Caution, Caution, and More Caution. All Right, It's Just Playing It Safe
Kiyone Kotetsu came, and so did Rukia Kuchiki.
Sentarō Kotsubaki didn't come. Someone had to stay at the barracks to handle emergencies, after all.
A few more Gotei 13 members who were on leave arrived one after another.
The whole group headed off to District 4 of Rukongai and found a restaurant where the Gotei 13 often gathered.
"Boss, bring out the food. The usual."
"Coming right up!"
Kaien Shiba led the way, ordering as soon as he stepped inside with practiced ease.
The group found seats with equal familiarity and arranged one for Wang Chuan as well.
Before long, a good number of dishes were served, cups began clinking all around, and even Wang Chuan drank a few more than usual.
As they drank and chatted, the conversation turned to missions.
"There's a newly discovered Hollow that's very dangerous."
"Which one are you talking about?"
"The one nobody survives encountering."
"I know the one. Apparently, every Shinigami it attacked was killed."
"All of them? That's terrifying."
"I heard they're planning to draw some Shinigami together to hunt it down and deal with it."
"Then we'll have to send someone to scout ahead, won't we?"
"Probably."
Wang Chuan abruptly sobered up.
A Hollow, attacks on Shinigami, everyone killed, advance scouting.
Dead memories began to stir.
This was the incident where Kaien Shiba and Miyako Shiba died in battle, a pivotal moment in Rukia Kuchiki's growth!
He glanced at the Shiba couple, happy and harmonious beside him, and felt a little uncomfortable.
Was Kaien Shiba a good person?
Yes. He helped Jūshirō Ukitake manage the Gotei 13, looked after newcomers, managed the division members, and was always willing to help his friends.
You could also say he deliberately cultivated ties with Shinigami and expanded his influence to restore the Shiba Clan.
But even if it was deliberate, there was no denying that Kaien Shiba was a good friend.
Even on the brink of death, he had used his own will to suppress the Hollow and deliberately impaled himself on Rukia's blade.
Although it was sad that he had relied entirely on Hakuda to fight Metastacia for the sake of his dignity, it also seemed a little foolish. It felt as though anger over his wife's death had clouded his judgment.
But there was no denying that it would be a terrible waste for a man like that to die. Still, Wang Chuan needed to find the right opening.
Before that, he needed to learn more and confirm whether this really was the Metastacia he remembered.
"There's a Hollow that powerful? Do you have any details?"
"Details? Not many, really. But judging by the scene, this Hollow might be different from the usual ones we encounter. It seems to be a mutant."
"A mutant?"
"Right. Unlike ordinary Hollows, this one seems to have several arms."
"That certainly isn't ordinary. Any other distinguishing features or unusual details?"
"Unusual details? Actually, there is one."
"What is it?"
"I can tell you, but I can't guarantee the information is accurate, or even true."
"It's fine. Let's just hear it for fun. Come on, let's have a drink, and then you can go on."
After they clinked cups, the well-informed division member continued.
"The unusual thing is, they didn't see many Zanpakuto at the scenes where Shinigami had fought this Hollow."
They hadn't seen many Zanpakuto. It really did seem to be Metastacia, then. This Hollow could destroy Zanpakuto and fuse with Shinigami.
If they were really going to fight it, they needed to come up with a plan.
The best approach was to use Kidō to pin it down while attacking with Hakuda, but that required a well-organized team and excellent coordination.
But wasn't that precisely Kaien Shiba's specialty?
The question now was how to convince Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba.
Speaking of which, of his four major disciplines—swordsmanship, movement, hand-to-hand combat, and Kidō—he relied on himself for movement and Kidō, but on Navy Wang Chuan for swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.
That Navy guy was already a master swordsman. He had mastered the Breath of All Things and possessed the Flying Slash, and was working toward being able to cut anything.
Wang Chuan himself could use sword pressure to perform a Flying Slash, but the Breath of All Things was still beyond him. The two worlds were different: what was called the Breath of All Things over there should be understood as the Spiritual Pressure of All Things for a Shinigami. He had to sense it for himself; having the memories didn't mean he could do it straightaway.
