Sosuke Aizen.
That name was, of course, familiar to Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba.
The moment they heard it, Aizen's face immediately came to mind.
In their impression, although Sosuke Aizen was the captain of Squad 5, he never put on airs. He was humble, gentle, and kind to others—a well-known good guy among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
They didn't know why the black cat in Gilgamesh's arms had brought up Sosuke Aizen.
Could Aizen be the mastermind behind the attempt to target the Shiba Clan?
The moment the thought occurred to them, they dismissed it.
Don't be ridiculous.
Sosuke Aizen had been born in Rukongai and wasn't a noble. There was no way he could have a grudge against the Shiba Clan.
Besides, Aizen's strength wasn't exceptional among the captains. How could he make Isshin Shiba, who was stronger than him, feel helpless?
Most importantly, a Hollow had killed their wives. How could Aizen possibly command Hollows?
It had to be said that Aizen had cultivated his public image so well that Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba were both willing to believe in him.
Yoruichi Shihouin regretted letting the name slip as soon as she'd said it.
This wasn't the time to deal with Aizen.
That wasn't just because of his strength. It was also because he'd hidden himself too well.
Yoruichi knew that even if she exposed the truth, no one would be willing to believe her.
Otherwise, she and Kisuke Urahara wouldn't have fled the Soul Society decades ago.
Now, under Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba's suspicious, probing gazes, Yoruichi knew she had to find a way to earn their trust.
Otherwise, she might alert Aizen and ruin everything she and Kisuke Urahara had planned over the past several decades.
But would Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba be willing to believe her?
As Yoruichi's nerves began to fray, Gilgamesh gently stroked her little head and said warmly, "This isn't the place to talk. You should have a secret underground base nearby. Take us there."
Yoruichi froze. She didn't know how Gilgamesh could have known about it.
That underground base was a secret shared by only her and Kisuke Urahara. No one else should have known about it.
But soon, Yoruichi seemed to realize something and murmured, "The future..."
Gilgamesh didn't explain.
He hadn't seen that particular future, but in the original Bleach story, Yoruichi had indeed taken Ichigo Kurosaki to the underground base to train in Bankai.
Yoruichi trusted Gilgamesh completely.
She turned to Kaien Shiba and said, "The underground base is a bit far from here. Take us there with Flash Step."
Kaien Shiba was already full of questions.
Hoping to resolve them—and to learn more about his own future from Gilgamesh—he did as Yoruichi asked.
Following Yoruichi's directions, Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba raced along with Flash Step.
Before long, they reached the underground base.
When they saw the vast space beneath the ground, Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba stood stunned, their hearts filled with amazement.
They never would have imagined there could be such a huge space underground. Even when they looked as far as they could, they couldn't see its edge.
They were also curious about who had made such an immense underground space. Was it that black cat?
But how could a black cat have built something like this?
And for that matter, why could the black cat talk?
As they puzzled over it, Yoruichi leaped from Gilgamesh's arms and landed on the ground. A cloud of smoke rose from her black-cat form.
Under Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba's scrutinizing gazes, the smoke cleared, revealing Yoruichi, fully dressed.
The two men stared at her, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Of course they recognized Yoruichi Shihouin, the former Second Division Commander and now a wanted fugitive who had fled the Soul Society.
Kaien Shiba, in particular, had been on quite friendly terms with her.
They simply never would have imagined that the black cat Gilgamesh had been holding all along was Yoruichi Shihouin.
Under ordinary circumstances, even with their past friendship, Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba would have immediately grown wary and prepared to fight.
But things were different now. More than anything else, they wanted to know about their own futures.
Once Isshin Shiba had recovered, he furrowed his brow and said gravely, "Yoruichi Shihouin, what's going on? I hope you'll tell us."
Kaien Shiba said nothing, but kept his eyes fixed on Yoruichi.
Yoruichi hesitated. She still had reservations and wasn't sure whether to tell them what had happened back then.
Gilgamesh spoke up. "Go ahead. It's fine. The enemy of your enemy is your friend. Whether they like it or not, they'll become your allies."
His words were like a shot of courage for Yoruichi.
She took a deep breath. Her eyes suddenly turned cold as she looked at Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba. "All right. I'll tell you everything."
"Back then, Aizen was the one who caused Shinji Hirako and the others to undergo Hollowfication."
"He'd been researching how to break down the barrier between Shinigami and Hollows for a long time. Shinji Hirako and the others were nothing but Aizen's test subjects."
"Shinigami and Hollows had always been opposed to one another, and Hollowfication was forbidden."
"So the Central 46 Chambers took Aizen's word for it and sentenced Kisuke, Tessai, Shinji Hirako, and the others to execution."
"You should know what happened after that. I broke into the trial and rescued Kisuke and Tessai, then helped Shinji Hirako and the others escape to the Human World."
Yoruichi's story was so outrageous that Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba couldn't help exchanging a glance. They could both see the doubt in each other's eyes.
There was no proof.
On one side was a wanted fugitive who had fled the Soul Society. On the other was the current Fifth Division Captain, a well-known good guy among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Any reasonable person would believe the latter.
Yoruichi had known this would happen, and couldn't help looking helpless.
She didn't know how to convince Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba.
Just then, Gilgamesh spoke up. "If you're unwilling to believe her, can you at least believe me?"
His words drew everyone's attention.
Only then did Kaien Shiba and Isshin Shiba suddenly realize they'd overlooked something all along.
Why had Yoruichi, in her black-cat form, been so docile in Gilgamesh's arms—and seemed to enjoy being petted so much?
She looked almost as if Gilgamesh had subdued her.
They had originally assumed Gilgamesh came from a noble family, but no longer thought so.
After all, what noble could subdue Yoruichi Shihouin?
She herself came from the Shihoin House, one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
So who exactly was Gilgamesh?
Kaien Shiba couldn't help asking, "Who are you?"
Before Gilgamesh could answer, Yoruichi spoke with pride, confidence, and reverence. "He is the oldest Hero King in human history, and the original source of all human myths!"
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