Upon receiving the urgent, encrypted message from the Shinigami stationed in Hueco Mundo, Hiyori abandoned her post without a second thought.
She returned to Soul Society without permission, dread sitting like a stone in her chest.
By the time she finally found Satou Kazuma at his lakeside residence, the words were already spilling out of her.
"Captain! I know Kisuke's always had that creepy, suspicious air about him, but there's no way he'd hurt Kensei and the others! We're friends! There has to be some kind of misunderstanding. You know what Urahara is like! A lazy coward like him would never do something that horrible!"
Kazuma frowned as he looked at Hiyori's agitated face.
"Enough."
His voice cut through her panic, calm but heavy with authority.
Hiyori froze.
Her eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe those words had come from the man who had taken her in.
Kazuma drew in a slow breath before continuing in an even tone.
"Former Twelfth Division Captain Urahara Kisuke used illegal Hollowfication research to harm several captains. That has already been established as fact. Fifth Division Vice-Captain Aizen Sosuke reported the matter to Central 46 and provided solid evidence."
"In addition, Kaname Tosen, the surviving Fifth Seat of the Ninth Division, personally testified that he overheard the damning conversation between Kensei's group and Urahara. The evidence is more than enough to prove Urahara Kisuke's guilt."
Hiyori stared at him in disbelief.
"Just because that blind bastard and Aizen said so?!" she snapped, her voice trembling with anger and doubt.
Kazuma fell silent for a moment.
"Hiyori," he said at last, "as a captain, I have to judge matters objectively, based on the facts. The evidence is conclusive. If Urahara Kisuke truly committed no crime, then he should come forward and explain himself before the court. But instead, he colluded with Shihoin Yoruichi and took Hirako and the others with him when he fled Soul Society. That makes it very difficult for me to believe in his innocence."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"And Hiyori, you shouldn't casually slander them. Especially Vice-Captain Aizen. He is known throughout Soul Society as an honest and upright man."
The fire in Hiyori's eyes flickered.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Her head lowered, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. No matter how hard she argued, she could feel the truth pressing down on her.
She couldn't change this.
Still, she forced herself to speak one last time.
"Then… can you at least revoke the death sentence for Baldy and the others? They're victims, aren't they?"
Kazuma let out a quiet sigh.
He knew how deeply Hiyori cared for Urahara Kisuke and the others.
But as much as he understood her feelings, he couldn't allow emotion to cloud the bigger picture.
"Hiyori, Central 46 will never tolerate the existence of Shinigami with Hollow powers residing inside them. That is something even I cannot change."
With that, he turned and walked back toward his home, leaving Hiyori standing alone in the courtyard, swallowed by heavy silence.
Just before Kazuma disappeared behind the sliding door, Hiyori shouted after him.
"Captain! I still don't believe Kisuke would ever do something like that!"
Kazuma stopped.
After a brief pause, he glanced back over his shoulder.
"Then find out where he is," he said. "And ask him yourself."
....
After the recent tragedy, the Gotei 13 was left with glaring holes in its leadership.
Several captain positions now stood vacant.
Fortunately, Soul Society did not lack talent. Before long, suitable candidates began to emerge.
Aizen Sousuke of the Fifth Division, Ichimaru Gin, and Kaname Tosen of the Ninth Division all submitted applications for the captain proficiency test.
Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen were not Kazuma's main concern.
Aizen, however, was another matter entirely.
Kazuma knew exactly how dangerous that man was. If they mishandled this even slightly, the consequences would be disastrous.
"A captain proficiency test must be formally witnessed by Yamamoto," Kazuma muttered to himself.
"If Aizen takes the standard test, there's no avoiding it. He'll have to release his Zanpakuto in front of Yamamoto. And the moment he does, Yamamoto will fall under Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis."
His expression darkened.
"That is a serious problem. I need to discuss this with him."
Having made up his mind, Kazuma personally went to consult the Captain-Commander.
When he arrived at the Captain-Commander's office, he knocked on the heavy door.
