" The Tsunayashiro Clan is a colossal force that has dominated Soul Society Soul Society since its founding, a legacy spanning countless ages. In the entire Soul Society, only a handful of families, such as Kuchiki, Shihoin, and Shiba, can rival the Tsunayashiro Clan. These five families, combined, are known as the Five Great Noble Clans! In other words, the Tsunayashiro Clan is the noblest of nobles! Even the Central 46 Chambers currently judges all disputes large and small in Soul Society, and the Gotei 13, have deep connections with this family... To put it simply, the so-called Central 46 Chambers are merely watchdogs kept by the Tsunayashiro Clan, so even if a member of a collateral branch of the Tsunayashiro Clan kills a fellow Soul Reaper, they will not be punished..."
That magnetic voice spoke softly in the ear of the man who had been born blind.
"Damn it! Why did this happen?"
Upon hearing that voice, the man clenched his fists tightly.
There's nothing we can do about it.
"One must not pursue the aesthetics of clashing swords, nor the virtue of dying without returning, nor consider only one's own life. If one wishes to protect a king and his five dukes, then one should slaughter all enemies from the shadows of the trees..."
"These are words recorded in the Soul Reaper Code: bowing down to the Soul King and the Five Great Noble Clans is the epitome of Soul Reaper's conduct."
"To be an enemy of the Tsunayashiro Clan is tantamount to being an enemy of the entire Soul Society. Even so, can you still grip your sword and face the person who killed your dearest friend?"
The magnetic voice kept entering the man's ears, questioning his inner thoughts.
"I cannot raise my sword against that man! Even if he is the one who killed Kakyō."
The man thought for a long time before finally giving his answer.
"Why?"
His magnetic voice was filled with incomprehension and confusion. He couldn't understand why the man would give up revenge, when in the man's heart the woman named Kakyō was more important than everything else.
"Because... if Kakyō were alive, she would never want me to kill her husband, even if he was the one who killed her. Kakyō still retains the greatest kindness in the world in her heart."
The man's body trembled as he spoke. The only light in his life had vanished, and yet he ultimately chose to give up seeking revenge for it. How much courage does it take to give up like that?!
"Really? You do resemble Miss Kakyō Kakyō. Although I've only met her a few times, please keep this sword safe. It's Kakyō's keepsake, and I think... Miss Kakyō would have wanted someone like you to carry on her legacy."
That magnetic voice rang in the man's ears once more, and at the same time, a Zanpakuto appeared in his hand—no, to be precise, it would be more accurate to describe the sword as Asauchi, because its owner was already dead.
"This is Kakyō's knife?!"
The man's hands trembled as he gripped the Asauchi hilt of the sword. The instant he touched the hilt, he knew it was his friend Kakyō's Zanpakuto; he was intimately familiar with the sword.
"Then goodbye... Kaname Tōsen."
The magnetic voice rang out once again, this time to say goodbye to the man named Kaname Tōsen, who was born blind but whose heart burned with an indomitable sense of justice.
"Please wait, at least tell me your name at the highest level!"
Kaname Tōsen holds Kakyō's Zanpakuto, wanting to find out who handed over his best friend's Zanpakuto to him before he dies! Although Kaname Tōsen has lost much more than a normal person, he still lives on with unwavering determination. He doesn't want to owe anyone favors, and one day he will repay the help he received today tenfold.
"Do you really want to know my name? You'll regret it if you do."
A magnetic voice rang in Kaname Tōsen's ears once again, this time with an unusually cold tone.
"..."
Kaname Tōsen's heart skipped a beat. He knew the other party hadn't intended to deceive him. In fact, he had already roughly guessed the other party's identity. The fact that they could rescue him from the guards of the Central 46 Chambers and bring him Kakyō's Zanpakuto meant their identity was self-evident...
"I think!"
Kaname Tōsen nodded slightly, but even so, he still wanted to know the other party's identity.
