Sōsuke Aizen

Sōsuke Aizen, captain of the Fifth Division, elegantly adjusted his glasses with the knuckle of his index finger.

Sunlight struck Aizen's glasses, softening the lines of Captain Aizen's face. Boundless wisdom seemed to stir and take shape in his deep eyes.

But his expression now was completely different from usual. He looked a little tense and anxious, with a trace of utter fury.

Isshin Shiba glanced again at the silver-haired boy following Aizen.

The boy's name was Gin Ichimaru. He had silver hair and silver eyes, and he was always squinting, fond of wearing a smile like a little fox's. Despite his young age, he was already the Fifth Division's lieutenant.

Come to think of it, wasn't he in the same graduating class as Rangiku from Isshin's division?

He was shaking with rage!

Look at that captain, with a little follower wherever he went. His own lieutenant was either in confinement or on her way there.

The Gotei 13 had two famously nice guys: Jūshirō Ukitake and Sōsuke Aizen.

The main problem was that Ukitake would start coughing up blood in the middle of a conversation, and most people couldn't handle that.

So Aizen had become the Shinigami's undisputed number-one nice guy.

Now, who had driven their Thirteenth Division's nice guy to this point?

Aizen had just lost his composure a little. When he spoke, his tone was somewhat impatient, and his voice was quite serious.

"Captain Aizen, please go ahead." After a moment lost in thought, Isshin responded.

"Captain Shiba, should something like the 'Artificial Soul Corps,' which plays with souls and has the support of Central 46, really be allowed to exist?"

So that was what this was about.

Understanding dawned on Isshin, and his expression gradually grew serious. His Captain's Haori stirred without a breeze.

That made sense. Only this matter could have made the famously kind and caring captain of the Thirteenth Division so anxious.

Whenever Isshin saw Captain Aizen, he couldn't help but marvel.

This man seemed to worry about Soul Society every moment of every day.

Compared with such a great man, the likes of Rangiku Matsumoto should find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Hearing Aizen's words and recalling the captains' meeting just before, Isshin Shiba's gaze sharpened.

The Gotei 13 had been researching the modification of souls for some time. Mayuri Kurotsuchi's experiments had achieved a major breakthrough in recent years, even making it possible to cultivate complete souls from nothing.

But the "Artificial Soul Corps" was something else entirely.

Artificial Soul Technology was based on Modified Soul technology.

But Modified Soul technology created souls from nothing.

Artificial Soul Technology was simpler.

Simply put, it involved modifying ordinary whole souls to give them basic Spiritual Power, then altering their memories to turn them into vanguards.

Although Artificial Souls were generally weaker than members of the Thirteenth Division, they were fearless in the face of death and could readily undertake suicide attacks.

The Central 46 Chambers intended to use them to make up for the enormous losses the Thirteenth Division had suffered after Kisuke Urahara and the others defected.

According to Kurotsuchi's proposal, the Artificial Soul Corps plan would be remarkably effective.

But some Shinigami who considered themselves righteous found it hard to accept and had repeatedly petitioned to abolish the experiment and its further militarization.

And even Central 46, which supported it behind the scenes, could not easily ignore a joint request from several captains.

Thus.

A wager-like contest organized by the Thirteenth Division and the Central 46 Chambers came into being.

Each division of the Thirteenth Division, except the Fourth and Twelfth Divisions, would send one fighter below Seated Officer rank to battle a Modified Soul.

If the Thirteenth Division won, the Artificial Soul plan would be canceled. If it lost, the Thirteenth Division could no longer stand in its way.

But Isshin Shiba, as head of a branch family of the Five Great Noble Clans at the pinnacle of Soul Society, knew a few other things about the matter.

The Shinigami were not the only ones with a vested interest in the "Artificial Soul Corps." Things probably wouldn't be as simple as Captain Aizen thought.

