Return to Squad 4

"Since everyone's alright, I should head back. Soi Fon won't be able to keep him under control without me." Yoruichi casually tossed Toshiro into Rangiku's arms and picked at her ear, looking rather bored.

Compared to the injuries sustained by Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Toshiro, Rangiku, who had been sealed away long ago, was relatively unharmed.

"The Second Division Captain, is he with you?" Kyōraku asked curiously. No wonder there had been no news from the Stealth Force for two days; the leader of the Stealth Force had already led the defection.

"What? You have a problem with that?" Yoruichi asked bluntly.

"No," Kyōraku replied sincerely.

"I'll go back with you, Ginjo. Just let me know if anything happens," Tsuna said to Ginjo.

"No problem?" Ginjo patted his chest confidently; this little thing was no problem for him at all.

"Wait a moment, Sawada-sensei." Ukitake called out to Sawada Tsunayoshi, "I have some questions for you regarding this incident."

Tsuna hesitated. Actually, there was nothing secret about this matter; Aizen was simply hiding within the Central 46. It was just that Ukitake and the others didn't understand, which was why they were so eager for the truth. Tsuna himself wasn't particularly interested in the matter.

"Tell them, Tsuna, it's good that you're thanking your allies. The fact that they've tracked us down here means they've found a lead," Yoruichi advised. "This isn't the place to talk. You should go to the Fourth Division and get your injuries treated while you're at it."

"Perfect timing. We have something in the Fourth Division, and we'd like to see if you can help us, Sawada- kun," Kyōraku said.

"Please, Sawada-sensei, enlighten me," Ukitake said with great respect.

Well, seeing Ukitake's state, Tsuna couldn't bring himself to refuse. He figured he might as well go, since Ichigo was already settled.

"Let's go then, let's finish early and get some rest."

Tsuna glanced discreetly in the direction of Central 46, where another refined and easy-going fellow stood, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate all obstacles and reach Tsuna.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, huh? This world has become a little more interesting."

The speaker was Sosuke Aizen. Although he was hiding in Central 46, he still managed to obtain information about the Ryoka from Seireitei Central 46's intelligence system. He didn't need to think much to guess that the one who lifted his hypnosis was Sawada Tsunayoshi, whose abilities were unknown.

It would be good if things could proceed exactly as he planned, but even minor fluctuations could please Aizen. As for Aizen, he had his own way of handling any unexpected events; these so-called unexpected events were merely something that added a little fun to his otherwise mundane life.

The Bleach of the Fourth Division Fourth Division looked surprised to see Sawada Tsunayoshi sandwiched among the captains.

Has the Ryoka who was causing trouble in the Fourth Division been caught?

But why are several captains injured? Captain Hitsugaya is unconscious...

Why was this Ryoka without any injuries?

With so many captains around, is this guy going to cause trouble in the Fourth Division again?

Seeing the surprised, confused, and wary expressions around him, Kyōraku laughed heartily, "Sawada- kun, you're really popular in the Fourth Division."

"Do you want this popularity? If so, I'll go to the 8th Division." Tsuna asked.

"Hehe, that won't be necessary," Kyōraku said. Although he hadn't been in the Fourth Division Fourth Division, he knew how Tsuna gained popularity there, and he didn't want Tsuna to cause a ruckus in the 8th Division.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, I didn't expect you to be back in the Fourth Division so soon?"

As soon as Tsuna and the others entered the Fourth Division's territory, they saw the gate to the division barracks open, and the gentle-looking Unohana Retsu stood at the door with the Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane.

Tsuna noticed that the spot where Unohana Retsu was covering her hands was the place where he had slashed her the most. Combined with Unohana Retsu's gentle smile, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, and his steps slowed slightly.

"Sawada-sensei?" Ukitake keenly noticed Tsuna's unusual behavior.

"Um, you guys treat your injuries first. I'm hungry, I'll go back and get something to eat and then come back."

Anyone could tell that Tsuna was just being perfunctory. Before Kyōraku and Ukitake, who had brought Tsuna over, could even reply, Unohana Retsu, who was standing further away, spoke first.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi, our Fourth Division has plenty of nutritious food. Why go to such lengths? Or is the Fourth Division some kind of den of dragons and tigers?"

Unohana Retsu was a little scared by Tsuna Tsuna's narrowed eyes; he was the worst at dealing with this kind of cunning guy.

Kyōraku's eyes kept darting back and forth between Tsuna and Unohana Retsu, as if he understood something, and he let out a long, drawn-out "Huh?"

"Shunsui Kyōraku, please think carefully before you speak." Unohana Retsu immediately cut Kyōraku off, her icy gaze like a sharp blade piercing Kyōraku's face.

As the Captain-Commander's personal disciple, Shunsui Kyōraku obviously knew Unohana Retsu's background. He dared not provoke Unohana Retsu, lest Unohana Retsu come to the 8th Division to ask him for swordsmanship advice one day, which would be troublesome.

"Let's eat first, let's eat first. I'm starving, Tsuna- kun."

Without saying a word, Kyōraku grabbed Tsuna's arm and forcibly restrained him. He had already realized that Unohana Retsu 'Tsuna attention was entirely on Tsuna. With Tsuna sharing the burden, Unohana Retsu wouldn't cause him any trouble.

