Familiar Faces Appear

However, Yoruichi, after leaving the Shihoin Clan, did not leave Soul Society directly. Instead, she sneaked into the office of the captain of the Fourth Division.

Retsu Unohana, looking at the black cat sitting on the desk with her eyes locked, smiled and said, "Captain Yoruichi, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, the black cat, in a very human-like manner, pursed its lips and said with a hint of displeasure:

"There is indeed something I need to do. You should know my current identity, so sometimes it's inconvenient for me to appear in Soul Society. Therefore, Xuanxin..."

But Yoruichi couldn't bring herself to say the last few words, because she felt that if she did, someone would take a part of her treasure.

Sister Hana, of course, saw through Yoruichi's thoughts and said understandingly, "I understand what you mean, Captain Yoruichi. I'll keep an eye on Xuanxin."

Upon hearing what Sister Hana said, Yoruichi felt like a defeated rooster, becoming extremely displeased.

But since things had come to this point, Yoruichi stopped being coy. With a flick Yoruichi her paw, a small cube appeared between the cat and the person.

After Yoruichi finished explaining the origin of the cube to Sister Hana, she didn't say anything more and left the Fourth Division in a huff.

After Yoruichi left, Sister Hana looked at the square on the table, a faint smile flashing in her eyes.

She casually picked up a delicate silver chain, strung it on, and made a necklace just like Yoruichi's, which she wore around her neck. She murmured to herself, "She's really not being honest... Captain Yoruichi."

After Yoruichi left the Fourth Division, she became increasingly angry and agitated the more she thought about it.

Then, Yoruichi had a sudden inspiration and came up with a plan. So, after sunset and nightfall, she sneaked into the Second Division's barracks.

Tonight, I don't know why I didn't sleep well; I Soi Fon a bit tight in my chest and couldn't breathe properly.

But when she woke up, she saw a familiar figure sitting on her chest.

"Yoru... Lady Yoruichi!" Soi Fon exclaimed.

Yoruichi gestured for silence with her tail, then looked at Soi Fon and said:

"Soi Fon, you are my most trusted subordinate. You know my current identity, so it's not convenient for me to appear in Soul Society yet. Therefore, I have a task for you."

Hearing Yoruichi's words, Soi Fon felt a little disappointed, but quickly cheered herself up and said:

"Yes, Lady Yoruichi, no matter how difficult it is! Soi Fon will definitely complete it."

Seeing this, Yoruichi nodded in satisfaction and handed a cube to Soi Fon. Soi Fon looked at the familiar cube, then at Yoruichi, her eyes filled with confusion.

Yoruichi's expression turned serious as she said, "My task for you is to remove all the 'butterflies' that are fluttering around Xuanxin while I'm away, understand?"

"Ah? Yes... yes, Lady Yoruichi."

Upon hearing Soi Fon's reply, Yoruichi jumped off Soi Fon before she could react and disappeared into the vast night.

Soi Fon stared at the cube in her hand, falling into a long silence.

Chapter 76 Familiar Faces Appear

After a few days of rest, the Soul Society fell into a brief silence, but this silence was broken today by several Hell Butterflies flying out from the First Division.

The team leader meeting, which was originally held only once a month, has now been held for what seems like the umpteenth time this month.

Soon, the remaining captains and the vice-captains who were temporarily acting as captains entered the meeting room together.

Looking up, one could see that there were only seven haori (feathered robes) in the large room.

Second Division: Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi Yoruichi Shihōin Third Division: Rōjūrō Otōhashi; Fifth Division: Shinji Hirako; Seventh Division: Love Aikawa; Ninth Division: Kensei Muguruma; Twelfth Division: Kisuke Urahara...

With the loss of several vice-captains and two Kidō masters, the command system of the Gotei 13 has now been torn apart in this storm, creating a huge power vacuum.

Seeing this, Captain-Commander Yamamoto sighed silently in his heart. At this moment Captain-Commander Yamamoto was filled with exhaustion, but he dared not show the slightest sign of fatigue.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto slammed his cane down, then opened his sharp eyes and scanned the people in the room, saying:

"This is truly disgusting. Since the establishment of the Gotei 13, nothing like this has ever happened." After saying this, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's gaze swept over the several vice-captains.

Looking at the silent, trembling vice-captains, Captain-Commander Yamamoto snorted coldly and sat back down to announce:

"In light of the egregious events of the past few days, I hereby issue the order that, effective immediately, the Soul Society shall be placed under martial law."

