The Fox's Plan

Aizen's Room

When Gin pushed open the door, Aizen was sitting behind his desk, an open book in front of him. His fingers rested on the edge of the pages as he turned a page without looking up. The candlelight burned quietly in the lampshade, casting his motionless shadow on the wall behind him.

"How's the mission that caused the chaos progressing?"

Yin stood in front of the table, his hands tucked into his sleeves, a familiar smile playing on his lips.

"Everything went smoothly. I encountered the Ryoka's group at the Hakutōmon yesterday and repelled them. Judging from their Reiatsu, their strength is quite impressive."

Aizen's finger paused on the page. "Oh? Tell me more."

"Ichigo Kurosaki —that orange-haired Substitute Soul Reaper. His Reiatsu is immense. He regained his Soul Reaper powers in such a short time and even Shikai his Zanpakuto. In terms of Reiatsu alone, he can easily overpower several Lieutenants."

Yin paused, "And that Quincy was with him, although his Reiatsu was much lower than his, I could vaguely sense a threat from him."

"Your feeling is correct, Gin. That Quincy is Pure-Blood Quincy has obtained almost the complete inheritance."

Aizen the book, his fingers interlaced on the table. "Judging from the weapon he's equipped with, he's very likely already mastered the Quincy's final form."

"Final battle form?"

"That's an ultimate method that burns through all potential to achieve victory. Although it's tricky, unlike Soul Reaper's Bankai, it's a technique that can almost only be used once in a lifetime. As long as we force him to use it ahead of time, there won't be any problems."

Silver's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Captain Aizen actually knows a lot about Quincy? He's quite knowledgeable."

Aizen didn't respond to that. He raised his eyes, his gaze behind his glasses calm as still water. "As for Ichigo Kurosaki, it's only natural that he was able to regain his powers in such a short time."

Yin was somewhat puzzled.

Aizen pushed the books on the table aside, took out a thin file from the drawer, and opened it.

"Do you remember White? The Hollow I created using a large number of Soul Reaper souls." Aizen showed Gin the first photo in the file; it was White.

"Oh, I remember it. After I threw it into reality, I never paid it any attention again. I don't even know when or who destroyed it."

"It was defeated by the former captain of the Tenth Division, Isshin Shiba, and the Pure-Blood Quincy, Masaki Kurosaki." Then, two photos were presented to Gin, showing Isshin Shiba and Masaki Kurosaki.

"Kurosaki? Could it be...?"

"That's right, Masaki Kurosaki is Ichigo Kurosaki's mother, and Isshin Shiba —no, he should be called Isshin Kurosaki now—is Ichigo Kurosaki's father."

"So that means Ichigo Kurosaki is a hybrid of Soul Reaper and Pure-Blood Quincy, so he inherently possesses the powers of Soul Reaper?"

"To be precise, Ichigo Kurosaki has three bloodlines flowing through his veins— Soul Reaper, Quincy, and Hollow."

"Empty?"

"That's right, White's power somehow flowed into Masaki Kurosaki's body, which caused Isshin Kurosaki to need to stay in the real world. And now, this Hollow power has been transferred into Ichigo Kurosaki's body."

The simultaneous existence of these three powers within a single individual is perhaps unique in the history of the world. His physical body is actually the closest thing to Soul King in this era. What he has shown now is merely the Ikkaku the iceberg of his abilities.

"The Soul King," Gin repeated the word. "Such a troublesome being, why did Captain Aizen keep him alive until now? Wouldn't letting him grow stronger just be asking for trouble?"

Aizen shifted his gaze from the files to the candlelight, as if looking into the distance. His voice was low, as if he were talking to himself. "If one truly wants to sit on the Throne in the sky, one must possess a wedge of one's own to stabilize the three realms."

The birth of Ichigo Kurosaki has saved me a lot of trouble; keeping him around is a risk I have to bear to secure my Throne."

Aizen withdrew his gaze, closed the file again, and put it in the drawer.

He looked up at Gin, a faint smile playing on his lips. It was a smile so gentle it was like a spring breeze, a stark contrast to his earlier discussion of Ichigo Kurosaki's constitution.

"Speaking of which, Gin, have you finished saying goodbye to Amber? I thoughtfully gave you the whole night."

"Of course." Silver grinned.

