Nambu Nobuyasu was just the beginning. Those thirty-odd Soul Reaper weren't all from the Fifth Division; only half a month passed after their deaths.
High Reiatsu suddenly erupted from the Eighth Division. The Eighth Division was right next to the Tenth Division. Junichi appeared above the Eighth Division and saw a group of Soul Reaper surrounded.
"A betrayal?" Jun couldn't intervene; this was a matter for the Eighth Division, and besides, Jun saw Shunsui Kyōraku walking out of the office.
Kyōraku also saw Jun, nodded in greeting, and Jun went back inside. With Kyōraku present, nothing else could go wrong.
After a brief commotion, the noise subsided, and the rebellion of the Eighth Division ended after about ten minutes. Of the thirteen traitors, seven were killed, and the rest were sent to the Ninth Division. The Eighth Division also lost seven ordinary members, bringing the total number of deaths to twenty.
I initially thought this whole thing was pretty far removed from my own experience. Of all the instigators within the Central 46, the first to be involved were probably three noble captains: the 5th, 8th, and 13th. While the Twelfth Division's captain, Kisuke Urahara, was also of noble birth, could the Twelfth Division possibly even start a fight? Right?
However, they didn't follow Jun's plan. The next day, they slapped Junichi in the face; someone from the Tenth Division had betrayed them.
"Stop!" Jun rushed out the moment he sensed the battle, then his Reiatsu stopped the fight, and then he tied each of them up with Hainawa.
What's going on?
"The Fifth Seat Shimizu! They've betrayed us! Duoji came straight to me trying to kill me!"
Chun looked at the man named Duoji, who was the 137th seat and had been in the squad for seven years. Because no one had died in the two Expeditions, the squads now had a large number of members, and the combat squads had more than two hundred members each.
"Can anyone prove this?"
"Hey~ I can vouch for you, it was Duoji who struck first."
"Okay, watch," Chun untied the Bakudō binding the attacked man, then had the others watch over Duoji. Soon after, two more traitors were identified, and the three were arrested.
These three were far from the end. The Tenth Division soon received the people and badges returned by other divisions, and the traitorous members of the Tenth Division even went to attack members of other divisions.
In the end, Jūshirō people were sent back, along with seven waist tokens. Combined with the three previously captured, this brought the total number of traitors to twenty-four.
Isshin was also there; they were on their day off today. Chun was the first one to arrive, so she took the lead in handling the matter.
Why did you betray us?
"Fifth Seat Shimizu! Why are you stopping us? Our actions are righteous! Don't you, a hero of Soul Society, understand us!?"
"Justice? Is attacking and slaughtering one's comrades just?"
"Those trash who serve the nobles aren't our comrades! Is that so!? Is that so!? Jun Shimizu! You bastard, are you also trash who serves the nobles? A hero of Soul Society!? You're just a lackey of the nobles! That's right! One hundred and fifty years ago, it was you who stopped the great nobles from disappearing! You are a sinner of Soul Society!!"
"Jun~", Isshin really care about Jun.
"It's nothing," Chun waved his hand dismissively, then curiously approached the mad dog-like fellow and asked, "This is really interesting. News of something that happened fifty years ago has been blocked, something a member of your rank couldn't possibly know. How did you know that event could overthrow a great noble family? This is truly fascinating! Who told you?!"
The man then realized he had misspoke, but Jun persisted, "Speak! If you don't, it's fine, you won't die. You'll be sent to the Second Division. The torture at the Stealth Force is really fun, you know. There are unstable elements behind you. I'm curious, who are they?"
"There's nobody here! Jun Shimizu, you bastard! *;...;*%@"
This person began to hurl insults at Jun, but Jun remained unperturbed and said to Isshin, "Transfer him to the Second Division."
"How can we let outsiders know about the team's shameful deeds? Just kill them!"
At that moment, Vice-Captain Takagi stepped forward and was about to chop the madman in half with his sword when Jun blocked the blow.
"Vice-Captain Takagi, this is a key suspect. Someone is trying to destabilize Soul Society. Can we just let this go? Which is more important, the stability of Soul Society or the reputation of the Tenth Division?"
"Is that so?" Captain Takagi scoffed. "Shimizu, you're a hero of Soul Society, huh? I'm just a 300-year-old member of the Tenth Division. I can't compare to you. My resolve isn't high enough. Sorry."
He's selling his seniority; no one here, regardless of seniority, can compare to this Vice-Captain Takagi. Good grief, what can he say?
"No, no, no, it's my fault, I'll take care of it."
As he spoke, Chun slashed the guy who was still cursing and swearing with a single blow.
