Face-to-Face

The morning sun had already risen, and the clouds on the horizon were white as if they had just been washed clean.

Inside the 1st Division's captain meeting hall, a special captains' meeting was quietly underway.

There were not many attendees. After Aizen and two other captains had defected, and Toshiro Hitsugaya had led a team to the World of the Living for defense, only nine captains remained in the Gotei 13.

From that number, subtract Zaraki Kenpachi, who had little interest in anything besides cutting people down; then subtract Ukitake Jushiro, who was frail and sickly and rarely attended meetings unless something major had happened...

In the end, only seven people were actually present.