The 5th Division Without Hirako

"Baldy, what are you going to the 5th Division for?" Hiyori asked listlessly.

"Of course I'm going to see if Aizen has messed up my former squad," Hirako said matter-of-factly, mainly because he had a hiding place near the Fifth Division Barracks.

Hiyori looked completely bewildered. "Hey, even if I'm not from the 5th Division, I know you've been leaving everything to the newbies, haven't you?"

"I did that to keep Aizen in check, so he wouldn't have time to do anything underhanded," Hirako explained.

"Keep making excuses, but you still couldn't keep an eye on things," Hiyori said dismissively.

"How was I supposed to know he was hiding his Zanpakuto's abilities? If it weren't an illusion-type Zanpakuto, he definitely wouldn't have escaped my eyes!" Hirako said confidently, having once torn apart Aizen's Binding Bakudo 26: Kyokkō.

"I feel like it's even more troublesome if his Zanpakuto isn't an illusion-type," Hiyori muttered, continuing her banter with Hirako. "Aren't you afraid that Aizen will hide in the 5th Division like you did?"

"Impossible! Tsuna and Urahara both agree that Aizen is definitely hiding somewhere no one can go," Hirako said indignantly. He couldn't believe that Aizen was actually rebelling against the order of the Seireitei.

"Where? Where?" Hiyori asked curiously.

"You can't keep a secret, if I tell you, the whole world will know!"

"You damn bald guy, if it weren't for the fact that you can't reveal yourself now, I'd beat you to death!" Hiyori threatened.

Hirako and Hiyori headed straight towards the 5th Division. Unlike Rose, who was hiding from the searching Bleach, Hirako used Kyokkō and Sakanade whenever they encountered someone, and no Bleach were able to detect their presence along the way.

Hirako's mastery of the Kyokkō was extremely high; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to discover Aizen hiding.

"5th Division, I'm back." Standing at the entrance of the 5th Division, Hirako said calmly.

"A sigh like an old man's." Hirako didn't tell her where Aizen was hiding, and Hiyori would always retort no matter what Hirako said.

"That's a bit strange."

As soon as Hirako entered the 5th Division's barracks, he noticed something was wrong. The entire 5th Division was in chaos, and the members were coming and going without any order. This was not the style of Aizen's management at all.

Although Hirako was framed by Aizen, he genuinely acknowledged Aizen's exceptional ability to manage the squadron. Logically, even if Aizen faked his death, the squadron shouldn't have fallen into chaos without a leader.

What is the Vice-Captain doing? Hirako couldn't help but feel annoyed. If the Vice-Captain couldn't take responsibility when the captain was in trouble, this kind of situation might occur.

Sighing inwardly, Hirako realized he was no longer a member of the Gotei 13; otherwise, he would have replaced that irresponsible Vice-Captain no matter what.

Hiyori and Hiyori sneaked into the 5th Division's barracks. In the deepest part of the barracks, in the storage room piled with things, Hirako had previously made a darkroom for taking a break from work.

After discovering Aizen's treacherous intentions and recruiting Aizen as Vice-Captain, Hirako never used that room again in order to monitor Aizen, and the room gradually became filled with clutter.

In other words, this is a dark room that Aizen is unaware of, but it is located deep within the barracks, requiring one to pass through most of the room.

But none of that matters. Back when he was outwitting Aizen, Hirako had already mastered the art of the Kyokkō. Now that Aizen isn't in the 5th Division, no one can see through his disguise.

Walking through the corridor of the 5th Division, Hirako looked towards the room where the division's daily affairs were handled. He nodded slightly. Aizen was quite capable; the documents in these rooms were very well organized, indicating that the 5th Division's daily affairs arrangements were not problematic. So there was only one problem.

Continuing down the corridor, passing the captain's office, which was not closed, Hirako stopped and peeked inside. Inside sat a black-haired girl with lifeless eyes, staring blankly at the Aizen hanging on the wall by Aizen, her body motionless, her mouth unconsciously muttering something.

Because of Hirako's sudden stop, Hiyori bumped into Hirako. Just as she was about to yell at him, she saw Hirako make a shushing gesture and point his finger into the room. Hiyori understood and followed Hirako into the captain's room.

Hirako realized he didn't recognize the girl at all. It seemed she was someone Aizen had recruited after he left Soul Society. Judging from the Vice-Captain's armband on her arm, she was actually the current Vice-Captain of the 5th Division?

As Hirako got closer, he heard Momo Hinamori saying something. There was nothing in particular, just the repeated "Captain, Captain." At this point, Hirako was certain that this was another girl who had been brainwashed by Aizen.

Hirako couldn't help but feel annoyed. As the Vice-Captain of the 5th Division, he shouldn't be wallowing in negativity; he should be managing the division properly. What kind of person was he, just sitting in the captain's room doing nothing?

Seeing his Vice-Captain like this, Hirako was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do. He could only take Hiyori and leave the room, out of sight, out of mind.

The reason Momo Hinamori stayed in the room doing nothing was because she had no way to get out.

