Awake Yet Ignorant

The immense Reiatsu spread across the entire area. Tsunayoshi accepted everything the Decimo had granted him, his power rising once more. In his status bar, the Shinigami entry was now completely unlocked, a long string stretching endlessly with no end in sight.

After the Decimo handed over his power to Tsunayoshi, he himself lost his strength, reverting back to a Zanpakuto Manifestation Device and clattering to the ground.

Tsunayoshi executed a stylish gliding flight and landed before Urahara and the others, signaling that this Bankai training session was over.

"Oh my, I didn't expect it to end so quickly. I thought it would take at least three days, so I specifically scheduled you for Friday," Urahara Kisuke said.

"All thanks to the shopkeeper's Zanpakuto Manifestation Device," Tsunayoshi replied humbly.

"Enough, kid. Just don't blame us," Yoruichi said, leaping onto Tsunayoshi's head and lying down. Having just received a boon, Tsunayoshi let her stay there.

"It's still early. Would Tsunayoshi-san care to join me in the tea room for a chat?" Urahara asked. Now that Tsunayoshi had gained sufficiently powerful abilities, Urahara wanted to ask the question that had long piqued his curiosity.

In the tea room of the Urahara Shop, Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai sat together around a small round table, their expressions grave as they looked at Tsunayoshi. They could all roughly guess what Urahara wanted to ask.

Urahara spoke first. "Tsunayoshi-san, thank you for all the intelligence you've provided during this time. This Humble One has a question and would like to hear your thoughts."

"Oh?" Tsunayoshi hadn't expected Urahara, who usually put on a frivolous front, to be so solemn. He unconsciously adopted a respectful tone himself. "Please, go ahead."

"May I ask, what is your view on Aizen?" Urahara's hand couldn't help but grip his teacup. If not for Tsunayoshi knowing so much intelligence, they would never have brought up that name with him at this point.

"Sosuke Aizen?"

The three present all narrowed their eyes. Just as they had guessed, Tsunayoshi knew who Aizen was.

"How should I put it? Since he hasn't affected me, it's hard for me to have much of an opinion. As long as he doesn't set his sights on Karakura Town in the future, I don't really care what happens to him," Tsunayoshi said truthfully.

"Another one fooled by Aizen's appearance."

Yoruichi curled her lip, unable to hide her disappointment. The people present had all been forced to leave Soul Society because of Aizen, scraping by in the World of the Living, wanted by Soul Society, and even having to sneak around when they occasionally wanted to go home.

"Sosuke Aizen, Vice-Captain of the 5th Division, Zanpakuto Kyōka Suigetsu, an illusion-type Zanpakuto. A hundred years ago, he used Captain-level Shinigami as test subjects. In that incident, shopkeeper, you and the others were implicated and forced to leave Soul Society." Tsunayoshi took a slow sip of tea as he spoke.

This immediately stirred up Yoruichi's emotions. She jumped onto the tea table and asked, "Since you know how terrifying Aizen is, do you understand how dangerous he can be..."

"Yoruichi." Urahara pulled Yoruichi back into his arms. "Tsunayoshi-san's premise was that it doesn't affect him, right?"

"But if Aizen succeeds, the World of the Living will be in danger too," Yoruichi retorted.

"Yoruichi-san, first understand Aizen's goal. His aim is the throne above the void—the Soul King," Tsunayoshi said.

"As expected. Then the Hogyoku..." Urahara's voice grew quieter.

"The Hogyoku is just a means for him to achieve self-evolution. Simply put, to gain greater power." Tsunayoshi thought carefully, then evaluated, "If I had to say what I think of Aizen, I'd say he's a man who is clear-sighted yet ignorant."

"Clear-sighted? Ignorant?" Urahara savored the two words.

"Clear-sighted because Aizen has long grown tired of Soul Society's millennia-old unchanging system. He clearly knows that the so-called Gotei 13 system only protects the interests of the nobles. As time goes on, Soul Society's system has become bloated and begun to rot."

"Under this rotten system, Aizen remains very clear-sighted. He wants to make changes, to get the old windmill of Soul Society turning again. But with his low status and little influence, who would listen to his ideas? Central 46, representing noble interests? Or the Captain-Commander, who has maintained the status quo for a thousand years?"

"To that end, Aizen began walking the path of power. Only supreme strength can grant true authority. He spared no effort in researching various materials and conducting experiments, all to break through the limits of being a Shinigami."

"In this process, he developed an incomplete Hogyoku and uncovered some intelligence about the Soul King. He believed the Five Great Noble Houses betrayed the Soul King, turning him into a puppet. So he thought the throne in the sky was vacant, which only strengthened his resolve."

"After that, he began experiments to break through Shinigami limits—Captain-level Hollowfication, artificial Hollows, and so on. Shopkeeper, you were driven out of Soul Society by him in that incident. With the loss of Captain-level Shinigami, he could more easily install his own people in power."

"Aizen is indeed formidable—whether in strength, strategy, or research, he's top-tier. But the one thing he never accounted for is that the Soul King, whom he believed was betrayed by the great nobles, did so willingly."

