"Yeah, that's right. No matter what, we'll fight to the end. We won't give up easily!"
Hearing Toshiro's words, Isshin perked up again.
"Sorry, Toshiro. I was wrong to say such discouraging things. I was once a Captain of the 10th Division, yet I acted so disgracefully in front of you. I'm truly ashamed."
Isshin apologized to Toshiro.
"It's nothing. Aizen is indeed not an easy opponent to handle. No amount of caution is too much. But we can't be too pessimistic either. In the end, the ones who will win the fight against Aizen will be us!"
Toshiro said in an unquestionable tone.
"Captain Hitsugaya is right. I believe that as long as we all work together, we will definitely win in the end."
Kisuke also said solemnly.
"Alright, Isshin, Urahara-san, everyone go back and prepare. I should return to the Soul Society and report the situation."
Toshiro said.
"Ah, it's time to go back. That boy Ichigo should be arriving soon. Now isn't the time to tell him everything."
Isshin nodded. "See you next time, Toshiro."
Swoosh-
A figure suddenly flashed and disappeared.
Shortly after Toshiro, Isshin, Kon, and Kisuke had each gone their separate ways, Ichigo arrived hurriedly at the scene.
"Damn it, am I too late?"
Ichigo surveyed the area. The scattered traces indicated that someone had indeed fought here, but now there wasn't a soul in sight.
"With such powerful Reiatsu, who could that person be?"
Ichigo pondered.
No matter how racked his brains, Ichigo couldn't imagine that the source of that immense Reiatsu was his good-for-nothing dad.
Finally, after failing to figure it out, Ichigo had no choice but to return home, feeling utterly frustrated.
...
Soul Society.
10th Division, Captain's Office.
Having just returned from the Living World, Toshiro pushed open the door to the Captain's office and walked in. He went to his desk, picked up a teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea.
Swoosh-
A member of the Onmitsukido's 5th Squad, the Patrol Corps, suddenly appeared in Toshiro's office without warning and knelt on one knee. "Captain Hitsugaya, Captain-Commander Yamamoto has issued an emergency summons. He requests you and the other Captains to attend a Captain's Meeting."
Toshiro showed no surprise at the officer's appearance. He took a sip of tea and calmly said, "I understand. You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
The officer acknowledged and then silently vanished from Toshiro's office.
Meanwhile, the other division Captains also received Yamamoto's emergency summons.
"I understand."
"Since the Captain-Commander is summoning me, I will go immediately."
"Well, well, it's the middle of the night. Can't a person get a good night's sleep..."
"It's Captain-Commander Yamamoto's order? Cough... I understand."
"Tch! What a pain..."
Upon receiving Yamamoto's emergency summons, whether willing or not, the Captains of each division hurried to the 1st Division to attend the impromptu Captain's meeting.
After all, being summoned in the middle of the night for a meeting meant something major had happened. No matter how reluctant, everyone had to go.
...
1st Division, Commander Office.
"Under the emergency summons, all Captains have assembled."
Sasakibe reported to Yamamoto.
"Is that so? Then we will commence the Captain's Meeting."
Yamamoto said solemnly.
…
Meeting Room.
Creak!
Yamamoto pushed the door open and entered. All the division Captains had already arrived and were lined up in two rows.
"Gentlemen, not long ago, the Research and Development Bureau detected the Reiatsu of an Arrancar in the Living World."
Yamamoto said, walking to the head of the room.
"An Arrancar? This is certainly Aizen's doing."
Kyoraku frowned.
Currently, there were only two known types of Arrancar: naturally occurring ones and those artificially created by Aizen.
Naturally occurring Arrancar were extremely rare, essentially negligible. So, the sudden appearance of an Arrancar in the Living World was highly likely Aizen's work.
"But what is Aizen's goal in suddenly deploying an Arrancar to the Living World?"
Ukitake asked.
"Regarding that, we should ask Toshiro. He went there immediately upon learning of the Arrancar's appearance. He should have gathered some information."
Yamamoto looked at Toshiro, who stood at the head of the right side.
Toshiro didn't hide anything and explained the situation with Grand Fisher. Naturally, he didn't mention Isshin or Kisuke, claiming he had killed the Arrancar himself.
"Although that Arrancar seemed reasonably strong, its Reiatsu was too muddy. In my judgment, it was just a test subject of Aizen's. He likely deployed it to test its power level, identify its flaws, and further improve his Arrancar technology."
Toshiro's expression grew slightly more serious. "Although Aizen's Arrancar technology hasn't truly reached perfection, it probably won't be long now."
"And once Aizen is ready, the war won't be far off."
Hearing Toshiro's words, everyone's hearts tightened.
"War is inevitable. In fact, based on the intelligence we have, the final decisive battle with Aizen is imminent! So, besides the matter of the Arrancar appearing in the Living World, I have also urgently summoned you all to discuss how to prepare for the decisive battle with Aizen."
Yamamoto said.
"With all due respect, when the time comes, the main force against Aizen will undoubtedly be Captain Hitsugaya. The rest of us can likely only handle Aizen's subordinates. After all, due to Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu, it's difficult for us to be effective against him. However, Captain Hitsugaya can neutralize Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu."
Sajin said directly.
"Well, playing support is fine with me. Given Toshiro's strength, his chances against Aizen aren't low."
Kyoraku said nonchalantly.
No one objected.
After all, Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu was too overwhelming. Without a way to counter it, even if they all attacked together, they'd be essentially helpless against Aizen, and might even be used against each other.
"Since we've decided that Toshiro will be our main force, let's discuss the location for the final battle with Aizen."
Yamamoto said.
"Regarding the location... it will likely be Karakura Town in the Living World."
Kyoraku spoke up.