Bleach: Starting with Marrying Retsu Unohana

"What do you mean by Captain Aizen's action timeline? I have no idea!"

After hearing Araki's words, Gin Ichimaru's expression changed slightly, and he asked Araki a question.

"Is that so? Then let's put it another way!"

"About a hundred years from now, Aizen's Hogyoku should be fully mature. I think he'll probably try to get his hands on the other half of the Hogyoku that exists in the 'real world,' which is in Urahara Kisuke's possession. Given Aizen's personality, do you think he'll choose to confront me once he's collected both pieces? That's really something to look forward to~"

Araki made no attempt to conceal anything and spoke directly to Gin Ichimaru.

"what……"

Gin Ichimaru was dumbfounded. He stared wide-eyed at Araki, his usually narrow eyes now filled with great confusion.

"Could it be that I've been hit by Captain Aizen's Kyosuigetsu?"

At that moment, Gin Ichimaru's first thought was that he had been struck by Aizen's Kyosuigetsu. Otherwise, how could Captain-Commander Araki be so clear about Aizen's plan?

"Haha, that brat Aizen wouldn't dare release his Kyosuigetsu in the 'First Division' barracks. Aizen is always very cautious. He's afraid I'll discover the true power of his Zanpakuto, so he never uses it when I'm around, not even in my barracks. He's afraid I'll figure out the true power of his Zanpakuto. Otherwise, Aizen wouldn't have wasted so much time getting recommended by other division leaders to become the captain of the 'Gotei 13'."

Araki saw right through Gin Ichimaru's thoughts and immediately laughed.

"what……"

Gin Ichimaru was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that Araki and Aizen's every move was under Araki's observation.

"Gin Ichimaru, when did you start having this illusion that Aizen is the one behind everything, the one who controls everything in the Soul Society? You should know that I am the Captain-Commander of the Seireitei..."

"Nothing that happens in this Soul Society can escape my discerning eyes! Whether it's Aizen and Urahara wasting a large number of civilians in the Ghost Street with the potential to become Shinigami, or Hollows in Hueco Mundo with the potential to become Hollows, to develop the Hogyoku, or Aizen's scheme a few years ago to frame Hirako Shinji, Urahara Kisuke, and others in the Gotei 13 as the masterminds behind the Hollowfication experiments, their every move is under my control."

Araki continued his sermon before Ichimaru Gin could say anything more.

In just a few words, he completely shattered Gin Ichimaru's worldview.

"Captain Araki, I don't understand. Since you know that all these evil deeds were done by Aizen, why didn't you stop him? Do you know how many souls in the 'Yukiyaki' died prematurely in order to develop the Hogyoku?"

Gin Ichimaru opened his eyes and asked Araki.

"What are you talking about, Gin Ichimaru? The souls of 'Yūkigai' have already died once. Those souls that disappeared prematurely because they couldn't become Shinigami have all had their memories wiped off, turned into basic spiritual particles, and sent to the 'real world' for reincarnation..."

"And those Hollows that Kisuke Urahara consumed, after being transformed into basic spiritual particles through Kisuke Urahara's experiments, were also wiped of their memories by me and sent to the 'real world' for reincarnation. From the moment the first Hogyoku created by Urahara and Aizen was born, the birth of another Hogyoku changed from accidental to inevitable. This is the will of the Hogyoku itself, and it is also for the balance of souls in the 'three realms'."

Araki responded calmly after hearing Gin Ichimaru's question.

Araki frowned slightly at this point. In fact, because Genryusai was stationed at the Shinigami Academy for a long time and would occasionally go to the Ghost City to look for children with the talent to become Shinigami, Aizen did not dare to go too far when creating the Hogyoku...

Aizen only took what was useful to him from those souls; he didn't dare touch a single person. Even though doing so would waste some time, he chose a more cautious approach. As for mass slaughtering souls, he couldn't do that, because it would be discovered by Araki and Genryusai.

So those ordinary souls whose talents were taken by Aizen were simply reincarnated a few decades earlier than their original destiny! Originally, they would have to continue living as servants in the Soul Society for hundreds of years, unable to even afford water, before their memories could be erased and they could be reincarnated as spirit particles into the human world. Now, they only need a few decades to return to the human world. Araki Yagami couldn't say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing for the lower-level souls of the Yuuki Street.

Conversely, Kisuke Urahara, having developed the Hogyoku using Hollows, was much more extravagant in his actions. After all, Araki and Genryusai didn't care how many Hollows there were in Hueco Mundo. To create the Hogyoku, Urahara had spent countless resources on Hollows with the potential to advance to the Adjuchas level of "Great Hollows," which gave Araki quite a headache. After all, Hueco Mundo was, strictly speaking, his territory, but he couldn't say anything, making it one of the few times he suffered a loss in silence.

"This……"

After listening to Araki's words, Gin Ichimaru suddenly remembered something: these commoners of the 'Street of Souls' seemed to be dead people. They all seemed to have died once in the 'real world', but Gin Ichimaru had forgotten about it because he had lived in the 'Street of Souls' for so long.

