Waiting

"Yin, how's things going?"

"Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth Division announced that Vice-Captain Kaien Shiba and Third Seat Shiba Miyako died in the line of duty, but they reportedly perished together with Hollows before their deaths, leaving no trace of their spirits. The Shiba Clan will hold a funeral for them within a few days."

So what's your opinion?

"Huh? Didn't Captain Aizen plant a listening device on the Hollow? Why are you asking me something you already know?"

"I didn't ask you to say those things. I'm asking for your opinion on this matter, Gin."

"Well, I didn't expect Teacher Ye Yang to leave so quickly this time. Although I don't know how Teacher Ye Yang separated the experimental Hollow and Kaien Shiba, one thing is certain: no one can separate the parts that have already merged. He could only separate the parts that haven't merged yet," Yin said cautiously.

Aizen looked at Gin with great interest, "Continue."

"Well, then there must be a Hollow spirit within Kaien Shiba's spirit body. In that case, even Ye Yang probably wouldn't be able to help, and we'll have to ask someone else for help."

"Kisuke Urahara?"

"Didn't Captain Aizen already know? But how are we supposed to deal with this?"

"Ignore it. Even if Kaien Shiba didn't die but went to the World of the Living, she has no chance of returning to Soul Society. The Central 46 won't let her off the Ukitake. That's probably why Ukitake helped Ye Yang cover it up. His inability to return to Soul Society won't affect our plans, so we just need to remain unchanged."

"Hi! Captain Aizen!"...

The following day, Kaien and Kazuto's funerals began. The funerals were held in the Thirteenth Division, as Kaien and Kazuto were the vice-captain and Third Seat of the Thirteenth Division. Of course, Kūkaku brought along the teenage Ganju and Isshin as relatives.

Many people attended the funeral. Kaien had a wide network of connections, including teammates, commoners, nobles, and Kaien's best friends.

Among the most heartbroken were Kaien's family and Byakuya and his sister. Byakuya's personality had become increasingly cold, and over time, only Ye Yang and Kaien remained to talk to him. Losing such a friend was naturally painful, but he hid his sadness well, and people could hardly see any emotion beneath his cold exterior.

Needless to say, Rukia Seigen the entire process of Kaien's murder. She was terrified at the time, so when Ukitake told her to leave, her mind went blank. She only wanted to follow the captain's orders and escape.

But once she understood, she rushed back without hesitation. However, fate was unkind; when she returned, Kaien had already been taken away by Ye Yang, leaving only Ukitake behind.

Ukitake only told her that Ye Yang had taken Kaien away, and he didn't know whether he could cure her. At that time, Rukia still held a sliver of hope, thinking that if it was Ye Yang, he should be able to bring Kaien back intact.

The next day, when Ukitake told her that Kaien was dead, she was struck dumb, staring blankly at her captain, unable to accept it. She couldn't believe Kaien was gone. Although her intuition was accurate, Ukitake firmly shattered her illusions. Ye Yang had said that Rukia was not someone who could hide the truth. If others found out, Kaien would be listed as a fugitive, which would be a great disgrace for Kaien, who was loyal to Soul Society.

For her, Kaien was like her sky, and now that sky has collapsed. Kaien was once the person she admired most, but now he is gone. Where should she go from here?

Rukia ignored her captain's words of comfort and returned to her room alone with a blank expression. She neither ate nor drank and only came out at Kaien's funeral.

It's clear that she has lost a lot of weight, but the childishness in her eyes has also diminished. Perhaps this experience has helped her mature a lot.

The funeral ended quickly, but the sadness won't dissipate so easily. Perhaps with the passage of time, the pain will lessen; isn't time said to be the best healer?

Six months after Kaien's funeral, news came from the Shihoin Clan that the current head of the Shihoin Clan, Shihouin Soi Fon, was engaged to Ye Yang Shihoin, the Second Division Captain. This was another major event in Seireien.

However, people weren't surprised. Most people knew about their relationship and thought it was only a matter of time. What was surprising was that they were engaged instead of getting married.

Only a few people knew the reason for the engagement, but whether it was an engagement or a wedding, a banquet was an essential part. Ye Yang out invitations widely, proving that his network of connections was no less than Kaien's.

Ye Yang held a grand engagement banquet, which was attended by almost all the captains of the Thirteenth Division, and various noble families took the opportunity to curry favor with him.

Just six months after Kaien's funeral, this joyous occasion lifted everyone's spirits. Byakuya even managed a rare smile; his elder brother was finally getting married. Although it was only an engagement, the wedding wasn't far off, was it?

