A Millennium in the Making

Apart from Unohana Retsu and Sasakibe, who had always followed Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, everyone else in the room looked at Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto with surprise. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, however, remained expressionless, as if to say that everything was just basic operation.

"Captain-Commander- in-Chief, let me explain to you all now!" Sasakibe stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"Can."

Sasakibe sat up straight and said, "This matter dates back a thousand years. A thousand years ago, the Soul Society was not divided into the Seireitei and the Rukongai as it is now. The entire Soul Society was divided into regions, each ruled by a major noble family."

"One day a thousand years ago, the ancestors of the Quincy led a massive army in a full-scale attack on the Soul Society."

"Because of the Quincy invasion, Soul Society was devastated. All the surviving nobles banded together for warmth, and this was the original Seireitei."

"In a time of crisis, Genryūsai organized twelve of the strongest and most ferocious individuals in Soul Society to resist the Quincy invasion. Those who followed them in fighting the Quincy were divided into thirteen teams, each led by a captain. These were the original Gotei 13."

"In that great war a thousand years ago, the Gotei 13 paid a terrible price but ultimately defeated the Quincy. Of all the captains of the Gotei 13, only Genryūsai and Unohana Yachiru survived."

"After the war came reconstruction. At that time, only the nobles, who banded together, still held a lot of resources. In order to rebuild Soul Society and recreate the Gotei 13, Genryūsai, no, Captain-Commander, chose to exchange resources with the nobles."

"Apart from the Squad 2, which is under the jurisdiction of Shihōin, the First Division, where the Captain-Commander resides, and the Squad 11, which belongs to Unohana Yachiru, all other divisions are supplemented by noble Bleach."

"You can probably guess what happened next. The control of the Captain-Commander 'Gotei 13 will be weaker than ever before. Not only that, the nobles also want to establish the Central 46. They want to be both players and referees."

"The Captain-Commander at the time had no choice; he could only make another exchange of power."

"The Gotei 13 agreed to establish the Central 46. In return, Seireitei established the Shino Academy, with the Captain- Captain-Commander. The academy will be fully open to the Soul Society."

"The Captain-Commander's goal is simple: to gradually replace the noble Bleach of the Gotei 13 with genius commoner Bleach."

"Perhaps due to arrogance or pampered lifestyle, the combat strength of the noble Bleach is far inferior to that of the Bleach trained by the academy. In one incident after another, the captain's position was quietly replaced, and the Captain-Commander's goal was initially achieved: to regain control of the Gotei 13."

"Because of the existence of the Central 46, the nobles did not pay attention to the actions of the Captain-Commander. It was only later that they realized they had lost control of the Gotei 13."

"At that time, none of the younger generation of the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses, were able to serve in the Gotei 13. The Shiba Clan was also gradually declining and tending to fall out of the Five Great Noble Houses. Apart from the Four Great Noble Clans and the Kuchiki Clan, the remaining family did not participate in the affairs of Soul Society."

"Meanwhile, other nobles gradually gathered around the 6th Division, seeking the protection of the Kuchiki Clan. The 6th Division became a veritable noble team, a team of young masters."

"At this time Hollowfication Incident occurred in Soul Society. Because of this incident, Yoruichi Shihōin, as the representative of the nobles, was forced to flee Soul Society. The nobles urgently needed to find a new representative for the nobility within the Gotei 13."

"At that time, a remarkably talented individual emerged in the Shiba Clan, Kaien Shiba. With Kaien Shiba's abilities, he was fully qualified to be the captain."

"Once Kaien Shiba takes over, the nobles will be able to stabilize the situation again, and the Gotei 13 will once again be led by two major noble families. The Four Great Noble Clans will go into the shadows, while the Tsunayashiro Clan will control the Great Spirit Library Corridor. With the existence of the Central 46, the Captain-Commander won't be able to cause any trouble."

"Kaien!" Ukitake hadn't expected to hear that name again. His eyes were filled with regret. "It's a pity that Kaien met with an accident."

"That's right," Sasakibe replied. "Kaien Shiba's death has disrupted the nobles' plans, but if even the great nobles can't find a suitable successor, the lesser nobles are even less likely to succeed him."

"Coincidentally, at this time, another rising star emerged in the Shiba Clan: Isshin Shiba from the branch family!"

Isshin was shocked. He hadn't expected there to be so much scheming behind his becoming the captain. No wonder he became the captain of the 10th Division so easily after learning Bankai.

"Unfortunately, Isshin Shiba also left Soul Society, and the Shiba Clan completely declined. In order to regain more benefits, the Shiba Clan, which had no truly strong members, became the target of the nobles' venting. The Shiba Clan withdrew from Seireitei and completely lost its noble status."

Isshin clenched his fists tightly. He thought of Kūkaku's arm. Just yesterday, Kūkaku had thanked Isshin, saying that his daughter-in-law had healed her severed arm. Was that when the incident happened?

"As you all know, of the Gotei 13, only the Kuchiki Clan remained in charge of one squad. The rest were either the Captain-Commander's confidants, commoners trained at the academy, or strong individuals from the Rukongai."

"At this moment, the Captain-Commander's grand plan has reached its climax. Next, all we need to do is investigate the problems that have arisen in the Central 46, seize the opportunity to take down the Central 46, Gotei 13 will be able to be reborn."

