Planning in the Command Tent, Winning a Thousand Miles Away

Yamamoto Genryūsai was an old samurai, and his thoughts were merely those of a samurai. The rules of Soul Society he created were also the rules of a samurai, nothing more.

The rights and freedoms of Soul Reaper may seem small, but they are actually quite great, especially in the current chaotic situation. The fragmented structure of Soul Society has created an awkward fact: Old Man Yamamoto has very few genuine supporters.

Did he know there was a problem with his Soul Society? He did, but he couldn't change it. The problems in Soul Society weren't caused by him alone; he was actually just a CEO, and the real power behind the scenes lay with the board of directors comprised of nobles.

The problem now is that some board members, like Ukitake and Kyōraku, want to transform the company. They don't entirely agree with Jun's ideas, but they also disagree with the current Soul Society and the chaos it's in.

But the two, who respected their teacher, could only endure it. They had neither the reason nor the means to oppose Old Man Yamamoto. This was why Jun, who had been in Soul Society for hundreds of years, never discussed his grand plans with them; they could never become like-minded.

At this time, the two of them were having a small gathering at Ukitake's house. Kyoryu took a sip of wine and sighed, his whole aura becoming even more decadent.

Drinking alcohol when you're feeling down is bad for your health.

"Not drinking will break your heart"

Ukitake stopped trying to persuade her and instead said, "The three of them running away is for your own good."

"But at least let me know where they are, right?"

"Haha, don't worry, you don't need to worry about Jing's strength. Besides, aren't the three of them wearing Hollowfication Masks?"

Kyōraku's glass was held for a few seconds before he finally stopped drinking. "Ukitake, shouldn't we both consider this too?"

"I don't know, my health isn't very good, you don't have that concern."

"Tsk~", Kyōraku clicked his tongue, "I really admire my master, but unfortunately, I'm not strong enough."

"Actually, there's one point I agree with Jun on: Master's methods of educating people aren't very good. Soul Society does have some serious problems. You don't know until you compare; once you make a comparison, the differences become apparent."

Kyōraku nodded in agreement, "I know Kuruyashiki's strength very well. He's a tiny bit stronger than me, but I think I'll surpass him sooner or later. But I can't say it now. I don't have the ability to face Aizen. Sigh~"

Ukitake didn't sigh. He said seriously, "I only disagree with Jun on one point: why did Jun create the Arrancar? Hollows are just Hollows."

"Is that your view?"

"Yes, that's the only thing I disagree with about his choice."

"But the Arrancars are really powerful. That Espada, Grimmjow, the five of us were completely helpless against him. Ha~ And this is only the second one. Just what kind of monster is the first one?"

Speaking of Arrancars, Ukitake sighed, "Sigh~ Jun is really going to destroy Soul Society. He's not like Aizen at all."

Why are you suddenly missing Aizen?

Ukitake gave a wry smile, "It's just that you can't see the future clearly, aren't you the same?"

"Yeah, Mirai," Kyōraku said, taking another swig of his drink, "Speaking of which, your Vice-Captain's wanted by the authorities, aren't you going to do something about it?"

"We can't fight back; we're both in shackles this time, a weight that's incredibly heavy."

"Yeah, it's a bit too much for me."

Kaien Shiba's strength is definitely at the captain level, comparable to Big Dog. His noble lineage shouldn't be underestimated; however, he currently faces a very serious problem.

That is, he's not a speed-type talent. Although the Shiba Clan inherited good Spiritual Flow, Kaien is more suited to head-on Shunpo properly. He was heavily influenced by his father and didn't particularly like Yoruichi young age.

The most terrifying thing is a habit formed in childhood, because it's imperceptible, and coupled with his exceptional talent, even if he takes the wrong path, his strength remains formidable.

A more striking example is Ichigo Kurosaki. Despite his reckless fighting style, he still manages to win. Talent breeds arrogance, and Kaien Shiba is now suffering the consequences, especially since he also has to protect his wife and their two-month-old child.

The baby is only two months old, so it's not advisable to engage in strenuous exercise. Besides, Shiba Miyako recently given birth; in Soul Society, pregnant women give birth to the very essence of souls, and their strength is significantly diminished after childbirth, requiring a long period of rest to regain their original power.

So when Kaien Shiba faced a pursuit team of over thirty people, he was genuinely furious. Moreover, being a rather merciful person, he was still thinking of holding back despite his weakened state. Kaien still hadn't quite grasped the situation.

"Don't push your luck! If you continue, I really won't be polite!" He pointed his Trident horizontally, the Mizunami him, his wife, and children. The trident's power was quite impressive.

"Kaien Shiba! Lay down your weapons now, and we promise not to make things difficult for you, as long as you hand over the evidence of your family's collusion with Jun Shimizu!"

"Evidence!? What nonsense are you spouting!? When did we collude with Jun Shimizu!?"

