a search while they were holding a Captain's Meeting was an obvious provocation.
Not to mention, he actually dared to say he wanted to search the First Division's headquarters right in front of them.
He clearly had no respect for them!
Furthermore, as the scale of the Stealth Force gradually expanded over the years, it had been encroaching on the Gotei 13's responsibilities step by step.
As captains, they naturally felt this quite clearly.
Today, faced with such an arrogant move from the Stealth Force, they vented the emotions they had bottled up over the years at Ren, the Commander-in-Chief.
Kyōraku Shunsui glanced at Yamamoto in front of him and sighed inwardly. He turned to soothe his colleagues.
"Alright, alright, everyone say a few less words. Please keep quiet."
"The Captain-Commander just finished speaking. Let's not lose the grace a captain should have."
The relationship between the Stealth Force and the Gotei 13 was already tense. If the captains were allowed to continue, it might lead to a real confrontation between the two major organizations.
Although the Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force was steady, he was still a young man and might not handle being provoked well.
If it really reached that point, it wouldn't be good for the stability of the Seireitei.
Despite his flamboyant appearance, Kyōraku was a veteran captain and held some sway among his peers.
Combined with his mention of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the captains gradually stopped their outcry.
Ren's gaze swept over the ones who had shouted the loudest, committing them to memory.
His face remained expressionless, maintaining that calm demeanor.
Since he had come here, he had naturally prepared the necessary procedures.
He waved his hand, signaling to Shisui beside him.
Shisui stepped forward, pulled a document from his robes, unfolded it, and handed it to Yamamoto.
"This is a directive from the Central 46. Please review it, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
Ren spoke in a flat tone, "Captain-Commander Yamamoto, both the Stealth Force and the Gotei 13 are institutions of the Seireitei. Everything we do is for the peace of this place."
"I don't wish to cause friction between our organizations, but since this is an order from the Central 46, I cannot refuse. I must proceed with the search."
"As a virtuous elder of the Seireitei, I'm sure you will understand."
Yamamoto took the document and examined it carefully.
A few seconds later, he finished reading. Gripping the document, his voice was cold.
"The seal and phrasing are correct. This is indeed an official order from the Central 46."
Another wave of noise broke out among the captains.
Everyone knew that the current Central 46 was dominated by the Shihoin family's faction.
If Ren, the son-in-law of the Shihoin family, wanted to do something, how could the Central 46 possibly disagree?
Yamamoto raised his hand, silencing the commotion.
After handing the document back to Shisui, his eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze moved past Shisui and fell on the composed Ren.
"Since this is an order from the Sages, I will naturally comply. However, there is one thing I do not understand."
"Why was I not notified of this matter?"
Ren seemed to smirk, a hint of mockery appearing between his brows.
"Lord Yamamoto is the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. If you were notified, what effect would a surprise inspection have?"
"If there were anything unsavory, wouldn't it give the Captain-Commander time to cover it up?"
Hearing Ren slander him like this, Yamamoto's eyes widened with anger.
When he had launched his surprise inspection of the Stealth Force before, he had thought the same thing.
He hadn't expected that only a few days later, Ren would use the same logic against him.
Now that he was personally experiencing the feeling of being falsely accused, his expression faltered as if he had realized something.
The humiliation he was facing today was no different from what Ren had encountered a few days ago.
Thinking of this, the anger on Yamamoto's face suddenly vanished, replaced by a trace of guilt in his heart.
Just as he was about to speak, Ren cut him off. "Now that the order has been verified, please comply, Captain-Commander."
Yamamoto knew that this was Ren's counterattack.
Since Ren's procedures were in order, he no longer had any means to obstruct him.
Amidst his feelings of guilt, he couldn't help but sigh.
Fine. Since he was the one who started this, it was only right that he face this retaliation today.
Yamamoto turned to the captains behind him. "Everyone, today's meeting is over. Return to your respective divisions."
Seeing Yamamoto yield so easily, the captains were unwilling and wanted to say more.
But as soon as they started, Yamamoto silenced them with a single look.
In the eyes of the captains, Yamamoto was the pinnacle of authority.
Left with no choice, they could only obey his command.
Just as everyone was about to leave, a cold, metallic voice rang out.
"Captains, you cannot leave yet!"
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice.
The one speaking was the white-haired man standing beside Ren.