"After Hollows die, they are purified and reincarnated; after Shinigami die, they are transformed into spirit particles and reincarnated. The world we live in is actually a huge cycle of reincarnation, a huge system where there is no true death! If we're talking about true death, it's probably only Hollows that are destroyed by Quincy using the power of annihilation, even their basic spirit particles are destroyed."

Araki looked at Gin Ichimaru and continued speaking.

"Therefore, the Quincy destroyed the system and also broke the balance of the 'Three Realms'."

"Gin Ichimaru, grip your sword tighter! Sooner or later, the Quincy and we Shinigami will fight again, and that battle will be the true decisive battle that will determine the future of the 'Three Realms'."

After Araki finished speaking, he added another sentence.

"..."

At this moment, Gin Ichimaru was somewhat silent. He realized that he and Araki viewed the world from completely different perspectives. Araki stood from the perspective of the world, maintaining the balance of the world with the attitude of a transcendent being. As long as the balance of the world was not broken, it was not a big deal in the eyes of Araki or the entire 'Zero Squad'!

On the contrary, if sacrificing some souls and voids can make the world more secure, then Araki and the 'Zero Squad' might even choose to acquiesce! As for Gin Ichimaru, he is just a mortal. He only hopes to use the sword in his hand to protect the people he loves. He has never thought about transcending, nor can he transcend.

"Are you worried about that little girl who was taken by Aizen and stored in His Majesty the Spirit King's fingertip? You don't need to worry about that. I've already used His Majesty the Spirit King's power to restore her soul..."

Araki seemed to have seen through Gin Ichimaru's thoughts and laughed.

"You mean?"

Gin Ichimaru was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Araki even knew about Rangiku's situation.

"Do you think you can restore that orange-haired girl to her full-fledged state with your meager soul power?"

"Without my intervention, that little girl probably would never have reached the 'third-level' spiritual power and mastered her own Bankai in her lifetime, right?"

"In that case, even if you both die on your respective paths of revenge, you probably won't be able to meet in 'hell'!"

Araki looked at Gin Ichimaru and continued.

"..."

Gin Ichimaru fell silent. The shock he had received from Araki today was far too much, so much that his mind was starting to go blank.

"Bang bang bang..."

Just as Gin Ichimaru was wondering how to start the conversation, a series of knocks sounded on the door of the 'First Division' captain's room.

"Enter……"

Araki nodded slightly after hearing the knock on the door.

"Captain Araki, my apologies!"

The moment Araki finished speaking, the door to the 'First Division' captain's room was pushed open, and Tosen Kaname, wearing an eye patch and the 'Ninth Division' captain's haori, strode into the 'First Division' captain's room. He first bowed respectfully to Araki, and then turned his head to 'look' in the direction of Ichimaru Gin.

"Captain Tosen...?!"

"Could it be that even you have betrayed Captain Aizen?"

Gin Ichimaru looked at Kaname Tosen with disbelief in his eyes, then asked.

“Gin Ichimaru, you seem to have some misunderstanding about me! First of all, I want you to understand one thing: my life has been upright and honest, and there has never been any betrayal as you claim. From the very beginning, I have been loyal to Captain-Commander Araki, and that has never changed…”

"I only helped Captain Aizen because I felt that his ideals were somewhat similar to mine. At the same time, I was also a little curious about the world he understood, and wanted to 'see' whether the world he created was as wonderful as he described. That's all..."

After hearing Gin Ichimaru's words, Kaname Tōsen frowned slightly and explained, "Yes, Kaname Tōsen has been Araki's subordinate from the beginning. As for Ms. Utagaki, who has been guiding Kaname Tōsen, she has now succeeded Tessai Tsukabishi and Hachigen Ushōda as the new generation's Great Kidō Master."

Because Kakuang also possesses a fragment of the Spirit King within his body, in other words, Kakuang is a genuine Fullbring user. Therefore, under Araki's guidance, he has mastered the basic Fullbring ability 'Manipulation of Souls and Spirit Particles' quite well. Currently, his Kido technique is even superior to that of the former Great Kido Master, Tsukabishi Tessai.

Incidentally, in the original work, Kagura was recruited into the Tsunayoshi family because she possessed a fragment of the Spirit King within her body, which was discovered by the inherently evil Tsunayoshi family. She was then married to Tsunayoshi Tokina and was ultimately killed by the invincible and evil Tokina. This also led Tōsen to go astray. Of course, the current Tokina would certainly not dare to do such a thing. At the same time, because Araki discovered Kagura's reason first, Kagura directly joined the 'Kidōshū', thus missing out on Tokina.

As for Kaname Tōsen, just as Araki placed Tessai Tsukabishi by Kisuke Urahara's side, he naturally placed his own people by Aizen's side as well. In Araki's view, as an undercover agent planted by Aizen's side, no one was more trustworthy than Kaname Tōsen, who was born with an eye disease and was therefore immune to Kagami Suigetsu.