Aizen's smile remained unchanged. "You also need to be mentally prepared—after all, the next time you see Amber, it will truly be a matter of taking her life. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can do it for you."

Gin's smile remained unchanged. His eyes narrowed into tiny slits, meeting Aizen's gaze at the same level. "Compared to Captain Aizen, whom I've never even met, I'm more suitable to do this."

Aizen looked at him, remaining silent for a moment. Then his smile deepened. "That's true."

The conversation ended peacefully as the two exchanged smiles.

Silver left the room and walked down the corridor, reminiscing about the previous night...

When Hu pushed open the dormitory door, the room was pitch black.

Gin Ichimaru sat leaning against the balcony door frame, one leg bent and his wrist resting on his knee. He held a bottle of bamboo sake, a specialty of Bamboo Creek Plain, and drank it by himself while gazing at the moon. The moonlight made his silver hair shine, and the Gin Hanabi pendant on his bracelet dangled down, swaying gently on his knee.

"Brother Yin?"

Yin turned her head and shook the bottle towards Hu. The bamboo wine made a clear, crisp sound inside. "Little Hu, how was your day?"

Hu walked over and sat down opposite him. Yin handed him another unopened bottle of bamboo wine, which Hu took and unscrewed the cap. The aroma of the wine wafted from the bottle, cool and refreshing, carrying the scent of bamboo leaves.

The two sat there in the moonlight, drinking. At first, they chatted casually about random things, but as they talked, the conversation drifted back to the past.

"Do you remember back in Bamboo Creek Plains?" Gin took a sip of his drink. "You fought that otter-shaped Hollow all by yourself at night. You didn't even bring Jiku'a with you. You sent someone to ask the stationed Soul Reaper for help—and one of them turned out to be me in disguise."

"How could I not remember?" Hu laughed.

"It was really interesting to watch you fight that phantom for so long with the newly formed Phantom Blade."

"Well, Brother Yin, you were just watching from the sidelines back then?"

"Yeah, but you really don't know what you're missing until you see it." Yin leaned against the balcony door frame, looking up at the moon.

"Later, we bumped into each other at Bamboo Creek Plain, and I told you about my own experiences and gave you some advice. At that time, you still thought I was just an ordinary Soul Reaper stationed there, and you called me 'Persimmon Bro'."

"That's the pseudonym that Brother Yin uses. Back then, I really thought you were just a busybody, resident Grim Soul Reaper," Hu said.

"I was feeling down by the river because of Shaoling, and you came over and said something like, liking someone isn't a business deal, why does it have to be reciprocated? I knew then that you had a story."

"Back then, you were still in the middle of arguing with Captain Soi Fon, squatting by the river in a daze." Gin turned to look at him. "You looked rather pitiful, so I just went over to say a few words to you. After that, we fought those Parasitic Hollows together in the bamboo forest, do you remember?"

"Of course I remember. You told me that the Parasitic Hollows were hard to find, but I took care of them with a single strike."

"That's because your Zanpakuto's power is too outrageous~" Gin took a sip and continued, "Later, during the final battle, I rushed back to the Clan Head mansion, only to find you single-handedly cutting down Hongming's Completed Form units one by one inside the Clan Head. After that, it was time for the Bamboo Creek Plain."

"Back then, we were so grateful to Brother Yin; otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do."

"Later, it was just drinking at liquor stalls and..."

"This is my first time at Qinghui Clothing Shop," Yin interjected. "You invited me here, and I even ran into Rangiku, who had a smug look on her face. I knew what you were up to right then and there; your matchmaking methods are so childish."

"It's very effective." Hu laughed. "You're all wearing those bracelets now. They were my perfect assist—but those bracelets are Keiko's masterpiece. You guys have a really good eye for things."

The two men bumped the bottles together. The liquid inside sloshed and made a low thud.

"Now you've even mastered Bankai. Heaven's Punishment Jiku'a." Gin held up the sake bottle and twirled it in the moonlight. "By the way, what exactly is your Zanpakuto's ability? How can it even sever human nature?"

"That's about right..." Amber raised her hand and gestured in the moonlight, "All Zanpakuto are manifestations of the soul of Soul Reaper, each with its own characteristics. The core of Jiku'a is separation—the ability to separate a target, whether it is a thing, an individual, a phenomenon, or a concept."