"My name is Tsunayashiro Tokinada, a member of the wicked Tsunayashiro Clan, and coincidentally, the cousin of the husband of your friend... who was also the incredibly kind-hearted Kakyō. I'm here because my foolish cousin asked me to do this. He said, if you have any desire for revenge, let me kill you with this Kakyō- san's Zanpakuto. Perhaps dying by your beloved Zanpakuto will be the greatest happiness of your life."
"It's a pity you're a man whose foolishness defies description, just as foolish as that pure, blank-as-a-sheet Kakyō. But your foolishness saved your life, so cherish... this life you've survived because of your foolishness! Since you've chosen to give up, then do everything you can to live! Just as you said, perhaps Miss Kakyō hopes you can live a good life..."
Kaname Tōsen carefully examined Tsunayashiro Tokinada. He had originally planned to use this man to kill his somewhat troublesome cousin, but now it seemed that his plan had fallen through.
Tokinada gently patted Kaname Tōsen's shoulder, turned around, and left with light steps.
"Live well?"
Kaname Tōsen collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. He wept, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly, utterly lost. Where should he go? For whom should he wield his sword? Who was his enemy? Kaname Tōsen a fool; he knew that the man named Tsunayashiro Tokinada, though his words were incredibly venomous, had undeniably saved his life and handed him Kakyō's Zanpakuto. Yet, the man's words filled Kaname Tōsen with unbearable shame. Had he been humiliated by his enemy? But was the man truly an enemy? Should he avenge Kakyō? Could he truly avenge Kakyō Kakyō? Even if he wanted to, could he really do it? What was the meaning of his life?
"Perhaps, as the other person said, dying at the hands of his own friend is the greatest happiness he could have!"
Kaname Tōsen drew his Zanpakuto its sheath and stared at the Zanpakuto in his hand, lost in thought.
"Oh dear~"
"It is truly a sharp knife, yet no one wields it. I wonder if I could borrow this incredibly sharp knife?"
Just when Kaname Tōsen lost his will to live and even considered committing suicide with the Zanpakuto he held, which came from Kakyō, a charismatic and gentle voice entered Kaname Tōsen's heart.
Who are you?
Upon Kaname Tōsen instinctively used honorifics. He didn't know why, but he just felt that he should respect the person who was speaking.
"My name is Sōsuke Aizen, an ordinary Soul Reaper in a division."
The gentle and refined voice directly stated his name, and the sincerity in it touched Kaname Tōsen's heart.
One is an ambitious man who needs a sharp blade, and the other is a blade that has lost its purpose in life. The two seem to hit it off immediately, as if fate had destined them to be together in the end.
What do you need me to do?
Kaname Tōsen turned to Aizen and asked, wanting to know what he, who was utterly worthless and of no use whatsoever—something even the Tsunayashiro Clan of the Five Great Noble Clans, wouldn't bother killing—could possibly help the man before him.
"I need you to be the blade in my hand, to cut through everything in my path and create a new world for me!"
Aizen wore a faint smile, the sunlight reflecting off his ordinary glasses as he extended his right hand toward Kaname Tōsen.
"To open up a new world?"
Kaname Tōsen somewhat puzzled. He couldn't understand what Aizen was saying; the words Aizen spoke were beyond his comprehension of this world.
"This world needs change. The false 'King' has stood in the heavens for too long, and the corrupt and incompetent nobles control the entire Seireitei. Under this oppression, someone has to stand up, someone has to shoulder everything, someone has to overthrow the 'false King' and put him in the heavens! So, you, who already know all the darkness of Seireitei... are you willing to help me?"
The young Soul Reaper named Aizen spoke with a gentle yet confident tone, as if he already believed before he spoke that the man before him, Kaname Tōsen, would help him. He also believed that he, Sōsuke Aizen, would be the one who would ultimately slay that deceitful entity and stand in the heavens looking down upon all living beings.
