Soul Society's Number One Villain!

On the other side, in front of a noble estate, a highly concealed barrier stood firm. Inside, several heavyweights were gathered: the representative of the noble clans and commander of the Onmitsukido, Shihoin Seigen, and the captain of Squad 6, Kuchiki Ginrei.

The future Head Captain, current captain of Squad 8 Kyoraku Shunsui, the incumbent Head Captain Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, and the former captain of Squad 11, current captain of Squad 4, Unohana Retsu, were also present.

This lineup of five, possessing immense power, stood silently before the rebel headquarters, waiting for the opportune moment.

Just as Tenshin Ichiro had surmised, the Head Captain had never truly taken this rebellion to heart from the very beginning. As long as it wasn't led by any of the exceptional captains of the Thirteenth Division, he could wipe them out with a flick of his wrist.

The reason they had waited until now was primarily due to the bureaucratic bickering within the Central 46. The Head Captain was more than happy to let them talk, using this opportunity to purge the Seireitei and prevent any further riffraff from daring to crawl out of the woodwork.

However, he clearly had not anticipated that these people would be bold enough to lay hands on the Shino Academy.

At that moment, a Soul Reaper suddenly appeared to report on the situation at the academy. Upon hearing that a large number of intruders had breached the grounds, the previously languid eyes of Kyoraku Shunsui turned sharp, and the wooden sheath covering the Head Captain's Zanpakuto instantly incinerated!

Scorching spiritual pressure surged from his body without end!

"Head Captain, the situation over there should be under control. The priority now is to flush out more of these rats," Kuchiki Ginrei said, his brow furrowed in suggestion.

The Head Captain fell silent for a moment, his scorching spiritual energy slowly dissipating. Kuchiki Ginrei was right; the situation there had stabilized, and acting out of anger now would only ruin their efforts. Nevertheless, his fury remained suppressed deep within his heart.

"Proceed. What was their objective in storming the academy?" Seeing the Head Captain suppress his rage, Kuchiki Ginrei breathed a sigh of relief and asked calmly.

However, to Kuchiki Ginrei's confusion, the Soul Reaper did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at him with a hint of worry, appearing somewhat fearful.

Kuchiki Ginrei frowned and said, "Speak your mind! What haven't the people here seen before?"

"..." The Soul Reaper hesitated before saying, "Their target was... Lady Kuchiki Tsukihisa, who is currently attending the Shino Academy..."

"BOOM!"

Violent spiritual pressure erupted from Kuchiki Ginrei. Had this barrier not been of such high quality, they would have been exposed instantly.

The Head Captain frowned, wanting to reprimand him, but considering his own actions just moments ago and the status of the Five Great Noble Clans, he ultimately held his tongue.

"Daring to strike at the Five Great Noble Clans... and my Kuchiki Clan at that... It is unheard of! Such audacity! It seems some people truly can no longer restrain themselves!" After gritting his teeth through these words, Kuchiki Ginrei slowly drew his Zanpakuto and asked, "Is Tsukihisa alright?"

"Rest assured, my lord. Lady Tsukihisa is completely unharmed."

Upon hearing this, Shihoin Seigen reached out to press down on Kuchiki Ginrei's Zanpakuto, offering him a way to step down: "Very well. Since she is safe, let us wait a little longer. A few minutes won't make a difference."

He then turned to the messenger and ordered, "That will be all. Go back and guard the key passages. Do not let a single person escape!"

However, the Soul Reaper did not leave. He kept his head bowed and continued, "Commander, the young lady and her close friend, Kisuke Urahara, were severely wounded and are currently receiving emergency treatment..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

A long silence followed. Shihoin Seigen's hand was still pressed against Kuchiki Ginrei's Zanpakuto, and the atmosphere became incredibly awkward.

They all knew they couldn't strike yet; closing the net now would cause unnecessary losses they were unwilling to accept. But the Five Great Noble Clans had been slapped in the face—could they really just swallow this?

Especially Shihoin Seigen. The Kuchiki family had only suffered an attack on a branch member with no injuries, but Yoruichi was his own daughter!

