Few people knew about the captains' emergency meeting a week ago, and it seemed to have changed nothing. It wasn't until tonight that people learned the change had been quietly underway all along.
"This Extermination Operation will proceed in three parts simultaneously. First, you'll take people to arrest Soya, then join Kirio and the others in Hueco Mundo..."
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, the towering captain of Squad 11, gazed at the mansion before him, his face full of melancholy. Anyone who knew him would have struggled to connect this solemn man with the easygoing optimist he usually was.
"Of course, if you really can't bring yourself to do it, I can handle part of it for you..." Kyoraku Shunsui's words from three days ago surfaced in his mind again. Kuruyashiki Kenpachi lowered his head and murmured, "Don't treat me like some sniveling little girl! People have to pay for what they've done. If you really did it, you should too, Soya!"
"Captain?"
"Hmm?" Kuruyashiki turned and saw the worry on his lieutenant's face. Forcing himself to rally, he smiled and said, "Gosuke, I'm fine! And don't look so worried. We don't know how things will turn out yet!"
The Extermination Operation was Yamamoto's plan to eradicate the Quincy once and for all. Only the captains of the Gotei 13, the Central 46, and a Soul Reaper named Ao knew all the details.
The operation had three parts. The first, called Pruning the Eyes and Branches, was a purge within Seireitei.
A faction inside Seireitei was secretly colluding with the Quincy. Ao had brought this news to the captains' emergency meeting seven days ago. To keep the faction from leaking the operation and causing the Quincy to scatter, Pruning the Eyes and Branches was set in motion: blinding the eyes that spied on them while cutting away the crooked branches within Seireitei.
Pruning the Eyes and Branches was being carried out personally by four captains: Kyoraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jushiro, Unohana Retsu, and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. At that moment, the homes of the forty-four lower-ranking and fifteen middle-ranking nobles on the list were filled with cries of distress. They would be held temporarily, then questioned together after the entire Extermination Operation was over.
The family Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had personally led his squad to arrest was, of course, no ordinary one. The two flamboyant characters on the plaque announced who owned the mansion—Azashiro! It was the family of Azashiro Kozo, the false accuser, and the only high-ranking noble house involved in this operation.
The Azashiro Clan's history had been a troubled one, even by Seireitei's long standards.
Once, the Azashiro Clan had been a glorious high-ranking noble house. Its descendants excelled in martial arts. Though none of them had ever become a captain, the clan wielded great influence within the Gotei 13.
That influence had made the Azashiro Clan a target of envy. More than three hundred years ago, numerous noble houses conspired to frame them, and most of the family's members were killed. The three siblings who survived were forced to face the Hollow confinement punishment of the time: fighting Hollows without end until they died.
At the time, the eldest daughter, Azashiro Kenichi, was the only one of the three who had awakened Shikai. She fought desperately to protect her two young brothers. But against the endless tide of Hollows, Azashiro Kenichi could not hold out for long and was soon buried beneath them.
What could the two boys, neither of whom could use Shikai, possibly do? Their deaths were certain, and the Azashiro Clan's end was all but guaranteed! But just as everyone thought so, the awakening of a genius pulled the clan back from the brink!
Azashiro Soya, younger brother of Azashiro Kenichi and the eldest son of the Azashiro Clan, awakened his Shikai at that moment. In an instant, he hacked to pieces the Hollows that had killed his sister!
A Zanpakuto with such power in its Shikai alone was no ordinary weapon. A new star was rising!
Seireitei had always been welcoming to geniuses. The Central 46 immediately halted the Hollow confinement and reopened its investigation into the Azashiro Clan. The truth eventually came to light: the clan was innocent, and the nobles who had conspired to frame them met miserable ends. The young Azashiro Soya became head of the family. Though only he and his younger brother, Kozo, remained, the Azashiro Clan had at least survived.
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi stepped into the Azashiro Clan's estate. The grounds were spacious and the buildings numerous, but most were dark. A slender, refined-looking man stood in the middle of the courtyard, seemingly the only living person in the vast estate.
His black hair was tied in a ponytail, with two fine strands hanging in front of his face. His complexion was pale, without a trace of color, giving him a sickly look. His long, narrow eyes were as calm as a pool of clear water, able to soothe an agitated heart.
"I've been waiting a long time." The man's voice was so soft it seemed a gust of wind could scatter it. He slowly raised both hands and continued, "Let's go."
"I don't know whether to praise you for owning up to what you've done or call you a fool." Kuruyashiki gave a bitter smile and shook his head. Since the other man had admitted it, there was nothing left to say. It surprised him—and disappointed him even more—that Azashiro, once harmed by a false accusation, had now resorted to false accusation himself!
"This can't be true! Soya, you're not the kind of person who would betray Seireitei! Right, Soya?" Lieutenant Gosuke shouted in agitation, voicing what the other squad members were thinking.
The man before them was the genius who had saved the Azashiro Clan years ago, its current head—Azashiro Soya! He was also Squad 11's Third Seat, second in standing among the squad members only to Captain Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
To the members of Squad 11, Azashiro Soya was usually a gentle, unambitious man and one of the few intellectuals in the squad. Though he was only the Third Seat, he was extremely powerful, and many believed he was the likeliest successor to the title of Kenpachi.
When the Third Division Captain had stepped down recently, the Central 46 had actually favored giving the position to Azashiro Soya over Otoribashi Rojuro. But Azashiro insisted on staying in Squad 11, and the matter was ultimately dropped.
Could a man like Azashiro Soya really have colluded with the Quincy and plotted to harm Seireitei? Most of the Squad 11 members present didn't believe it. They all shouted for him to explain himself. But Azashiro Soya remained silent, showing no intention of explaining anything.
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi raised a hand to stop his squad members from stirring up more of a commotion, then beckoned to the Kido Corps accompanying them. Four white-robed, masked figures carrying long metal staffs tipped with forked prongs stepped forward and fastened Kido restraints around Azashiro Soya's neck and wrists, restricting the flow of his spiritual power.
"And hand over your Zanpakuto as well, Third Seat Azashiro!" one of the white-robed figures ordered.
"My Zanpakuto?" Azashiro Soya smiled for the first time, the corners of his mouth lifting. "I don't usually carry it. I can't quite remember where I left it."
The white-robed figure frowned and barked, "You'd better behave yourself, Azashiro Soya!"
"If you're still alive, that proves I've behaved myself!" Azashiro Soya said, then started walking as if of his own accord. The Kido Corps members around him froze for a moment before following. Just who was arresting whom?
Azashiro Soya's near-surrender, without any resistance, was both expected and hard to understand. As for what the future held for him and the others, that would only become clear after the operation ended. The night was still long. Kuruyashiki Kenpachi knew that he would soon be heading to Hueco Mundo with Hikifune Kirio, Shihoin Dozo, and Kuchiki Ginrei.
Meanwhile, Diezuka Hiroe, already far away in the Zaraki District, knew even better: Pruning the Eyes and Branches was only the beginning. The real war was only just about to begin!
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