Chapter 233: I Have Served Soul Society, I Have Bled for the Gotei 13
Facing the current situation, Matsushita Yusuke found himself entirely unsurprised.
The way things had developed was exactly what he had anticipated.
"Kongōzō's ability was already exposed during the fight with Unohana. If the right people do the math, they'll lock onto me without much difficulty."
In theory, Matsushita Yusuke could have used two completely untouched Zanpakuto abilities today. He hadn't chosen to.
Because selective exposure was necessary. Without it, clearing suspicion entirely would be impossible.
Soul Society over these years wasn't completely oblivious. They could follow faint traces to find subtle leads.
And while Kyoka Suigetsu could cover an enormous range of things, claiming it was completely flawless across decades of continuous operation was perhaps asking too much.
This selective exposure had been the specific result of discussions between Yusuke and Aizen.
The goal: make Yamamoto believe Matsushita Yusuke was innocent. That was it.
He was still organizing these thoughts when sounds came from nearby.
"...?"
What's going on?
Matsushita Yusuke's eyebrow went up and he quickened his steps.
Getting close to the front gate, not yet fully there, he heard Zaraki's unmistakably impatient voice carrying through the dark.
"I already told you! My captain isn't here right now! When he gets back, fine, but there's no way I'm letting you through while he's out!"
That particular voice was nothing if not distinctive.
As soon as he confirmed it, Matsushita Yusuke picked up the pace again.
Coming around to the front gate, he found two parties squared off.
Zaraki, broad and unhurried as always, stood with a group of squad members blocking the entrance, glaring at the people outside with the expression of someone who had found a reason to be annoyed and was genuinely pleased about it.
Gin Ichimaru, caught somewhere in the middle of the whole scene, was scratching the corner of his mouth with the resigned air of someone who knew exactly how this looked and had no idea how to help.
On the other side, leading a group of Squad 1 members in dark nighttime operations gear, Sasakibe Chojiro looked about as tightly wound as it was possible for a person to look, his eyes just slightly wider than usual.
For someone who held the unofficial distinction of being Soul Society's first gentleman, seeing that much emotion on his face was its own kind of rarity.
When Matsushita Yusuke came into sight, the tension on both sides shifted.
"Captain Matsushita!"
Sasakibe straightened up and raised his right hand sharply.
"Over here! The Captain-Commander has asked for your presence... please come as quickly as you can!"
Urgent. Very urgent.
Considering the old man had actually taken a hit tonight, this level of visible distress was entirely understandable.
The load-bearing pillar of Soul Society couldn't be allowed to crack. And now that a traitor had shown their face, letting things slide was not an option. There was an arrest to be made.
Matsushita Yusuke walked forward quickly. He acknowledged Sasakibe's side first.
Then turned to settle his own squad members down.
"Why did you do all this?"
Faced with their captain's mild interrogation, the squad members exchanged glances before speaking up.
"This is our territory! Someone barging in here to arrest someone out of nowhere... who's going to just accept that?"
"Especially when they're coming for our captain. How could our captain possibly be a criminal?"
"Though, Captain, why do you smell like cologne at this time of night? Did you... go to a bar again?"
Cough, cough, cough.
Two pointed coughs as a deflection, and then Matsushita Yusuke clapped his hands once to bring the attention back.
"I appreciate the loyalty, everyone. But next time this kind of thing happens, please do not block their way. That's not how this works."
Squad 1 operated with administrative authority over the entire organization. Effectively: institutional inspectors.
Blocking them out, what exactly did you expect to accomplish? How has Soul Society ended up with something resembling a mutiny on my hands tonight.
You made this harder, not easier.
He kept these thoughts to himself.
He waved Gin Ichimaru over. Gin stepped up close.
"Later, help Soifon with the squad members and walk them through the thinking on this... I'm leaving that to you. Handle it however you see fit."
Something like this had to be managed gradually. Just a quick word was all he gave it. Then he turned toward Sasakibe, like a man surrendering himself voluntarily.
"Right then. Let's go, Vice-Captain Sasakibe."
Sasakibe, who had been wound tight with anxiety, visibly exhaled when Yusuke actually appeared and was walking toward him. The relief was real. He had been quietly worried that Yusuke might have made a run for it.
That concern turned out to be unnecessary. Once someone was physically present, there was no escaping what came next: the entire Seireitei was within Yamamoto's range. With his unrestricted shunpo, the old man could cover that ground in moments if needed.
The tension that had been riding on Sasakibe's professionalism loosened slightly. Then he looked sideways and his expression became somewhat conflicted.
"Captain Matsushita, due to the special nature of the situation, please allow me to apply some restraining measures."
Expected. He was a suspect after all.
But for the sake of the performance, Matsushita Yusuke put on an expression of genuine surprise.
"Excuse me? Why?"
"You'll understand once you meet the Captain-Commander."
Sasakibe stepped back half a pace and made a gesture to his left and right: move in.