"During this period, if any suspicious persons or organizations are discovered, the Gotei 13 may arrest them on their own and then send them to the First Division for trial. If anyone attempts to resist, they will be killed on the spot."

With this order issued, the atmosphere in the hall became even more tense. This time, the Captain-Commander directly stripped the power of trial from the Central 46, indicating that the Captain-Commander was also dissatisfied with the previous trials.

While the people inside the room were still pondering the Captain-Commander's thoughts,

Captain-Commander Yamamoto fixed his gaze on Xuanxin and then said, "Shihoin Genshin."

"Your subordinate is here." Upon hearing this, Xuanxin stepped out from the ranks and looked at the Captain-Commander.

Seeing Xuanxin's expression, the Captain-Commander pondered for a moment and continued, "During the martial law period, I hereby appoint you to have full command of the 11th Division and Second Divisions, responsible for all security and arrest operations within the Seireitei. You are specially authorized to act first and report later, and you must maintain the stability of Soul Society."

"Yes."

Xuanxin accepted the mission from the Captain-Commander without any hesitation, and the Captain-Commander's action also demonstrated his attitude to the nobles.

Just as Xuanxin returned to his position, Xuanxin subconsciously glanced around at the figures of the various captains, but when his gaze swept over Retsu Unohana, he paused.

A familiar light could be faintly seen emanating from the depths of Retsu Unohana's pristine white Captain's Haori collar.

Xuanxin glanced at the communication cube that Retsu Unohana was wearing on her chest, a knowing look flashing across his eyes, followed by a helpless smile in his heart.

It seems that Yoruichi specifically sought out Sister Hana before leaving Soul Society, but what Yoruichi instructed Sister Hana on remains unknown.

After all, Yoruichi a free and proud soul, and every Yoruichi has her own thoughts, so even Xuanxin cannot fully guess what Yoruichi is thinking.

As for what agreement Yoruichi and Sister Hana had reached, the man didn't intend to ask any further; he'd just let things take their course.

However, just because Xuanxin can remain calm doesn't mean others can.

Soi Fon, who had been standing next to Retsu Unohana, naturally noticed the familiar reflection on Retsu Unohana's chest!

Soi Fon's pupils suddenly contracted, and she subconsciously touched the identical small square on her wrist. She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her mind instantly fell into extreme chaos.

[What... what on earth is going on?!] Soi Fon cried out in despair in her heart.

That night, after Lady Yoruichi entrusted him with the task of "driving away the butterflies," he began to compile a list of everyone who had the potential to become a butterfly.

And in that assassination... no, prevention list, the name of Retsu Unohana, the Fourth Division Captain, who had been rumored to be a figure of interest, was prominently listed at the top. Soi Fon had even prepared no fewer than five countermeasures against Retsu Unohana and Xuanxin meeting in private.

But now!

The cube representing Lady Yoruichi's will has appeared on the chest of the primary target!

This scene instilled in Soi Fon a sense of powerlessness, a feeling of "We are ready to fight to the death, why has Your Majesty surrendered first?"

Sister Hana naturally noticed Soi Fon's gaze, and then turned to Sister Hana Soi Fon with a knowing smile.

After that, Sister Hana even deliberately tightened her shoulders, making her chest more undulating. At the same time, under the pressure of her arms, the shimmering cube became more obvious amidst the snow-white undulations.

Then Sister Hana gave Xuanxin a meaningful smile, and Xuanxin nodded slightly in response.

Sister Hana and Xuanxin, who noticed all this interaction, made Soi Fon, who was standing to the side, grit her teeth even more.

After everyone finished discussing the specific details, Xuanxin, as a key member of this operation, took Soi Fon and left the meeting room first, returning to the squad to prepare for the next operation.

As the captains in the meeting room left one by one, the news that Soul Society had entered a state of martial law spread far and wide along with the Hell Butterflies.

Soon, figures dressed in Shinigami uniforms began to patrol the streets of Seireitei frequently.

Of course, simply entering a state of martial law would not have been enough to shock those nobles. What truly shocked them was that the person in charge of this martial law operation was none other than Shihoin Genshin.

Just a few days ago, these nobles were openly discussing their plan to divide up the Shihoin Clan right in front of the Shihoin Clan, but now...

"He's gone mad! He's gone mad! That old bastard Shigekuni Yamamoto must have gone mad! Even though the culprits behind this Hollowfication Incident are all connected to the Shihoin Clan, he still entrusted the martial law task to that son-in-law..."

"Master, what should we do? Should we have the Central 46 put pressure on the Thirteenth Division?"