According to the Captain-Commander's orders, the capture of the Ryoka must be carried out by the Vice-Captain working together, and it is forbidden to fight alone. This rule was already a huge constraint for Momo Hinamori had lost Captain Aizen.

However, upon hearing that the Seventh Division had successfully captured a Ryoka (Yasutora Sado), her desire to avenge Aizen led her to disregard the Captain-Commander's orders.

Momo Hinamori ran straight towards the Sokyoku Hill, determined to make those who killed her most admired Captain Aizen pay with their lives!

The result was contrary to her wishes. Her reckless attack disrupted Komamura's offensive rhythm, forcing Komamura to knock her unconscious. When she woke up, Momo Hinamori found herself taken back to the 5th Division.

Furthermore, the First Division delivered new orders: Momo Hinamori the 5th Division is forbidden from leaving the area before the execution ceremony, to prevent her from foolishly causing trouble for the Ryoka while also hindering the other captains' battles.

Not only that, the First Division also specifically assigned a Bleach to guard the 5th Division, so that if Momo Hinamori recklessly went out, that person would stop her from going to her death.

And so, back in the 5th Division, Momo Hinamori was utterly dejected. She had no interest in handling the division's work whatsoever. She simply walked to the captain's desk like a zombie, staring blankly at the calligraphy left by Aizen. She couldn't do anything, not even kill the enemy for the captain.

Because of Momo Hinamori's initiative to delegate authority, the 5th Division's affairs gradually fell into disarray. Many tasks that required the captain's and Vice-Captain's approval were left unattended, and the members simply gave up. The captain's death had already dampened morale, and now that the Vice-Captain was acting strangely, the members were at a loss.

In the storage room deep inside the Fifth Division Barracks, Hirako was moving boxes around in the room with a somewhat dejected air. Hiyori, unusually, didn't scold Hirako. She had also been Vice-Captain, and during the time when Yachiru Unohana left the Squad 12, she handled the team affairs while cursing people, until that annoying Urahara Kisuke arrived.

Hirako pressed a hidden spell, and a dark room opened. Hirako breathed a sigh of relief; the fact that this Kido could work meant that Aizen really hadn't used this room.

Hirako's Kido abilities are truly impressive; during the Thousand-Year Blood War, he was able to use the Senju Kōten Taihō without chanting, although the visual effect wasn't as powerful as Momo Hinamori's Tobiume.

Entering the room and closing the darkroom, Hirako and Hiyori could finally breathe a sigh of relief and talk freely. However, Hiyori's first words were not pleasant.

"What the hell? Where did you find these ancient artifacts?" Hiyori asked, casually picking up a small ornament.

"These are all trinkets I found in the World of the Living before, but they weren't popular in Soul Society back then, so I put them all in this room. As you know, we never went back to Soul Society, so these are all decorations from the World of the Living a hundred years ago," Hirako explained one by one.

Hirako lay casually on a recliner, legs crossed, and pulled out a small felt hat from somewhere to cover his face, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.

Seeing Hirako's somewhat dejected appearance, Hiyori knew what Hirako was thinking. She walked over and kicked Hirako in the knee, and Hirako sat up in pain.

"What are you doing, you idiot Hiyori!" Hirako said, baring his teeth.

"Baldy, are you worried about that Vice-Captain outside?"

Unexpectedly, Hiyori was chatting very seriously with Hirako. Seeing that Hiyori was concerned about her, Hirako suddenly couldn't make a scene and could only obediently put the little felt hat on her head.

"No, I don't know the current Vice-Captain. I was just lamenting that she's yet another young girl completely deceived by Aizen," Hirako said.

"There's nothing I can do. On the surface, Aizen just seems to have more charisma than you, right? He looks so gentle and refined." Hiyori scratched her head in frustration. If she hadn't experienced the Hollowfication Incident, she wouldn't have believed that Aizen was the one behind all this.

"Hey, let's have a proper chat, stop with the personal attacks, okay?" Hirako said speechlessly. He knew that not many people liked his lazy attitude when he was opposing the current situation.

"Is that a personal attack?" Hiyori scoffed. She called Hirako" bald" Hiyori; that was a real personal attack. "If we succeed this time, will you come back, 5th Division?"

Regardless of the final outcome, Aizen will definitely be unable to serve as the squad leader after this incident is exposed. In Hiyori's view, the Visored are going back to their old squads for two reasons: firstly, to hide better, and secondly, to see what the squads look like now, in order to prepare for taking over the squads in the future.

With Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, and Kaname Tōsen together, there are three people, which can easily free up three empty seats. In Hiyori's opinion, only Aikawa Love is more pure; he's just going back to catch up with old friends. The others definitely have ulterior motives.

"Don't joke around. We're all Hollowfication beings. The old man won't let us tarnish the Gotei 13," Hirako said with little interest.

However, Hiyori immediately saw that Hirako definitely had this idea. If Hirako didn't have this idea, his response should have been to hate Seireitei and never return to it. Now that he's shifting the blame onto Seireitei, it shows that Hirako Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto has the idea of returning.

Hiyori sighed. The 5th Division had Vice-Captain, so what could she do if she came back with Hirako? Should she come back or stay in the World of the Living? Hiyori was torn.