Kamidera Miya, dressed in a dark blue kimono, walked down from the high platform step by step, stopping before Yamamoto in the center of the hall. As one of the leaders of the priestly noble families, his appearance here was not the least bit surprising.
However, with Kamidera Miya's appearance, the other figures on the high platform vanished without a sound. In the vast chamber of Central 46, only Kamidera Miya and Yamamoto remained.
"If you have a reason, speak it, brat," Yamamoto said. His cold, stern eyes were once again hidden beneath drooping eyelids. Although his tone was calm, the fact that he directly addressed Kamidera Miya as a 'brat' made the displeasure in his heart all the more terrifying.
Kamidera Miya froze for a moment, his fingers subconsciously rubbing together beneath his wide sleeves.
Everyone in the Seireitei knew of Yamamoto's strength. As the current head of the Kamidera clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families, Kamidera Miya had a profoundly deep understanding of the old man before him—even if it was mostly from hearsay. He held respect for him, but far more than that, he felt fear.
The founding of the Seireitei dated back well over two thousand years, yet the currently recorded written history spanned less than that. Even the Five Great Noble Families could not guarantee that all of history had been passed down, but the old man before him had personally lived through those long, arduous years.
At the beginning of its creation, the Seireitei was not called by this name. It didn't even have a specific name at all; it was simply a home for Shinigami in Soul Society.
Back then, there was no distinction between nobles and commoners. There were only two identities: the Soul King and ordinary Shinigami. It wasn't until nearly two thousand years ago, when the Soul King led Squad 0 to establish the Soul King Palace and appointed the Five Great Noble Families, that the families associated with them subsequently became the various ranks of nobility. The name 'Seireitei' also emerged during that time.
It was also from that time that Yamamoto took over from his predecessor and officially became the Captain-Commander of the Seireitei. Perhaps 'Captain-Commander' wasn't the most accurate title, as the Gotei 13 only came into existence then, and the establishment of Central 46 occurred slightly later than the Gotei 13.
With the Soul King's departure and the change in the system, many clans whose names could once rival the Five Great Noble Families refused to submit to others and chose to leave the Seireitei. Furthermore, due to the expansion of the Rukongai, large numbers of Hollows entered Soul Society. Coupled with the subsequent war waged by the Quincy, the Shinigami headquarters—now renamed the Seireitei—endured a long era of turmoil alongside Soul Society.
If it was the Soul King who created Soul Society, and indeed everything including the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo, then Yamamoto was the existence that stabilized it all.
Although the original Gotei 13 bore the name of 'Court Guards,' they were, in reality, a cold-blooded and ruthless organization of killers. Any existence they deemed a threat to the Seireitei would be immediately eradicated.
Under Yamamoto's leadership, whether they were Shinigami, Hollows, or even refugees from the Rukongai, any entity that did not submit to the Seireitei faced neither surrender nor imprisonment. Being completely buried by the Gotei 13 was their only end.
During those years, Central 46 held not a shred of actual power. The life and death of all living beings in Soul Society rested entirely on a single word from Yamamoto. It could be said that the Yamamoto of that era was practically equivalent to a second Soul King, wielding authority that modern Shinigami could hardly imagine.
Quelling rebellions, sweeping away invading foreign enemies, and even launching no less than three crusades against Hueco Mundo. Thus, under Yamamoto's leadership, Soul Society became what it is today. The Rukongai was expanded to eighty districts, and the Seireitei became the sole, supreme seat of power in Soul Society!
Yet, this Captain-Commander—who was peerless in slaughter on the battlefield and struck terror into the hearts of men, who held absolute power in the Seireitei—selflessly distributed his authority to Central 46 once the situation had stabilized.
The Gotei 13 became worthy of its name, serving as the supreme military force protecting the Seireitei. Central 46, in turn, became the absolute brain that established laws, enforced them, and governed the internal affairs of the Seireitei.
From then on, the Seireitei remained unchanged for a thousand years. To this day, the number of people in the Seireitei who knew of that era did not exceed ten, and those who had personally experienced it numbered less than five. Kamidera Miya was not among those five.
However, Kamidera Miya knew that the Seireitei remained unchanged because the old man before him had never wavered from his original intentions. If he were to fall into chaos, the turmoil of a thousand years ago would inevitably repeat itself. In fact, the tidal wave he could unleash single-handedly would far surpass that of a millennium ago.
Even though there was Squad 0, whose strength was said to eclipse the entire Seireitei, was the old man before him not a figure of the exact same caliber? Facing an angered Yamamoto, Kamidera Miya knew he had to tread carefully.
"You are indeed my elder. When I took over the Kamidera clan, my father told me as much," Kamidera Miya said respectfully. He didn't use his usual ethereal voice that spoke without opening his mouth, but rather an old, hoarse voice that gave the listener a suffocating feeling.
"Then you should know that you alone are not qualified to test me like this! Even if this is the will of your five families, you must give me a reasonable explanation!"
Although the forty-six sages of Central 46 were selected by Kamidera Miya and Tsunayashiro Daisuke, they were not the domestic servants of the two families. They would not issue orders solely on Kamidera Miya's behalf. And naturally, Central 46 lacked the capability to force Kamidera Miya to act as their lobbyist.
Therefore, refusing to let Kōe become the new captain of Squad 11 was, at the very least, the shared intent of Kamidera Miya and Tsunayashiro Daisuke. Furthermore, given the equal status of the Five Great Noble Families, it was highly likely that these two had already conferred with the other three clan heads.
"This was indeed proposed by Daisuke and myself. The Kuchiki clan has also expressed their agreement, while the remaining two families are still considering it."
A bead of sweat slid down Kamidera Miya's cheek. Although Yamamoto had made no particular movements, his mere words made Kamidera Miya feel as if he were carrying a mountain on his back. "As for testing you... since you have already realized it, you must know the reason why."
Leaning on his walking stick, Yamamoto stared expressionlessly at Kamidera Miya before him, remaining silent.
Kamidera Miya waited for a moment, feeling as though he were about to suffocate himself, before continuing, "You have determined that Shihouin Kōe is the one to succeed you as Captain-Commander. His talent and sharp intellect also satisfy us. However, there is one thing—he is not like you. Just his private communications with Kurotsuchi Mayuri to conduct research on the Quincy is enough to make one uneasy."
The reason Yamamoto had been able to make the Five Great Noble Families acknowledge his position as Captain-Commander for so long was partly due to his strength, but more so because of his character, which adhered to the highest principles. The 'justice' in his heart happened to be the preservation of the Seireitei. It was precisely because of this that he had distributed the power he had obtained to Central 46.
Even in the extermination of the Quincy, it was Kōe who first gathered the evidence, and then a joint decision was made with the heads of the Five Great Noble Families—who represented the Seireitei—on whether to wage that war.
Yamamoto had his own ideas, but these ideas were all built upon the foundation of what was best for the Seireitei—which was the 'justice' in his heart. Not a single one of these ideas arose to seek personal gain for himself or anyone else.
But as for his chosen successor, Shihouin Kōe... was he that kind of person?
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