Restricted Death

Chapter 242 Shutara

Although the dust of Aizen's betrayal within the copy space has temporarily settled, the rifts and crises it left behind are etched even deeper into the marrow of Soul Society.

In response to the aftermath of Aizen's situation, the members of Soul Society first withdrew from the copy space. Ishida Sogen, after being converted into a spirit through a special device, also followed the Shinigami into Seireitei.

Kisuke Urahara and Shinji Hirako also did not leave Soul Society.

Although the letter suggested that they return to the human world first, perhaps out of trust in the Seireitei, Hirako Shinji ultimately decided that they could stay temporarily to deal with what was to come.

First team team building.

Urahara, along with the Masked Army and others, were alone in a room, while Ishida Sogen was in the next room.

Before convening the captains' meeting, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni first summoned Shin for a private talk.

Shin gave a brief report on his meeting with Aizen in the present world, including the deal Aizen proposed.

After listening, Yamamoto's sharp eyes, which had seen through a thousand years, pierced straight into Shin's eyes, and his words were as sharp as a knife: "You knew about Aizen's matter beforehand, so why didn't you choose to report it?"

Shin met that gaze without flinching: "At the time, I didn't think it was a very good strategy. Shortly after learning about Aizen, I started collecting evidence of Aizen's crimes. But soon I learned about the Quincy. After that, I felt that Aizen might become an ally in our fight against the Quincy."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni frowned: "Is this directly related to your decision not to report it?"

He now appears unusually calm, whereas in the past he would have been furious at Xin's unauthorized actions.

Xin shrugged and said, "If I had informed you immediately upon learning of this, would you have believed me afterwards?"

"..."

The letter continued, "Furthermore, the Seireitei at the time knew that Captain Hirako and the others were victims, yet they still chose to eliminate them as mere phantoms. What direct connection does that have with the truth?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni fell silent. He seemed to know he owed Urahara and the others, so he stopped dwelling on it and said, "Are you suggesting that I cooperate with a traitor like Aizen?"

"If you feel that this action is detrimental to the reputation of Soul Society, I can step in and reach a secret agreement with him."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's gaze suddenly turned icy. "Do you know that by doing this you're trying to force Soul Society to acknowledge Aizen's legitimate existence? You want me to tolerate him? Where do you place the rules of Soul Society?!"

He sighed inwardly and said, "Captain-Commander, I know you defeated Yhwach before, and you are confident that you can defeat him again. But have you ever considered the possibility of failure?"

The quiet room fell silent. The two sat facing each other. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's gaze passed over him and calmly looked at the wooden window behind the letter.

“Wishful thinking,” Yamamoto said casually. “Shin, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Xin was slightly taken aback.

"You seem to be pleased about the murder of the Central 46th Bureau."

"..."

Xin's expression relaxed a bit, and he smiled frankly: "That's right. Without them, we will no longer have any obstacles in the war. Besides, I don't think they have much wisdom, let alone fairness. Captain-Commander, you weren't that sad or angry, were you?"

"In your eyes, am I also a stubborn, short-sighted, and foolish person?"

"..."

He didn't dare reply to the letter.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni calmly asked again, "Tachikawa, will you be the next Aizen?"

Xin's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni stared at the letter with his calm, still eyes, and slowly, word by word, asked, "If I let you go, will I regret my soft heart someday?"

Shin chuckled dryly: "What do you mean by that, Captain-Commander? I haven't done anything to harm Soul Society."

He didn't sense any spiritual pressure fluctuations from the other party. Unlike the terrifying spiritual pressure that the Captain-Commander had unleashed earlier, which was enough to shake the heavens and the earth, this calmness made Shin instinctively feel a sense of unease.

The captain... doesn't seem to be joking with me.

Suppressing the almost reflexive urge to jump, Xin unconsciously gripped the fabric of his leg tightly with his hands on his knees, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Did something I did offend the other person?

Shin's mind was racing at that moment, still provoked by Aizen's betrayal.