The next head of the Shihoin Clan!

Sensing the awkwardness, Captain Unohana gave a faint smile, demonstrating her purpose for being there: "Captain Shihoin, please rest assured. To my knowledge, your daughter is very close with Tenshin Ichiro, an intern in our squad. Although Ichiro has yet to graduate, his Kaido is second to none in the entire Soul Society. Most injuries are no match for him; with him there, she should be fine."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the awkward tension dissipated. As previously discussed, the situation there had already concluded, and being anxious here would not help. Since her safety was assured, following the plan was the best course of action.

However, upon hearing Ichiro's name, the Onmitsukido messenger's cold sweat began to pour down incessantly. Seeing this, Kyoraku Shunsui felt a growing sense of foreboding...

"You... tell us everything else you know at once. We will not interrupt you again..."

At these words, everyone's gaze locked onto the messenger. Watching his panicked expression, a sense of dread began to rise within them as well...

"The Tenshin Ichiro that Captain Unohana mentioned... also participated in the battle. His injuries are much more severe... He is currently in a near-death state... unconscious..." Having finished, he kept his head buried, cold sweat dripping as he nearly died of fright!

Because in his perception, the usually gentle Captain of Squad 4 had suddenly erupted with terrifying killing intent!

"Retsu! Calm down!" The Head Captain shouted to intervene, but unfortunately, how could the enraged Captain Unohana care about that now?

The braid resting on her chest unraveled, revealing a hideous scar, and with it came a heaven-shaking murderous aura!

Her reputation as the greatest villain in the Soul Society had been carved out one blade stroke at a time!

By the time the Head Captain finished speaking, Captain Unohana had already nearly slaughtered her way through half the estate!

Kyoraku Shunsui, standing outside, swallowed hard. He hadn't seen Unohana Retsu like this in hundreds of years. He asked with a trembling voice, "Teacher... what is the background of this Tenshin Ichiro?"

"Tenshin Ichiro? A genius with immense talent! In less than half a year, he mastered all of Retsu's Kaido techniques. Then, through her strong recommendation, he met the Hot Spring Demon and spent another half-year learning all the Kaido knowledge outside of the secret arts! Retsu has been grooming him to be the next captain of Squad 4. This reaction is not unexpected..."

The Head Captain's words left the others stunned. What kind of divine resume was this?

As they spoke, they saw Unohana, still radiating killing intent, riding her Zanpakuto, Minazuki, and flying rapidly toward the Shino Academy.

Seeing this, the Head Captain said, "It seems there is no need to worry about that side anymore. Let's go. After killing so many nobles this time, we still have to give the Central 46 an explanation."

Kuchiki Ginrei sneered, "An explanation? Hah! It is they who must give us an explanation. To dare strike at the next heads of the Five Great Noble Clans—it seems the culprits have quite the backing!"

A cold light flashed in Shihoin Seigen's eyes: "Head of the Kuchiki Clan, just say the word. The Onmitsukido will cooperate fully! Even if it was just a branch member, they are still of the Five Great Noble Clans, let alone the fact that they dared to strike at the main family..."

The two left as they spoke. The Head Captain looked at the blood-soaked estate, his squinted eyes opening a sliver to reveal endless, icy light!

"It seems there are quite a few maggots in my ranks, to the point that even the Shino Academy would be attacked... and even a genius like Ichiro nearly died... Shunsui, I leave this matter to you."

Kyoraku Shunsui tipped his straw hat, shielding the cold glint in his eyes as he replied, "Yes, teacher..."

Glossary note: I calculate semesters as half a year. The original work didn't specify, so I set it myself.

An unprecedented villain and the greatest villain in the Soul Society—the two are likely about the same, though the latter rolls off the tongue better.

Kyoraku Shunsui is the captain of Squad 8, which is an intelligence unit.

The Onmitsukido is essentially the private army of the Shihoin Clan, as the commander of the Onmitsukido has always been Yoruichi, with the only exception being Soi Fon.

Finally, thank you to Monokuma for the tip.

There will be another update later, though it will be quite late.