Soul Society, Seireitei, 1st Division's Barracks.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto sat formally erect in the main seat. Below, the Captains of each division and the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo stood at attention. Everyone's face was shrouded in dark clouds.
Not long ago, the Seireitei had suffered a sudden attack, and even the Lieutenant of the 1st Division had been killed in the assault.
The enemy called themselves [Quincy]. Even for many Captains, Quincy was a rather ancient term.
"Everyone," Yamamoto's voice broke the silence, "The threat of the Wandenreich far surpasses any enemy we have faced before. Their goal is clear… to destroy Soul Society and the balance of the Three Worlds."
"The Seireitei is now at its highest alert level. All divisions must strengthen their defenses, intensify training, and quickly familiarize themselves with all intelligence related to the Quincy."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembly like a torch: "This is a battle for our very survival. I expect everyone to give their utmost."
Just then, a gentle voice sounded: "This is indeed a very grave situation, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
Space rippled like water, and a man with a confident smile on his face stepped out, immediately putting the assembled Shinigami on high alert.
Aizen Sosuke!
The man who had orchestrated the great rebellion in the Seireitei, plotted to overthrow Soul Society, and massacred a large portion of the noble circle, the most dangerous criminal in Soul Society!
"Aizen! You criminal, you dare show your face here!" Yamamoto roared.
"Criminal?" Aizen smiled gently. "I merely inherited Captain's ambition, making those rotten nobles remember again the fear of being dominated by justice."
"Aizen!" Hitsugaya Toshiro shouted angrily, his hand already on his sword hilt. "You wantonly murdered nobles. What right do you have to call yourself just?"
Aizen smiled. "Captain Hitsugaya, you are still young. You don't know the filth of those nobles. I don't blame you. Justice in Soul Society means..."
"Enough! Aizen!" Yamamoto interrupted sharply. "If you are only here to speak of such trivial matters, then I will take action!"
"Very well, back to business." Aizen's smile faded, and he turned serious. "Captain-Commander Yamamoto, against an enemy like the Wandenreich, the current Gotei 13 alone is likely insufficient, is it not?"
"Hueco Mundo might become an assistance worth considering. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, is that not so?"
"Hueco Mundo?" Sui-Feng sneered. "Cooperate with a traitor like you? That's like asking a tiger for its skin!"
Aizen chuckled. "Captain Sui-Feng, is your anger because Captain Yoruichi abandoned you and joined Hueco Mundo?"
"You bastard!" Sui-Feng flew into a rage, but just as she was about to strike, Yamamoto stopped her.
"Captain Sui-Feng, calm down!" Yamamoto appeased her, then looked at Aizen. "You came here voluntarily. Surely you have conditions?"
"Indeed. My condition is the release of Captain." Aizen's gaze turned profound. "That name which is like a taboo in Soul Society… Captain of the 11th Division, Chiaki Setsuna!"
"Chiaki Setsuna? Who is that?"
"The 11th Division originally had a Captain? I thought their tradition was not to have a Captain?"
Hearing Aizen's words, aside from Yamamoto and a few century-old Captains, the other Captains looked bewildered. Ichigo was also completely at a loss.
Yamamoto's brow furrowed deeply, like a ravine.
He was silent for a moment, then spoke in a resolute tone: "Impossible! The crimes committed by Chiaki Setsuna are unforgivable. He was permanently exiled to Hell."
"Moreover, over three hundred years have passed. Subjected to the torment of Hell's flames and the erosion of time, his soul has likely long since been worn away."
"Worn away?" Aizen sneered. "Captain-Commander Yamamoto, do you truly believe that with Setsuna-nii's strength, he could be worn down by mere Hellfire and time?"
Yamamoto was unmoved. "There is no need to say more. His danger is no less than that of the Wandenreich. Using a dangerous force to defeat another is not necessarily a good thing for Soul Society."
"Is that so?" Aizen sighed. "It seems we cannot reach an agreement for now. Then, I look forward to a wiser decision at the next meeting. Farewell."
With that, he used Negacion to leave in front of all the Captains.
The meeting ended unhappily, the atmosphere even heavier and stranger than before.
After the meeting, Ichigo's head was full of question marks. He pulled his companion Abarai Renji aside and asked confusedly:
"Renji, who is this 'Setsuna-nii' that Aizen mentioned? Someone like Aizen would follow another person? That's too strange!"
Renji scratched his head, also looking confused. "Well, I don't really know either. That was over three hundred years ago. My grandfather's grandfather wasn't even born yet!"