The engagement went smoothly, and since then, the Soul Society has returned to peace. Ye Yang continues to live a leisurely life, quietly waiting for the original story to begin.

Sure enough, five years after the incident with Kaien, Isshin Shiba mysteriously disappeared from Soul Society. Aizen, Gin, and Kaname Tōsen, who orchestrated the whole thing, were the ones who came out. No one in Soul Society knew the truth of the matter. Ye Yang only knew that he had gone to the World of the Living, but he could guess that Kisuke would definitely get involved. There was no need to worry about his safety.

Isshin's disappearance had the biggest impact on Rangiku and Tōshirō in the Tenth Division. Although they usually scoffed at Isshin's eccentric behavior, Isshin was the backbone of the entire Tenth Division, and without him, the Tenth Division was immediately thrown into chaos.

They searched extensively, even venturing into the World of the Living, but still could not find Isshin's whereabouts.

After Isshin left, the position of Tenth Division Captain became vacant. Soon after, Soi Fon, Retsu Unohana, Byakuya, Shunsui, Ukitake recommended Tōshirō to participate in the captain's assessment.

He eventually passed the captain's test and became the captain of the Tenth Division, becoming the youngest captain of the Gotei 13, once again truly deserving the title of genius.

Ye Yang was also invited to the captain's test. During the test, Tōshirō finally Bankai - Daiguren Hyōrinmaru Hyōrinmaru.

In terms of Bankai power, its combat strength is extremely formidable. Whether in attack or defense, it is among the top-tier. It feels like an ice dragon is binding Tōshirō. After Bankai, the manipulation of ice becomes even more effortless, and it also comes with more attack methods. The ability of Subjugation of the Heavens has also been further improved.

The only drawback is that Tōshirō is still young. No matter how talented he is, he won't be able to achieve anything without time to accumulate experience. His Bankai is still in an incomplete stage. After Bankai, there are three four-piece Ice Flowers. As time goes by, the Ice Flowers will wither one by one. Once all the Ice Flowers have withered, Bankai will automatically disintegrate.

This is actually not a big deal. As time goes by, Tōshirō's Spiritual Pressure will gradually increase, and the duration of his Bankai will also become longer. It is believed that this problem will be solved within a few decades. Tōshirō himself said that he will solve this problem within a dozen years.

Tōshirō, now the captain, was even more arrogant. Most people would call him Captain Hitsugaya, and he felt great every time he heard that title. After being treated like a child for decades, he had finally turned the tables!

Even Rangiku, who always disagreed with him, reluctantly called him "Captain." When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. From now on, Tōshirō would be her direct superior. What if he made things difficult for her?

Of course, Ye Yang and Soi Fon still called him Shirō the time. Even after becoming the captain, Tōshirō didn't dare to challenge his teacher. Moreover, although Tōshirō didn't say it, he still respected and cared about Ye Yang very much. And Tōshirō wasn't foolish enough to think that becoming the captain meant he had surpassed his teacher. On the contrary, as his strength increased, he understood Ye Yang's strength less and less. It was like a clear pool; you could never know how deep it was.

After that, nothing major happened in Soul Society. Time flew by, and twenty years passed quietly. This time, Soul Society remained peaceful for a full twenty years. No one knew what lay hidden behind this tranquility, but Ye Yang knew that this was the calm before the storm. Judging by the timeline, the original plot was about to unfold...

The current Gotei 13 hasn't changed, but there are quite a few young people replacing the vice-captains. For example, Kira has become the vice-captain of the Third Division, but it's hard to say whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Hinamori has become the vice-captain of the Fifth Division. It can only be said that the girl is beyond saving now. Every time she goes home for the New Year, she talks about Aizen over and over again with Tōshirō. So, Tōshirō's resentment towards Aizen is very deep now.

Shūhei is now the vice-captain of the Ninth Division. Although he is under Tōsen's command, he doesn't seem to be under Tosen's control. Renji, on the other hand, is still the Fourth Seat of the 11th Division. However, he recently heard that he will be transferred to Byakuya's command as a vice-captain. This means that all three outstanding students from Ye Yang's class back then will be vice-captains.

Moreover, Renji's joining the Sixth Division fulfilled his dream. After Rukia is Byakuya's sister, so he could see her often. Secondly, Byakuya was the goal he had always wanted to surpass. Observing Byakuya's strength up close would allow him to measure how far he was from him and set a goal for himself.

Besides, the vice-captain's status in the Seireien is not low, and he and Rukia are considered a good match. Once the transfer order comes through, he can tell Rukia his true feelings.

But fate had other plans. Rukia suddenly received a mission from above: to remain in the World of the Living for a month. And so, the gears of destiny began to turn...