The thunderous crash of a heavy object falling resounded throughout the entire Seireitei. The Tenchūren landed precisely on the outskirts of the Seireitei.
The moment the Tenchūren appeared in the skies above the Seireitei, Yamamoto immediately summoned every member of the Gotei Thirteen to the location, receiving Squad Zero's arrival with the highest level of ceremony.
The Tenchūren's doors opened, and the Monk led the members of Squad Zero out. Senjumaru put on quite a performance with the many arms behind her, beating gongs and drums. Ōetsu struck the hip-hop poses he thought were cool. At the very back of the group, Kirinji held Squad Zero's flag, waving it and shouting.
These exaggerated show-offs were Squad Zero?
Had the captains not watched the footage of their battle, and had Aizen's sealed form not been behind them, someone among the captains might truly have looked down on them.
But after sensing the intensity of their Reiatsu at full power, no one dared to step out of line. Everyone arranged themselves in two rows, just like at the captains' meeting, while Yamamoto stood in the center and went forward to greet them.
"May I ask what business brings the members of Squad Zero here this time?" Yamamoto asked, his tone unhurried, neither humble nor arrogant.
Seeing the members of the Gotei Thirteen lined up properly, Kirinji, Kirio Hikifune, and the others did not immediately break away from the group. Instead, they waited for their leader to speak first.
"By order of Lord Soul King, we are escorting the criminal who trespassed into the Soul King Palace, Sōsuke Aizen," the Monk said.
After he finished speaking, the others stepped aside, revealing Aizen's seal.
"Understood. Kyōraku, Ukitake, bring the criminal Sōsuke Aizen out."
Obeying Yamamoto's order, Kyōraku and Ukitake entered the Tenchūren together and carried the sealing frame to an empty space nearby. The two of them stood at either side. Until Aizen was transferred into the Great Underground Prison beneath Shin'ō, they would be responsible for escorting him.
"The restraints for Sōsuke Aizen are already being manufactured. If you have no other business, the Shiba Clan's Kūkaku Cannon has already been prepared."
Yamamoto's implication was that he was starting to send them away.
But how could Squad Zero possibly let Yamamoto have his way so easily?
"Hey, hey. We finally came down here after all this time. At least let us catch up with some old friends."
Kirinji spoke in a flippant tone. In a flash, he appeared in front of Retsu Unohana.
"Don't you agree, Retsu Unohana?"
"It has been a long time, Tenjirō Kirinji," Retsu Unohana said calmly, her gaze not focusing at all on Kirinji, who had tilted his head with an arrogant look.
"Isn't this Shinji? You bastard, you actually failed to protect Hiyori-chan!"
Kirio Hikifune slapped Shinji on the shoulder.
"And you are?"
Shinji still had some acting skill. He deliberately pretended not to recognize the plump Kirio Hikifune, then acted as though he had suddenly realized.
"Hiyori? You're Kirio Hikifune?"
"What? Do I not look like her? I'm only a tiny bit plumper."
Kirio Hikifune pinched her fingers together to show a universe's worth of "tiny."
"Fine, fine. Don't worry. Hiyori is doing well. She's still my lieutenant," Shinji said.
"Hm? Looks like that bastard Aizen tricked me again!"
Kirio Hikifune puffed out her cheeks and looked toward Aizen's seal, wishing she could give him another couple of kicks.
"Excuse me, members of Squad Zero. I have something to say. Why did you trespass into our Squad Twelve barracks?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi suddenly stepped forward, holding up a device. Dangerous red light was flashing from it.
"Oh, it's Mayuri Kurotsuchi."
Among Squad Zero, someone flashed forward and appeared in the center of the group with a black chair. It was Shutara Senjumaru, who had disappeared while Kirinji and the others were talking.
"This one merely wished to complete the work more quickly," Senjumaru said.
Several of her arms worked over the chair.
"I did not expect Squad Twelve's defenses to be so much worse than they were in my time."
She had not directly named Mayuri Kurotsuchi in a single sentence, yet every word was belittling him. Considering the larger situation, Mayuri could only be angry without daring to speak.
"There. You may use it now."
After some simple tinkering, Senjumaru patted the chair with reassurance.
Mayuri's face darkened even further. Senjumaru's casual adjustments undoubtedly proved once again that his own ability was lacking.
"Thank you. Will you all be accompanying us to escort Aizen to the Great Underground Prison beneath Shin'ō, or…?"
Yamamoto remained businesslike on the surface, but between the lines, he was still urging them to leave.
…
"Tsunayoshi, what are they talking about? Everyone seems pretty familiar with the people from Squad Zero."
In the forest some distance away, Tsunayoshi, Ichigo, and the others were hiding and watching the show. Seeing everyone chatting and laughing, Ichigo could not help asking.
Tsunayoshi had come at Yamamoto's invitation to protect the other captains. Ichigo and the others, on the other hand, were purely here to watch the excitement. The group gathered together and looked toward Yamamoto's side from afar. They could only see the interactions and could not hear what was being said.
"Except for the Monk and Ōetsu, the others all rose up from the Seireitei. How could they not be familiar?" Tsunayoshi said.
"So what are they talking about?"
"How would I know? I only know that Old Man Yamamoto definitely doesn't want to talk to them for long," Tsunayoshi said with certainty.
…
Of course, the Monk understood what Yamamoto meant, but he had no intention of leaving immediately.
"Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, can you tell me why, while the Seireitei remained safe and sound, Aizen was able to reach the Soul King Palace?"
The Monk released his Reiatsu, pressing it toward Yamamoto.
"It seems the Gotei Thirteen did not fulfill its duty to protect the Court!"