If he could cut anything now, dealing with Metastacia would be simple.
While Wang Chuan was considering how to broach the subject, the gathering came to an end before he knew it.
The next day, Wang Chuan went straight to Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba.
"Captain Ukitake, there's something I'd like to report."
"Oh, in private?"
"No, it's fine if Lieutenant Shiba is here too."
"Now I'm even more interested. Cough, cough."
"I'll take it slowly, and help ease your symptoms while I'm at it, Captain Ukitake."
"I'll go prepare some tea and snacks."
"Sorry for the trouble, Kaien."
Before long, Wang Chuan had used healing Kidō on Jūshirō Ukitake, easing his cough, and Kaien Shiba had returned with tea and snacks.
"I'll get straight to the point. Captain, Lieutenant, you should both know that I came here because I dealt with two Gillians that crawled out of a Garganta in the sewers."
"Mm, I did hear that from the Captain-Commander."
"Then are you aware that there's something strange about the incident, Captain?"
"You mean the location of the Garganta and the two Gillians suggest that some mysterious force may have been pulling the strings behind the scenes?"
"Right. The important point is the mysterious entity that may exist."
"Do you have a suspect?"
"No. I don't have the slightest information on whether this individual is a Hollow, a human, or a Shinigami. It's just that the location and what happened were too much of a coincidence, so I suspect they might have someone inside the Gotei 13." Wang Chuan shook his head.
"Then aren't you afraid that Kaien or I might be that insider?" Kaien Shiba, sitting to one side, was suddenly dragged into it and looked at Jūshirō Ukitake, at a loss for words.
"There's no need. You're both among the Gotei 13's leadership and longtime veterans who have been tested time and again. If either of you really were the insider, there'd be nothing I could do to stop you. Someone with a high position and great power who still acted in secret would inevitably be plotting something enormous. It would have to involve all three realms, and a minor character like me couldn't stand in the way."
"Besides, I can't entirely rule out the possibility that this mysterious figure doesn't exist and the sewer incident was just a coincidence. But what I wanted to discuss is something else."
"Something else? What is it?" Jūshirō Ukitake was curious. What could have brought Wang Chuan to him? Or was he truly certain Ukitake wasn't that person? Although Ukitake was quite certain he wasn't, was Wang Chuan using this matter to test him?
"Recently, I heard about a Hollow whose attacks are always fatal. I wonder if you've heard about it, Captain."
"I've heard a little."
"Rumor has it this Hollow is a special kind of mutant."
"You mean this is the work of that mysterious figure?"
"I can't rule it out."
"Your reason?"
"No particular reason. I simply find it suspicious."
"Haha, cough, cough. Interesting. What do you plan to do?"
"Hunt it down and see if we can obtain any information. At the same time, we need to gather as much information on this Hollow as we can. Since its attacks are invariably fatal, there must be something special about it. It wouldn't be excessive to prepare a contingency plan as if we were facing a lieutenant or even a captain."
"Is that necessary?"
Kaien Shiba couldn't help speaking up from the side. Jūshirō Ukitake said nothing, but his eyes held a strange look too. Wang Chuan was treating this Hollow as though it were a Gillian, or even an Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde.
Cautious. Far too cautious.
But Jūshirō Ukitake didn't dislike it. Only cautious people lived long.
"Unless there's conclusive evidence that this Hollow's strength exceeds the norm, it'll be difficult for me to send an unusually large force to hunt it down."
"Rumor has it there's one distinctive feature at the scenes: not many Zanpakuto were left behind. I suspect this Hollow can devour Zanpakuto!"
"!!!"
"I hope you can verify that information, Captain. If it's true, the safest way to hunt down and kill this Hollow would be to use Kidō from a distance, which would definitely require a lot of people."
"I'll look into it." Jūshirō Ukitake's expression turned serious.
"Then sorry for the trouble, Captain. Also, I hope neither of you will let today's conversation get out."
