Intervening in the Fate of Kaien Shiba and His Wife (2)

Meanwhile, at the Thirteenth Division barracks.

Retsu Unohana walked down the corridor of the Thirteenth Division, and the surrounding soldiers bowed to her. She simply nodded slightly and walked straight toward the Captain's Office without pausing.

Pushing open the door, I saw Jūshirō Ukitake sitting at his desk reviewing documents. Seeing Retsu Unohana enter, he quickly stood up, a warm smile on his face, "Captain Unohana, what a rare guest! What brings you here?"

Retsu Unohana sat down opposite him, and without exchanging pleasantries, said directly, "Captain Ukitake, I've come here today to discuss some matters. But before that, please summon Lieutenant Kaien Shiba and the Third Seat Shiba Miyako."

Her tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable seriousness. "This matter can only be discussed with the three of you. Therefore, please ask them to come here."

Jūshirō Ukitake was taken aback. As the captain of the Thirteenth Division, he had seen all kinds of situations, but Retsu Unohana's serious attitude still made him feel a little unusual.

He didn't ask any further questions, simply nodding. "Okay, Captain Unohana. I'll call them over right away."

He took out a communication talisman and gave a few brief instructions.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

A tall man pushed open the door and entered. He was robust, handsome, and had short, fiery red hair that resembled burning flames. He exuded an aura of boldness and confidence, the temperament of a true warrior— the Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, Kaien Shiba.

Following behind him was a gentle and beautiful woman. She had smooth black hair, a gentle smile in her eyes, and exuded a tranquil and warm aura— the Third Seat, Shiba Miyako.

The two entered the Captain's Office and a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes when they saw Retsu Unohana, but they immediately bowed respectfully. "Captain Unohana."

Retsu Unohana nodded, gesturing for them to sit down.

Jūshirō Ukitake closed the door and sat down behind his desk. His gaze darted back and forth between Retsu Unohana and the Shiba couple, waiting for them to speak.

Retsu Unohana didn't keep them waiting long. Her voice was calm and clear, each word seemingly carefully considered. "Let me emphasize first, my upcoming conversation with you is top secret. So, you should know what to do."

Jūshirō Ukitake nodded solemnly. "Captain Unohana, please rest assured, we will not reveal any information."

Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako nodded at the same time, their faces serious.

Retsu Unohana took a deep breath and began to speak, "Okay. Sometime in the future, Shiba Miyako, the Third Seat, will lead a team on a mission. I don't know the specifics of the mission. However, they will encounter a Hollow named 'Metastacia'."

Her voice was calm, yet it made the hearts of the three people present leap into their throats. "That Hollow has a white outer shell from which many red tentacles extend. However, when you touch this Hollow, your Zanpakuto will disappear. These tentacles, and the red body hidden inside the white shell, are its true form."

Shiba Miyako's face paled slightly. She subconsciously tightened her grip on her husband's hand beside her.

Retsu Unohana continued, "It can instantly burst out of that white shell and burrow into the Soul Reaper's body. And that's why Shiba Miyako was controlled by this Hollow and killed his own teammates..."

"Etc!"

Kaien Shiba abruptly stood up, interrupting Retsu Unohana. His face was filled with shock and disbelief, and a flicker of fear flashed in his fiery eyes. "Captain Unohana, you mean... this is the future? Please..."

Jūshirō Ukitake also stood up and placed a hand on Kaien Shiba's shoulder. "Kaien, don't rush."

His voice was gentle yet firm, carrying a reassuring quality. "Let's wait for Captain Unohana to finish speaking. Now that Captain Unohana has brought this up, she'll surely explain the source of the information and how to respond in the future."

He turned to Retsu Unohana and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, Captain Unohana. Kaien acted impulsively because he was worried about his wife."

Retsu Unohana gently shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind. "Yes, I understand."

Her gaze fell on Kaien Shiba, her tone tinged with deep emotion. "When I first encountered these kinds of news about the future, my reaction was the same as yours. However, after witnessing several such events, the Captain-Commander and I had no choice but to believe that these things were true."

A hint of surprise flashed in Jūshirō Ukitake's eyes. "The Captain-Commander also knows about this?"

Retsu Unohana nodded, but then added, "The Captain-Commander doesn't know about this right now. Since it doesn't involve any major events in Soul Society, the Captain-Commander has authorized me to handle it freely."

She looked at the Shiba couple and said solemnly, "I've come here to save the lives of Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako. However, after this incident, you can no longer stay in Soul Society. You can return once the major incident is over."

Jūshirō Ukitake, Kaien Shiba, and Shiba Miyako fell silent upon hearing this.

