Surveillance Hall.
Seireitei's surveillance system stretches across every corner of Soul Society. Parts of it extend into the World of the Living, and in recent years, it has even reached certain regions of Hueco Mundo.
Everything related to this system—image collection, content processing, storage, retrieval, and analysis—is collectively referred to as the Surveillance Hall.
Only after the Twelfth Division's Research and Development Institute established a cooperative relationship with the Surveillance Hall were they able to obtain all kinds of intelligence from different locations and use it as the basis for analyzing various situations.
When the Thirteenth Division's Purification Unit dispatches Shinigami to carry out missions in the World of the Living, it likewise depends on the Surveillance Hall's support.
The Fifth Division's Rescue Unit also relies on information from the Surveillance Hall when providing assistance in the Human World.
Control over such a critical system could never belong to a single division.
The nobility…
Renji Abarai felt a chill run through him.
He had interacted with countless Shinigami during his time in the Fifth Division, spent many years in the commoner-heavy Eleventh Division, and now served as lieutenant of the Sixth Division, a division led by the nobility.
No one understood the nobles' exalted status in Soul Society better than he did.
If the nobles were targeting Rukia Kuchiki, then everything made sense.
The footage showing Muten Natsu killing Takuma and Kaien was very likely fabricated by the nobles!
Their goal was to send Muten Natsu to prison, clearing the way for them to act against Rukia Kuchiki.
"That's not right…" Renji Abarai suddenly noticed the inconsistency. "After Muten Natsu was locked away in Muken, Rukia never faced any real danger."
Sōsuke Aizen's expression grew solemn, a trace of concern flickering in his eyes. "At that time, Rukia was a hero who had captured a major fugitive. Even if the nobles wanted to move against her, they would have had to do so in a relatively discreet manner."
"A relatively discreet manner…" Renji Abarai murmured. "The World of the Living?"
"I deliberately sought out members of the Research and Development Institute who had previously served in the Fifth Division," Sōsuke Aizen said in a lowered voice. "According to the information I received, Rukia did encounter a large number of abnormal Hollows in the World of the Living—far stronger than anything that had appeared in Karakura Town before. In the end, a Menos even showed up, yet I never once received a request for reinforcements."
Renji Abarai stared in disbelief. This was no different from letting Rukia Kuchiki die in the World of the Living. "The nobles want to—"
"Shh." Sōsuke Aizen raised a finger to his lips. "You should have also received the report that Captain Ichimaru repelled Muten."
"Yeah… what about it?"
"Jidanbō did nothing wrong. We couldn't allow Muten to run rampant in Rukongai, so Jidanbō opened the gate. Under normal circumstances, Captain Ichimaru should have led a squad to capture the entire group of Ryoka. Instead, he drove Muten back, accidentally injured Jidanbō, and caused the Hakutōmon to close once again. Immediately after that… Rukia's sentence was moved up."
"He wanted to keep Muten outside Seireitei, so he wouldn't interfere with the execution." Renji Abarai's thoughts rapidly fell into place. "But why would Captain Ichimaru do something like that?"
Sōsuke Aizen didn't answer directly, offering only another piece of information. "Earlier, he went to the Sixth District, together with the captain of the Eleventh Division."
"Captain Zaraki?" Renji Abarai was confused for a moment, then quickly understood.
As a division dedicated solely to combat, the Eleventh Division's captain enjoyed extensive privileges, allowing him to act with limited disregard for the will of Central 46.
By accompanying the Eleventh Division's captain, Gin Ichimaru could make use of those same privileges.
Which meant he was free to act as he pleased.
Wait…
As if the final piece of the puzzle had snapped into place, a clear path formed in Renji Abarai's mind.
The Surveillance Hall… the nobles… the Kuchiki clan!
Gin Ichimaru… the Sixth District… Byakuya Kuchiki!
Byakuya Kuchiki wants to kill Rukia Kuchiki!
But why?
Renji Abarai couldn't understand. "Why would Rukia—"
"Shh!" Sōsuke Aizen interrupted him again. "Renji, you're passionate and straightforward, but you're also calm and level-headed. I believe you can make the right choice."
"Why didn't we report this to Central 46…" Renji Abarai stopped halfway through his sentence and fell silent.
Central 46 was composed of forty wise men and six judges.