A gruff voice sounded from within.
"Enter."
Kazuma pushed the door open, stepped inside, and bowed respectfully before taking a seat across from Yamamoto's desk.
"Satou Kazuma," Yamamoto said, setting aside his paperwork. "What brings you here today?"
"It's about Aizen's application for the captain proficiency test," Kazuma replied. "The problem is how to prevent you from being affected by Kyoka Suigetsu."
Yamamoto frowned.
He stroked his long beard in thought before answering.
"I understand your concern. However, we cannot simply reject Aizen's formal request for a test because of this. Not only would it cause dissatisfaction among the other divisions, it would also violate the long-standing rules of the Gotei 13."
Kazuma nodded.
Yamamoto was right.
"There are three ways to be promoted to captain, correct?" he said. "The first is to pass a combat test witnessed by you. The second is to receive recommendations from six captains, followed by approval from four of the remaining seven. The third is the Eleventh Division's old tradition: defeating the previous captain in single combat."
Yamamoto's brows furrowed slightly.
"The second method is possible in theory," he said. "But the current situation makes it difficult. The Second, Third, Fifth, and Ninth Divisions are all without captains. We may barely have enough active captains to make the recommendations, but we do not have enough remaining captains to meet the required number of approvals."
Kazuma thought quickly.
Then, an idea came to him.
He leaned forward.
"Yamamoto, what if we let Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen take the standard test first and ensure they pass? After that, I can join with the other four captains as the approving captains for Aizen's promotion. As for the final recommender, we can have Captain Ukitake handle it. He's well-liked throughout the Gotei 13 and has a good relationship with Aizen, so it shouldn't raise any suspicion."
Kazuma paused, then added, "That would give us enough people to approve Aizen's promotion without requiring your presence at his test."
Yamamoto considered the proposal carefully before giving a firm nod.
"That is a sound plan. We shall proceed that way. However, we must act with extreme caution. Everything must appear natural."
Kazuma smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Yamamoto. I'll handle it carefully. The last thing we need is for Aizen to realize what we're really trying to avoid."
...
The next day, Kazuma paid a quiet visit to Ukitake.
Yamamoto had already contacted the Kuchiki clan, and with Chojiro Sasakibe still serving as the captain of a special unit within the First Division, arranging the necessary approvals proved surprisingly convenient.
Once the political arrangements were completed behind the scenes, Kaname Tosen and Ichimaru Gin underwent Yamamoto's test and were officially promoted to captain.
At first, Aizen noticed that he had not been included among those being tested.
Naturally, he went to Yamamoto to ask about the delay.
Yamamoto gave him a calm, perfectly reasonable explanation.
"My apologies, Aizen. Before you applied for the standard captain's test, Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth Division had already submitted a recommendation for your promotion through the second method. Therefore, your promotion must proceed through that route instead. It will take slightly longer."
Aizen had his doubts.
Still, he was confident in his own plan.
No one knew the true ability of his Zanpakuto. No one should have had any reason to suspect him.
Most likely, this was nothing more than a bureaucratic coincidence.
And if Ukitake was the one recommending him, then the situation was easy enough to explain.
The following day, Aizen's promotion evaluation proceeded as scheduled.
The selection of witnesses had been quietly rigged. As planned, the panel consisted of Kazuma's chosen group.
Kazuma watched Aizen stand before them, his expression as gentle and refined as ever.
'A wolf in sheep's clothing,' he thought with a faint sneer.
There really isn't a better description for him.
Who would ever suspect that the man praised throughout the Gotei 13 as kind and honest was actually the true villain behind everything?
Aizen calmly drew his Zanpakuto from its sheath.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
The moment he released it, his spiritual pressure surged, reaching the upper ranks of the second tier.
'Not bad,' Kazuma thought. 'He really is a talented actor.'
Aizen began his performance flawlessly.
"Captains, this is my release. Kyoka Suigetsu is a water-type Zanpakuto. By using the diffused reflection of mist and flowing water, it can confuse the enemy's senses and turn them against one another."