"Please answer me! Is this just?"
Kaname Tōsen 'looked' at Aizen's right hand. He stretched his hand out into the air, just before he was about to touch Kaname Tōsen's right hand, he stopped. He did not decide to pledge allegiance to Aizen because of Aizen's few words. Kaname Tōsen a person who followed his own heart.
I'm sorry, I can't answer that question.
Aizen gently shook his head at Kaname Tōsen; he truly could not answer Kaname Tōsen's question.
"Why?"
Kaname Tōsen pulled his hand back slightly, as if he had increased the distance between himself and Aizen.
"Because it's very simple: everyone in this world has different pursuits, and everyone's sense of justice is absolutely different. In this world where people can't possibly understand each other, why should others judge the justice you pursue? As long as you believe you are just, why do you need others to judge whether you are just? Even if the world doesn't understand, if your heart still follows its original point, then you are just!"
Aizen wore a faint smile, his words remaining unhurried and unwavering despite Kaname Tōsen's hand being so far away.
" Lord Aizen! I have a favor to ask of you."
Kaname Tōsen's body trembled uncontrollably; he had begun to address Aizen as "sir" without realizing it.
What is it?
Aizen gently asked Kaname Tōsen Aizen, understanding that the other's body and soul had completely surrendered to him, and he had obtained the blade he desired.
"If, if one day my deeds are forgiven, if one day I gain the sympathy of others, if one day my sense of justice begins to waver, please, Lord Aizen, kill me!"
Kaname Tōsen stood up, his body trembling, and addressed Aizen.
"Good."
After hearing Kaname Tōsen's words, Aizen uttered a single, clean word.
"Um!"
Kaname Tōsen gripped Aizen's hand tightly.
" Lord Aizen, when shall we begin our plan?"
Kaname Tōsen stood respectfully behind Aizen and asked in a low voice, adopting a humble posture as if he were completely subservient to Aizen.
"No rush. You should graduate from the Shin'ō Academy first, and then become Soul Reaper in the Gotei 13. Before we take action, we need to eliminate all factors that are detrimental to us."
Aizen gently shook his head at Kaname Tōsen. Their mission was long and arduous, not something that could be accomplished overnight; it required consistent effort. For example, they needed to find a way to remove the man named Sōgo Shihoin before he could make his move...
Before meeting Sōgo Shihoin, Aizen had never known the meaning of pressure. On the path of life, some walk, some jog, and some accelerate like they've been given a cheat code. Aizen, however, drove a Ferrari with unlimited fuel; with a single press of the accelerator, countless people behind him couldn't even smell his exhaust Spiritual Pressure. From Shikai and Bankai (though Aizen never used them), from Seated Officer to Captain, and now researching how to break the limits of Soul Reaper, Aizen had only taken a few hundred years. Many male protagonists in fanfiction lacked Aizen's talent. Yet, while Aizen was diligently training at the Shin'ō Academy, he saw that man, that man named Sōgo Shihoin. The mere wisp of Spiritual Pressure he casually exuded was overwhelmingly powerful, deeply shaking Aizen's heart and Aizen a ripple within his usually calm soul. At the same time, it Aizen with immense excitement. People grow under pressure. Aizen, who had never felt any pressure since birth, had already become so powerful. Aizen believed that with Sōgo as his whetstone, he would become even stronger...
However, at the same time, no one knew better than Aizen just how unreasonable Sōgo could be. That's why Aizen thought of eliminating Sōgo before taking action. Without eliminating this overpowered character, the game couldn't continue...
Everything is going according to plan.
Aizen was a master strategist. There might be people stronger than him in this world, and there might be people smarter than him, but there was no one in this world who was both stronger and smarter than him, and there was no one in this world who was better at using schemes than him. The biggest difference between humans and beasts is that humans use wisdom to control all enemies in front of them. In Aizen's eyes, everyone in the Soul Society except Urahara was a beast.
(End of this chapter)