Conspiracy, Open Scheme

"Lord Aizen, I feel that there seems to be some conspiracy hidden behind this matter," Tōsen Kaname said.

"Oh? A conspiracy? Tell me."

Aizen glanced at the blind man beside him and smiled faintly.

"Lord Aizen, Kisuke Urahara used a special Gigai to turn Rukia into a human. Since his goal was to hide the Hogyoku's whereabouts, how could he possibly allow Rukia to be exposed so easily? I suspect there's a trap involved!" Tōsen Kaname warned carefully.

Aizen heard this.

He merely smiled dismissively.

He turned his head and looked at Gin Ichimaru.

Then he asked calmly,

"Gin, what do you think?"

Gin Ichimaru pulled his hands from his sleeves, touched the scabbard at his waist, and said,

"I don't like looking. I only like cutting with my sword."

Aizen smiled faintly, rose to his feet, and walked to the window. Gazing at the moonlight in the distance, he said softly,

"Kaname, if even you can see through a problem like this, do you think Kisuke Urahara can't? Do you think I can't?"

"In some people's eyes, a conspiracy is also an open scheme. It doesn't matter even if both sides know the other's plan."

"The cards on the table aren't important."

"What matters is how Kisuke Urahara and I will play our hands."

One hundred and one years ago.

Aizen used the Hogyoku he had created by chance.

In the Rukongai District.

He carried out Hollowfication experiments on souls.

However, the experiments did not go very well.

Ordinary souls simply could not withstand the Hogyoku's power.

Once those souls began to Hollowfy.

They would immediately vanish into ashes.

Leaving nothing behind.

After repeated failures.

Aizen finally realized something.

The Hogyoku in his hand.

Seemed not to possess the power to break the boundaries of Soul Reapers.

So.

He