Just then, a cool voice came from the side: "The person Aizen mentioned is named Chiaki Setsuna. He is the acknowledged strongest genius since the establishment of the Shin'o Academy, bar none!"
Ichigo and Renji looked at the speaker. It was Captain of the 6th Division, Kuchiki Byakuya.
"Captain!" Renji quickly saluted.
Ichigo asked in surprise, "Strongest genius? Even more genius than Captain Hitsugaya?"
Ever since becoming a Substitute Shinigami, he had always heard about what a genius Captain Hitsugaya was, the youngest Shinigami Captain.
Byakuya nodded. "Captain Hitsugaya is indeed a genius seen once in a century, but Chiaki Setsuna's talent surpassed the very definition of 'genius'."
"According to Seireitei records, just one week after enrolling in the Shin'o Academy, he had already completely mastered all basic Shinigami courses."
"His Reiatsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido proficiency all surpassed every instructor at the academy at that time, reaching graduation standards."
Byakuya paused, then continued, "At his graduation ceremony, he even effortlessly hunted a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow."
Ichigo and Renji were rendered speechless with shock, 'Surpassing all academy instructors in one week, hunting a Vasto Lorde at his graduation ceremony? Was he even human?'
Byakuya continued, "After graduation, he did not follow convention by joining any division as a seated or unseated officer. Instead, he directly challenged the then Captain of the 11th Division."
"And the result?" Renji asked, though he had already guessed.
"Complete victory." Byakuya sighed. "Using only his Shikai, he defeated that Captain, who was known for his combat prowess. Thus, he became the first Shinigami in Gotei 13 history to become a Captain immediately after graduating from the academy."
Ichigo was merely amazed, but Renji, who had also progressed through the academy, felt like not speaking. After all, Setsuna was too monstrous, making him feel like a waste.
"Then... why was he eventually imprisoned in Hell?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"Allow me to explain." A voice laced with obvious reverence interjected.
The three turned to see the Lieutenant of the 3rd Division, Kisaragi Shusuke, who had somehow arrived nearby.
His usually gentle and polite face was now slightly flushed with excitement, his eyes filled with almost fanatical admiration.
"Lieutenant Kisaragi?" Renji was somewhat surprised.
He only knew Shusuke as a diligent and responsible Lieutenant, but had never seen him so emotionally exposed.
Shusuke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his voice still trembled: "Setsuna-sama... the reason he was imprisoned in Hell was not because of any personal crime."
"On the contrary, he was exiled to Hell by a monk who could not distinguish good from evil precisely because he tried to expose the deepest darkness of the Seireitei and protect the future of Soul Society."
"The darkness of the Seireitei?" Ichigo's eyes widened. He did feel that some aspects of the Seireitei were quite dark.
Shusuke said, "It concerns a huge scandal of the Central 46. Setsuna-sama exposed their various crimes in front of all of Soul Society and brought them to justice!"
Renji listened, his heart pounding. He also developed a great curiosity towards that never-before-seen 'Captain Chiaki'.
What kind of person could make Aizen, an ambitious, cold-blooded mastermind who saw all living things as ants, still remember him after so long?
And make a steady Lieutenant like Shusuke still admire and defend him so passionately over three hundred years later?
And even cause the 11th Division to leave the Captain's seat vacant all this time, refusing to accept anyone else as their Captain.
Ichigo, meanwhile, caught another detail and asked confusedly: "Wait, Lieutenant Kisaragi, you said 'Central 46' just now? Isn't it the [Central 96]?"
A look of disdain filled Shusuke's face. "After that incident, the Central 46 issued a statement claiming that power was too concentrated, making mutual oversight difficult, leading to corruption among the upper echelons. So they expanded the 46 into 96."
"But in reality, this merely increased the number of people dividing the pie. Those dividing the pie remained the same."
"Most of the additional seats became mere tools for nobles to place their cronies and consolidate power! True impartiality and oversight? What a joke!"
Shusuke looked up at the sky, his tone filled with longing: "Although Setsuna-sama failed back then, at least those nobles stayed in line for a hundred years."
"Now, darkness has once again gathered over the Seireitei. Many people like me are waiting, waiting for Setsuna-sama's return as a king."
"Back then, we were too weak to voice our opinions. Now, perhaps we can follow behind Setsuna-sama and reshape this world!"
Ichigo and Renji's eyes widened, 'Was he allowed to say that?'
But listening to Shusuke's description, Ichigo suddenly recalled a line from a poem in the present world.
Today we cheer for the return of the Great Sage, only because the demonic fog has once again descended.