Just as the suffocating silence was about to engulf the letter, the invisible, choking pressure vanished as if it had never existed.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni slowly lowered his eyelids, his gaze falling on the floor in front of him. In his usual emotionless tone, he said, "Since I have said that the Soul Society has its own rules, as the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, I will naturally not do anything to you based on my wild speculations."

What a liar!
He couldn't help but curse under his breath, only then realizing that cold sweat was belatedly seeping down his back. Just a moment ago, he had truly felt death brush past him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Chojiro Sasakibara opened the heavy door and knelt respectfully at the entrance, bowing his head and reporting in a deep voice: "Captain-Commander, the head of the Tsunayoshi family just sent a message that the Great Spirit Book Corridor... has been destroyed. It was Aizen's doing."

Upon hearing this, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's white eyebrows twitched only slightly, and a barely perceptible hint of solemnity flashed across his expression before he regained his composure and simply responded with a calm "Hmm." It was as if this earth-shattering news was within his expectations based on his thousand years of experience, or perhaps it was overshadowed by deeper worries.

Aizen destroyed the Great Spirit Book Corridor?
Shin's heart was in turmoil upon hearing this! That absolute forbidden zone, guarded by the Tsunayoshi family, one of the four great noble families, and containing almost all the secrets of Soul Society since ancient times, had actually been destroyed by Aizen? Why did he do this? Was it to cover up some crucial information? Or was it simply to demonstrate his omnipotent power to Soul Society, to deliver a final mockery? And... that place, protected by countless powerful barriers and ancient forces, could actually be destroyed by human power alone?

A sense of indescribable regret swept through his heart—what a pity, he hadn't had the chance to set foot there and explore the buried history and truth.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni then slowly rose, saying as he passed Shin, "Let's go." Shin took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent thoughts in his heart, and silently followed behind the Captain-Commander. The two walked steadily into the room next door where Urahara Hirako and the others were being housed.

The atmosphere in the room was already somewhat tense. Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro, two veteran captains, were also present, seemingly trying to mediate. Upon the Captain-Commander's entry, the invisible pressure instantly made the air even heavier, making even breathing seem conscious.

Kyoraku Shunsui's eyes darted around, then he called out with a smile, "Master Yama..."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni merely gave him a completely emotionless, utterly indifferent look. That look seemed to contain immense power, instantly causing Kyoraku Shunsui to swallow back his words and awkwardly lower his straw hat.

The captain's gaze, like a cold searchlight, swept over each member of the Masked Army. His eyes held scrutiny, and also a heavy sense of the past.

Finally, his gaze settled firmly on Shinji Hirako and Kensei Muguruma, and he announced in a dignified and steady tone: "Shinji Hirako and Kensei Muguruma, are you willing to return to Soul Society and serve as captains of the 5th and 9th Divisions of the Gotei 13?"

These words were like a thunderbolt from the blue! An unbelievable silence instantly fell over the entire room!

A glint of light flashed in Kisuke Urahara's eyes behind the fan, while Kyoraku and Ukitake could hardly hide their astonishment.

They had assumed that, given the captain's temperament, even if he knew the truth of what happened back then, he would still question them.

Kyoraku Shunsui was about to speak when he worried that things would get even more out of hand. However, no one expected that the Captain-Commander would extend an olive branch so directly and decisively—not only acknowledging their innocence, but also offering them the vacancies for the captains of the 5th and 9th Divisions, two important divisions!
This means that Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the supreme commander of Soul Society, has publicly admitted in the most powerful way that the Soul Society's treatment of them back then was completely wrong!

Seeing this, Xin thought to himself, "Without the Central 46th Bureau, the Chief Commander can make a decision with a single word."

He wasn't wrong when he said he wasn't saddened by the death of the Central 46th Bureau.

