"I've never properly thanked you before. Today, I want to express my gratitude sincerely, Mr. Tsunayoshi."
Ukitake Jūshirō gave Tsunayoshi a formal bow.
Ever since Tsunayoshi arrived in the Soul Society, many things had become connected to him—Ukitake's chronic lung illness, the situation involving his subordinate Rukia Kuchiki, and several other matters. Now that Tsunayoshi had come to Squad Thirteen, Ukitake could finally thank him in a personal capacity.
After giving Kenpachi Zaraki a good beating in Squad Eleven yesterday, Tsunayoshi's destination today was Squad Thirteen.
As for Squad Twelve, which came after Squad Eleven in order—Tsunayoshi had already decided that unless absolutely necessary, he would never step foot there in this lifetime.
Otherwise, who knew what strange things might end up on his body.
"Mr. Tsunayoshi, have you come to Squad Thirteen to offer some guidance?" Ukitake asked curiously.
This was practically common knowledge among the Gotei Thirteen Captains: whenever Tsunayoshi visited a division, the captain of that division would inevitably gain some kind of insight that day.
Ukitake even knew a little more than most. After Tsunayoshi left Squad Eight yesterday, the usually laid-back Kyōraku Shunsui had unexpectedly entered the training grounds and began practicing the most basic Zanjutsu drills together with Nanao Ise.
"Captain Ukitake, you already have your own trump card. What advice could I possibly give you? Just remember to actually use your Bankai when the time comes—don't choke at the critical moment," Tsunayoshi said bluntly.
He really hadn't come here to offer guidance.
"Then what brings you here?"
"How are Ginjō and the others doing?" Tsunayoshi asked.
Ginjō and Shūkurō Tsukishima hadn't shown up for quite a while. Tsunayoshi had almost forgotten about them, so he decided to stop by Squad Thirteen and check.
At the mention of them, Ukitake's expression grew serious.
"They've been investigating the Tsunayashiro Clan these past few days. Honestly… it's not easy. Those old foxes are far too cunning."
"On top of that, they seem to have sensed that Captain-Commander Yamamoto intends to move against the noble families. The entire clan has completely withdrawn—they're not sticking their necks out at all. Ginjō and the others have only gained a few scraps of information."
It was indeed a problem.
As one of the Four Great Noble Clans, the Tsunayashiro family possessed deep foundations. During Yamamoto's reforms, sacrificing some interests to preserve themselves was a very wise move.
But that made things troublesome for Yamamoto.
The Shihōin Clan could still be restrained through Yoruichi Shihōin, and the Kuchiki Clan had a head of house who didn't mind bending the rules.
But the Tsunayashiro Clan?
Yamamoto had absolutely no leverage over them.
Back when Yamamoto was teaching at the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy, he had hoped to accept Tsunayashiro Tokinada as a disciple alongside other students. The idea was to create a connection that might eventually reform the clan.
Instead, Tokinada quickly withdrew from the Gotei Thirteen, cutting off Yamamoto's chance to influence the family.
Now the Tsunayashiro Clan had sealed itself like an iron fortress—like a thorn deeply embedded in the flesh of the Seireitei.
Whether they had committed crimes or not no longer mattered. Yamamoto would never allow such a threat to remain for Kyōraku to deal with in the future.
"What a headache," Tsunayoshi sighed. "If we could get into the Hall of Records or the Great Spirit Library, we'd have the truth instantly. Just let Tsukishima stab a couple of times and we'd know everything."
"That's not easy," Ukitake replied.
"Still… after watching them for so many days, we did gain something."
A voice came from behind them.
Kūgo Ginjō and Shūkurō Tsukishima had arrived. Both were already dressed in ordinary Soul Society clothing.
"Tsunayoshi, get me two cups of water, quick. I'm dying of thirst," Ginjō said, fanning himself while pulling open his collar.
Once the two of them had caught their breath, Tsunayoshi finally asked:
"So? What did you find?"
"We slipped into one of the Tsunayashiro Clan's courtyards before they locked everything down," Ginjō explained. "Tsukishima discovered something there. It's a bit complicated to explain… so, Tsukishima, give them a couple of stabs."
Without hesitation, Tsukishima immediately plunged his blade twice—into Tsunayoshi and Ukitake.
In order to earn Ukitake's trust, Tsukishima had already let him examine his bookmark beforehand.
A moment later, unfamiliar memories flooded into their minds.
Inside that courtyard lay rows upon rows of corpses.
The bodies were dressed in strange clothing—unusual by Soul Society standards.
They were humans from the Human World.
Two individuals dressed in ornate noble garments were dissecting the corpses one by one. Even when the bodies were reduced to fragments, they carefully searched through every piece.
They were looking for a tiny glimmer—no bigger than a grain of rice.
A fragment of the Soul King.
And the identities of those corpses were obvious.
They were Ginjō's former companions.
No wonder Ginjō had returned so excited. This discovery confirmed his long-held suspicion:
The mastermind behind the massacre back then was the Tsunayashiro Clan.
"Well? Big discovery, right?" Ginjō asked, his voice filled with both excitement and resentment.
"It only proves your direction was correct," Tsunayoshi replied calmly, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm. "They won't leave any evidence behind. Memory insertion like this can't be used as proof."
"So we still have to check the Hall of Records or the Great Spirit Library?" Ginjō scratched his head irritably. "But we can't get into either of them."
"Tsukishima," Ukitake said, "show this memory to Captain Kyōraku tomorrow as well. The two people dissecting those bodies are core members of the Tsunayashiro Clan. With their faces identified, the Gotei Thirteen can widen the scope of our investigation."