Every one of those judges and wise men came from the nobility.
"So you've already realized where the problem lies…" Sōsuke Aizen let out a quiet sigh. "You may not like hearing this, but what worries me isn't only Rukia's safety."
"Then what is it?"
"It's what was revealed during the nobles' attempts to threaten her life," Sōsuke Aizen said calmly. "Think about it. What caused Rukia's recent crises?"
This time, Renji Abarai didn't answer aloud, but the conclusion had already formed in his mind.
Hollows.
Hollows in the World of the Living. Hollows in Soul Society. And it was Hollows who captured Rukia Kuchiki and took her to Hueco Mundo.
The nobles… colluding with Hollows?!
Renji Abarai didn't want to believe it, but everything pointed in that direction. He couldn't deceive himself.
"Someone is definitely planning something," Sōsuke Aizen said, his brow heavy with concern. "I have a very bad feeling, Abarai. If I—"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Urgent knocking echoed, followed immediately by a rapid announcement.
"Attention, all captains! Attention, all captains! An emergency captains' meeting will be convened immediately! I repeat—"
...
"Just as I expected," Muten Natsu said quietly, listening to the voice coming through the wall. "Once they discovered me, it was only a matter of time before they called an emergency captains' meeting."
Orihime Inoue looked confused. "Why do they need to hold a meeting?"
"To assign responsibility." Muten Natsu adjusted his breathing. The density of reishi in Soul Society was extremely high, and his power was steadily increasing. "Someone who should already be dead has reappeared. Someone has to take the blame."
"Captain Unohana?" Orihime Inoue asked worriedly. "Will she be in trouble?"
"She definitely will…" Muten Natsu lowered his eyes. "That's why I need to create even bigger trouble, so no one has the chance to target her."
"How are you going to do that?"
"By deliberately doing something bad."
Muten Natsu led Orihime Inoue through the underground sewers. After quickly confirming their direction, he placed his hand against the wall.
Everything in Soul Society was made of reishi, and Soul Essence Stealing could absorb it.
The wall silently dissolved. Muten Natsu took Orihime Inoue's hand, carving a passage as they moved forward.
"When an emergency captains' meeting is held, all captains have to go to the First District," Muten Natsu said. The Hell's Eye on his forehead opened as they left the sewer system and entered the underground facilities of the Research and Development Institute. "That means the strongest forces here are gone, and the defenses will respond more slowly. It's the perfect time to act."
The area they entered resembled a warehouse filled with discarded items. Large quantities of decommissioned equipment were neatly sorted and stored. Orihime Inoue saw tangled pipelines, strange wooden devices, and objects that looked like crude electronic machinery.
"It feels like an alien spaceship…" she murmured.
"You're not the only one who thinks that," Muten Natsu replied.
His gaze passed through several corridors and walls, spotting a squad transporting a bound Hollow. After confirming their route wouldn't pass nearby anytime soon, he absorbed the reishi from the wall and moved Orihime Inoue to another location.
"The Twelfth Division's Research and Development Institute is responsible for developing new technologies and spirit tools," he explained. "Gigai, Gikon Pills, and many strange devices like the Kikanshinki were all created here. Most of the people working here are researchers. To Shinigami from other divisions, the ones here aren't much different from aliens. They look strange, you rarely interact with them, and every so often they produce something completely beyond imagination."
They passed through an opening in the wall and entered a vast, open space.
In the dim chamber stood an enormous machine. Dense clusters of copper pipes were packed tightly together, occasionally spewing scorching steam with sharp hissing sounds.
The pipes pressed together like bamboo rafts, yet assembled like an organ, stretching upward. Surrounded by bundles of multicolored cables, they connected to a silver-white structure resembling a towering spire.
Beneath this complex apparatus sat a small control console. Ten screens of varying sizes were embedded across it, each flickering faintly.
Below the screens were three rows of piano-key-like panels covered in strange symbols.
"What is this…?" Orihime Inoue asked softly, curious but hesitant to approach.
Muten Natsu led her closer, their footsteps echoing clearly in the empty space.
"I think I've seen the design schematics for this before…" He looked toward the far end of the chamber, where rows of vermilion torii gates stretched toward a golden, lotus-like device in the distance. "This is a… reishi convergence device."
