Yinsen and Aizen both took several steps back, sizing each other up with their Zanpakuto in hand.
"I had originally thought Captain Yinsen would stand on my side."
Aizen was certain that Yinsen had no loyalty whatsoever to the Soul King, nor was he likely to willingly become a guardian of the Seireitei just to preserve those useless nobles.
"So, it's because of these two?"
Aizen's gaze paused briefly on Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin. That was the only reason he could think of for Yinsen choosing to stand against him.
"More or less."
Yinsen did not deny it. Protecting the Soul King and guarding the Seireitei had never been things he cared about. In some ways, he and Aizen had no fundamental conflict. Perhaps Aizen had realized that, which was why he had not rushed to recruit him. In Aizen's eyes, even if Yinsen did not become his subordinate, he would not become an enemy.
"That answer surprises me somewhat."
Adjusting his glasses lightly, Aizen seemed genuinely not to have expected this.
"I thought someone like you wouldn't make such an unwise choice."
"Unwise?" Yinsen shook his head lightly. "I'm afraid we'll only know after we've truly fought."
Aizen believed he could defeat Yinsen with ease, which was why he called Yinsen's choice unwise. Yet Yinsen's reaction made Aizen feel that there might have been a slight error in his judgment.
"Oh? What exactly gives you such confidence?"
The instant those words sounded, Aizen, who should have been standing in the distance, suddenly appeared beside Yinsen. His Zanpakuto slashed toward Yinsen's side—or at least, that was what Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi saw from where they stood.
What surprised Aizen was that Yinsen had actually blocked an attack that should have been impossible to detect.
"Surprised?"
Yinsen tilted his head