"Alright, do you have anything else to say?"
"Down with Shiba!!"
Down with the nobles!!
"Jun Shimizu! You'll die a horrible death!!"
"Hand them over to the Ninth Division," Vice-Captain Takagi said.
Chun shook his head. "No need. Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public."
The moment the words left his lips, cold raindrops fell from the sky, then transformed into sharp blades, slicing open the captive's throat. The lingering curses vanished instantly. Jun made a sheathing motion, and a blade suddenly appeared in Jun's hand, sheathing his sword and ending his Shikai.
Vice-Captain Takagi was dumbfounded, and simply said...
"Don't wash your dirty linen in public."
However, this was not the end. A mutiny also broke out in Jūshirō Ukitake's Thirteenth Division, resulting in the deaths of thirty-five men.
By the way, the Tenth Division didn't just execute the dozen or so traitors. Those traitors also killed twenty-three Soul Reaper within the division, as well as seven members from other divisions. This Tenth Division mutiny resulted in the largest death toll, with a total of fifty-four people killed.
The Fifth Division, Eighth Division, Tenth Division, and Thirteenth Divisions suffered four major betrayals, resulting in the deaths of 153 people.
One hundred and fifty-three lives lost just like that! Impressive, impressive! Central 46, you're something else!
But that's not all. Someone from the Twelfth Division betrayed us! Can you believe it? It's true. Although it was only four people, and they were all killed by Kisuke Urahara in an instant, the Twelfth Division was a bunch of researchers! How could they possibly betray us?!
It's so painful, Ma Fei spit Isshin!
Isshin to go out drinking with Jun, Isshin owed Jun several favors for this. Although Jun's actions were right, Jun lost a lot of face in the Tenth Division, essentially taking on the crisis that was originally aimed at Isshin.
Isshin was only right that Yixin drank with him; Chun was just being a scapegoat for him. The Red Flower Double Sticks are only this good.
This incident ends here.
However, this incident marked the beginning of Kyōraku's transformation from a responsible and ambitious young man into a greasy, middle-aged man who indulged in all sorts of vices.
The gathering that was originally promised to Jūshirō Ukitake finally took place after all these things were done. Jun brought Isuzu, Jūshirō Ukitake, Shunsui Kyōraku Kyoraku, and Shiori with her younger sister Nanao Ise, and Lisa Yadōmaru.
This was a family gathering. Lisa Yadōmaru was Jing's adjutant, and the two were like sisters. Jing often brought Lisa Yadōmaru to Jun's house for visits, as if Jun had gained another younger sister. Yes, another, because the infant Nanao was also Jun's younger sister.
Then there's the Ukitake Family with a bunch of kids. Jūshirō Ukitake has eight siblings in his generation; Jushiro is the eldest, and the Jūshirō's Old Eight are still unknown. The youngest, the Old Seven, has just learned to walk.
The Ukitake Family wasn't a large clan, but Jūshirō's parents were definitely remarkable individuals who ensured the Ukitake Family's prosperity and success.
Jūshirō's several adult siblings all attended and completed their studies at the Shin'ō Academy, but none of them joined any of the squads, seemingly to avoid suspicion. In any case, the Ukitake Family rules are quite strict.
Jun had a good relationship with all her siblings in the Ukitake Family. In terms of age, Jun was only one year older than her fourth sister, really only one year.
Isuzu and Ukitake's fourth sister have a good relationship. Jun's favorite thing to do is drink with Ukitake's second brother. When Shunsui is with Jūshirō is the only one who drinks, but he can only drink three cups at most, and then Kyōraku will come out to find someone else to drink with.
But this time was different. Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake finished a bottle together, and then Kyōraku ran out to drink with others, drinking more and more recklessly, and no one could stop him. In the end, it's hard to imagine that a Captain-level Soul Reaper would have to be carried back by Kyōraku after drinking so much.
"Pure"
"Brother Shunsui, you're awake?"
Haha, I'm not drunk.
"It's not the wine that intoxicates, it's the person who gets drunk."
"That's right, can you clearly see what the Soul Society looks like now?"
"What you look like is none of your business; the Captain-Commander will ensure your safety."
"Hahaha, good, well said, safe and sound, hahaha, you can go now, I'm fine."
Go to bed early, there's a long road ahead.
"Haha, I asked you to call me 'brother,' but you're not even as perceptive as I am, hehe."
"It's not that we can't see clearly, it's just that we're standing in different places. Brother Shunsui, you have too many things to consider—family, retainers—though they're gone, let's not talk about it, I don't understand these things."
"Haha, okay, I'm going to sleep now."
"Okay, goodnight."
