The Truth of Kyouka Suigetsu (Part Two)

First Division Barracks, Captain-Commander's Office.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sat upright in the main seat, leaning on his cane, his eyes, weathered by a thousand years of history, fixed on Unohana as she entered. The atmosphere in the office was heavy as lead; clearly, the emergency meeting that had just taken its toll on the Captain-Commander as well.

"Captain Unohana," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke slowly, his voice deep and authoritative, "What exactly is going on with this incident? Did that brat say anything?"

Unohana bowed respectfully and then sat down in the chair opposite her. "Captain-Commander, according to Liu Ziyun, this incident was indeed Hollowfication Experiment planned by Sōsuke Aizen. Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi were framed while trying to save people."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto frowned. "Did you see it with your own eyes? If Aizen was indeed there, how did he manage to make himself visible inside the Seireitei? Eighth Division Captain Shunsui Kyōraku isn't one to believe rumors easily; since he testified personally, he must have solid evidence."

"Sōsuke Aizen's Zanpakuto, 'Kyouka Suigetsu,' is not the Flowing Water type Zanpakuto he publicly claimed to be," Unohana explained. "According to Liu Ziyun, it is actually a Rule-Type Zanpakuto with the ability 'Complete Hypnosis.' Once someone has witnessed the Shikai process, each subsequent release allows the wielder to make Shikai person see everything he wants them to see and feel everything he wants them to feel."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto fell silent. Deep within his unchanging eyes, a flicker of shock, anger, and a barely perceptible sense of powerlessness flashed. As the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, and as the guardian of Soul Society for a thousand years, he had seen far too many powerful enemies and far too many bizarre abilities. But the almost unsolvable ability of "Complete Hypnosis" still made him feel a threat like never before.

"I see..." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said slowly, his voice carrying a heavy sigh, "So the only way to avoid it is to not look at his Shikai, is that right?"

"That should be the case," Unohana. "However, Liu Ziyun said there's another way. But he also said we absolutely don't want to know that method, so I didn't ask."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's expression turned strange. "Um... so what else did that brat say?"

"He also said that the next few traitors will be taking over as captains," Unohana continued her report. "He told us not to alert them and to maintain the status quo. Furthermore, from now on, he will likely continue to hide and won't have much contact with us. Because when we can't distinguish between illusion and reality, any contact could expose his presence."

She paused, then added, "Also, he asked us to prepare a Senkaimon for him—a Senkaimon that would allow him to travel to the World of the Living at any time without being detected. He said he needed to rescue people and monitor the situation."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto tapped his fingers lightly on his cane, making a rhythmic sound. This continued for a long time, so long that Unohana almost thought the Captain-Commander had fallen asleep.

"In that case, let's leave it at that for now." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finally made a decision. "Do you think... we could take action and eliminate those traitors directly? Before things escalate further, let's completely remove the threat?"

Unohana smile, "If possible, Liu Ziyun might have taken action himself when Aizen first joined the team. But as he said—some things are bound to happen. Although Captain Hirako and the others were subjected to Hollowfication Experiments, at least they're still alive. Let's just consider it as letting them go to the World of the Living to train in seclusion. Anyway, Liu Ziyun will go to the World of the Living to explain everything to them later."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "It seems this is the only way. Poor kid... he blinded himself so many years ago. Well then, let him continue to hide. We... will cooperate with him."

Thus, under the joint decision of Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Unohana, the Gotei 13, citing "severely weakened combat strength and inability to pursue" as an excuse, did not send anyone to hunt down Kisuke Urahara and his group. This incident, which shocked the entire Soul Society, thus came to an end in an almost bizarre way.

In the following years, Liu Ziyun's life entered an unprecedented period of low profile.

He was like a truly invisible person in the Fourth Division, going to work and leaving work on time every day, completing his assigned tasks, and then returning to his dormitory, hardly communicating with anyone. Even with his Tazawa Kentarō, Liu Ziyun deliberately kept his distance, only having the briefest conversations when necessary.

Even more surprisingly, he stopped contacting Unohana. Even during the team's routine meetings, he would always sit in the corner without saying a word, and leave immediately after the meeting, not giving anyone a chance to speak to him.

This unusually low profile sparked much discussion among the members of the Fourth Division. Some said that Liu Ziyun had become taciturn because his body had been damaged from overtraining; others said that he was being neglected by his captain for some unknown reason; still others said that he was simply tired of life in Seireitei and was preparing to apply for a transfer to the medical station in Rukongai.

Only Unohana knows the truth.