"Your sister and brother are Shimizu your disciples, what's the point of saying all this? Stop making excuses! Hand over the stuff now!"

Kaien Shiba was completely dumbfounded. Fine, they were colluding, but where did this collusion evidence come from? Who signs a contract when they're colluding? What kind of idiotic request is this?

But before Kaien Shiba could even think about it, the other side gave him the answer, "Kaien Shiba, Jun Shimizu will give him the Zanpakuto or Kidō that everyone he values. Just hand them over! The Captain-Commander will treat you leniently!"

Kaien Shiba was speechless. He knew that Jun had given Kūkaku and Ganju Zanpakuto, but he really hadn't. He had Shikai his own Nejibana without anyone's help. What had Jun ever given him?

However, having witnessed the battle in Karakura Town, he also understood that Soul Society, seeing Soi Fon's two characters achieve liberation, assumed Jun had given all the help he favored, but this was a lie. However, Kaien didn't bother explaining; it was pointless.

Moreover, these words made Kaien Shiba understand their meaning. Now, he had no way to escape, and he had nothing to offer yet they thought he was innocent. If he were caught, his family of three would definitely suffer.

After performing a flourish with his spear, Kaien Shiba's Reiatsu surged. He was still merciful, unwilling to truly unleash his release on his former comrade. But at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared from afar, spoke something to those surrounding him, and the group retreated.

Kaien Shiba was completely bewildered, but since everyone had run away, he figured he should hurry and hide with his wife and children; he could deal with everything else later.

In this upheaval, one team was torn apart from the very beginning, but those who remained remained exceptionally calm. This team was the Sixth Division, the Noble Exclusive Squad.

Byakuya Kuchiki was practicing calligraphy. Since he was under intense suspicion and surveillance and had nothing else to do, he figured he might as well do something he enjoyed. Besides, calligraphy could calm the mind and focus the spirit, making it a pleasant pastime in this environment.

"Captain!! Something terrible has happened!"

The shout startled Byakuya, causing him to lose control of his writing and ruin the entire piece. Byakuya shook his head, realizing he still lacked composure and mental fortitude.

The head shake startled the kid who had just barged in. "Sorry, Captain!"

"It's not your fault," Byakuya, rolling up the entire sheet of paper and tearing it in half. He couldn't keep something ruined and embarrass himself. "So, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Captain! It's said that the Second Division's group was at the Shiba Clan —not the Thirteenth Division's Vice-Captain's house—when they were chasing the Shiba siblings in Rukongai. They discovered a secret door in their house, found a secret room, and inside were all the secrets that Jun Shimizu had left for the Shiba!"

Byakuya paused for a few seconds while tearing the paper, then continued tearing, nodding, "I understand. Did you find out what secrets they are?"

"I don't know about that."

"Then let's go out. Tell everyone in the squad not to worry about too much. No matter how chaotic things are outside, they won't affect the Sixth Division."

"Yes!"

Byakuya threw the torn paper into the trash can, laid out a new sheet, picked up his brush to draw ink, and then lifted it up directly without pressing it lightly on the inkstone. This caused the ink to splatter, staining several patches of the paper.

This was an immediate failure. Byakuya frowned, put down his pen, and sighed, "Sigh~ It's still not enough. I can't even keep my composure over something so small. Phew~"

"The secret found at the Shiba Clan? It seems Shimizu-san didn't just leave one copy for the Kuchiki Clan, but a second one."

"However, the Shiba Clan siblings were also Shimizu-san's disciples, so it's not surprising that they left this behind. But there are some things... could this be part of his plan?"

Byakuya thought about it more and more and more likely, because his decision not to Rukia Byakuya to Soul Society after the battle in Karakura Town was made a long time ago. It was Hisana stated when Hisa woke up that if Rukia and Ichigo fell in love after the battle with Aizen, Rukia should not be allowed to return to Soul Society.

In other words, Jun had already been certain of the current state of Soul Society for ten months or even longer. The more Byakuya thought about it, the calmer and more composed he became.

The biggest difference between the Byakuya of today and the Byakuya of the original work lies in this composure. He has a father, a mother, aunt lover, and his uncle are also powerful and hold high positions. Moreover, the people in charge of the villains are all his elders. In his generation, he is the only one.

In other words, the Kuchiki Clan was inherently invincible, and he knew that Jun valued him highly, something Aozumi and Kōga had told him before. Furthermore, Hisana's illness was cured, for which Byakuya was incredibly grateful to Jun, which also showed how good Jun was to him; otherwise, why would he have gone to the trouble of curing his lover's illness?

Byakuya believed that Jun's kindness towards him stemmed entirely from Jun's friendship with his father, Sōjun, and since Byakuya had always treated Jun as an uncle, he wasn't worried at all.

So Byakuya laid out a new sheet of paper, picked up his brush, drew ink, moistened the brush tip, and with his mind, intention, and body united, wrote four large characters.

Strategic planning and masterful command!