Restricted Death

Chapter 205 Weakness
"When did Captain Tachikawa discover this?"

Gin Ichimaru slowly opened his mouth to ask, "A long time ago, when Shin Tachikawa was still in the Spirit Arts Academy, such a talented person had already come into Aizen's sight."

He knew that Aizen was secretly planning for the future and was preparing to plant some pawns in advance.

Tachikawa Shin was a target worth considering, and Aizen had tested Shin many times for this reason.

When Shin was leading the group's internship in the human world, he didn't hesitate to place Gillian, a Hollow that even the Seat Commander would find difficult to deal with, in the internship location. Aizen placed such a creature among a group composed entirely of students and cut off their connection with Soul Society.

Fortunately, Shin Tachikawa's performance at the time was enough to surprise both him and Aizen, as he easily killed the Hollow.

After that, in order to test Tachikawa Shin's true skill level, Aizen had Tosen Kaname make the trip himself.

Later, in order to test the power of Shin's Zanpakuto, Aizen deliberately released Hollows to kill several members of the 10th Division.

These were all preparations made by Aizen for Shin. Gin Ichimaru hadn't seen Aizen show such interest in anyone in a long time.

The last one was Kisuke Urahara.

But despite all that has happened, there shouldn't be any loose ends left.

If one had to point out a flaw, it would be that Tōsen Kaname, who attacked Shin back then, was identified as Urahara Kisuke. Now that Tachikawa Shin knows Urahara Kisuke, that conclusion can be overturned.

Is it because of this incident that Tachikawa found a starting point?

Gin Ichimaru's emotions were churning, yet he felt that things shouldn't be so simple.

There must be something he doesn't know. Even if Tachikawa can prove that the person who attacked him wasn't Urahara Kisuke, he can't prove that it was Tosen Kaname.

Aizen never leaves any loose ends when he does things.

How did they find out...?

When asked about Gin Ichimaru's actions, Shin simply replied, "Since you've done it, how can you be so sure it won't be exposed? Perhaps I have the ability to foresee everything, and I not only saw your secret plans but also Aizen's failure."

Gin Ichimaru sneered upon hearing this: "If Captain Tachikawa could truly foresee everything, how could the Fourth Seat of Hoshino have died?"

The scene suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Shin knelt down in front of Gin Ichimaru, smiling at him. He didn't seem angry at all, but simply said, "Vice-Captain Ichimaru, I actually think highly of you. You've been able to endure so much humiliation by Aizen's side for so long."

This relieved Shinji Hirako and the others. Shin had mentioned his reasons for wanting to deal with Aizen, as several of his subordinates had died at Aizen's hands, and it was estimated that Hoshino Shisei was one of them.

They also worried that Shin would be unable to contain his anger like Kensei Muguruma.

Gin Ichimaru also smiled: "Captain Tachikawa, where do you and your friends get such confidence?"

His tone was flippant and tinged with disappointment: "What makes you so sure that I was forced to follow Captain Aizen? Doesn't Captain Aizen deserve my following? How much do you even know about Captain Aizen? I'm afraid you only have a simple, character-based judgment. I'm too lazy to argue anymore. Just like you say, Captain Aizen is a great villain, and I'm just a minor villain or perhaps a villain's henchman."

Shinji Hirako coldly questioned, "What is there about Aizen that is worth following?!"

Gin Ichimaru laughed and said, "There are too many. Captain Aizen's strength, vision, and ideals—in every aspect, he is the most outstanding person I have ever met. These advantages combined make up Captain Aizen."

Such extreme praise for Aizen made the crowd around him look even colder, and they began to doubt the feasibility of "turning Gin Ichimaru to the enemy." In their eyes, this silver-haired youth looked like a completely loyal follower of Aizen.

They also began to doubt the veracity of Shin's earlier statement that Gin Ichimaru had been following Aizen to seek revenge.

“You really know Aizen quite well,” Shin said at this moment.

“Even setting aside my status as a follower, I am also his adjutant,” Gin Ichimaru said.

“Aizen is indeed very strong. His strength is second only to the Captain-Commander in Soul Society. However, he is not nearly as terrifying as you imagine, Ichimaru. Your fear of him is too deep, so you are no longer willing to believe in any force other than yourself that wants to fight against him. Am I right?”