"Not to anyone?"
"Yes."
"I understand."
You don't even trust the other captains, or the Captain-Commander? Wang Chuan, do you suspect someone Captain-level is involved?
Jūshirō Ukitake and Kaien Shiba's thoughts stirred. Neither of them was a fool. Although Wang Chuan had said that captains held too much power for there to be any need, and hadn't ruled out the possibility of coincidence,
his attitude showed that he was suspicious, that he suspected someone Captain-level was involved. Whether he was truly very cautious, had discovered some information, or was testing them, he clearly didn't intend to reveal anything more to the two men of the Thirteenth Division.
It also showed Wang Chuan's apprehension. After all, if someone Captain-level really was involved, it would be a major incident affecting all three realms. His cautious attitude toward the mutant Hollow made sense too: better to think too much than too little.
After Wang Chuan bowed and left, Jūshirō Ukitake picked up his cup and took another sip of tea.
"Kaien."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll verify the situation with this Hollow. If it's true, prepare high-level contingency plans whenever we receive reports of similar unusual Hollows from now on. Our members may have to make sacrifices, but they must not die because we were too arrogant."
"I understand, Captain."
On his way to the break room, Wang Chuan reflected on the conversation.
He had stressed that they shouldn't let it get out, but the Captain-Commander was certain to hear about it. Still, Wang Chuan believed the old man wouldn't act rashly.
But it was inevitable that the Captain-Commander would summon him. He needed to think about how to handle it when the time came, and see if he could get some benefits to speed up his growth while he was at it.
His actions this time followed the same line of thinking as Tamaki's display of strength during Team Sakumo's entrance test in the Shinobi World.
He would raise his standing as much as possible within safe limits, making it easier to speed up the growth of his strength. At the same time, he would borrow the authority of powerful backers, increasing the risks for any enemy who targeted him.
In Konoha, he had Senju ancestry, a suspected Uzumaki bloodline, and had created Life Return. Talented as he was, however, what mattered more was that he had an uncle who was a Special Jōnin.
Now he also had Hatake Sakumo, a Kage Level teacher. He had firmly entered the sights of some of the village's upper echelons, including the Hokage. At least within the village, anyone who wanted to act against him, even Shimura Danzō, known as the Darkness of the Shinobi, would have to think twice.
In Soul Society, Unohana's protection alone wasn't enough. He also had to truly enter the Captain-Commander's sights.
Even if Jūshirō Ukitake really didn't report this to the Captain-Commander, Wang Chuan planned to approach the Captain-Commander through Unohana. Only then could he be considered safe for the present.
After all, Aizen was far too dangerous. Only by truly entering the sights of the upper echelons while remaining on guard against him could Wang Chuan, to some extent, ensure that he wouldn't completely avoid falling into the same situation as Shinji Hirako and the others.
Aizen had calculated Shinji Hirako and the others' fates down to the last detail. Even if it hadn't been Shinji Hirako, anyone else would have made no difference. In any case, Aizen had carried out his Shinigami Hollowfication experiments and cast suspicion elsewhere.
Ultimately, Wang Chuan was simply too weak. If he could cut Aizen down with one stroke, Aizen would never dare show himself.
So staying with Unohana and meeting the Captain-Commander were essential. Those two were strong enough to help him improve and formidable enough to make Aizen wary. Even if Wang Chuan exposed part of his plans, Aizen wouldn't immediately move against him, since he himself had yet to come into the open.
Saving the Shiba couple and the Thirteenth Division members this time was the starting point; his plan was to accomplish several objectives along the way.
All in all, he hadn't lost out in this conversation.
He would just have to work harder afterward and take a few more beatings.
He didn't know whether all the old-timers who had come through the era of the "former Gotei 13" had this habit: teaching someone meant beating them. If they were willing to fight you to the death, congratulations—if you survived, you were a first-rate powerhouse of the age. For details, see Retsu Unohana versus Kenpachi Zaraki in the Thousand-Year Blood War.
What if you didn't survive, you asked? Time to start the funeral feast.