Hirako Shinji's pale face underwent a dramatic shift in expression, as if a palette had been overturned, from shock and bewilderment to anger and resentment, finally settling into a complex bewilderment. His clenched fists, knuckles white from the force, trembled slightly. His narrow eyes were fixed on Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, burning with decades of pent-up humiliation, anger, and an indescribable sorrow.

"Commander-in-Chief, is this all you have to say to us?"

He seemed unsatisfied with the way the chief commander had handled the situation.

Upon hearing this, Kyoraku and Ukitake both wore complex and indescribable expressions, hesitant to speak. They completely understood Hirako's feelings; decades of injustice could not be erased with just a few words.

The others remained silent, their gazes all fixed on Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

"Regarding what happened back then, the Seireitei will help you prove your innocence. All members of the Central 46 have been killed, and the three realms are facing a calamity. We need your strength."

Captain-Commander Yamamoto didn't say much, but he expressed everything that needed to be said.

The decision to deal with them was made by the Central 46th Bureau. Now that all the members of the Central 46th Bureau are dead, it is said that when people die, the debts are settled. There is no point in them pursuing the matter any further.

Moreover, the Soul Society side is also being misled.

Yamamoto also agreed to help them prove their innocence.

The current outcome is what they have been seeking all these years.

However, after hearing the captain's words, none of Hirako Shinji and the others showed any signs of relief or joy.

Hirako Shinji sighed with a sense of melancholy, then chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Is... this the end?"

After a moment of silence, Hirako Shinji said again, "We need to consider it."

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni nodded: "Okay."

Then, he turned his gaze to Kisuke Urahara: "Furthermore, let me make this clear: I will not tolerate or forgive Aizen in the slightest. I advise you not to even think about making any deals with him."

Kisuke Urahara smiled easily: "A little reminder, I didn't mean to either."

Team captains' meeting.

Apart from the seriously injured Komamura Sajin, all the remaining captains in the Seireitei, including Mayuri Kurotsuchi, are present.

At the meeting, Chojiro Sasakibe first issued arrest warrants for Aizen and Kaname Tōsen on behalf of the Captain-Commander.

Subsequently, Chojiro Sasaki publicly announced the entire situation regarding the Quincy, including the fact that the Quincy group had been hiding inside the Seireitei, and that the Seireitei would be entering a state of high alert at Shutara level 5!
Effective immediately, the entrances and exits of Seireitei and Rukongai will be closed, temporarily severing Seireitei's connection with the outside world.

These words shocked all the team captains present.

Xin thought to himself: Has the Commander-in-Chief chosen the second route I gave him back then...?

The entire contents of this captain's meeting will inevitably be known to the Quincy.

However, since the Soul Society does not have the key to open the gates of the Wandenreich, the Quincy should be fearless at the moment.

After the captains' meeting ended, as soon as Shin stepped out of the meeting room, Matsumoto Rangiku, who had been waiting outside, immediately rushed to greet him.

Her usually bright and cheerful face was now filled with anxiety and disbelief, her blonde hair was disheveled, her azure eyes were fixed on the letter, and her voice trembled slightly: "Captain."

"how?"

“Gintama…” Matsumoto Rangiku quickly spoke up, “What happened to Lieutenant Ichimaru? Why… was he arrested by the Execution Army?”

After a brief silence, Shin said, "He has deep ties with Aizen, so the Seireitei will naturally have to interrogate him rigorously."

Matsumoto Rangiku's pupils dilated, and she was somewhat at a loss for words: "Is...is there some kind of misunderstanding...?"

Xin calmly said, "He has always been by Aizen's side and participated in many of the crimes Aizen committed. The claim of him being an undercover agent is really untrue. Whether there is a misunderstanding or not, it will be found out soon."

Matsumoto Rangiku was struck dumb, her pupils dilating sharply. Her lips trembled, but she could no longer utter any words of pleading. She simply stood there, sunlight streaming through the high eaves, casting deep shadows on her distraught face, her long golden hair swaying slightly in the wind. The entire empty corridor was filled only with her rapid, suppressed breathing.

(End of this chapter)