Revealing Part of the Truth (1)

When all eyes turned to her, Masaki Kurosaki felt her face burning, as if a fire were burning inside.

She sat up with a silly grin, scratching her head with her hand. The movement was both cute and a little awkward, completely unlike the composure she had when she was "pretending to be asleep." She didn't dare to look at anyone, just kept her head down, letting the blush spread across her cheeks.

Looking at her like this, Liu Ziyun's lips curled into a mischievous smile. The smile was mocking, playful, and carried a smug "I see through everything" air. He deliberately dragged out his words, using a tone that made everyone want to punch him. "Sigh... what a wonderful girl. Captain Shiba got lucky."

This sentence, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a thousand ripples.

Masaki Kurosaki's face flushed red at a visible speed, the red spreading from her cheeks all the way down to her neck, even her ears turning bright red. She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Isshin Shiba was also stunned, then his face flushed red. He glared at Liu Ziyun with shame and anger, his voice tinged with panic and rage. "You... what nonsense are you talking about?!"

Liu Ziyun him a look that seemed to say, "You've got a good deal but you're still acting innocent." His eyes held a mischievous glint, a hint of "Keep pretending, I see right through you." He deliberately tilted his head and said in a smug tone, "Oh? I'm talking nonsense?"

He turned to Masaki Kurosaki, his tone tinged with pity and sympathy. "Ms. Masaki, it seems your sincerity has been wasted."

Masaki Kurosaki blushed, completely at a loss for words. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she had no idea what to say. She could only lower her head, letting the blush spread across her face, a strange feeling welling up inside her. This man, why was he so annoying? Yet, she couldn't bring herself to dislike him?

Isshin Shiba panicked even more, gesturing wildly and shouting urgently, "Don't talk nonsense! That's not what I meant!"

Liu Ziyun ignored him and turned to Kaien Shiba, suddenly asking, "What does your uncle mean by this?"

Kaien Shiba was taken aback by the sudden question, as if he had been frozen in place.

[What... how did this turn into me being the focus of attention? I came here to watch the show!]

He opened his mouth, completely at a loss for words. He looked at his uncle, then at Liu Ziyun, then at Masaki Kurosaki, utterly bewildered.

Isshin Shiba deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He looked at his nephew, a flood of questions welling up in his mind.

The questions came flooding back, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words. Finally, he chose the most direct one. "Kaien, can you tell me, are you and Du here too? Didn't we say... you died in battle?"

Kaien Shiba opened his mouth, about to explain, but was interrupted by Liu Ziyun.

"Their sacrifice is true." Liu Ziyun's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty. His gaze was fixed on Isshin Shiba, his eyes showing no evasion. "However, before their sacrifice, I did something a little trick, bringing them back to life in the World of the Living."

Isshin Shiba was stunned. He recalled the scene when he saw Kaien Shiba's body that day, that lifeless face, that cold and stiff body, that heart-wrenching grief... everything seemed so real.

"But..." His voice trembled slightly, "I saw Kaien's body. And I can confirm it was Kaien. I saw it with my own eyes, I touched it with my own hands..."

Liu Ziyun looked at him, his eyes filled with a hint of helplessness and understanding. "If you were to discover the problem, wouldn't that be telling the Seireitei and the mastermind behind it all that Kaien faked his death to escape?"

Isshin Shiba speechless. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but realized that Liu Ziyun was right. If the corpse was fake, if there were any flaws, the mastermind would definitely notice. Those eyes hidden in the shadows would not let go of any clues.

Liu Ziyun continued, his voice heavy. "That body was real. And precisely because it was real, I almost died while saving them."

His tone was calm, but Isshin Shiba could sense the weight behind it. He couldn't imagine what a harrowing experience lay behind that understated "I almost died."

"Alright." Liu Ziyun clapped his hands, a gesture that conveyed a sense of "it's time to get down to business." "Now I can tell you part of the truth."

His expression turned serious, his gaze fixed on Isshin Shiba. A deep, unfathomable light seemed to burn within his empty eye sockets. "There's a mastermind behind the Gotei 13. The Hollowfication Experiment A Hundred Years Ago, and the deaths of Kaien and Miyako, are all connected to him."

Isshin Shiba's pupils suddenly contracted. He remembered that night, the sneak attack, the precise strike, the attack that came without warning, the completely imperceptible presence...

"Was it... the person who attacked me that night?"

Liu Ziyun nodded. "Yes. You know this person too."

He paused, then slowly uttered the name. Those two words exploded in Isshin Shiba's ears like a thunderclap. "Sōsuke Aizen."

Isshin Shiba's eyes widened in disbelief. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but found the sound stuck in his throat, unable to come out at all.

After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words, his voice hoarse and trembling. "How could it be him?!"

Ignoring his shock, Liu Ziyun continued, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable certainty. "Three captains came that night. One was Sōsuke Aizen, one was Kaname Tōsen, and one was Gin Ichimaru."

He looked at Isshin Shiba, his voice growing even deeper. "That Hollow was created by Aizen using Soul Reaper souls, named 'White.' It was entirely black, with a white interior. It wasn't an ordinary Hollow, but an experimental subject created by Aizen to study soul evolution."

Isshin Shiba fell silent. Countless images flashed through his mind: Aizen's eternally gentle and friendly face, his ever-smiling eyes, his warm and welcoming aura... Kaname Tōsen's righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, Gin Ichimaru's perpetually squinting smile...

They... were actually the masterminds behind it all?

After a long while, he finally spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse and low, each word seemingly uttered with all his strength. "Since you all knew... why didn't you stop it?"

Liu Ziyun looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. His gaze held helplessness, weariness, and an indescribable heaviness. "Regarding other matters, we have no choice but to let things unfold as they will."