Upon leaving the Kyōraku Clan, Jun knew that the Shunsui Kyōraku of the past was gone, but the Shunsui Kyōraku from the original work was about to arrive.
He acts like he's never woken up properly, doesn't work, and spends all his time drinking with people. He'll get involved in any fights he sees. The Eighth Division initially only wanted girls; they only started hiring men when there were absolutely no girls available.
Wearing a floral jacket over the captain's cloak is disrespectful; the captain's cloak is a symbol of status, so what's the point of the floral jacket?
Actually, Kyōraku was like this when he was young, but he changed himself for the sake of Soul Society and for certain things, and now he has changed back for the same reason.
I don't know what to say, but maybe this is for the best.
Jun later learned from Jōguchi that Kyōraku had discovered the mastermind behind the Eighth Division's rebellion— the Sixth Seat of the Eighth Division, a member of the Central 46. Kyōraku was furious but couldn't touch him, and there was no overt evidence to prove his innocence.
Pitiful, weak, and powerless
The members of the Eighth Division are all Kyōraku's family. Kyōraku loves crowds and lively atmospheres. He loves his division the most and has guided each member, yet his team has become a casualty of conflict.
A perfectly healthy family member died so meaninglessly. His good intentions, his guidance, and his care for the team members were ultimately distorted into a form of currying favor, a fear of being overthrown, and an attempt to ingratiate himself with the team members.
Haha, why would Shunsui Kyōraku do this? Who is he? Yamamoto Genryūsai's prized disciple, the most outstanding graduate of the Shin'ō Academy, a nobleman, a veteran captain—why would he need to curry favor with his teammates? Hahaha, how interesting.
Kyōraku's intelligence goes without saying; he could see through the Central 46's methods and Yamamoto's thoughts. A few lives were insignificant; stability was the most important thing.
Kyōraku could accept this approach, but not sacrificing his people. But that was precisely the problem. People in the martial world are bound to get hurt sometimes. Why should Shunsui Kyōraku be considered superior? When it was time to sacrifice him, what did he offer in return?
Right? If that's the case, why take it so seriously? You want sacrifices, you want stability, you want those stupid kids to die in droves—fine! I'll give you the chance! From now on, I'll be as lazy as I want, I won't do anything, I don't care who you are, do whatever you want, I'm not putting up with this anymore.
As for positions, haha, who can move them? As long as Yamamoto Genryūsai is the Captain-Commander, Shunsui Kyōraku will be the Captain of the Eighth Division. Even if he's not in the Eighth Division, he'll be the captain of another division. He'll always be the captain, and no one can take him away!
Isn't it just being disgusting? Anyone can do that.
ps
Let's talk about the issue of Kyōraku's secondary interpretations; I haven't seen anyone mention it before.
In the original setting, Kyōraku was always portrayed as a lazy character. Kyōraku also has an older brother who is the father of Nanao Ise, Nanao is his niece.
However, the age set in the original setting doesn't fit into the secondary settings, so I have to criticize the original setting of '98 here.
In Kubo's original setting, it seems that the history of Soul Society wasn't stretched to several thousand years in the early stages. His captains were all set to be around four or five hundred years old, such as Kyōraku and Ukitake, while Kenpachi was less than three hundred years old.
However, after the Thousand-Year War occurred, this age group suddenly collapsed, along with the Shin'ō Academy. According to the original setting, the Shin'ō Academy was established less than five hundred years before the start of the story.
There was a five-hundred-year gap between this and the First Thousand-Year War, and this gap was very serious.
Actually, these age settings don't just apply to Kyōraku and Ukitake, but also to the Shihoin Family. Yoruichi has a younger brother Yushiro Shihōin, which is a secondary setting that must be discarded.
The character Kuchiki Ginrei is probably only six hundred years old at most.
In short, many of the ages in the original setting differ significantly from those in the Thousand-Year War, and this difference cannot be explained.
Then there's the most ridiculous and biggest plot hole in the original lore: the Soul Reaper's age. In the original lore, Soul Reaper's lifespan is very difficult to extend. In the Bount arc of the original manga, Aijima claims he's lived so long through underhanded means.
There's also the issue of the age of the older generation, such as Ginrei Kuchiki. Actually, according to the initial concept, Yamamoto age was less than 800 years old, but everything fell apart when the Thousand-Year War arc started.
Therefore, the saying "there are no Soul Reaper after Aizen" is not without reason. The emergence of the Thousand-Year War completely shattered the perfectly established setting, causing age, life and death, and the worldview to collapse entirely.
So if you accept my hypothetical scenario, please continue reading; if you can't, there's nothing I can do about it.