"That's why I say he's ignorant. He calculated everything except the Soul King's will. The Soul King voluntarily became a linchpin to maintain the stability of the Three Worlds."

"The throne of the void that Aizen believes in was actually something someone else willingly gave up. Shopkeeper, if Aizen knew this truth, what do you think his expression would be? It must be quite something, right?"

"From the very beginning, Aizen's goal was meaningless. Ascend the throne of the void and become the new king of the Three Worlds? More likely, he'd just become another artificial Soul King, used as a linchpin to stabilize the Three Worlds."

After rattling off this string of words, Tsunayoshi was parched and quickly took a drink of water.

In Urahara's arms, Yoruichi was stunned, her mouth hanging wide open. Even as a member of the Five Great Noble Houses, she didn't know this much intelligence. "Kid, where did you learn all these secrets?"

"Nothing to be surprised about. Doesn't the shopkeeper know too?" Tsunayoshi shrugged, pointing at Urahara.

Yoruichi turned her head. Urahara's face truly showed no surprise at all, only a look of deep contemplation.

"Kisuke? You really know all this?"

"No, I only knew some pieces of intelligence. After hearing Tsunayoshi-san's words, I've finally connected the scattered clues," Urahara said.

"Wait, you knew about the Soul King too?"

"Through your family's connections, I could more or less guess."

"How come I couldn't guess?" Yoruichi muttered.

"Yoruichi-san, you should keep a close eye on the shopkeeper. In my opinion, the shopkeeper's intellect might even surpass Aizen's. He's just not as radical as Aizen," Tsunayoshi suggested. "Yoruichi-san, you must guard the shopkeeper well, to prevent him from becoming someone even more terrifying than Aizen."

"Is that really true, Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked.

"Ahaha..."

Urahara Kisuke only responded with an awkward laugh. His estimation of Tsunayoshi had risen another level.

He himself feared his own intellect. Urahara was afraid that one day he might do something extreme, like destroying the world. He had silently regarded Yoruichi as a restraint on his own talent—a thought he had never shared with anyone, not even Yoruichi.

Yet Tsunayoshi had accurately voiced Urahara's hidden thoughts. Sawada Tsunayoshi, just what kind of existence are you?

"Don't look at me like that, shopkeeper. I have no inclination to destroy the world, nor do I want to rule it. If this world didn't have Hollows and people trying to destroy it, I wouldn't even seek power," Tsunayoshi said.

"Heh. Then, Tsunayoshi-san, how do you think we should deal with Aizen?" Urahara asked.

"Shopkeeper, what you're worried about is just Aizen setting his sights on your Hogyoku, afraid he'll use it to do something even more outrageous." Tsuna said. "Haven't you already hidden the Hogyoku? Aizen will make the first move on his own—you just need to prepare more defenses."

"When?"

"Around the time I'm in high school, I think?" Tsuna said. He wasn't entirely sure of the exact timing himself.

"I understand. What are your plans next, Tsuna-san?"

"Familiarize myself with my Bankai, train the power of my other blade, and unite every ally I can." Tsuna said. "Strength of one's own is the foundation for handling any situation."

"No kidding." Yoruichi rolled her eyes.

"One piece of advice for you, Shopkeeper—try researching the power of Hollows and Shinigami."

"You want me to run experiments like Aizen's? Is that necessary?" Urahara thought of the group who'd been exiled from Soul Society for the Shinigami Hollowfication experiments. After gaining Hollow powers, they didn't seem all that strong.

Tsuna said gravely, "Shopkeeper, you need to understand—our real enemy is the Quincy. The Progenitor of the Quincy wants to destroy the world. Aizen just wants to become its king and rewrite the order of things. Compared to that, the Progenitor of the Quincy is clearly the greater threat."

"And everything about Hollows is poison to the Quincy. It's necessary to jointly research the subject of Shinigami mastering Hollow power. Of course, not the half-baked Hollowfication research Aizen did a hundred years ago. If Hollowfication can't achieve Bankai, then it's meaningless." Tsuna said.

These words from Tsuna also hinted to Urahara that he knew about the Visored's existence. Urahara made a private decision—it seemed he'd have to reach out to the Visored. Like Tsuna said, Shikai plus Hollowfication really wasn't enough to cut it.

After finishing his talk with Urahara, it was time to go home. Tsuna's departure didn't bring the tea room back to calm.

"Kisuke, what's with this kid holding such a huge grudge? Why's he so dead set on targeting the Quincy?" Yoruichi asked, puzzled.

"Tsuna-san isn't the type to meddle in things that don't concern him. Like he said, Aizen's affairs don't involve him, so he doesn't care. By contrast, the Quincy threaten his way of life, so he'll do everything in his power to oppose them." Urahara assessed. "Tsuna-san is the kind of person who values his family and friends above all else. For their sake, he wouldn't hesitate to face danger alone."

"And who wouldn't?" Yoruichi pursed her lips.

(PS: When Aizen was struck down, after Urahara told him the truth about the Soul King, he truly broke. I also believe it was the truth of the Soul King that made Aizen willingly stay in Muken, too lazy to stir up any more trouble.)