Gin Ichimaru's narrowed eyes twitched slightly. He didn't answer, and judging from his expression, he seemed to disdain answering such a question.

At that moment, Xin suddenly said something else.

"You've been looking for the weakness of illusions, haven't you?"

"..."

Gin Ichimaru's smiling expression froze for a moment.

Not only him, but also Kisuke Urahara and the Visoreds were all invigorated when they heard these words.

Previously, the letter only stated that he knew, but did not provide details.

“You…” Gin Ichimaru’s voice was no longer so steady, and it became somewhat erratic.

"What did you say?"

The letter continued, "You even hid the true abilities of your Zanpakuto from Aizen, didn't you?"

Looking at the letter in front of him, Gin Ichimaru suddenly felt a sense of panic.

"The ability of your Zanpakuto that you described to the outside world is that it can freely extend and retract in length. Relying on its extremely fast extension and retraction speed, it can cause huge destructive power. Such an ability is indeed very strong, so no one has ever doubted the ability of your Zanpakuto, including Aizen."

After a moment of silence, Gin Ichimaru said, "Then tell me, what is the true hidden ability of my Zanpakuto?"

Xin chuckled, "Speaking of which, you and my adjutant are somewhat similar in terms of Zanpakuto abilities. After being released, you can both turn your swords into dust."

The entire enclosed space was completely silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on Gin Ichimaru like searchlights.

They clearly captured the momentary stiffness on his face and the disbelief that flashed in his eyes. This silent reaction finally confirmed Xin's earlier assertion about "undercover revenge."

A complex wave of emotions surged within Hirako Shinji's heart.

After an unknown period of silence, Gin Ichimaru suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

He looked at the letter and asked out of the blue, "Have you been inside the Great Spiritual Library?"

This surprised Wei, as he hadn't expected the other party to think in this direction.

However, it seems normal for Gin Ichimaru to have such thoughts, since it is truly unbelievable to him that he could reveal so many secrets.

Shin didn't deny it, only saying, "Guess." To Ichimaru Gin, this was an admission, and he finally couldn't contain his emotions any longer, asking, "Do you really know the secret of the Mirror Flower, Water Moon?"

Xin just looked at him with a half-smile.

"There is no absolutely invincible power in this world. Even if one can be omniscient and omnipotent, there will be a day when one is blinded by one's own perception."

Gin Ichimaru asked again, "What is the weakness of 'Kyoka Suigetsu'?"

"You really want to know this? This is something that is very detrimental to your Lord Aizen."

"..."

Gin Ichimaru remained silent; his mind was no longer as calm as it had been before.

Seeing that the other party was not willing to tell him easily, Gin Ichimaru's eyes began to shift uncertainly.

If the letter is true, then it is far too important to him. It is the ultimate answer he has been searching for for decades, risking his life, and his only, albeit faint, hope.

Gin Ichimaru's voice returned to its calm tone: "You've gone to such lengths to scheme against Captain Aizen, haven't you? Since you know the secret of Kyoka Suigetsu, why don't you just tell the Captain-Commander everything?"

He regained his rationality and began to think about the interconnectedness of all these things.

"According to your opinion, Captain Aizen is no match for the Captain-Commander, and he is even less likely to fight against the entire Soul Society now. You only need to expose what Captain Aizen has done to the Soul Society, and the Soul Society will certainly not forgive him. Wouldn't that be more direct and effective than bringing in an 'ally' like me?"

The letter countered, "How many of these people here do you think are willing to believe in the Seireitei?"

Gin Ichimaru's gaze swept over everyone around him, and he understood the letter's meaning. Because of what happened more than forty years ago, these people had always harbored resentment towards Seireitei.

So why did Tachikawa Shin approach these people?

Going back to what he just said, even if these "rebels" didn't trust the Seireitei, Tachikawa Shin, as the captain of the 10th Division, shouldn't have needed to do that.

He could also tell everything to the Captain-Commander and eliminate Aizen! With just one order from the Captain-Commander, Aizen could instantly become the enemy of the entire Soul Society.

In comparison, choosing to cooperate with these people not only greatly reduces the chances of success, but may also bring a lot of trouble to oneself.

