Yoriichi did not deny it.
He did want to know.
Tens of thousands of souls from Rukongai had been wiped out by the Twelfth Division without authorization, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had not shown even a hint of remorse.
Under any law, such conduct was enough to have him imprisoned in Muken.
Yet Yamamoto had merely said he would settle accounts later, then let him leave.
"Yes."
Yoriichi answered calmly.
Yamamoto slowly closed his eyes.
"Because Seireitei cannot do without the Twelfth Division right now."
Yoriichi fell silent.
The answer was not complicated.
He could even say he had already guessed it.
The Wandenreich had bypassed the Reishi Concealing Membrane and appeared inside Seireitei without any warning.
They had also vanished together after the battle, leaving no passage that could be traced.
The existing warning system had become useless.
Under these circumstances, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the only person who could rebuild their means of detection and decipher how the enemy moved.
"Sasakibe fell in battle, and one hundred and sixteen division members died alongside him in today's attack."
Yamamoto's voice was very low.
"The enemy already has a blade at the Gotei 13's throat."
"If we punish Mayuri Kurotsuchi now, the Twelfth Division will inevitably fall into chaos, and the Research and Development Institute will temporarily cease functioning."
"If the enemy attacks again tomorrow, today's one hundred and seventeen could become a thousand, or ten thousand."
Yoriichi looked at Yamamoto.
"So the deaths of those souls can go unpunished for now?"
"No."
Yamamoto opened his eyes.
"A crime is a crime."
"Whatever his purpose, and regardless of whether his actions maintained the balance of the Three Realms, slaughtering souls from Rukongai without permission is an unforgivable crime."
"I have merely postponed the reckoning."
"I have not let the matter go."
At