"Yoruichi ~"
"Vice-Captain!!"
They greeted each other, Yoruichi Uryū to Orihime, Rangiku immediately rushed over to Tōshirō and hugged him tightly.
"Let go of me! There's a weird smell!" Tōshirō shoved Rangiku away forcefully, and Rangiku turned completely red. What else could that weird smell be?
Tōshirō didn't understand any of this and didn't think much of it. He assumed Rangiku was upset by what he'd said. The Little Lion was unusually sensitive these days, so he surprisingly apologized, "Sorry~, I didn't mean anything by it."
"It's nothing, it's nothing," Rangiku was now panicking. She should have taken a shower before coming out. "Vice-Captain! I have some classified information for you! I finally managed to find it out!"
"Oh? What intelligence?"
Aizen is not dead.
Tōshirō was stunned. Anyone who heard this news would be stunned. Then he suddenly shouted, "What did you say!?"
"Aizen isn't dead," Yoruichi also said.
"How is this possible?" Tōshirō still couldn't believe it. "Didn't Captain Shimizu and Captain Retsu Unohana both confirm it?"
Yoruichi chuckled, "These two, hahaha, you can't believe a single punctuation mark they say, you know? You're still too young."
"Huh?" Tōshirō looked completely bewildered.
Rangiku was also looking at Yoruichi, unsure of what was going on. Yoruichi chuckled, "In the end, I'll explain. Listen up, you little ones."
"First of all, you need to know that there are currently two illegal forces in Soul Society. One is led by Sōsuke Aizen, and the other is headed by Jun Shimizu."
"The group currently causing trouble is Sōsuke Aizen, while Jun Shimizu's group hasn't made any significant moves yet; they're just watching Aizen cause trouble and reaping the benefits."
"And Aizen and Jun Shimizu are still friends. If you say Aizen faked his death, will Jun Shimizu expose him?"
Tōshirō gasped, "What about Captain Retsu Unohana?"
"Unohana ~, to be honest, I don't understand this one," Yoruichi her cheek. "This one is too ancient. You're all too young to know. This one is the first Kenpachi of the 11th Division."
"Hiss~", the three Soul Reapers present felt a sudden pain in their teeth. Indeed, anyone who heard this news would feel a toothache.
Think about the gentle Unohana, then think about Kenpachi Zaraki, holy crap, is this even the same art style?
"I don't know her very well either. After all, she's an old-timer from the same generation as my parents. They were the founders of Gotei 13. So, judging from the Captain-Commander's calm and collected demeanor, I think she's about the same."
Tōshirō stroked his chin, racking his brains. "You mean these older folks don't care about Aizen's plans at all?"
However, Uryū revealed a possible truth. "Soul Reapers have such long lifespans; if they're powerful enough, even if the Gotei 13 is destroyed, couldn't they just rebuild one?"
"Hiss~", even Yoruichi's teeth ached this time. If the truth were true, then the Captain-Commander and Unohana's group of old monsters would be the masterminds behind the masterminds.
"It sounds terrifying, but it makes sense," Yoruichi concluded.
Tōshirō stopped thinking about those things and focused on the current problem, "If Captain Shimizu and Captain Unohana have their reasons, what about the others? Vice-Captain Soga was there too, as were many other members of the Fifth Division. How do you explain that? Later, Captain Ichimaru of the Third Division also went."
"Um," Rangiku somewhat embarrassedly, "Gin Ichimaru is Aizen's subordinate."
"???", Tōshirō was dumbfounded.
The Little Lion looked at Yoruichi, Yoruichi shrugged. "I don't know, but if Rangiku said so, then it must be true."
"What about the others? And it doesn't seem like acting at all; Hinamori saw it too."
"Furthermore, a large number of Reishi were released at the time, which was indeed the death of a Captain-level. Moreover, the Reiatsu definitely indicated that it was Captain Aizen. No matter how you look at it, Aizen is dead."
"So Aizen a way to make many people believe he's dead!" Tōshirō deduced the truth. "But what is this method?"
"Emmm, a kind of Kidō?"
"Is there really a Kidō to deceive so many people?"
"It shouldn't be too difficult to keep it from some of the Vice-Captains, especially if Aizen's mastery of Kidō is exceptionally high."
Tōshirō and Yoruichi looked at each other. Yoruichi shrugged. "After all, not every Vice-Captain is as talented as you, right? Genius boy."
"Hmph~ Soga Dōsan is a veteran Soul Reaper, surely he can't be fooled by ordinary Kidō, right? Does he need such sophisticated Kidō? Kidō Corps?"
"It's not necessarily impossible," Yoruichi tilted her head and thought for a moment. "To be honest, the Kidō Corps of today is still different from those of five hundred years ago. Those Kidō Corps of back then, heh heh."
Five hundred years ago? Back when Captain Shimizu was alive?
"Ah, have you ever seen nine of the Shishō Saemon appear together? I have, and I'll never forget it."