Kyōraku Shunsui narrowed his eyes, recognizing the man.
This was the person who had obstructed their search that day, claiming to be the Chief of Staff of the Stealth Force, named Senju Tobirama.
He took a step forward and said, "Chief of Staff Senju, there's no need for us captains to stay here, is there? We have many duties waiting for us at our divisions."
Senju Tobirama folded his arms across his chest and said coldly, "It would be best for the captains to remain and witness this. Surely Captain-Commander Yamamoto, with his clear conscience, wouldn't refuse?"
By the end, he looked at Yamamoto with a solemn expression.
Yamamoto naturally understood the unspoken threat.
If he refused, the other side would surely claim he had something to hide and use it to accuse him!
He shifted his gaze slightly toward Ren.
Ultimately, this was all the direction of the Stealth Force's Commander-in-Chief.
After all, he was just a young man who valued face. Having suddenly ascended to a high position, his pride was inevitably high.
He wanted to return the favor in front of all the captains, just as Yamamoto had done to him, using the opportunity to humiliate him.
"Very well," Yamamoto said in a deep voice.
His conscience was clear; he had committed no acts of favoritism.
Agreeing to Ren's condition wasn't an issue.
At the same time, Yamamoto set a final line in his mind.
If Ren was still not satisfied and even tried to frame him, the zanpakutō in his hand would not be lenient again.
"I appreciate your understanding, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
Ren nodded slightly.
Under the watchful eyes of Yamamoto and the others, he led Shisui and Senju Tobirama to officially inspect the First Division.
During the inspection, he would occasionally ask a few questions.
Yamamoto's expression remained neutral, cooperating with Ren's inquiries.
On the contrary, the captains' faces grew dark as they watched the First Division—the home of their respected Captain-Commander—being searched at will.
The old man was devoted to his duty, so there were naturally no scandals to find.
After searching the First Division inside and out, Ren found no discrepancies.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto is truly noble, a pillar of the Seireitei."
"Since the search is complete, I won't linger. I will return to report to the Central 46."
With that, Ren left the First Division with Shisui and Tobirama without looking back.
Watching the backs of the three as they departed, the captains gritted their teeth, whispering their dissatisfaction.
"That baldy... he actually dared to take it this far."
"Making such a public spectacle of it, he simply doesn't respect us!"
"Doing this serves no purpose other than widening the rift between our organizations."
"Captain-Commander, we can't just let this go, can we?"
Yamamoto shook his head slightly, his expression normal. He waved the crowd off. "Enough. I will make my own judgment on this. All of you, return to your duties."
Since Yamamoto put it that way, even though they were angry, they had no choice but to leave.
The group shuffled away, grumbling all the while.
However, four people remained in the First Division.
Yamamoto looked at the four who hadn't budged and wasn't surprised at all. "Shunsui, Unohana, come with me."
He then turned and walked into the barracks.
Kyōraku Shunsui and Unohana Retsu exchanged a glance, a brief moment of silent communication before they nodded.
They signaled to their respective lieutenants.
"Lisa, you head back. Old Man Yama and I have some matters to discuss in detail."
"Seinosuke, you return as well."
The two lieutenants understood the gravity of the situation. Seeing how serious their captains were, they said no more, gave a brief acknowledgment, and left.
Kyōraku Shunsui and Unohana Retsu walked toward the First Division office.
Their footsteps made light tapping sounds on the wooden corridor.
Unohana Retsu suddenly spoke, "Captain Kyōraku, I've heard a bit about what the Captain-Commander did with you and Captain Ukitake. It seems the Stealth Force's actions today were a response to that."
"Exactly."
Kyōraku Shunsui nodded and couldn't help but sigh.
"Ren Shihoin... the former head of the family chose him as a son-in-law because of his steady personality. But judging by his actions today, he seems to have plenty of youthful vigor."
"Are you suggesting the former head was wrong about him?"
"Senior, I didn't say that."
Kyōraku shrugged with a helpless tone.
"I've thought carefully about Old Man Yama's actions with us a few days ago. Looking back, it was indeed a bit much for him to handle."
"Our actions were essentially a blatant display of distrust. Any hot-blooded person would find it hard to accept, or even view it as an insult!"
"Young people are full of fire and can't stand being shamed, let alone a gifted genius like him. On top of that, having attained such a high position, his pride is bound to be immense."