The news was so shocking that they couldn't process it for a while.

Retsu Unohana didn't urge him; she simply waited quietly.

After a moment, Jūshirō Ukitake slowly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. "Captain Unohana, please continue to tell us."

Retsu Unohana nodded and continued, "Shiba Miyako was controlled by that Hollow and killed her own teammates—this is unverifiable; it's also possible that her teammates were controlled and killed her. But in the end, only she was left being controlled."

Her voice was calm, but it made Shiba Miyako's face turn even paler. "After her and her teammates' Reiatsu disappears, Kaien Shiba will take Rukia Kuchiki to investigate. Then, they will encounter the possessed Shiba Miyako and fight him."

Kaien Shiba clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

"At this moment, Captain Ukitake also arrived. However, during the battle, Rukia Kuchiki wanted to help, but Captain Ukitake stopped her, saying, 'This is Kaien Shiba's battle to protect his honor.'" Retsu Unohana paused, then continued, "Because they didn't know the Hollow's abilities, Kaien Shiba's Zanpakuto also disappeared. In the ensuing battle, he was also possessed by the Hollow."

Kaien Shiba's body trembled slightly.

"Afterwards, Captain Ukitake fought against it. However, because Captain Ukitake wanted to save Kaien Shiba, he hesitated to strike hard. In the end, due to a relapse of his old illness, the Hollow took advantage of the situation and pounced on Rukia Kuchiki."

Retsu Unohana's voice grew even lower. "In the midst of her panic, Rukia Kuchiki stabbed Kaien Shiba in the abdomen. At that moment, Kaien Shiba regained his senses and told Rukia Kuchiki that he had given her his human heart, so she wouldn't be sad..."

She sighed softly, "And then, she died tragically. That's the whole story."

A deathly silence fell over the Captain's Office.

Tears welled up in Shiba Miyako's eyes as she gripped her husband's hand tightly, as if letting go would mean losing him. Kaien Shiba's face was ashen, and his once fiery eyes were now filled with nothing but deep shock and rage.

Jūshirō Ukitake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As the captain of the Thirteenth Division, he had witnessed too much death and tragedy, but this story still deeply saddened him.

After a long while, Jūshirō Ukitake opened his eyes, looked at Retsu Unohana, and said in a hoarse voice, "Captain Unohana, you've told us about this, so... what should we do?"

Retsu Unohana's answer was concise and direct, "Actually, this whole thing was orchestrated by the mastermind behind Kisuke Urahara Hollowfication Experiment. That Hollow was his test subject."

Jūshirō Ukitake's pupils contracted sharply. "So... the real mastermind behind that incident wasn't Kisuke Urahara? Then... who was he?"

Retsu Unohana gently shook her head. "The Captain-Commander and I are aware of this. However, given the significant consequences this will have, we have no choice but to let it develop unchecked. Otherwise, not only the Soul Society, but Three Worlds may face destruction."

Jūshirō Ukitake exclaimed in surprise, "How is this possible?!"

His voice was filled with disbelief and shock. As the captain of Soul Society, he knew better than anyone what "the destruction of the Three Worlds" meant.

Retsu Unohana looked at him, a hint of something deeper in her eyes. "You have that thing on you, you should know that."

Jūshirō Ukitake's body trembled slightly. His hand unconsciously pressed against his chest—there, hidden was a secret he had never told anyone.

Retsu Unohana continued, "That's all I can tell you about this matter. Someone will explain things to you once this is over. So there's no need to panic now; just observe and see how things unfold."

Jūshirō Ukitake was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Retsu Unohana took the two Talisman from her bosom and placed them on the table.

The Talisman emitted a faint golden light, and the complex Kidō Runes flowed slowly within the light, as if they possessed life.

"Take these," Retsu Unohana said, looking at Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako. "One for each of you, keep them close to your body."

She paused, then explained, "The maker of this Talisman said that if you really die in battle, as long as you have this Talisman, he has a way to bring you back to life."

Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako exchanged a glance, a glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes.

Retsu Unohana continued, "However, even if you manage to survive this, you'll likely still be targeted by the mastermind. After all, you survived by killing his test subjects, so you probably have data on them. He might find an opportunity to experiment on you."

Her tone turned serious. "So, he hopes you can use this opportunity to fake your deaths and escape."

Kaien Shiba frowned. "Fake death to escape?"

Retsu Unohana nodded. "Yes. Also, he said you could replace your subordinates with some troublemakers or noble children. Just... use this as a pretext to clean up the Seireitei."

After she finished speaking, she handed the Talisman in her hand to Kaien Shiba and Shiba Miyako.