The Unforgiven from Shinigami
Leaving Blue Stream Gate.
Outside is the first district of the East Rukongai.
According to the rules of the Seireitei, no buildings are allowed within 100 meters of Seireiheki Seireitei walls to prevent children from accidentally entering and triggering the alarm.
Therefore, the scenery within a hundred meters is all overgrown with weeds.
The residents' thatched huts are built outside the overgrown area, scattered haphazardly. As the morning light falls from the sky, it turns the straw on the roofs golden.
With a Shunpo, Kaname Tōsen landed on the rooftop.
This is outside of Sōya Azashiro's surveillance.
There were no outsiders present, and the surveillance in the Projection Hall could only display images, not hear any conversations.
Therefore, he spoke without any hesitation, "I am very sorry, Lord Aizen. Because of me, you have been exposed to the eyes of that despicable man, Tsunayashiro Tokinada."
"You don't need to apologize, you do."
Aizen answered his question by not continuing to use Shunpo, but instead running, which made it easier to chat.
He enjoys talking to people.
Even if he can get the answer he wants without words, just by looking at his micro-expressions.
However, through language, one can better understand a person's inner thoughts and also convey one's own thoughts to the outside world.
Whether the thought is genuine or a lie, the conversation itself possesses a unique meaning.
"This Tsunayashiro Tokinada is not for you, nor for me. He probably learned about the existence of the Turtle Gas through some channel."
He wanted to take away the Turtle Gas, but he underestimated Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's caution. He only spoke up to mock us after discovering it was us.
Aizen's explanation did not lessen Kaname Tōsen's guilt. "But, if Lord Aizen uses Kyōka Suigetsu, wouldn't that let that guy know that you were the one who attacked the Fullbringer's corpse?"
"This was expected."
Aizen was also quite fast, easily running to the edge of the village, leaping into the woods, and bounding between the branches.
From the moment he decided to steal the corpse of the Fullbringer, his thoughts weren't on how to deceive Tsunayashiro Tokinada, but rather on planning the day of the victim's death.
Leaving Aura Michibane alive was a deliberate act to alert Tsunayashiro Tokinada to the unusual situation and thus initiate an investigation.
Driven by an arrogant belief that he was close to the truth, he gradually walked towards the fate he had long foreseen.
No complicated calculations are needed.
Like fallen leaves on a stream, let them drift naturally. When they come near you, you can reach out and they will disappear from the stream forever.
"He won't live much longer anyway, so it doesn't matter if I'm exposed. Do you want to take care of him yourself?"
Aizen stopped looking at the road ahead, turned his head, and stared at this confidant who could be considered his right-hand man.
A flicker of struggle crossed his brown face, and he pursed his lips.
Kakyō's face appeared in my mind once again.
For Kaname Tōsen, who was born blind, the whole world was a dark place, without any shape.
Now,
The future will be the same.
With this in mind, he encountered a star that could illuminate the darkness: Kakyō.
"You should at least know what your friends look like."
His words, like a gentle spring breeze in April, echoed in her ears. The girl said this as she placed his hand on her face, introducing her cheek, nose, eyes, and mouth.
Under the soft touch, the dark world gradually took shape.
She is beautiful, truly beautiful.
Even if Kaname Tōsen had no idea what anyone else looked like except her, he could be 100% certain.
The fact that she is beautiful.
"Look at the stars, Kaname."
He's a bit careless, though, and often forgets that he's blind. He'll want to share any beautiful scenery he sees with him.
"I love the night sky, Kaname. Don't you think the night sky is a lot like this world?"
Everything was shrouded in darkness; though there were some glimmers of light, the rest was obscured by clouds...
"Speaking of which, Kaname, I want to be the one who clears away the clouds, so that the little light can continue to shine."
Her voice was so beautiful that Kaname Tōsen always forgot to tell her that he liked the clouds at night.
"I'm getting married, Kaname."
For the first time since we met, I found that sound somewhat jarring.
"The other party is a Shinigami."
"I've also received my acceptance letter from the Shin'ō Academy; I will become a Shinigami."
"As Shinigami, I will fight against the Hollows and restore peace to this world."
She said this with a voice full of joy.
"Congratulations..." That was his reply at the time.
It was also the sentence he regretted most in his life.
Even now, he can't help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if he had stopped it back then.
Would she, Isshin yearns for world peace, possesses an unparalleled sense of justice, and is willing to fight for it, have been able to avoid death?
This is a question that can never be answered.
Kaname Tōsen clenched his fist, then relaxed it, suppressing the boiling killing intent within him, and whispered, "No, we'll proceed as you have instructed."
"Then let someone else handle it."
"If you kill him, that guy will be very happy. Such a death is far too easy for him."
Aizen's tone softened, and he understood.
Kaname Tōsen to personally torture and kill Tsunayashiro Tokinada in the most cruel way, but he suppressed his murderous intent in order not to ruin his plan.
This is one of the reasons why Aizen appreciates Kaname Tōsen.
It's not that he admires this loyalty; in fact, loyalty is the cheapest and most worthless thing to Aizen.
Aizen admired Kaname Tōsen's pursuit of an ideal New World.
This man clearly didn't possess the magnanimity and virtue of a saint; on the contrary, he was just an ordinary person.
He would hate the world because of the death of his best friend and because of Tsunayashiro Tokinada betrayal, to the point that he wished he could destroy the Seireitei and the nobility.
They even wanted to destroy the entire Soul Society.
If it were merely such hatred, it wouldn't be enough to earn Aizen's high regard.
Because anyone who has experienced the tragic fate of Kaname Tōsen would want to destroy the world.
What makes Kaname Tōsen so admirable is that he was able to suppress his desire to destroy the world, choose to inherit his best friend's beliefs, and force himself to walk the path of a saint.
This is something that ordinary people cannot do.
That posture of moving forward despite bearing pain, hatred, fear, and self-loathing.
In Aizen's eyes, it was like a sparkling gem, very beautiful.
" Lord Aizen, forgive my impertinence, but what are your plans for dealing with Tsunayashiro Tokinada?"
Kaname Tōsen couldn't help but ask the question.
That person was just too special.
Even disregarding the crime of murdering Kakyō, he was still a wicked person deserving of death.
Aizen didn't reveal the full plan. "Don't be impatient. I will let you witness the end of Tsunayashiro Tokinada and make him experience the most painful death."
"I misspoke," Kaname Tōsen replied, then silently continued on his way, as that melodious voice drifted over from afar.
Let him become deeply involved.