"This old man did everything in his power to stop Aizen. However, he was too powerful, and I failed to stop him."
As Yamamoto spoke, he opened his robe, revealing the bandaged wound beneath.
The Monk narrowed his eyes. He had not expected that stubborn old Yamamoto would also start playing dumb with him.
"Leaving you aside, what about the others? They do not look injured."
"Aizen was the king of Hueco Mundo. He brought many powerful Arrancar with him, and they were all repelled one by one by the Gotei Thirteen."
Yamamoto was saying that the Gotei Thirteen had already done its best.
"After that, Aizen had already forced his way up to the Soul King Palace. Without special permission and equipment, those who are not of the Soul King Palace may not trespass there."
Yamamoto added another sentence. In short, the Gotei Thirteen had the duty to protect the Seireitei. Once Aizen reached the Soul King Palace, he would naturally be handled by Squad Zero, whose duty was to protect the Soul King Palace.
Yamamoto's slippery attitude made the Monk even more certain that Yamamoto had indulged Aizen's actions. However, the Monk had no evidence, so he could only swallow this hidden loss.
"Mm. The Gotei Thirteen and my Squad Zero are both dutiful people."
Both sides were loyal ministers. There were no traitors.
The Monk's reply also made Yamamoto understand that the Monk had already noticed the small problem in his explanation. In that case, it was time to move to the next step.
Yamamoto took a paper document from his robes and respectfully handed it to the Monk.
"Regarding Aizen's invasion of the Soul King Palace, my Gotei Thirteen bears an inescapable responsibility."
"In addition, this old man is advanced in years and is now seriously wounded. I fear I can no longer serve as Captain-Commander of the Gotei Thirteen. I hereby formally report to the Soul King Palace the matter of changing the Captain-Commander of the Seireitei."
According to past tradition, a change in Captain-Commander first had to be confirmed by Central 46 before being reported to the Soul King Palace. But now, the Seireitei had effectively become the Gotei Thirteen's domain, so Yamamoto took this opportunity to report directly to the Monk.
This move from Yamamoto was something the Monk had not expected.
The Monk considered himself to understand Yamamoto very well. He had thought this man, who had refused the Soul King Palace, would remain in the position of Captain-Commander until death.
What exactly had happened to make Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto willingly give up the authority of Captain-Commander?
The moment Yamamoto spoke, everyone present besides Kyōraku was deeply shocked. The captains had not expected this moment to arrive so quickly.
The members of Squad Zero, meanwhile, shared the same thought as the Monk.
Old Man Yamamoto was actually stepping down from the position of Captain-Commander himself.
After thinking for only a moment, the Monk understood that Yamamoto was trying to shut his mouth. Following the procedure, he accepted Yamamoto's document, casually glanced over it, and asked, "Oh? Who will serve as the next Captain-Commander?"
"The current Squad Eight captain, Shunsui Kyōraku, will be transferred to the First Division and assume the position of Captain-Commander."
As Yamamoto spoke, Kyōraku walked forward, allowing the members of Squad Zero to see him.
"Shunsui Kyōraku?"
The Monk looked him up and down.
"Can you shoulder the duty of protecting the Court?"
"When necessary, I will put my life on the line to uphold the words 'protect the Court'!"
Kyōraku's usual lazy demeanor had completely vanished. His voice was resonant, and he did not falter in the slightest.
"Shunsui Kyōraku. Your Zanpakutō is Katen Kyōkotsu, is it not?"
Because the Monk knew names, he immediately understood the meaning behind Kyōraku's words. Kyōraku's Bankai focused on mutual destruction. If he said he would stake his life to protect the Court, then he did indeed have the qualifications to serve as Captain-Commander.
"Squad Zero acknowledges this. From this moment on, Shunsui Kyōraku is the Captain-Commander of the Gotei Thirteen."
Careless.
The same word flashed through everyone's minds at once.
There was no ceremony whatsoever. A verbal agreement was enough. In any case, the Soul King Palace was also decided by the Monk, including the earlier so-called "order of Lord Soul King," which had also been the Monk's order.
The Monk could be casual, but Shunsui Kyōraku could not. After respectfully bowing, he said, "Thank you for your support."
"If you want to thank me, then show it through action. Help us with something."
No one had expected the Monk to seize the opportunity to speak, catching Kyōraku completely off guard. The Monk's words were equivalent to an order from the Soul King Palace, so Kyōraku had no choice but to treat them seriously.
"May I ask what you need me to do?"
Kyōraku deliberately narrowed the scope to himself, not wanting the Monk to make an excessive demand.
However, it still happened.
Not only did it happen, it was the very thing Kyōraku least wanted to do.
"I want the Gotei Thirteen to issue an order to capture the Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki!"
The Monk once again revealed that sinister, terrifying expression.
The surrounding discussion vanished instantly. Aside from the members of Squad Zero, everyone fell silent after hearing this order.
Capture Ichigo Kurosaki?
What kind of joke was that?
Ichigo's strength was not the issue. The issue was that he had a group of companions around him who were no weaker than captain-class. And that was not even mentioning Sawada Tsunayoshi, the one who had taught them how to surpass Bankai.
"May I ask why Ichigo Kurosaki is to be captured?" Kyōraku asked through gritted teeth. "We should at least have a reason…"
"No need. You only need to know that this is an order from the Soul King Palace. If you absolutely need a reason for the warrant, then make one up yourself."
The Monk's tone was extremely forceful, leaving Kyōraku no room to refuse.
"A fabricated charge, then…"
Kyōraku raised his straw hat slightly, hiding the bitterness at the corner of his mouth.
Now, there were only two paths before him.
Obey the Soul King Palace's order, or stand on Sawada Tsunayoshi's side.
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