Inside the Seireitei, yet another Captain meeting was convened within the 1st Division barracks.
To convene two Captain meetings in such a short period was already an extremely rare occurrence in itself, yet the matter they were to discuss was even rarer still.
"Captain-Commander, what exactly is the meaning of Central 46's orders? Should my 3rd Division withdraw to the Seireitei now, or continue executing the mission? Furthermore, within District 40, too many places have raised the 'General of Heaven Banner' of the [Yellow Turbans] overnight. Are we to suppress the other party, or continue to sit idly by?"
Gin Ichimaru's words voiced the inner thoughts of the other Captains as well. That this matter had escalated to this current stage was something no one had anticipated.
In the previous meeting, although the Captains were eager to try their hand at battling the Yellow Turbans, none of them had truly taken this nascent Rukongai faction to heart.
But this time, after the army fully assembled by the nobles was annihilated, the strength of that man named Suzuki Makoto had reached a level where even the Captains had to treat him with caution.
The face beneath Shunsui Kyoraku's straw hat was clouded with gloom. Although there was no evidence, he was certain: this matter absolutely had something to do with Tokinada Tsunayashiro!
He looked toward his teacher; Shigekuni Yamamoto's gaze also shifted over at that moment. After a silent exchange of looks, they each withdrew their gazes.
They naturally knew exactly what was going on with the current situation. It was nothing more than the nobles having suffered losses but refusing to let the Yellow Turbans off the hook. Therefore, they directly withdrew all their forces, forcing the Gotei 13 to enter the field to deal with Suzuki Makoto. To this end, they did not hesitate to treat the entire Rukongai as a sacrificial offering.
However, this matter could not be spoken of openly!
Aizen watched the silent exchange between those two, feeling curious in his heart about the noble who could come up with this method. After all, this was a most pure open conspiracy—it was specifically using Shigekuni Yamamoto's previously high-sounding reasons to force him into a corner with no other path.
"You said the Gotei 13 would only take the field when the Seireitei and the Soul King were threatened—well, now the opponent has expanded right outside the gates of the Seireitei, and the passage to the Soul King Palace has also fallen within their sphere of influence. Does this not count as threatening the Seireitei, threatening the Soul King?"
"The 3rd Division shall remain within District 40 and continue to be responsible for maintaining order."
The Captain-Commander's first order was to have Gin Ichimaru hold his troops in place.
"Yes."
"Shunsui Kyoraku. Next, the 8th Division will coordinate with the 3rd Division to expel all [Yellow Turban] forces within District 40. You may use any means necessary when the need arises."
"Understood."
A beautiful response.
Sosuke Aizen praised inwardly, lowering his gaze.
Didn't the nobles say the Yellow Turbans had already expanded to the inner districts? Then simply handle it according to normal procedures: dispose of all these [Yellow Turbans] and fully guarantee the stability within District 40!
As for whether these people were opportunists or the nobles' own men, it didn't matter. Since even the nobles said they were Yellow Turbans, there was no need to distinguish; dispose of them all. Even if the nobles came to demand their people back, they would have no grounds to do so.
And letting Shunsui Kyoraku's intelligence division handle this matter was because he definitely held detailed investigation reports in his hands. Being able to grasp all the loose ends meant he could dispose of these people most precisely and swiftly.
"Jushiro Ukitake. Have your Lieutenant lead a team to support the Shiba family. At a time like this, we cannot allow any mishaps there. If you lack manpower, draw support from the 10th Division."
"Yes."
The 13th Division Captain, Jushiro Ukitake, had already grasped the intent—his Lieutenant, Kaien Shiba, was the current Head of the Shiba main house. Meanwhile, the Captain of the 10th Division was already halfway into retirement, having practically handed over all division affairs to his Lieutenant, who was also the next 10th Division Captain, Isshin Shiba. And this Isshin Shiba was the leader of the Shiba branch family.
With these two leading the team to guard the Shiba family, it would naturally leave no opening for anyone to exploit.
The two most direct threats were dealt with cleanly and efficiently. Although Shigekuni Yamamoto indeed held good will toward Suzuki Makoto and the Yellow Turbans, when the opponent truly threatened what he protected, he would still strike without mercy.
"Effective immediately, all divisions are to mobilize. Make preparations to sortie. There must be no negligence whatsoever!"
"Yes!"
The Captains responded in unison.
After the Captain's meeting concluded, Shunsui Kyoraku returned once more to the Captain-Commander's calligraphy room. This time, however, the old man had no interest in practicing his calligraphy.
"The nobles played a good move."
"Probably because they were also at their wits' end. The intelligence I obtained is that this time, the Tsunayashiro family dispatched a Captain-level combatant, whose Bankai was not weak. They also borrowed a Heavenly Armament from the Shihoin family as assistance. Adding the manpower organized by the other nobles, their strength was not inferior to a division led by a Captain."
"Yet, the final result for such a team was still total annihilation—therefore, aside from the Gotei 13, the nobles really can't think of any other way to defeat the Yellow Turbans."
Shunsui Kyoraku naturally knew how many shady tricks were involved with the [Yellow Turbans] that had popped up overnight like bamboo shoots after rain in the Rukongai, but he was indeed alarmed by the combat power of the true Yellow Turbans.
"To wipe out an entire division-strength force led by a Captain implies that the Yellow Turbans must have at least two Captain-level combatants. That young girl you encountered on your return trip that time—can she also use Bankai?"
Shigekuni Yamamoto was somewhat puzzled.
It wasn't strange for Suzuki Makoto to have the strength of a Captain; Kenpachi Zaraki could defeat a Bankai-wielding former Kenpachi without even knowing Bankai himself. But did that young girl, suspected to be from the Western Branch, actually possess such power as well?
"News has also come from the Western Branch. They stated that their headquarters has no record of such a person existing. However, the name 'Jeanne d'Arc' does exist. It's just that she is the Saint of the World of the Living who joined the Western Branch after death and has been fighting for stability and peace there. She would absolutely not commit such mass slaughter. Moreover, the fighting styles of the two are completely different—even at this very moment, Jeanne d'Arc has been at the Western Branch the whole time, with a substantial number of witnesses."
Shunsui Kyoraku revealed the private communications between the two sides to his teacher in full, as the official missives would take some time to arrive.
"Have the Western Branch send that young girl to assist us. At the very least, we need to know how such a girl met Suzuki Makoto and caused a huge uproar in the Eastern Branch."
"Yes, I will notify them immediately—however, are you really going to take action yourself?"
"Protecting the Seireitei and the Soul King is my duty of a thousand years!"
____
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