To keep the secret of the Soul King fragments, the clan hadn't even entrusted corpse dissection to servants. It had been done personally by core members.
And thanks to that, Ukitake had clearly seen their faces.
"That's great, Captain Ukitake!" Ginjō bowed deeply together with Tsukishima.
Only after arriving in the Seireitei had Ginjō realized that if he wanted revenge on the Tsunayashiro Clan, he would need the power of the Gotei Thirteen.
"But even so… this is only a drop in the bucket," Ukitake sighed. "It won't truly damage the clan."
"Wait a second," Tsunayoshi said suddenly. "You two found this information and ran straight back? That doesn't sound like your style, Ginjō."
Ginjō's personality was actually somewhat similar to Kurosaki Ichigo's—once he found an opening, he usually charged straight in.
There was no way he would retreat just because he discovered a clue.
The Tsunayashiro Clan wasn't easy to infiltrate in the first place.
"Don't remind me," Ginjō snapped. "Right when we were about to keep investigating, we were suddenly attacked. No warning at all. We had no choice but to run."
"Not a Shinigami, and definitely not a Quincy," Tsukishima added.
"You mean a Fullbringer?" Tsunayoshi said.
Tsukishima nodded.
A Hollow was impossible. Hollow Reiatsu would immediately attract attention inside the Seireitei. The Gotei Thirteen would have noticed.
"Exactly," Ginjō said, frowning. "Strange thing is, the Tsunayashiro Clan covets the power of Fullbringers… yet they're actually raising one?"
"Ginjō," Tsunayoshi said suddenly, "do you remember the person I asked you to investigate?"
"You mean… my friend's daughter?"
Tsunayoshi had once asked him to look into the daughter of a former Xcution member, but nothing had turned up.
"Aura Michibane," Tsunayoshi said gravely. "I suspect she's already been taken by Tokinada."
"She's the only one who could attack you silently without being detected by the Tsunayashiro Clan."
Aura Michibane was one of the key figures after the Thousand-Year Blood War, possessing the Soul King's larynx.
Because her father feared she would be attacked by Hollows, she had been locked in a basement for most of her life.
Later, during the attack on Ginjō's group, her father died. No one knew she existed in that basement.
When hunger finally forced her to leave, a kind stranger brought her to a hospital.
A blank slate like that…
Somehow, Tokinada had manipulated her and turned her into his subordinate.
If there was a powerful Fullbringer hidden within the Tsunayashiro Clan now, it was almost certainly Aura.
After hearing the explanation, Ginjō's face twisted in anger.
"Damn it! I'm going to rescue that kid!"
He immediately stood up to leave.
Only Tsukishima—who knew him best—managed to stop him.
"Captain Ukitake," Tsunayoshi added, "Aura doesn't really have a will of her own. Most of what she does is under Tokinada's manipulation."
Tsunayoshi said this partly out of sympathy.
Aura's life had already been tragic enough. If possible, he hoped Ukitake might show her some leniency in the future.
"I understand," Ukitake replied. "But in the end, her fate will depend on the judgment of the new authority."
"Speaking of Aura," Tsunayoshi continued, "I might have an idea for breaking the Tsunayashiro Clan's iron defense."
As expected, Ukitake immediately grew interested.
"Please explain."
"You know Tsunayashiro Tokinada, right?"
Know him?
They had practically been classmates—almost fellow disciples.
"That man is a madman," Tsunayoshi said. "He's deeply nihilistic. After being locked inside the clan for so many years, if he were ever given freedom…"
"The first target of his blade would be the Tsunayashiro Clan itself."
"For the Seireitei, it doesn't matter whether the Tsunayashiro Clan is truly guilty."
"What matters is that the Seireitei would be better off without them."
"So my suggestion is simple—"
"Let a madman deal with a group of madmen."
"Tokinada already has a powerful Fullbringer under his control. If we release a little more power into his hands, he'll inevitably strike against his own clan."
Ukitake hesitated.
"Wouldn't that be risky? We might be unleashing a monster."
"Which is harder to deal with?" Tsunayoshi asked calmly. "An entire clan… or a single man?"
Ukitake fell silent.
Finally he asked:
"What do we need to do?"
Someone indecisive could never become a Captain.
"The ally is already there," Tsunayoshi said, narrowing his eyes. "Now we just need Tokinada to gain power of his own."
"Use your influence inside the Tsunayashiro Clan. Let the guards watching Enrakyōten loosen their vigilance slightly."
Ukitake's expression changed.
"Enrakyōten? That's the Tsunayashiro Clan's ancestral Zanpakutō. Isn't that too dangerous?"
"A Zanpakutō that can only copy Shikai abilities, and whose side effect devours the user's soul?" Tsunayoshi scoffed.
"You couldn't pay me to take such a trash blade."
"…Understood."
"I'll speak with the Captain-Commander and try to arrange for the guards around Enrakyōten to relax their watch."
Tsunayoshi nodded.
"As soon as the security loosens, Aura Michibane will steal Enrakyōten."
"Once Tokinada obtains that power, he'll start making moves immediately."
"Make sure Captain Kyōraku has people ready to assist."
Assist with what?
Simple.
Ensuring that news of turmoil within the Tsunayashiro Clan never spreads to the other noble families.
"Hey, Tsunayoshi," Ginjō complained, "you can't drag my little niece into your schemes."
"When she was helpless, she met the one person she believed in," Tsunayoshi replied calmly.
"With her ability to appear and disappear without a trace, the only chance to capture her is when Tokinada finally shows himself."
"…Fine," Ginjō muttered reluctantly.
Then he turned to Ukitake.
"When the time comes to deal with the Tsunayashiro Clan… try to go easy, Captain Ukitake."
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