However, Yoruichi's attempt to show off didn't get a good response. "What's 'Shishō Saemon'?" The young people all had this expression, and Yoruichi could only end with an "Sigh~".
Uryū and Orihime had been listening in, somewhat bewildered. At this moment Orihime whispered, "Why don't you think it's the power of the Zanpakuto?"
"How is this possible? Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyōka Suigetsu, is a water-type Zanpakuto; everyone in Soul Society knows that."
Uryū adjusted his glasses and declared definitively, "Now the entire Soul Society knows that Captain Aizen is dead."
These words immediately placed the four Soul Reapers present into the Great Bell of Death, which rang loudly, leaving them dizzy and disoriented. But when they looked at each other, they were horrified to discover that it was actually true!
"Aizen't Aizen's sword is water-based?"
"What department is that?"
"Only illusionists could probably pull this off."
"When did he cast the illusion?"
"Have no idea"
"Have no idea"
"I don't know either"
"I don't know either!"
The four Soul Reaper shuddered, even Yoruichi was terrified. What kind of powerful genjutsu was this!? What kind of Kongbu genjutsu was this!? A genjutsu that had bewitched the entire Soul Society —it was unthinkable!!
And even if this is true, okay! It's true! So how do we deal with it!?
"Wait, I'm being framed!" Tōshirō realized his mistake. "Those members of the Central 46 were all killed by Gin Ichimaru; it's obvious from the knife wounds. But they're saying it was me, and someone said there were frozen marks on the knife wounds, so they've concluded it was me. This is Aizen's doing too!"
Rangiku's face turned pale instantly, while Tōshirō was still calculating, "If Aizen has the ability to make everyone believe his sword is a water-type Zanpakuto, and also the ability to make everyone believe he's dead, then it's not surprising that he can make everyone believe he doesn't exist, and making everyone believe I'm the killer wouldn't be difficult either."
"Heh, so that's the truth. But the problem is, I'm also under the influence of the genjutsu. How am I supposed to find Aizen?" Tōshirō said, a sense of despair creeping into his voice. This difficulty level is too much; this boss is Kongbu.
"Someone might be able to find Aizen."
It was Uryū who spoke again, and this time everyone's attention was on him. Uryū said, "If Aizen's ability is indeed genjutsu, there must be a condition for its activation. But regardless, we, the Ryoka from the World of the Living, are definitely not under the influence of genjutsu, so we can find him!"
"But your strength..."
"Our strength is indeed somewhat weak, but there's one guy among us who's extremely strong! His name is Ichigo Kurosaki, I think you all know him, and I'm Quincy, my abilities would be troublesome even for Soul Reaper, right?"
With a confident smile, Uryū adjusted his glasses. "We can help you find Aizen, and in return, you must help us accomplish our task."
"You've come to rescue that little girl from the Kuchiki Clan, right?" Soi Fon, now realizing the gravity of the situation, said, "I can help you."
"Count me in," Tōshirō's eyes blazed with fury, for he was now certain who had done this to Momo Hinamori —it had to be Aizen. "My current identity makes things much easier; my mere presence will draw all eyes away."
Yoruichi watched as the two groups reached an amicable agreement, then waved her hand, "Come with me, I'll take you to find Ichigo Kurosaki."
The group returned directly to the tunnel, and then in a very inconspicuous spot, Yoruichi seemingly casually stomped her feet a few times, revealing another Secret Passage. The group filed in.
This Secret Passage was very simple, with only one path, but it was extremely long. As the group walked, they discovered that the Secret Passage went upwards, reaching a very high altitude. Just as they were wondering what was going on, Yoruichi pushed open the wall.
What appeared before them was a vast space, a completely hollowed-out mountainside, and within the Seireitei, there was only one place that might have been like this.
"Is this inside the Sōkyoku Hill!?" Soi Fon exclaimed in shock.
"Hmm~ Welcome to the Shihoin Family's secret training base. Please follow me."
Everyone gasped in astonishment. Why were the Four Great Noble Clans? It was because of these Secret Bases that could appear out of nowhere, or secret personnel, secret tactics, secret equipment—they had everything one could want.
Before anyone could even get a full look at the Training Ground, they saw two people locked in a fierce battle. One of them was the Shopkeeper, dressed casually but looking quite disheveled.
The other was a strange man wearing a black and red bone Horned Mask, until that electronic roar appeared.
"Crescent Moon!! Sky Slash~!"
The enormous black crescent moon pressed down on the Shopkeeper, sending him flying into the distance. However, the Getsuga Tenshō itself grew smaller and smaller. On the other side, Ichigo Kurosaki tore off his Hollowfication Mask, panting heavily.
The Shopkeeper flew back from a distance, "You've improved, four minutes and seventeen seconds!"
"Whew~ only two seconds more?"
"You need to understand that you're getting more and more tired each time, so you can't look at it that way. Of course, it can't be considered a very long time either, maybe an extension of five or six seconds."
"Huff... huff..." Ichigo Kurosaki gasped for breath, "Again!"
"Please spare me, stop for a second, someone's coming."