Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

With Senbonzakura's guarantee, Muramasa lowered his guard.

“…Very good.” His voice echoed through the cave.

"I accept your 'joining', Byakuya Kuchiki."

He wasn't entirely convinced, but Byakuya Kuchiki's appearance and suggestion were indeed of great help to his next plan.

However, no one could have imagined Byakuya Kuchiki's true thoughts.

"Kuchiki Hibiki... a stain on the family, a pain that will forever remain in my grandfather's heart... your very existence is a trampling on the Kuchiki family's thousand-year-old glory and rules. Release the seal? Fine. But afterwards..."

"I, Kuchiki Byakuya, will personally annihilate you with the blade in my hand, eliminating any future threat."

This is Byakuya Kuchiki's true 'purpose'.

Chapter 142 Complete Hypnosis

Led by Muramasa, Byakuya Kuchiki passed through several narrow passages tightly guarded by materialized Zanpakuto, finally arriving at the core area deepest within this secret base.

But in the very center of the cave, the most striking feature is an incongruous presence—

A semi-transparent spiritual pressure barrier radiating suffocating heat and an absolute sense of defense.

Inside the barrier, a figure wearing a white captain's haori could be seen sitting cross-legged with eyes closed.

He held an ancient Zanpakuto in his arms, whose terrifying pressure could be felt even through the barrier.

It was none other than Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, and his Zanpakuto, "Ryujin Jakka"!

"This is... Captain-Commander Yamamoto?" Byakuya Kuchiki stared at the figure within the barrier, a very subtle ripple passing across his cold face, but he quickly regained his composure.

He could feel the powerful spiritual pressure contained within the barrier. Even though it was mostly blocked by the barrier, it was still like facing a live volcano that could erupt at any moment.

The captain's posture, as if he were deep in meditation, also exuded an inviolable majesty.

“Not bad.” Muramasa stood a few meters in front of the barrier.

“Yamamoto Shigekuni’s power far surpasses that of an ordinary captain. When I tried to invade his mind and influence ‘Ryujin Jakka’, he instantly sensed it and isolated me with such a powerful barrier, while also sealing off my mind and cutting off all external interference.”

He turned to look at Kuchiki Byakuya, his tone carrying a hint of apprehension:

"This barrier was formed by him combining his own spiritual pressure with a portion of the flame power of 'Flowing Blade Like Fire,' making it incredibly sturdy."

Conventional methods are unlikely to budge it in the slightest, unless the barrier is broken from the outside in a specific way, or it is dispelled from within itself.

Kuchiki Byakuya listened in silence, his gaze still fixed on the barrier.

"How do you intend to break it?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked directly, his voice icy.

Muramasa shifted his gaze from the barrier and slowly said:

"With my own power, or the power of the Zanpakuto currently gathered, the chances of successfully attacking this barrier head-on are slim."

We need a more 'special' power, capable of counteracting the properties of this barrier imbued with the fiery power of 'Flowing Blade Like Fire,' or finding its weak points to penetrate and dismantle it.

However, no one noticed that a figure appeared without warning about three steps behind the two of them, as if it had been standing there quietly from the beginning.

The lenses of his glasses reflected the pulsating light of the barrier, and the captain's white haori was spotless, with a gentle and warm smile on his face.

Captain of the Fifth Division, Aizen Sousuke.

He stood there calmly, relaxed, as if he were just passing by and stopping to watch.

His appearance did not cause any spiritual pressure fluctuations, did not trigger any warning barriers, and did not even stir up a breeze or change the trajectory of a ray of light.

It was as if he himself was a "phantom" that did not interfere with reality, a ghost that was allowed to "observe".

Muramasa and Kuchiki Byakuya were completely unaware of this.

Their gaze remained fixed on the barrier. Aizen's presence seemed to have been completely erased from their perception by the most skilled editor, leaving no trace.

Mirror Flower Water Moon - Complete Hypnosis.

The activation of the ability was completed at a crucial moment—the hill battlefield.

While everyone was puzzled by the unusual activity of the Zanpakuto, Aizen released the Zanpakuto in front of everyone.

The blade rippled like water, a scene that Muramasa "saw".

The condition for hypnosis using the "mirage" technique is that the recipient witnesses the moment of liberation from the illusion, and the person who sees it will remain in a state of complete hypnosis forever.

Therefore, Aizen was able to stand so calmly behind the two "conspirators" at this moment.

Like an interested audience member, he enjoys the drama in which he has complete control over the stage lighting.

Aizen's gaze did not linger long on Muramasa or Kuchiki Byakuya.

His gaze passed over the two men's shoulders and landed directly on the scorching barrier in the center of the cave, and on Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who was sleeping within the barrier.

His eyes no longer wore the usual gentle and tolerant facade, but were filled with the calm assessment of a researcher.

Behind the lenses, the eyes seemed to transform into the most sophisticated detection instruments, rapidly analyzing every rune flowing across the surface of the barrier and sensing every spiritual pressure characteristic and energy flow contained within.

"As expected, it lives up to its reputation..." Aizen murmured to himself.

"In order to deal with Muramasa's bizarre abilities, he actually chose the most extreme way to deal with it—absolute mental lockdown and energy isolation."

