Family Council

"Idiots! Worthless trash! You incompetent, good-for-nothing bastards!"

One of the most hot-tempered elders could no longer hold himself back. He slammed his palm onto the table with a muffled bang, his beard trembling with rage.

"Attacking a member of the Zero Division?! Has Tsukihito Tsunayashiro grown tired of living? Who gave him the nerve?! Huh?!"

"We never should've given him authority to deploy the Shadow Guards just because he was somewhat obedient and we were in a hurry to plant people in Central 46!"

Another elder, his face sinister, spoke in an icy voice as a cold gleam flickered in his eyes.

"Those suicide soldiers undeniably bore the marks of our Tsunayashiro Clan. Their training methods, their standard equipment..."

"...Could that be hidden from others? Could it be hidden from those hounds in the First Division and the Stealth Force?"

"That old bastard Suhe is terrified our Tsunayashiro Clan won't die fast enough!"

"It isn't just the suicide soldiers and forbidden drugs!" Another elder in charge of the family's internal oversight looked livid.

"He privately contacted, and may even have helped, that 'Scarface' escape prison! The passage to that secret prison, the records of guard rotations..."

"If the First Division follows the trail, they'll find their way to us sooner or later! This is no longer his personal act. He's dragged the entire Tsunayashiro Clan into a monstrous storm of attacking royal special agents and plotting to murder a member of the Zero Division!"

"Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto has already classified this case as an 'attack on royal special agents.' He's forming a special investigation team and holding a trial at the highest level!"

One relatively composed elder responsible for external affairs looked deeply worried.

"This isn't just aimed at Suhe alone. Between the lines, the Captain-Commander's words clearly show that he suspects our family knew about it, perhaps even tacitly approved or participated!"

"He's putting the Tsunayashiro Clan over the fire, against all of Seireitei—and even the Soul King Palace!"

For a time, the council hall was filled with curses directed at Tsukihito Tsunayashiro and anxious voices worrying over the situation.

Tsukihito Tsunayashiro's madness was like a huge rock thrown into a cesspit. It not only blew himself to pieces, but also exposed the murky waters of the Tsunayashiro Clan to broad daylight.

Tsunayashiro Dekang, the clan head, who had been sitting silently all this time, slowly raised a hand.

The council hall instantly fell silent.

"Finished cursing?" Tsunayashiro Dekang's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a peculiar force that made every elder present shudder inwardly.

"Suhe was stupid, useless, and brought this upon himself. But can cursing him now bring him back to take back what he said?"

"Can it erase the Shadow Guards' marks and the existence of Binding Spirit Dust? Can it make the First Division stop investigating?"

His gaze slowly swept across the room. Every elder he looked at involuntarily lowered his head or turned away.

"At this point, Suhe is certainly dead. No one can save him. The key isn't how to clean up his mess—we can't clean it up anyway."

Tsunayashiro Dekang's tone remained calm, but the meaning of his words sent chills through everyone's hearts.

"The key is how to extricate the Tsunayashiro Clan from this deadly mire as much as possible. At the very least, we must avoid being branded the 'family mastermind' or accused of 'collective participation.'"

"Patriarch, you mean..." the sinister elder asked tentatively.

"Cut him off. Completely." Tsunayashiro Dekang spoke four words, each one resolute.

"From this moment on, all of Tsukihito Tsunayashiro's actions were acts of personal madness, unrelated to the Tsunayashiro main family. His use of the Shadow Guards and Binding Spirit Dust was the theft of family resources and the result of his private collusion with the family's scum."

"The family knew nothing of it and finds it utterly reprehensible. Every family member involved will be severely punished without exception and handed over to the First Division for judgment."

"Within the family, immediately begin the highest-level internal review and rectification. Proactively 'discover' and 'report' any other possible crimes Suhe committed. Our attitude must be sincere, and our actions swift."

This was sacrificing the carriage to save the commander, severing the tail to survive. They would lose some strength and dignity, but at least the core of the family could be kept from being torn apart by the storm.

"But... Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the Zero Division, and the other noble families..." An elder was still worried.

"What Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto wants is stability, and an explanation for the Soul King Palace. He may not truly want to uproot the Tsunayashiro Clan immediately. That would cause a massive upheaval throughout Seireitei."

"We need to cut ourselves off proactively, hand over some scapegoats, and cooperate with the investigation."

Tsunayashiro Dekang analyzed the situation, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"As for the other noble families... Hmph. There will certainly be those eager to kick us while we're down, but there won't be few who feel the rabbit's death and the fox's grief. They must also consider whether, if it's the Tsunayashiro Clan today, it might be their turn tomorrow."

He paused, and at last his tone shifted, carrying deep gravity and a faint, almost imperceptible... wariness.

"But the premise of all this—or rather, the greatest variable—doesn't lie with Yamamoto, nor with the other noble families."

He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the thick walls toward the Kido Corps' headquarters.

"It lies with... Liu Chuan himself."

"Liu Chuan?" The elders were stunned.

"That's right. Liu Chuan, the newly promoted member of the Zero Division," Tsunayashiro Dekang said slowly.

"He is the direct victim of this incident. To a great extent, he will influence its final classification and the subsequent handling. Even the Captain-Commander will likely have to respect his opinion."

"Then... how should we respond?" the elder responsible for external affairs asked.

Tsunayashiro Dekang fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. In the end, he made his decision.

"I've decided to visit him personally."

"What? You personally, Patriarch?" Several elders were shocked.

The head of the Tsunayashiro Clan personally paying a visit to apologize and make amends to a young Soul Reaper? Even if he was a member of the Zero Division, that would be an enormous loss of face!

"Face?" Tsunayashiro Dekang sneered. "What is face compared to the family's survival?"

"Suhe has already thrown away all our face. What we need to do now is salvage as much as we can and show our stance."

"By going personally, I represent the highest degree of sincerity and apology from the Tsunayashiro Clan."

His gaze swept across the elders. "Not only will I go, but the family must immediately prepare a generous 'gift of apology' as a show of 'sincerity.'"

"We must let Liu Chuan see that the Tsunayashiro Clan deeply regrets and grieves over what happened to him, that we will never tolerate Suhe's actions, and that we're willing to pay a price to make amends."

"More importantly, we must let him see that continuing to pursue this matter may not benefit either side. It would be better to accept our apology and compensation, and keep the impact of this matter to the smallest possible scope."

"Go make the preparations at once." Tsunayashiro Dekang issued his final order, his voice once again carrying the authority and decisiveness of the clan head.

"Remember, from this moment onward, the Tsunayashiro Clan's message to the outside world must be unified—"

"Tsukihito Tsunayashiro is a disgrace to the family. His actions are unrelated to the family. The family is deeply remorseful, will fully cooperate with the investigation, severely punish those involved, and sincerely apologize to Lord Liu Chuan."

"Yes!" the elders answered in unison. Though they remained uneasy, since the clan head had made his decision, they could only carry it out.

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