"Captain-Commander, if we do not dispatch the 11th Division, I fear that simply suppressing the other districts will not be enough to bring stability to the Rukongai. After all, that man named Suzuki Makoto will likely continue to push towards the inner districts, and the number of people driven out will only increase. These people are thugs to begin with; they will only continue to bring chaos from the outer districts."
9th Division Captain Kaname Tosen spoke up to offer his counsel.
"So, are you suggesting we employ the 11th Division to kill every single person who submits to the Yellow Turbans?"
Shigekuni Yamamoto's voice was low and deep.
"That won't do. The population of those outer districts is not comparable to the inner districts. If that many souls were to be exterminated, it would certainly cause an imbalance of souls across the Three Worlds."
The 12th Division Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who had been letting his mind wander, suddenly spoke up. He absolutely detested anything that might increase his workload.
After all, if that happened, he wouldn't have time to conduct his own research.
Sosuke Aizen keenly perceived the Captain-Commander's... 'slackness' regarding this matter.
This attitude finally sparked a genuine interest in him regarding the details of this situation.
Even Gin Ichimaru could hear that Shunsui Kyoraku was avoiding the heavy issues and dwelling on the light ones; Aizen, of course, understood this fact even more clearly. Furthermore, he understood that while Shunsui Kyoraku could use such rhetoric to fool the Captains, he could absolutely never use such rhetoric to fool Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Since the Captain-Commander had already obtained complete and detailed intelligence from Shunsui Kyoraku, and the nobles had surely applied pressure on him through Central 46, Yamamoto Shigekuni still vetoed the most direct solution at this very moment—letting Kenpachi Zaraki lead the 11th Division to wipe out that restless faction.
Considering the attitude revealed by these two events, it seemed... the Captain-Commander did not want to deal with that 'Yellow Turban' faction too forcefully?
"If that faction known as the Yellow Turbans stops pushing for more and remains only in the current District 70, perhaps it might be a good thing."
The moment Aizen spoke, even Yamamoto Shigekuni cast his gaze over.
"We all know that the outer districts of the Rukongai have always been the most chaotic places. Typical examples are districts like Zaraki, Kusajishi, and Inuzuri; those are places where normal people fundamentally cannot survive—Captain Zaraki should be able to understand my meaning more clearly, correct?"
"In that kind of place, if you don't fight, you die. If you don't resist, you die. If you don't have power, you're even more dead."
Kenpachi Zaraki's words provided even more direct corroboration for Aizen's statement.
"Precisely. That is why various strong individuals constantly emerge from there, and why it is also extremely unstable. If that man named Suzuki Makoto can truly change the environment of those fringe districts, turning those areas beyond the reach of the Gotei 13 into a peaceful and stable place, that is also a good thing."
The man pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and looked at the Captain-Commander with a smile.
"Lord Captain-Commander, what do you think?"
"What Sosuke Aizen says makes considerable sense. The opponent is neither a Hollow nor a Quincy; there is no need to treat them with a wartime attitude."
The Captain-Commander's words confirmed Aizen's judgment. Yamamoto Shigekuni actually appreciated that Yellow Turban somewhat. In his view, the other party had indeed established order in those fringe areas, which was ultimately not a bad thing for the Soul Society.
"In that case, shall I send someone to make contact with that fellow named Suzuki Makoto?"
Shunsui Kyoraku blinked. He hadn't expected Aizen to say such things. Originally, this was supposed to be a decision brought about by him and Jushiro Ukitake playing a duet, but he hadn't expected this young Captain of the 5th Division to possess such a mindset. It was truly surprising to him.
"Mn. Let us arrange it that way for now."
It was obvious that although Yamamoto Shigekuni had convened the Captains' meeting under pressure from Central 46, he still intended to keep the scope of the solution within manageable limits. As one of his earliest students, Shunsui Kyoraku naturally wouldn't act against the old man's wishes.
Aizen offered no further opinions; he merely chuckled lightly in his heart.
Captain-Commander, in the end, you still underestimate the fears of those nobles too much—or rather, the pure warrior Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is fundamentally unable to understand exactly why the upper echelons of the Soul Society, who call themselves noble, are so terrified of the 'Yellow Turbans'.
*
"Are you a Shinigami from the Seireitei?"
"Yes. I am Nanao Ise, the 3rd Seat of the 8th Division."
While stating her name, the girl wearing glasses was also observing the man before her.
"Don't Shinigami rarely concern themselves with matters here? Why am I worth a visit from a Seated Officer?"
Suzuki Makoto was somewhat curious about the girl's answer, as it directly related to the Seireitei's attitude toward the Yellow Turbans.
"Because your actions have already affected the stability of the entire Soul Society. The Rukongai is now full of the thugs you drove away, and this has made the Seireitei very dissatisfied."
"So, are you here to kill me?"
"No, I have come to negotiate with you. If the Yellow Turbans are willing to stop here and no longer expand toward the inner districts, then the Seireitei will tacitly accept the existence of your faction."
Could it actually be the best-case scenario?
Nanao Ise's words did surprise Suzuki Makoto somewhat. After all, his actions could be said to be a thorn in the throat and a needle in the back for the nobles. Therefore, even if Suzuki Makoto had fantasized about maintaining peace, he had never imagined the other party would actively cede such a large area.
One had to realize that the further in one went, the narrower the boundaries of the districts became, and the smaller the area. Although it appeared that Suzuki Makoto had only reached District 70 and controlled no more than eleven districts, in reality, this accounted for nearly one-third of the entire area of the Rukongai. He found it truly hard to imagine that the nobles would give up these regions without making any demands.
"Do you really have the qualification to conduct this negotiation?"
"How rude! I am here negotiating on behalf of the Lord Captain-Commander!"
Nanao Ise's eyebrows shot up, expressing strong anger at Suzuki Makoto's words.
"Apologies, I did not mean to be intentionally offensive. I just hope that our negotiation can be witnessed by someone with more authority. After all, you are just the 3rd Seat of a Division, and I am just an ordinary Wandering Soul of the Rukongai—if just the two of us were to decide the fate of a full eleven districts and tens of millions of Wandering Souls, wouldn't that be a bit too rash?"
It wasn't that Suzuki Makoto didn't trust this future Lieutenant of the 8th Division before him, but rather that the conditions offered by the other party were too illusory. They were so illusory that he suspected the Seireitei was playing some stalling tactic, waiting until their mobilized army was in position to tear off the mask and directly begin the extermination.
_____
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