"Clan Head, what do we do now?"
The anxious speaker was Tsunayashiro Shinnosuke — the man chiefly responsible for provoking the conflict between Kazuma and the nobility in the first place.
His reasoning had seemed sound at the time.
Kazuma had only just become Captain-Commander.
Surely he hadn't fully consolidated his control over something as vast as the Gotei 13 yet.
That made this the perfect opportunity for the Tsunayashiro Clan to expand its influence.
So Shinnosuke had ordered the Takaha family to spread rumors throughout the Seireitei, undermining Kazuma's reputation and stirring resentment against his ties to the Kuchiki Clan.
When he first proposed the plan, the clan elders had loved it.
They imagined the Tsunayashiro taking advantage of a weak new administration, increasing their influence, and returning the clan to even greater prominence.
The proposal had passed almost immediately.
They had considered the possibility of failure.
They had simply been arrogant enough to assume the consequences would be minor.
At worst, they expected Kazuma to react the way Genryūsai once might have — send someone to reprimand them, issue a warning, perhaps demand a few concessions.
After all, they were the Tsunayashiro Clan.
One of Soul Society's highest noble houses.
That status had protected them for so long that they'd mistaken privilege for invincibility.
Unfortunately, they'd chosen the wrong Captain-Commander.
Kazuma was not Genryūsai.
He had no particular respect for noble privilege, and worse, he was already locked in a mortal conflict with the very founders of their clans.
Instead of gaining anything, the Tsunayashiro had handed him the perfect excuse to move against them.
"This is your fault!"
One of the elders suddenly rounded on Shinnosuke.
Tsunayashiro Shōta had been among the first to support the plan.
Now that it had blown up in their faces, he wasted no time distancing himself from it.
"If you hadn't proposed this ridiculous scheme, Kazuma would never have dared to attack the Tsunayashiro Clan!"
His accusation immediately found support.
Several frightened elders began shouting over one another, demanding that Shinnosuke be handed over to Kazuma.
Perhaps, they argued, sacrificing the man responsible would be enough to calm the Captain-Commander and preserve the clan.
Others reacted in the opposite direction.
Red-faced with rage, they shouted that every Shinigami who'd dared set foot on Tsunayashiro land should be killed.
Within seconds, the council chamber descended into chaos again.
Then laughter cut through the noise.
"Hahahahaha!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada looked around the room with open contempt.
"You people really are hopeless."
No one else in the clan had dealt with Kazuma as closely as Tokinada had.
He remembered that encounter very clearly.
He'd nearly died.
More than anything, he remembered Kazuma's eyes — cold, detached, and utterly unconcerned with who Tokinada was or what family name he carried.
Once Kazuma decided someone needed to die, status meant nothing.
And now that he'd ordered an assault on the clan?
He wasn't going to stop halfway.
The Clan Head stared at Tokinada.
"You think Kazuma intends to wipe us out completely?"
For the first time, there was real fear in his voice.
Tokinada simply nodded.
The Clan Head felt cold all over.
Around him, the elders were still arguing, blaming one another and clinging to whatever scraps of pride they had left.
They still hadn't grasped how close they were to extinction.
"Enough!"
The Clan Head slammed his hand onto the table.
The chamber fell silent.
"This is no longer the time to argue over blame."
He swept his gaze across them.
"The Tsunayashiro Clan is facing destruction. If we stay here fighting among ourselves, every one of us will die."
He forced himself to calm down.
There was only one option left.
"Everyone scatters."
Several elders stared at him.
"We break out in every direction. Don't stay together. Don't wait for anyone."
His voice grew heavier.
"If even one person escapes, the Tsunayashiro name survives. As long as someone lives, there may still be a chance to rebuild someday."
He drew a breath.
"Go. Now."
"Do not hesitate."
The moment he finished speaking, something seemed to leave him.
His shoulders sank, and for the first time that night, he looked genuinely old.
The elders exchanged uneasy glances, but under his stare they finally obeyed.
The council chamber erupted into frantic movement as everyone prepared to flee by whatever route they could find.
The Clan Head watched them scatter with a hollow expression.
He could only pray that at least a few would escape.
Unfortunately for him, the Gotei 13 had already made sure that wasn't going to happen.
Not one Tsunayashiro Shinigami was getting out.
"Clan Head…"
One elder remained behind.
"What about you?"
For all the selfish, treacherous people within the Tsunayashiro family, there were apparently still a few who possessed genuine loyalty.
The Clan Head looked at him and sighed.
"You should go too."
He wanted to run as much as anyone.
But he couldn't.
He was the head of the family.
Someone had to remain behind and shoulder responsibility for what the clan had done.
More importantly, he believed that if he fled alongside everyone else, Kazuma would have no reason to stop hunting the survivors.
Perhaps if the Clan Head stayed and accepted punishment, those who escaped would be allowed to disappear.
Perhaps the Tsunayashiro Clan could still survive through them.
Even if death was waiting for him, he had no choice but to face it.
His gaze shifted toward Tokinada.
"Tokinada."
"You should leave as well."
The Clan Head's expression softened slightly.
"If you survive, avenge us."
Of everyone in the family, Tokinada was its greatest remaining talent.
If the Tsunayashiro had any hope left at all, the Clan Head believed it rested with him.
Then a voice came from outside the chamber.
"Leave?"
The words were calm and cold.
"You're not going anywhere."
The room froze.
"You're all staying right here."
...
A deafening crash shook the council chamber.
The heavy doors exploded inward under a burst of force, sending splintered wood and dust across the room.
Through the haze came Unohana, followed closely by the other captains.
The difference between ordinary Shinigami and captains became obvious almost immediately.
The Tsunayashiro fighters who'd managed to resist the first wave were mostly seated-officer level or above, but against several of Soul Society's strongest captains, they barely qualified as opposition.
The battle quickly became a rout.
From the gates of the estate to the council chamber, the captains carved through every defender in their path.
Blood soaked the grounds and screams followed them deeper into the compound, but nothing slowed their advance.
When Unohana finally entered the council chamber, she glanced around and seemed pleased by what she saw.
Nearly every important member of the Tsunayashiro Clan was gathered in one place.
Aside from those away on assignment or hiding elsewhere in the estate, most of the clan's core leadership was right here.
"How convenient."
Unohana's voice was soft.
"It saves us the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
At the head of the chamber, the Tsunayashiro Clan Head's face darkened.
The moment he recognized her, whatever hope he had left faded.
He had lived for nearly a thousand years.
He knew exactly who Unohana Retsu had once been.
The first Kenpachi.
And he knew what kind of woman had earned that title.
"Unohana… Retsu!"
He spat her name through clenched teeth.
Kazuma had sent her personally.
That alone made his intentions obvious.
This wasn't an arrest.
He intended to erase the Tsunayashiro Clan!
Unohana regarded him calmly.
"Ryūsuke."
Her hand settled on her Zanpakutō.
"Please die here today."
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