These memories flashed through his mind in an instant. Without hesitation, Isshin Shiba fixed Aizen with a serious look on his middle-aged face. "Captain Aizen, I have always been firmly opposed to the Artificial Soul experiment."

"This morning, the 11th Division's representative was defeated. Now, of the Thirteenth Division, only Captain Isshin's Tenth Division has yet to fight. May I ask whether you have chosen a suitable representative, Captain Isshin?" Aizen asked solemnly.

The Tenth Division's battle might influence the history of all Soul Society.

Isshin Shiba's eyes flickered, and he looked away awkwardly.

He hadn't.

The paperwork he had dumped on Rangiku still hadn't been processed, so the Tenth Division's representative had yet to be decided.

"Well, soon."

Aizen adjusted his glasses, squeezed his eyes shut and sighed deeply. "This is the final match. The Central 46 Chambers will never let it go so easily. For all we know, they may make an exception and select someone with special talents. Captain Isshin, do you have someone in mind?"

In any case, Isshin Shiba also loathed the Artificial Soul experiment. Hearing Aizen's request, he grew even more serious.

Isshin went through his division members in his head, a bitter look on his face.

Against those Modified Souls who had no fear of death,

There really wasn't anyone under his command he could count on to win.

The Kisuke Urahara incident had involved far more than just Captain-level fighters. The ordinary division members had also undergone a purge that would never be recorded in Soul Society's history.

After frequent transfers of personnel,

The Tenth Division, where no rebellion had occurred, had been weakened no less than the other divisions.

Most of the Tenth Division's current rank and file were new recruits who had graduated from the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts within the past ten years.

After a difficult search through his memories, Isshin shook his head awkwardly.

Oh, with that liability Rangiku around, how is the Tenth Division supposed to develop?

Wait.

The current Tenth Division doesn't have anyone up to the task, but the future Tenth Division has a considerable talent!

Recalling the scene he had witnessed while slacking off in Rukongai a couple of days ago, Isshin Shiba's lips curved into a smile.

"Don't worry, Captain Aizen. I already have someone in mind."

Aizen looked surprised at just the right moment. "May I ask which member of your division has earned such trust from you, Captain Isshin?"

Isshin Shiba smiled mysteriously and pressed his index finger to his lips. "Him? He's a Kidō genius, a boy who will one day be worthy of bearing the title 'Kidō God.'"

"A Kidō God to stand opposite the Flash Goddess? Captain Isshin, I look forward to it."

Aizen's eyes looked so deep behind his glasses. He nodded gently. "Please make sure you get enough rest too, Captain Isshin. You seem to have been overworking yourself lately."

He still had to work hard. If he didn't put in the effort, who would keep those taverns in Rukongai going?

Ever since Dōsan Hanyū arrived, the Shiba Clan had acquired the habit of eating lunch.

For people with Spiritual Power, who only needed to meet their normal physiological needs, lunch was meaningless.

But now, for everyone in the Shiba Clan, it was practically an artistic pleasure.

Were they eating a meal?

They were enjoying art!

"Time to eat," Koganehiko called, and he and his brother came in first, side by side, carrying dishes.

Why couldn't she smell today's food?

Kūkaku leaned across the table toward the doorway, craning her neck to look. All she saw Koganehiko and his brother bring in were sliced lamb, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, noodles and leafy greens, all merely washed and otherwise unprepared.

Even though Dōsan had surprised her again and again over the past few days, Kūkaku still couldn't figure out what he was doing this time.

The table was covered with raw ingredients, with a small space left in the middle of the dishes. Right after them, Dōsan walked in carrying a copper pot.

A layer of red oil filled the copper pot, its surface covered with red chilies. The oil boiled, splashing as bubbles burst. The smell alone made their noses itch and gave them the urge to sneeze.

Could this be soup?

But if we're supposed to drink the soup by itself, isn't it a little too strongly flavored?

Kūkaku couldn't make sense of it. Compared with the delicious food before, this dish was in an entirely different form. What on earth was it...