...
"So that's how it is. I understand the situation now."
Kūkaku Shiba rested the hand holding her long-stemmed pipe on her knee and slowly exhaled a stream of smoke.
"I'll help you."
Ichigo Kurosaki froze. "Really?"
After all, they were about to break into Seireitei.
"Since Urahara's gotten himself involved, how could I possibly turn this down?" Kūkaku Shiba let her gaze rest on Ichigo Kurosaki for a long moment. "That said, I don't trust you brats. I'll send one of my own people to go with you and keep an eye on things. How about it?"
Yoruichi agreed without hesitation. "No problem."
"Hey, Ganju!" Kūkaku Shiba called out. "Get in here."
"Big Sis!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man with rough features and a green bandana tied around his head burst in, shouting like a child. "I'm not going!!!"
Kūkaku Shiba punched him squarely. "What did you just say?!"
Ganju Shiba tumbled across the tatami three times, his face scrunched up in grievance as he wailed, "Why do we have to help them?! They're going to help Muten Natsu! That Shinigami who killed my brother! He betrayed him!"
"Ganju!" Kūkaku Shiba's eyes turned ice-cold. "I told you never to bring that up again. Try showing that pathetic look one more time and see what happens."
Ganju Shiba clenched his teeth, forcing his tears back.
"I wanted you to see more of the world and work toward inheriting the family legacy…" Kūkaku Shiba shook her head in frustration. "Since you don't want to go, forget it."
"I don't know exactly what happened…" Ichigo Kurosaki said, recalling the complicated look on Muten Natsu's face whenever he mentioned the Shiba family, "but I refuse to believe Muten Natsu would betray someone."
"Kurosaki—" Uryū Ishida tried to stop him, but Ichigo Kurosaki had already finished speaking.
"You bastard!" Ganju Shiba grabbed Ichigo Kurosaki by the collar. "What do you know?! How dare you say that!"
This was exactly what Uryū Ishida had been worried about.
"My brother was a genius!" Ganju Shiba roared. "He finished a six-year curriculum in just two years, and less than five years after graduating, he was made Lieutenant! He was strong, respected by his squad, with a future wide open… and then he was killed by Muten Natsu! Right before his death, he was still running around helping him!"
Ichigo Kurosaki grabbed Ganju Shiba's collar in return. "So what? You think your brother misjudged him?"
"Muten Natsu betrayed my brother, and you're trying to pin the blame on him?!"
"I'm not blaming the victim," Ichigo Kurosaki said firmly. "I just don't believe Muten Natsu would betray anyone."
"And what does your belief matter?!"
"And what does yours matter?" Ichigo Kurosaki pointed in the direction of Seireitei. "Muten Natsu is in Seireitei right now. We can go ask him face to face, or… you can stay here crying and sulking."
"Damn it…" Ganju Shiba ground his teeth. "Fine. I'll go with you. But I'm not helping you. I'm going to kill him!"
"If Muten Natsu really didn't betray anyone," Ichigo Kurosaki met his glare head-on, "then as repayment for helping me, I'll uncover the truth for you."
Ganju Shiba answered without hesitation, "If there really is a truth to uncover… then I'll help you rescue them!"
"Looks like you've made up your mind," Kūkaku Shiba said with a satisfied grin. "Don't you dare lose your nerve halfway through, you brat. If we're going, then we go all in!"
"Yeah!" Ganju Shiba shouted back.
"Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko!" Kūkaku Shiba yelled. "Pull it up!"
"Yes!" Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko responded in unison, straining as they cranked the handles.
The floor rose rapidly. A massive black cannon barrel burst through the golden chimney above, rising and pointing straight at the sky.
"Scared already, kids?" Kūkaku Shiba led everyone back up, patting the enormous barrel. "This is my personal giant fireworks launcher!"
Yasutora Sado suddenly had a very bad feeling. "Fireworks launcher…?"
"That's right," Kūkaku Shiba said proudly. "I'm the best fireworks expert in all of Rukongai!"
Uryū Ishida pushed his glasses up uneasily. "If I may ask… how exactly are you planning to send us to Seireitei?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kūkaku Shiba planted her hands on her hips. "I'll fire you straight into Seireitei with this!"
Ichigo Kurosaki froze. "A… human cannon?"