Years later, when Aizen waved the banner of rebellion, intending to defy his teacher Araki's absolute rule over the Soul Society, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen reluctantly drew their Zanpakutō and said to Aizen Sōsuke, "I'm sorry, Lord Aizen! We are undercover agents!"

Before Aizen could think further, the group of ten ninja he had personally trained also released their Zanpakuto, surrounding him completely and saying helplessly, "Sorry, Lord Aizen, we were spies too..."

In response, Aizen said, "I..."

Back to the captain's room of the 'First Division'.

"So, Captain-Commander Araki, what exactly do you want me to do?"

Gin Ichimaru, who was being sculpted, was numb; he could no longer understand Araki's thoughts.

"Study diligently under my guidance and strive to improve yourself."

"Then I'll continue this performance with Aizen. I look forward to the day when that brat Aizen will swing his Zanpakuto at me and raise the banner of rebellion!"

Araki looked at Gin Ichimaru and said with a smile.

"I understand……"

After listening to Araki's words, Gin Ichimaru nodded slightly.

At this moment, Gin Ichimaru finally understood why Aizen had told him that even Aizen had someone he feared. How could someone who held Aizen in their grasp and secretly orchestrated everything not inspire fear? The captains who had been manipulated by Aizen feared him as much as Aizen feared Araki…

"Haha~"

Thinking this way, Gin Ichimaru suddenly felt that Captain Aizen wasn't so hateful anymore; he even felt a little sorry for Captain Aizen.

After Araki and Gin Ichimaru had their falling out, Gin was then dragged into a period of intense training by Araki...

Although Gin Ichimaru was hailed as a genius at the Shinigami Academy, graduating with perfect scores in the four fundamental skills of slashing, punching, walking, and demonic arts in just one year, Araki believed that none of Gin's skills were up to par.

Gin's talent in 'slashing' is not as good as Zaraki, Kuruyashiki, or Uno Retsu; his talent in 'kido' is not as good as Azashiro Souya or the overpowered Uta Kage; and his skill in 'movement' is not as specialized as Shihouin Yoruichi or Soi Fon. Overall, he is not as good as Kyoraku and Ukitake...

Given the time constraints, Araki's training plan for Gin was incredibly grueling, almost destructively pushing Gin's potential to its limits, while simultaneously using Araki's abilities to brutally heal Gin's wounds. If it weren't for Gin's extraordinary mental fortitude, anyone else would likely have gone insane.

"cruel."

After hearing the sound of slashing right next to his ear, Tosen Kaname could roughly understand what the scene in front of him was like, even though he couldn't see anything. Therefore, he turned around and left the 'First Division' captain's room, leaving it to Gin and Araki.

As for Tosen's next task, it was naturally to return to the 'Ninth Division's' captain's office and report the day's experiment to his great Captain Aizen.

And so time continued to pass...

About five years passed slowly.

On this day, the Quincy who had been hiding in the shadow of the Seireitei, living a life of quiet desperation, suddenly felt a stirring in their hearts. A strong and powerful heartbeat suddenly came from the chest of their Quincy King Yhwach, who was lying in the crystal coffin with his eyes closed.

Just as their national anthem of the Wandenreich proclaims, the great, sealed Quincy King, after nine hundred years, regained his heartbeat, after ninety years, regained his consciousness, after nine years, regained his power, and in just nine days, he reclaimed the world! After nine hundred years, their great Quincy King finally regained his heartbeat.

However, only the old Sternritter members who participated in the Empire of Light's invasion of Soul Society under Yhwach's leadership knew that their great emperor regained his heartbeat about ten years later than sung in the hymn.

"Has the prophecy of the hymn been broken?"

Haschwald stood before Yhwach's crystal coffin, his brows furrowed.

Now that the prophecy has been broken, can their great emperor still reclaim the world in just nine days, as foretold?!

"Your Majesty! How can you possibly defeat that monster, Araki?"

Hasswald questioned Yhwach's stance on this matter.

However, for the sake of saving face and to ensure the accuracy of the hymn's prophecy, Haschwald publicly claimed that Yhwach's heartbeat had already been restored, but it had only recently become apparent to the public.

"Your Majesty is truly great!"

Those Quincy who heard Haschwald's words did not question Haschwald and Yhwach in any way. In their eyes, Yhwach, the Quincy King, and Haschwald, who was Yhwach's half-body, were supreme beings.

Several more months have passed...

On this day, the six judges of the 'Central 46 Chambers' and Kuchiki Ginrin, the head of the Kuchiki family, arrived at Araki's captain's room at the same time.

The six judges, who stood at the pinnacle of power in the Soul Society, first glanced at Gin Ichimaru, who was covered in blood, then shuddered and looked at Araki with trepidation, saying, "We have come here with a matter that we hope Captain-Commander Araki can decide."

"What's the matter?!"

Upon hearing this, Araki gave Gin Ichimaru a look, signaling him to rest, and then looked at the six judges in front of him and asked.