"What's going on? Why is the old man suddenly calling a captains' meeting in the middle of the night?" Ukitake asked Kyōraku Shunsui.
Both of them had received a Tenteikūra transmission from Head Captain Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, summoning all captains of the Gotei 13 for an emergency meeting.
"No idea," Kyōraku sighed. "Hopefully it's not trouble caused by those intruders."
What worried him most was exactly that—the Ryoka who had just invaded the Seireitei.
Since Ginjo and Tsukishima were still staying in Squad 13, any trouble caused by the Ryoka might drag both him and Ukitake into the mess.
To keep an eye on Ginjo and Tsukishima, Kyōraku and Ukitake had come alone—neither of them brought their lieutenants.
Entering the Squad 1 barracks, they were not the last to arrive.
But the moment the captains lined up according to odd and even squad numbers, Yamamoto immediately declared the meeting started.
Ukitake glanced around.
Three captains were still absent:
Sōsuke Aizen, Captain of Squad 5
Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 6
Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Yamamoto spoke.
"Captain Kuchiki of Squad 6 is currently tracking the Ryoka."
"Captain Zaraki of Squad 11 is unable to attend the emergency meeting… due to being lost."
Getting lost was actually very typical of Kenpachi.
He had gone searching for the Ryoka together with his lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru.
Without someone guiding them, expecting those two to find their way to Squad 1 was nearly impossible.
Kuchiki's absence was also understandable.
After all, most of the disturbances had been caused by the Ryoka.
But one thing puzzled Ukitake:
Why hadn't Yamamoto mentioned anything about Aizen?
The meeting began.
Suddenly, Momo Hinamori from Squad 5 rushed in, stumbling slightly.
After steadying herself, she explained the reason for the meeting.
From Hinamori's report, the captains learned something shocking.
Captain Aizen had gone missing.
The disappearance occurred shortly after the Ryoka invasion.
At that time, one of the intruders' Reiatsu signatures had landed near the Squad 5 barracks.
As captain, Aizen personally went to investigate.
Meanwhile, Hinamori—his lieutenant—remained at the barracks organizing the squad and preparing to support other divisions if necessary.
But time passed.
Aizen never returned.
Later, after hearing that the captain and lieutenant of Squad 3 had both been injured, Hinamori led several squad members to investigate the area where Aizen had gone.
What they found there was:
A blood-stained Squad 5 captain's haori
A battlefield in complete disarray
But neither Aizen nor the Ryoka were present.
Strangely, despite the chaotic scene, there was no lingering Reiatsu.
Hinamori searched the entire surrounding area in a panic.
In the end, she could only reach one conclusion.
Their captain had disappeared.
That was the man she admired the most.
At that moment, Hinamori could only helplessly request assistance from Squad 1.
That was why the emergency meeting had been called.
The disappearance of Captain Sōsuke Aizen.
"Squad 3," Yamamoto said. "How strong were the Ryoka?"
Ichimaru Gin replied with his usual eerie tone.
"Alone, I wouldn't have any confidence in defeating even one of them."
Then he added:
"At least three of them possess captain-level strength. If Kira and I hadn't run quickly… we might have disappeared just like Captain Aizen."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Gotei 13 had nearly lost two captains in a row.
Such a provocation had not happened for over a century.
Did these Ryoka really think he had grown too old to wield his sword?
"Squad 2," Yamamoto ordered. "Conduct a full search for the Ryoka."
"Do not act rashly. Once a target is found, notify the captains to eliminate them."
"Yes!" Captain Soifon responded.
"All squads must operate with both captain and lieutenant together."
"If a captain is unable to defeat the enemy, the lieutenant is authorized to launch a distress signal on their own authority."
"This is my order."
Yamamoto knew the personalities of some captains.
If they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat, they might stubbornly refuse to call for help.
His order gave the lieutenants the authority to act regardless.
"Whenever captains encounter the Ryoka—fight with full strength."
"Lethal force is authorized."
The final sentence carried intense killing intent.
Those intruders had injured his people.
He would rather cut them all down himself.
"Head Captain," Ukitake suddenly spoke up.
"Shouldn't we capture the Ryoka alive first and interrogate their motives before deciding their fate?"
After all, two Ryoka were currently staying in his own squad.
So far, they hadn't shown any hostility.
"That's right, old man," Kyōraku added casually.
"We need to find Captain Aizen, and we need to capture the Ryoka."
"Who knows? Captain Aizen might still be alive. We might learn his whereabouts from them."
Both of them were essentially asking Yamamoto to spare the Ryoka's lives.
Kyōraku was remembering Tsuna's earlier warning.