Indeed, what Shin just said was like a lighthouse suddenly appearing on a dark and lonely road for Gin Ichimaru.

But the more this happened, the more cautious Gin Ichimaru became.

If all of this is a trap, then what do I have that would be worth the other party's motives?
To weaken Aizen's power?
No, these people actually already know his true purpose in following Aizen.

That means we still need to join them with our own strength!

To put it another way, Tachikawa's claim of knowing the secret of the Mirror Flower Water Moon was a lie, a mere trick to deceive himself into choosing them.

What are the downsides for me?

These people's desire to deal with Aizen is always genuine, and Gin Ichimaru is certain of that.

His mind raced, and he seemed to enter a meditative state in silence.

After a long pause, Gin Ichimaru said again, "If you can really point out the weakness of Kyoka Suigetsu, I can believe that you are capable of dealing with Captain Aizen."

Xin smiled and said, "I can only tell you that after I'm sure you're really willing to join us."

Gin Ichimaru lowered his eyes, his gaze flickering uncertainly.

Xin suddenly changed the subject: "Do you remember what I said to you that night at the cultural festival?"

Gin Ichimaru was slightly taken aback, his thoughts churning.

At the most recent cultural festival, he encountered Matsumoto Rangiku, and then Tachikawa Shin. At that time, Shin inexplicably assumed that he had bullied Rangiku, and even more inexplicably told him about the true abilities of his Zanpakuto.

Later, Gin Ichimaru thought about it carefully and realized that Tachikawa must have had some purpose at the time, otherwise his absurd behavior could not be explained. Perhaps he was trying to hint at something.

However, after realizing this, Gin Ichimaru was startled by his own actions.

Based on what the letter said about his Zanpakuto's true ability—the power of "stagnation"—Gin Ichimaru's first thought upon learning this was that if such an ability truly existed, it would undoubtedly be a very effective power against Aizen!

Gin Ichimaru felt that having such thoughts would put him in danger, and he had to make sure he remained hidden even deeper. He would not have any intention of going against Aizen until Aizen revealed his weakness.

However, when he met Aizen after separating from Shin, he did not reveal Shin's Zanpakuto abilities...

He listened as Xin continued, "My ability is somewhat special. By using my own spiritual power to act on myself, I can ensure that I am not affected by any external factors. In other words, illusions and mirages are useless against me."

Hirako Shinji was also somewhat surprised and doubtful after hearing his words.

His Zanpakuto, Gyōfu, possesses abilities similar to Kyoka Suigetsu, capable of controlling others' nerves and dominating their vision through the released spiritual pressure. Its Bankai can completely reverse others' perception.

"That's just your word," Gin Ichimaru said. "You've never actually faced Captain Aizen, so how can you be sure you won't be affected? The battle between Shinigami is, in the end, a battle of spiritual pressure. You've only been a captain for a few years, and you're only at the third-rank Reiki level, right? But do you understand how strong Captain Aizen's spiritual pressure is?"

Shin smiled and said, "As I just said, my ability is to act on myself with my own spiritual power. Unless Aizen can crush me with just spiritual pressure, his Kyoka Suigetsu will not affect me. As for your theory of spiritual pressure, it is indeed true."

Shin slowly stood up, and before everyone's eyes, his body suddenly split in two, his spirit detaching from the artificial body to reveal his body dressed in a white haori.

boom!
A visible white beam of light shot confidently into the sky, instantly striking the limit barrier of this space. The extremely powerful and terrifying aura spread out, causing everyone present to change their expressions drastically.

The spiritual pressure emanating from this was unlike anything an ordinary captain could feel.

Among those present, Hiyori Sarugaki and Shiro Kunan, whose spiritual pressure was slightly weaker, even felt their breathing become difficult under such intimidation.

Gin Ichimaru's expression changed repeatedly; this was at least the level of a second-grade spiritual power.

He always prided himself on his exceptional talent, otherwise Aizen wouldn't have noticed him. After losing to Shin, he didn't think Shin was much stronger than him, and he hadn't used his full strength either.

The spiritual pressure Shin is now displaying has completely surpassed his.

"now what?"

(End of this chapter)