Unohana Retsu nodded, her expression thoughtful.
"Captain Kyōraku, in your opinion, what is the Captain-Commander thinking?"
"I imagine it's much the same as me," Kyōraku said. "If you really want to know, Senior, why not just ask Old Man Yama himself?"
"We're here."
During their conversation, they had reached the front of the First Division office.
Kyōraku pushed the door open and entered.
Upon entering the room, they saw Yamamoto standing on the terrace, leaning on his wooden staff, looking out over the scenery of the Seireitei.
"What do you think of Ren Shihoin?"
Yamamoto Shigekuni didn't turn around at the sound of the door; he maintained his posture.
Kyōraku and Unohana walked to Yamamoto's side, looking out at the terrace view together.
After a few seconds of silence, Kyōraku Shunsui slowly spoke, "The purpose of this young Shihoin fellow today was clearly to retaliate for our previous actions."
"He didn't give you any face at all in front of all those captains, did he, Old Man Yama?"
Unohana Retsu nodded.
Yamamoto Shigekuni remained unmoved, and he didn't even appear angry.
He had reflected on his actions over the last few days and felt that he had indeed overstepped.
Having personally experienced that kind of humiliation today, he felt even more empathetic.
"I am well aware. Ultimately, this all stemmed from my own recklessness. It was only natural that I would face this today."
This was his mistake, and he wouldn't deny it.
He wasn't so stubborn that he couldn't see his own faults.
That was why he had chosen to step back when faced with Ren's pressure.
Yamamoto lightly tapped his wooden staff on the floor, producing a crisp sound.
"What I'm asking isn't about today's events, but about Ren Shihoin as a person!"
"Tell me your thoughts: is he good or evil? Does he harbor malicious intentions?"
Unohana and Kyōraku exchanged a look, then Unohana turned back to Yamamoto and said, "While his actions today were aggressive, they reveal that his fundamental nature is likely good."
"Oh?"
Faced with Yamamoto's slight surprise, Unohana explained, "If he had something to hide, he would have been uneasy and anxious after your surprise search, fearing exposure every single day."
"He wouldn't have sought revenge, and he wouldn't even have dared to show his face before you. Instead, he would have shrunk back and tried to minimize his presence."
"But he didn't do that."
"Not only that, but he chose to strike back during today's Captain's Meeting."
"This clearly shows that he holds a grudge... he feels he was wronged without cause, so he has the confidence to fight back and make the Captain-Commander experience the same humiliation."
Upon hearing this, Yamamoto didn't state his position but looked at his student, Kyōraku.
He waited for Kyōraku's answer.
He knew his student well. Though frivolous on the surface, Kyōraku was always sharp and could easily see through appearances to the essence of things.
Kyōraku Shunsui nodded slightly and said, "My view is much the same as the Senior's. Ren Shihoin is good."
"Only someone who has been falsely accused would feel such indignation. This proves he doesn't have a guilty conscience... today's performance was perfectly reasonable."
After a few seconds, he pinched his chin in thought and continued, "Even if Ren Shihoin really is restless and wants to cause trouble, it would at most be a struggle for power and schemes among the nobility. He wouldn't threaten the peace of the Seireitei."
"He is already a high-ranking noble and the Commander-in-Chief of the Stealth Force. He holds immense power and even controls the Central 46 from the shadows... chaos in the Seireitei would not benefit him."
"If anything, he desires stability more than we do. Only in a stable situation can his power remain secure."
"As for the recent expansion of the Stealth Force, thinking about it calmly now, it's actually within a normal range."
Hearing the end of his speech, Yamamoto Shigekuni showed a look of agreement, nodding along.
He had been thinking the same thing.
Hearing the same opinion from both Kyōraku and Unohana only served to validate his thoughts.
However, he then saw Kyōraku's brow furrow, his face showing a hint of conflict.
Yamamoto couldn't help but ask, "Kyōraku, did you discover something new?"
Kyōraku was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"No."
Despite saying that, the furrow in Kyōraku's brow deepened, and he shook his head again.
"Strange."
"Old Man Yama, everything seems normal, but I have a feeling that something is off. I just can't put my finger on what it is."
Yamamoto slowed his breathing, quietly watching Kyōraku struggle with his thoughts.
At that moment, Unohana Retsu's soft voice rang out.
"Captain-Commander, Captain Kyōraku, I just remembered something."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]