Would a normal person just hold out their wrists and comply?
Matsushita Yusuke's eyes narrowed. A cold sound escaped him.
His reiatsu manifested with absolute subtlety: no display, no announcement, spreading silently outward in a way that touched everyone present at exactly the same moment.
The two Squad 1 members who rushed forward first were on the ground almost simultaneously, trembling, unable to move.
This was what it meant to carry genuine power. For the truly strong, simply releasing their presence was enough to suppress weaker people on contact, or push them past the breaking point entirely.
The example from the original story: Yamamoto glancing at Nanao had been enough to make her foam at the mouth, and without Kyoraku's intervention she would have been considerably worse off.
Sasakibe's expression went very serious.
"Captain Matsushita, I must make clear: if at this point you choose to—"
The reiatsu around Matsushita Yusuke dissolved without a trace.
He exhaled lightly and spoke with even calm.
"Vice-Captain Sasakibe. From the perspective of a Gotei 13 captain, I fully understand your doubts and your reasoning here."
The action had expressed his position. What followed expressed the more complicated reality underneath it.
"But as an individual, my dignity does not allow for something like this."
"..."
Sasakibe said nothing.
Because the complaint was, from a certain angle, entirely legitimate. From the perspective of an innocent person, having this done to them gave full standing to object.
Sasakibe couldn't find a counter-argument. That didn't mean he was going to back down.
"Then what will you do, Captain Matsushita?"
Sasakibe's face tightened, brow pulling together, clearly prepared to move if necessary.
But what he saw was Matsushita Yusuke raise both hands slightly, palms forward, in a quiet pushing-away gesture.
"Once everything is resolved and my innocence is confirmed, all I ask is that you look at your own mistake honestly. Nothing more."
And that was that. Fine, carry me off. Issue a proper apology afterward.
No more than a certain level of performance was needed. Overcooking it would backfire. Getting the balance right was important.
"...Understood."
Sasakibe seemed to release a long breath.
He straightened, looked at Matsushita Yusuke with full gravity, and said:
"Once everything is settled and it is confirmed that Captain Matsushita has no involvement... I will personally come to your door to apologize."
"Ha. Noted."
Sasakibe stepped back. Squad 1 members closed in from both sides and began applying the restraints.
Special bandages, in the same category as those used with Bakudo #99. The tensile strength was absurd, and they carried a reiatsu-suppressing effect built in.
Used as a restraining measure, they could fully suppress anyone at vice-captain level and below, cutting off all reiatsu access entirely.
For captain level and above? You needed volume.
The bandages wound around his wrists and kept going. And going. Eventually his entire upper body was wrapped.
Matsushita Yusuke's mouth opened slightly.
"Is this amount really necessary?"
Looking at the successive layers of bandaging creeping further up his torso, he was genuinely starting to feel that if they added much more, he would basically be cosplaying as one of the Wandenreich's Sternritter.
Sasakibe coughed once and looked like he found the situation mildly awkward himself.
"That... the situation is somewhat special, so please bear with it a moment."
Under normal circumstances Sasakibe would be more considerate about appearances. But this situation was not normal. The "suspect" status had to be maintained properly.
"Situation is urgent. Special measures required. I hope you can understand."
Not a millimeter of give in that position.
Recognizing this, Matsushita Yusuke gave a neutral sound and let the right shade of mild confusion settle across his face.
Performing an innocent person convincingly required full commitment. In this department, Matsushita Yusuke had learned from the best, and he had no intention of showing any cracks.
"So what exactly is the problem here?"
Sasakibe was quiet for a moment, seeming to consider, then opened his mouth.
"Someone attacked the Captain-Commander. You are currently a person of interest."
"But I didn't—"
"We are well aware."
A pause. Sasakibe's gaze went sharp, his tone edging toward pointed.
"Which is precisely why, before we have cleared up the full sequence of events, we ask that you cooperate with our work. That way we can eliminate the unnecessary complications as quickly as possible."
What you had to admire, in a grudging way, was the language. This was technically a threat. The way Sasakibe had delivered it made it sound like he was doing Yusuke a personal favor.
That was the art of it.
Some quiet reflection later, Matsushita Yusuke redirected his attention to what came next. Seeing Yamamoto was expected. The question was how to handle the specific conversation.
Thoughts still working through themselves, the group began moving.
But wait.
Something was off.
Matsushita Yusuke quickly registered the problem.
This was not the direction toward Squad 1. And the outline of the building now coming into view was something else entirely.
Squad 9.
Tosen's squad.
Why here? Before he could ask, he was marched inside.
He put it together in the space of a breath.
Wait.
Are they putting me in a cell?!
Hold on, wasn't Yamamoto supposed to be interrogating me personally? How did this turn into imprisonment?
I have served Soul Society! I have bled for the Gotei 13! I want to speak to leadership! I'm reporting this to Central 46!!!