His gaze dissected the structure and principles of the barrier:

"It is not a simple spiritual pressure shield. This barrier... is a composite barrier constructed with its own powerful spiritual pressure as the foundation and a portion of the flame power of Ryujin Jakka."

Yamamoto Shigekuni placed himself in a realm of 'absolute stillness,' completely severing all forms of information and energy exchange with the outside world, thus naturally becoming immune to Muramasa's abilities.

At this moment, the outline of a highly tempting plan gradually emerged in his mind.

The word "fear" rarely appears in Aizen's dictionary.

He admires power, studies rules, and plans strategies, but rarely truly "fears" any existence.

However, in the vast history and current situation of Soul Society, there are indeed a few figures who can make him feel danger.

Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni is undoubtedly one of the most unmissable among them.

The founder of the Gotei 13, the creator of the Soul Society's thousand-year history, and the recognized "strongest Shinigami in Soul Society".

His Zanpakuto, "Ryujin Jakka," is known as the strongest fire-type sword, possessing the power to incinerate everything.

Aizen had never personally witnessed Aizen's full-force attack, even with his "Kyoka Suigetsu," a complete hypnotic ability capable of deceiving the world.

Aizen wasn't entirely confident he could defeat Yamamoto Shigekuni, who was in peak condition and harboring murderous intent, in a direct confrontation.

Faced with Ryujin Jakka's potentially massive and indiscriminate destructive attack, how effective would Kyoka Suigetsu's full hypnotic ability be?

Whether its own defenses can withstand a single blow is unknown.

Before finding weaknesses or devising a foolproof countermeasure, Yamamoto Shigekuni is one of the biggest variables that must be carefully dealt with in the Aizen Project.

Another person who made him wary was Yanagawa—the newly promoted member of the Zero Squad.

Aizen's understanding of the Zero Division far surpasses that of most Shinigami in the Soul Society. He spent a great deal of time and effort piecing together fragmented truths about the "Soul King's Palace" and the "Zero Division."

He knew that being promoted to the Zero Division meant gaining the approval of the "Soul King," and that his body would undergo a fundamental reshaping and sublimation through the "Soul King's power," thereby breaking the inherent spiritual limits of ordinary Shinigami.

That is a higher level of life, a ladder to the realm of "God".

Even Aizen himself, through years of research, planning, and exploration of the "Hogyoku," has not yet been able to truly "break the boundaries of a Shinigami."

One is the strongest "known" peak, and the other is a mysterious "unknown" variable.

And now... a once-in-a-lifetime "opportunity" is right in front of him.

Aizen's gaze returned to the blazing barrier and Yamamoto Shigekuni, who stood within it like a dormant volcano.

Chapter 143 The Mysterious Whistleblower Letter

The Eighth Division barracks, the captain's office.

Kyoraku Shunsui, unusually, took off his ever-present straw raincoat, letting his long, dark brown hair fall loose.

He leaned back in his large office chair, a half-burnt tobacco between his fingers, but hadn't taken a puff for a long time, simply letting the wisps of smoke rise, blurring the half of his face hidden in the shadows.

Across from him, Jushiro Ukitake also had a furrowed brow.

On the table between the two, there was a simplified map of the Seireitei covered with dense markings, and scattered around it were several emergency reports from various divisions about Zanpakuto anomalies, casualties, and area damage.

"Still no news from Old Man Shan?" Kyoraku Shunsui finally spoke, his voice hoarse, filled with weariness and deeper worry.

Ukitake Jushiro slowly said, "The safety of Genryusai-sensei is indeed important, but... we know too little about the outside world. We have no information about Muramasa's next target or the movements of those traitorous Zanpakuto."

“Yes, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light.” Kyoraku Shunsui rubbed his temples.

"What's more troublesome is that our own 'knife' is not very obedient. Although we have temporarily held on with our old resources, this is not a long-term solution."

As the two remained silent, each pondering a way to break the deadlock—

"boom!"

The door to the captain's office was pushed open rather hastily, and a swift figure rushed in like a gust of wind. It was none other than Ise Nanao, the vice-captain of Kyoraku Shunsui.

She had beads of sweat on her forehead, and her eyes behind her round-framed glasses were filled with urgency and the shock of discovering a major clue.

She held tightly in her hand an ordinary envelope without any markings.

"Captain! Captain Ukitake!" Nanao was breathing heavily, clearly having run all the way here.

"Oh my, Nanao, have you discovered some interesting information?"

Kyoraku Shunsui raised his eyes, trying to ease the atmosphere with his usual flippant tone, but the seriousness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Nanao ignored the captain's teasing, carefully unfolded the envelope, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her voice:

"Captain, just now, when I returned to the barracks to deal with the backlog of documents, I found this under the door of your office."

She pointed to the envelope, "No signature, no spiritual pressure mark, just ordinary Soul Society official paper, but the contents..."

She paused, looked at the two captains, and said, word by word:

"The contents mentioned the specific location of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, as well as... the betrayal of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division, and also included... a photograph."

"what?!"

"Byakuya?!"

Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro were both speechless almost simultaneously, their faces instantly filled with disbelief and shock! Yamamoto's position as Captain-Commander? Kuchiki Byakuya's betrayal? And there were photos?