Suzuki Makoto did not answer Aizen's question directly. Instead, he opened his sword case and pulled out the cross-shaped greatsword that he had never once taken out to use.
Aizen, having previously made contact with Black Jeanne, instantly recognized it. The aura of Reiatsu emanating from this greatsword was exactly the same as the Reiatsu emitted by Suzuki Makoto's companion.
"Is this... Miss Jeanne's Zanpakuto?"
"No, how should I put it? It should be said that... this is the cornerstone that allows Jeanne to manifest in this world."
Suzuki Makoto offered a vague explanation. After all, the young girl's appearance was the result of the combination of miraculous items from two different worlds. He didn't want to chat with Aizen about things related to other worlds right now, so he was also a bit unsure of how to describe it.
However, such ambiguity did not confuse Aizen; he immediately guessed part of the truth.
"You mean to say that Miss Jeanne is not a Plus, nor some Disguised Dragon, but is this Zanpakuto itself?"
"Close enough—you don't seem surprised by this?"
"Such Zanpakuto have appeared before, and more than once. Although those two swords appeared hundreds of years ago and were deliberately covered up by the nobles, I have read relevant records in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, and I have even seen the master of one of those swords within Muken."
Eh? Why do I have no impression of this?
Suzuki Makoto blinked, a trace of curiosity involuntarily rising in his heart.
"What are the names of the two Zanpakuto you mentioned?"
"One is the Zanpakuto of Koga Kuchiki, a son-in-law who once married into the Kuchiki family—Muramasa. The other is the Zanpakuto of a Shinigami who once held the title of Kenpachi, Kenpachi Azashiro—Urozakuro. Both of these Zanpakuto possess two forms: a human form and a Zanpakuto form, and they are capable of moving freely."
Huh?
Isn't it Ikomikidomoe?
Suzuki Makoto looked bewildered. Why did he, a manga-only fan, have absolutely no impression of these two guys who sounded like they definitely had highlight moments in the plot?
He did have some faint recollection of Kenpachi Azashiro, because the previous Kenpachi he killed was named Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, whose Zanpakuto possessed a Bankai capable of destroying the entire Seireitei, much like Shigekuni Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka.
But who is this Koga Kuchiki?
Seeing Suzuki Makoto's confusion, Aizen gave a rough explanation of the relevant history.
"In other words, Koga Kuchiki was forced onto the path of rebellion due to internal strife among the nobles, while Kenpachi Azashiro had his rebellious acts stopped by Ichibe Hyosube of the Zero Division, and then voluntarily entered Muken?"
"Yes. I also once conversed with that Kenpachi Azashiro. However, the other party merely brushed off my inquiries with vague answers. I was able to surmise that he likely also knew the truth about the Soul King, but he was still willing to submit to the Soul King. Therefore, after seeing Ichibe Hyosube and realizing that the Soul King did not support his actions, he abandoned his original plan."
The man's voice carried a few hints of contempt. In his exchanges with Suzuki Makoto, he never concealed any emotions, nor did he ever use the power of Kyōka Suigetsu.
Perhaps this was also one of the reasons Aizen hoped Suzuki Makoto could join his plan.
"Then I would actually very much like to meet these two swords."
Suzuki Makoto's interest was indeed piqued. He originally thought that only that Menos Grande forged into a Zanpakuto would have the ability to act autonomously like Black Jeanne, but he didn't expect there to be two other even more similar existences.
"It might be somewhat difficult regarding Kenpachi Azashiro, but in the case of Muramasa, it would be quite simple. If you wish, I can directly release Koga Kuchiki. His Zanpakuto should immediately respond to its master's summons—that sword's ability is quite interesting."
"Let's wait until after this matter is over."
Suzuki Makoto took note of this in his heart; if there was an opportunity in the future, he could indeed take a look.
"However, I still feel somewhat curious, Suzuki-kun. If you don't want to fall out with the Seireitei this time, you could have simply applied to take the people from the Western Branch to the Rukongai to meet with Miss Jeanne. Why did you agree to their request to conduct this appraisal inside the Seireitei?"
"Because I want to provoke the nobles a bit—I admit that the existence of the Yellow Turbans does indeed make the nobles very uncomfortable, but in the very beginning, the nobles actually had another goal simultaneously."
"Oh, I understand. They were also aiming for Miss Jeanne. As a Zanpakuto with the same nature as the Demon Sword Muramasa, clearly, this is a Zanpakuto that can achieve Bankai without relying on a master. It could completely be passed down as a family asset and foundation."
Aizen immediately guessed the nobles' hidden objective.
"Speaking of which, before the Tsunayashiro family went to crusade against the Yellow Turbans, they borrowed a Heavenly Armament from the Shihoin family. Was it for the purpose of capturing this Zanpakuto?"
"That's right. The ability of that Heavenly Armament is to suppress the Bankai of a Zanpakuto. It's just that Jeanne's nature is somewhat special, so instead, it only suppressed their own abilities."
Now, that Heavenly Armament had become one of Black Jeanne's weapons. It was practically a Noble Phantasm with special attack properties against Shinigami, so the fact that the Shihoin family hadn't tried to contact Suzuki Makoto to recover this armament earlier actually surprised him quite a bit.
"Since that is the case, then the Tsunayashiro family's motivation for supporting the incorporation of the Yellow Turbans earlier becomes clear. They actually hoped for you and Miss Jeanne to enter the Seireitei together, and then use other means to deal with you and capture this Zanpakuto. However, this matter failed because of the transaction between the Gotei 13 and the Yellow Turbans—so the Tsunayashiro family certainly will not let go of this opportunity for Miss Jeanne to enter the Seireitei."
"I originally had no interest in the Seireitei or the Gotei 13. Although there are a few interesting people inside, I won't elevate my attitude towards individuals to the group as a whole."
Suzuki Makoto revealed his entire plan.
"The Captain-Commander agreed to open a branch campus of the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy in the Rukongai. I owe him a favor for this matter. I will naturally repay this favor, but this repayment won't have a half-penny's relationship with the nobles. So, I also want to use this incident to probe exactly where the Captain-Commander's bottom line lies regarding the nobles."
"A very reasonable approach. Repayment is repayment, and nobles are nobles. Only after the Captain-Commander's reaction to this matter satisfies you will you truly be willing to do something for the Gotei 13, right?"
Understanding between geniuses was always swift; Aizen did not feel Suzuki Makoto's decision was inappropriate.
"However, if the Captain-Commander defends you with all his might regarding Miss Jeanne's matter, then what about the future? In the future, if a full-scale war breaks out between me and the Gotei 13, Suzuki-kun, which side will you stand on?"
____
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