Aizen knew the man he had marked for death was a traitor to the Gotei 13. Gin Ichimaru did not.
They would both have blood on their hands, binding their interests together. If Gin wanted to betray him someday, he would have to think twice.
Gin knew there was no getting out of this, so he smiled and said, "If I happen to die, Lieutenant Aizen, you'll avenge me, won't you?"
"Don't worry. I will."
Under cover of a dark, windy night, Naruki, the Third Division's 5th Seat, fled to Rukongai.
He had only drunk a little too much. He had never imagined he would cause such a disaster. Killing a fellow officer was a crime no one would forgive.
"Damn it, how did this happen? It wasn't my fault! That bastard mocked me for going all these years without a promotion. I'd been drinking, and I got angry, and I... I stabbed him. Why did he have to die so easily? One stab and he was dead! What am I supposed to do?" Naruki stared at his hands in despair.
He did not regret what he had done. He was worried about himself. He had killed someone, and that meant the executioner's block.
All he could do now was find a way out of Seireitei and go to the Human World, where he could take a new name and live out his days in peace. But... he had worked so hard to become 5th Seat. Now he had to give everything up. Damn it!
His future! It was all gone!
As he wallowed in self-pity, a noise came from the dilapidated house beside him. Naruki jumped like a startled bird, but soon saw that it was only a child in ragged clothes coming out.
"You scared me to