"I just didn't expect Aizen..."

Sasakibe didn't continue. Neither Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nor Sasakibe had expected Aizen so ruthless, slaughtering all Central 46. This left the Central 46 without a spokesperson, and the appointment of new nobles still required the approval of the Gotei 13. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

Tsuna felt something was off. In the story, Aizen had also slaughtered Central 46, but the Central 46 were still able to rebuild. If there was any accident involved, it must have been something wrong with him and the Visored.

"Um, I have a question." Tsuna raised his hand and said, "Suppose, I mean suppose that Hirako captains who defected a hundred years ago hadn't appeared, would the Central 46 have been able to be reorganized?"

Whether it was Hirako or the others, they all found Tsuna's question rather strange. They had already participated in Aizen's defection, so why would Tsuna ask such a question?

"Let me explain," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said, opening his eyes. "The absence of Hirako Shinji and the others, coupled with Sosuke Aizen's defection, will leave three captain positions vacant."

"The nobles will fight tooth and nail for the vacant captaincy and the rebuilding of the Central 46; I can only choose one."

"I will not relinquish control of the Gotei 13. As for the Central 46, we'll have to deal with them later."

Just as Tsuna thought, because Hirako and the others did not appear, the Central 46 were rebuilt. So, this time Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto refused the nobles' request, which does not mean...

"Is the Captain-Commander planning to add Visored to the Gotei 13?" Tsuna asked.

Hearing Tsuna's words, Hirako's face showed some understanding. No wonder he had a place in today's meeting. But did that old-fashioned Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto really allow people with Hollow's power like them to return to the Gotei 13?

"That's right, that's what I'm thinking. Hirako Shinji, are you willing to remove three people to fill the vacancies in the 3rd Division, 5th Division, and 9th Division?" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto asked. These positions were originally taken from them by Aizen, and he believed that Hirako others would not refuse.

"Captain-Commander..." Hirako grinned, suppressing his excitement, and prepared to accept Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's invitation with a mix of reluctance and welcome.

"Wait a minute, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I have a question." Tsuna jumped in and asked, "After Hirako and the others return, will there be any restrictions such as not being allowed to use Hollow's power?"

Hirako calmed down by this point. The question Tsuna asked was crucial; the Visored had become an indispensable part of their strength.

"Excuse my bluntness, Visored, unable to use Hollow's power, is actually rather weak."

"Damn it, Tsuna! Come out here and fight!" Hirako grabbed Tsuna by the neck and shook him violently.

"As long as you can control it, I, in the name of the Captain-Commander, allow you to use it." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was quite flexible. "Of course, if you become corrupted and fall into depravity, I will personally kill you!"

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto is very skilled at using the tactic of giving a sweet treat followed by a sharp rebuke.

"Thank you, Captain-Commander. I will get back to you after I discuss it," Hirako said.

"Let's coordinate with the Sasakibe. Those who wish to return can also join the Gotei 13," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said.

"What about Aikawa Love? We can't just let Wang-chan kick him out, can we? With the captain's strength, coming back to be a member? That's not suitable, is it?" Tsuna asked one after another. He had a good impression of Aikawa Love, this uncle who loved manga, and took the initiative to mention it for him.

Hirako fell silent. He understood that with Aikawa Love's pride, he would certainly not want to be subordinate to anyone. The final result would probably be that he would remain in the World of the Living, or, as Aikawa Love said, become the manga shop manager in Rukongai.

"The scabbard can't be without any fighting power. Let him go to a new organization. Aikawa Love has been framed before, so he can judge similar cases more fairly, instead of making a blanket judgment like the Central 46," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto said.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto arranged Aikawa Love's destination in just a few words, and it sounded like a pretty good place.

"Thank you Captain-Commander!" Hirako said solemnly.

"That's the end of the matter with Central 46. You will be in charge of establishing the new organization, Kyōraku."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was clearly preparing to gradually hand over power to Kyōraku. Kyōraku immediately stood up, trying to justify his promising future by saying, "Teacher..."

"Using your job title while on duty, you traitor!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's rebuke startled Kyōraku back to his seat. "Once the new organization is established and Aizen is captured, the Captain-Commander will be handed over to you. I'm preparing to retire at the academy."

"What about the 8th Division?" Kyōraku was still struggling.

"Hmph! There are plenty of people who can Bankai. If we can't find anyone, we can just send Renji Abarai to the 8th Division!" Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto is planning to drain Byakuya's resources dry.

Unable to argue back, Kyōraku could only look aggrieved, feeling that his wonderful life was gradually slipping away from him.

Seeing Kyōraku's pathetic state, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sneered inwardly. His abdication was inevitable; it was also an explanation to the nobles. Before that, he cleared all obstacles for the next Captain-Commander, ensuring Kyōraku was no longer hindered. And Kyōraku was already complaining?

(PS: This chapter contains a lot of secondary settings, so please enjoy it. As for the nobles of Soul Society, apart from the matter of Tokinada Tsunayashiro's business, I don't plan to go into detail about the others. In the story, I will leave it to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto and Kyōraku to handle, and will only mention them briefly.)

When reading other Bleach fanfiction, I wasn't particularly interested in the content about nobles, like the Kasumioji Clan, and I usually skipped over it. I won't focus on that part in my own story. (That's all.)