"That's right, Sawada-sensei, come and try some of the specialties of Soul Society."

Ukitake wasn't as cunning as Kyōraku, but he still cooperated perfectly with Kyōraku's actions, pushing Tsuna's back into the Fourth Division's barracks.

Ginjo and Tsukishima originally planned to cooperate with Tsuna's steps to let Tsuna slip away, since they wouldn't be in any danger following Ukitake. However, after all this commotion, they ended up joining the main group and entering the Fourth Division.

Upon entering the Fourth Division's barracks, Rangiku took Toshiro to find someone to treat him, while Tsuna and the others went to the Fourth Division's dining hall.

"Tsuna, who is that woman?" Ginjo whispered in Tsuna's ear. Even he could see how terrifying Unohana Retsu's aura was when she squinted at Kyōraku.

"Never mind who she is, just this warning: never mess with her." Tsuna thought for a moment and continued, "If you want to take your 'death by a thousand cuts' technique to the next level, you could ask her for advice."

"Someone can teach me execution techniques?" Ginjo didn't believe it. What a joke! His Cross of Scaffold execution techniques were Zanpakuto. How could anyone possibly teach him?

"Don't disbelieve it, she can slice a person into bones in an instant, and that person can still maintain their life force even without a single piece of flesh or blood on their body," Tsuna described.

"That powerful?" Ginjo didn't believe it. His method of slow slicing was primarily designed to inflict pain; cutting someone into a skeleton in an instant—could that still be considered an execution method?

At the dinner table, Tsuna stared listlessly at his rice bowl, having no appetite. Anyone would lose their appetite if stared at by a sharp gaze.

"What's wrong? Sawada-sensei, don't you have much of an appetite?" Ukitake asked with concern.

Tsuna couldn't really lash out, since Ukitake genuinely cared about him. "Fine, just hurry up and get treatment done. You can ask me anything after you're done, right?"

Kyōraku and Ukitake only suffered superficial injuries, so they didn't need to go to a special treatment room. Unohana Retsu received a simple treatment at the cafeteria, and their injuries were barely visible. All that's left is for them to recover slowly when they get back.

After exchanging a few Unohana Retsu, Kyōraku led Tsuna and his group down to the basement of the Fourth Division. Unohana Retsu had already explained to them that this was the Fourth Division 'Fourth Division secret operating room, and only she and Kotetsu Isane were allowed to enter. This was the reason Kyōraku had asked Tsuna to come here.

At the end of the cold underground passage was a small room. In the center of the room was a bed, and on the bed lay a person, but this person was completely motionless; it would be more accurate to describe them as a corpse.

The corpse lying there was familiar to Tsuna; it was Sosuke Aizen, whom he had just fought. Tsuna raised an eyebrow; he roughly understood why Kyōraku had summoned him.

"Sawada- kun, after your reminder, I pieced together all the clues and can only suspect that Sosuke Aizen, the Fifth Division Captain, is one of the masterminds."

"But Captain Aizen's body is right in front of us. Only Captain Unohana mentioned that she found something unusual on Captain Aizen's body, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was."

"My intuition tells me that the person lying here is not Sosuke Aizen, even though all the Reishi on the corpse tell me he is Sosuke Aizen," Unohana Retsu added.

"After the incident with Captain Hitsugaya, Shunsui, you suspect this corpse in front of you..." Ukitake immediately understood what Shunsui Kyōraku meant.

"That's right. I suspect that the corpse we saw is not Sosuke Aizen. This corpse is an illusion, or rather, we have been under Aizen's hypnotic Illusion." Kyōraku said with a solemn expression. As his speculation deepened, he gradually began to call out Aizen's full name.

Kyōraku truly deserves his reputation as the next Captain-Commander; he was able to deduce most of the truth from just a few scattered clues.

"Sawada- kun, could you tell me if there's Illusion here? Also, is Sosuke Aizen behind it all?" Kyōraku asked.

"D. Spade's Magic Mirror".

Tsuna glanced at the corpse through the magic mirror, and the illusion revealed its true form. It was indeed a corpse, but it didn't resemble Aizen; it was a complete stranger.

This is interesting. If Tsuna remembers correctly, this so-called corpse should be Kyoka Suigetsu, but Aizen has replaced it with a real corpse. Is it because of his appearance? Did Kyoka Suigetsu keep Aizen for self-defense?

Tsuna glanced at everyone in the room. Apart from Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Unohana Retsu, who had some lingering injuries, none of them had been affected by the Illusion.

"That guy lying on top is fake," Tsuna said, pointing directly at the corpse. "There are signs of Illusion on that body."

The captains exchanged glances, and Kyōraku spoke up, "Then please ask Sawada -kun to help dispel the Illusion."

"Are you sure? Aizen will definitely be able to detect it after this thing is deactivated."

Without needing to provide spiritual pressure to maintain the Illusion, Aizen was immediately able to realize that Seireitei had discovered his feigned death.

Kyōraku thought it over carefully. After all, Tsuna wasn't one of their people, and he couldn't fully believe what Tsuna said without seeing the truth for himself. Only by confirming that Aizen was behind it could he plan his next move.