As long as it's a target I've identified, I can separate from it. The difference lies in how clearly I understand the target; the easier the separation is. If I only have a superficial understanding of the target, the Reiatsu consumption will be much greater; if I have no understanding at all, then I'll have to rely entirely on my Reiatsu to fill the gap.

As for Mōcāng ..." He paused, looking down at the wine bottle in his hand, the wine shimmering slightly in the moonlight:

"That separation wasn't driven by my will. It was something Jiku'a did herself when my soul was in chaos—to protect me, it cut out the dark part of me and locked it in Demon Cocoon. That kind of separation can't be done casually; it can only happen within a very short window when the soul is not yet stable and consciousness is not yet formed. It wasn't that I willingly endured the darkness; Jiku'a made the choice for me."

Yin looked into Hu's eyes. "If it's an object composed of multiple substances, is it possible to completely separate one part of it?"

"If the mixing is visible to the naked eye, it should be possible," Hu thought for a moment. "Or, if I understand the state before the fusion well enough, I can separate them. Why are you asking this?"

Yin did not answer. He lowered his head and looked at the persimmon-colored bracelet on his wrist. The pendant of Yin Hanabi hung quietly on the side of his wrist. The moonlight leaked in from outside the window lattice and fell on the invisible "" character on the back of the pendant. His thumb gently stroked the knot of the bracelet, and the persimmon-colored rope glowed with a warm matte light under the moonlight.

The goal is to retrieve the portion of Aizen's soul that he stole from Rangiku. Given enough time, and for Koko to understand the structure of the Hōgyoku, he will have a chance to return the missing part to her. Until then, Koko absolutely cannot die.

He raised his head and looked at Hu. His eyes, which had been half-closed, slowly opened, and the moonlight fell into his pupils without obstruction.

"Little Tiger, do you remember what I said before? That 'what if' might hurt you in the future. That 'what if' might soon become a reality. This time, I won't hold back. If you feel you can't beat me, or can't bring yourself to do it—you'd better leave Soul Society now. At least wait a few days before you come back."

"I know," Hu said. "Brother Yin, you've always harbored a very important goal. That goal must be related to Sister Rangiku, right? If you insist on going, then go for it. If it requires hurting me, then go ahead."

Yin stared at him for a long time. "Even if I were to deal with you with the intention of killing you, would that be acceptable?"

"Even so, it's acceptable."

Silver's face darkened. "I won't hold back."

I wasn't just being polite.

"How can you be so composed?"

"Because I'm very strong," Hu said.

Yin smiled. "I'm strong too."

"Let's see how things go on the battlefield."

"Xiao Hu, you've grown up." Yin's voice was very soft.

"Brother Yin, you can't stop here," Hu said.

The two finished their drinks and placed the bottle on the tatami mat. Gin stood up from the balcony door frame and dusted off his clothes.

"I'm leaving." He turned his back to Hu and waved the bottle of liquor in his hand towards the door. "I'm taking this bottle with me."

"Um."

After the door was closed, moonlight once again filled the entire dormitory room.

The moonlight in the corridor was cold.

Yin leaned against the pillar, replaying his conversation with Amber from the first sentence to the last. He raised his left hand, looking at the persimmon-colored bracelet on his wrist. The Gin Hanabi pendant hung quietly against his pulse.

His right thumb gently stroked the extremely fine "" on the back of the pendant. Someone told him during the day yesterday that the thing in Rukia's body was what Aizen wanted, and Aizen wanted to use the temperature of his hands to melt Rukia's entire body and extract it from the residue. Just listening to the description, he could imagine how painful it would be.

Since Koko wants to protect Rukia, Aizen wants to get that thing, then we absolutely cannot let Aizen follow this plan.

First, Aizen needs to make him feel that his plan to execute Rukia is unstable.

Secondly, when Aizen is agitated, offer him a more "convenient" solution. This solution can extract what he wants without harming Rukia, thus making him abandon the method of extracting the Sōkyoku.

Then—the execution was completely disrupted. Aizen realized he couldn't use Sōkyoku and resorted to the alternative solution provided by Gin. He then helped Gin at the last moment, allowing him to retrieve the target. The moment the target was retrieved marked the beginning of the journey.

He straightened up from the pillar in the corridor and put the persimmon-colored bracelet back on. He strode towards the Seireitei.