As the words fell, the patriarch threw down a teacup from the head of the household. He said irritably:

"Old Man Yamamoto has gone mad, and have you gone mad too? You still want to provoke that god of death! I hereby issue the order that during martial law, no one is allowed to leave their home! Anyone who violates this order will be immediately expelled from the family."

"Yes, sir!" The subordinate then quickly disappeared from the room.

The same scene was playing out frequently in the homes of various noble families in Seireitei, except that some people chose to stay indoors, while others chose to send gifts to the Shihoin Clan in an attempt to gain Xuanxin's forgiveness.

However, these nobles were clearly judging others by their own petty standards. Xuanxin did not focus his attention on these nobles, or rather, he disdained to focus his attention on them.

Xuanxin was taking advantage of this martial law patrol to search for any crucial information that might have been overlooked during the Hollowfication Incident.

However, there are always families in Soul Society who possess 'courage'—or rather, 'recklessness'—and when they see a Shinigami appear near their home, they assume it is Xuanxin's revenge.

He then released the assassins his family had been secretly gathering, hoping to secure a 'lifeline' for his family and himself.

However, these nobles all faced only one fate: the entire family's top ranks were imprisoned in the Second Division's jail, and then handed over to the First Division for trial.

This act, however, exposed the sordid deeds of these nobles to the public without any attempt to conceal them.

Therefore, this martial law did not diminish the image of the Thirteenth Division in the eyes of the general public; on the contrary, more and more people began to spontaneously support these Shinigami patrolling the streets.

These scenes naturally reached the ears of Aizen and Kaname Tōsen. Kaname Tōsen listened to Xuanxin's actions and sincerely praised Xuanxin, after all, what Xuanxin was doing was the 'justice' he was pursuing.

Seeing this, Aizen nodded noncommittally, but then shook his head.

Aizen then Kaname Tōsen, "Teacher Xuanxin and the Captain-Commander did a great job this time. It's a pity that if they had acted like this earlier, Soul Society might be even better now."

"However, there's one thing you need to know: the Captain-Commander's actions are all ostensibly righteous, while the darkness hidden deep within the Seireitei remains undisturbed and unharmed."

"Therefore, if justice cannot be absolute, then it cannot be called justice. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Kaname Tōsen fell into deep thought, but quickly nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Aizen revealed a bright smile, "So, if you want it, then let's create a world together that has no darkness and no stains."

"Yes, Lord Aizen!" Upon hearing Aizen's grand ambitions, Kaname Tōsen's face was filled with fervor.

As time passed, the Seireitei stabilized. Once the Seireitei had returned to stability, the Captain-Commander officially announced that the election for the vacant captains of the Gotei 13 would officially begin.

This time, the three veteran captains, Captain-Commander Ginrei Kuchiki and Retsu Unohana, served as witnesses once again. Xuanxin and Shunsui, on the other hand, were responsible for observing and learning from the sidelines.

The election results were quickly determined after the three candidates' evaluation and the approval of the Central 46.

As expected, a group of new faces once again stepped onto the stage of power in Soul Society.

Gin Ichimaru, with his stunning strength and impeccable resume, successfully won the haori of the Third Division Captain.

Rangiku, who possesses equally talent and strength, did not participate in the election because she didn't want to spend all her time dealing with official documents. After all, she had a more important goal to pursue.

As for the position of Fifth Division Captain, it was naturally without any doubt that it would be filled by the "hardworking and conscientious" vice-captain Sōsuke Aizen.

In addition, Sajin Komamura took over the Seventh Division, while Kaname Tōsen became the Captain of the Ninth Division as he wished, continuing to uphold the spirit of justice that Kensei Muguruma once upheld.

Meanwhile, the Twelfth Division and the Shinigami Research and Development Institute fell into the hands of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who always wore strange paint.

Everything seemed to be proceeding according to Aizen's expected script.

However, when it came to the position of the Second Division, the Captain-Commander was somewhat troubled. After all, the Second Division had always been held by the head of the Shihoin Clan.

If the Shihoin Clan currently has no head of the family and Yushiro is too young, then assigning the position of the Second Division to an outsider would not be unreasonable. However, since Xuanxin, the head of the entire Shihoin, is still here, the position of the Second Division Captain has become a new problem.

For this reason, Captain-Commander Yamamoto even went to see Shihoin Seigen, hoping that this venerable former head of the family would come out of retirement again to fill the vacancy of the Second Division.

However, the Captain-Commander was ruthlessly rejected by Seigen, and the reason was simple: the current head of the Shihoin Clan is Xuanxin, so he is not suitable to serve as the captain of the Second Division.