Someone hidden within the Seireitei was about to reveal themselves.
And those Ryoka were not the true threat.
For now, Kyōraku decided to trust Sawada Tsunayoshi.
After all, since Tsuna helped him, Ukitake hadn't coughed once.
"Captain Aizen must still be alive!" Hinamori cried out suddenly.
Her expression was desperate.
"Please save Captain Aizen!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
It was obvious that the young lieutenant had very deep feelings for her captain.
With both of his students speaking up—and Hinamori pleading as well—Yamamoto reconsidered.
He was no longer the ruthless sword demon he had been a thousand years ago.
A thousand years of experience had softened him somewhat.
"…Very well."
"The deployment remains unchanged."
"Encountering the Ryoka—capture them alive if possible."
"If capture is impossible… kill them on the spot."
With that final decision, the emergency meeting ended.
"Captain Kyōraku. Captain Ukitake. Please wait."
A gentle voice stopped them.
Turning around, they saw a woman with a long braided hairstyle resting over her chest.
Her appearance was the perfect image of a traditional Yamato nadeshiko.
"Captain Unohana," Kyōraku said. "Is something wrong?"
It was Unohana Retsu, Captain of Squad 4.
"The Head Captain ordered captains and lieutenants to operate together," she said softly.
"So why didn't Nanao, Sentarō, and Kiyone come with you?"
"They're organizing the squad members at the barracks," Kyōraku replied smoothly.
"You know how strong these Ryoka are."
"Ukitake and I will return together. There won't be any problems."
"Is that so?"
Unohana smiled calmly.
"I thought perhaps they were guarding something important."
"After all, the number of wounded in Squad 4 is steadily increasing."
"If you discover anything… please inform us."
"Our workload is becoming quite heavy."
"Thank you for your concern," Kyōraku said quickly, dragging Ukitake away.
If he talked with that terrifyingly perceptive woman any longer, she might uncover everything they were hiding.
Unohana watched their backs in silence.
What Kyōraku didn't know was that she had already noticed something.
Throughout the conversation, Ukitake had not spoken at all.
Compared to Kyōraku, Ukitake was much worse at lying.
That meant the two of them were definitely hiding something.
"That terrifying woman…" Kyōraku muttered on the way back.
"She's really scary."
Among all people, Unohana was the type he disliked dealing with the most.
Compared to her, he much preferred gentle glasses-wearing girls.
"Kyōraku," Ukitake said seriously. "What do you think about Aizen's disappearance?"
Kyōraku's mind raced.
"That guy—Sawada Tsunayoshi—said someone was hiding in the Seireitei."
"If the Ryoka didn't do this…"
"Then there are only two possibilities."
"The hidden person could be Aizen's enemy within the Seireitei."
"Or…"
"Aizen himself," Ukitake finished.
That was the possibility they least wanted to consider.
An enemy hidden among the captains of the Gotei 13.
It was terrifying.
"We'll take it step by step," Kyōraku sighed.
"Just like that guy said."
"The waters of the Seireitei are becoming more and more muddled."
"Soon," Ukitake said quietly,
"the truth will surface."
Suddenly—
Two enormous waves of Reiatsu swept across the Seireitei.
Every Shinigami turned toward the source.
"That direction… Squad 6," Ukitake said immediately.
"One of them is Lieutenant Abarai's Reiatsu," Kyōraku said.
"The other one is unfamiliar—but just as strong."
"Both feel like Bankai-level power."
"Lieutenant Abarai… mastered Bankai?" Ukitake said in surprise.
A lieutenant achieving Bankai was extremely rare.
Everyone in the Seireitei felt the two powerful spiritual pressures.
Naturally, Tsuna and the others inside the Shihōin estate sensed them as well.
"That's Ichigo's Reiatsu!" Orihime said excitedly.
"And that's Abarai Renji?" Tsuna muttered in surprise.
"He learned Bankai that quickly?"
It seemed Renji was no ordinary man.
Being pushed by Ichigo had forced him to break through.
"Tsuna…" Orihime said softly.
She walked over, her hopeful eyes clearly asking for help.
She wanted to rush to Ichigo's side.
"No," Tsuna said gently.
"If Ichigo releases that kind of power, it means everyone in the Seireitei now knows his location."
"And besides Renji… other fighters will definitely arrive soon."
Orihime listened carefully.
"I understand," she said seriously.
"Tsuna… please take care of Ichigo."
"Get ready," Tsuna said. "After this fight, Ichigo will definitely need your help."
"I'm going too," Yoruichi said, standing up.
"Yūshirō, Orihime is in your care."
"Leave it to me, Big Sister!" Shihōin Yūshirō said, standing at attention.
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