XX-level Hokage

It was precisely for this reason that at that time, more than one person was puzzled as to why the Central 46 was so irritable, as if they had swallowed gunpowder and were determined to convict Kuchiki Rukia and to control her.

Actually, it wasn't that the Central 46 was in a hurry; it was Aizen who was in a hurry. It was an outward manifestation of him gradually increasing his control over the Central 46. However, there is actually another problem.

In fact, there is another very special person in the Gotei 13 who, to some extent, stands on behalf of the Central 46: Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni!

Why was Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni ousted from the very beginning? Because he announced his seclusion at the most inopportune time.

This was a success that even Aizen hadn't anticipated; in fact, it could be said that Yamamoto's seclusion was what led to the implementation of his plan.

Whether Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni was truly in seclusion or had stepped down to the sidelines was not important; what mattered was that he conveyed the message that the Gotei 13 was currently leaderless.

Only in this way could Aizen take advantage of the chaos. And the reason is quite simple.

Mashiro contacted Yamamoto through Unohana.

Because of what happened a thousand years ago, Yamamoto owed Mashiro a favor. Therefore, after Mashiro asked him to, Yamamoto did not hesitate to go into seclusion.

From that moment on, the power to control the entire Gotei 13 effectively and invisibly fell into Mashiro's hands. Perhaps Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni also wanted to see what Mashiro intended to do and what he was capable of achieving.

After all, just like Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni's recent return to seclusion, once he announces his return, his prestige will make it impossible for Mashiro or Kyoraku Shunsui to do anything they want.

The prerequisite for them to perform at their best is the disappearance of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

At that time, Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni could never have imagined that things would eventually develop to this extent.

This is no playhouse. Let's go back and look at Mashiro and Aizen again.

From the moment Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni announced his seclusion, the conflict between the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 began.

In essence, it became a confrontation between Mashiro, who controlled the Gotei 13, and Aizen, who controlled the Central 46.

The Central 46 Chambers certainly possessed supreme power, but once Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni was absent and Mashiro showed an attitude of disregard for the Central 46 Chambers, the Central 46 Chambers had no good methods to use.

Chapter 150: Ambition (Part 2)

The Central 46 Chambers do indeed possess supreme power, but Mashiro has never really cared. After all, she was once an "emperor" herself. It's alright for her to temporarily obey Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni or the Zero Division, since they have the ability and power. But to Mashiro, the Central 46 Chambers are just clowns.

Therefore, ever since then, whenever Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni was not around, Mashiro had treated the Central 46 Chambers as if they didn't exist, and the Central 46 Chambers had no good solutions to this problem.

Therefore, after Mashiro returned to the Soul Society, she completely ignored Aizen's control over the Central 46 Chambers. Thus, the fate of the Central 46 Chambers was predictable and loomed before them.

When Aizen completely controls the Central 46 and wields absolute power over them, even the most unreasonable orders will be carried out.

Ultimately, this is the power held by the Central 46th Bureau.

The reason for the previous stalemate was simply that the sages and judges were weighing the pros and cons before using this power, and the decision was still pending. In essence, it was just a threat and compromise to the Gotei 13.

The situation should have shifted in Aizen's favor from that point on.

At this moment, in addition to the bipolar confrontation between the Gotei 13 (Mashiro) and the Central 46 (Aizen), a third force intervened!

Those were Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions, who entered the Seireitei under the guidance of Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin, and with the assistance of the Shiba family. How many of them there were, whether they constituted a large force, or whether they possessed immense power—none of that really mattered. What mattered was that they represented a possibility of breaking the current situation.

The Three-Body Problem represents a convoluted concept that blurs the lines between two opposing forces.

In other words, it wasn't anyone else who wanted to muddy the waters from the very beginning, but rather Mashiro herself. Yoruichi led Ichigo and the others into the Seireitei.

At the same time, a signal was secretly given, and the alarm was sounded instantly.

In this Seireitei, how many squads have the authority to sound an alarm throughout the entire Seireitei in an instant?

How many squads can disseminate information to all squads and everyone in the shortest amount of time? Therefore, the one who appeared in front of Kurosaki Ichigo and the others after the information was released was none other than Kuchiki Hibiki.

Hinamori Momo thought she had found Kurosaki Ichigo and the others through reverse thinking, but she didn't realize that her line of thought was opened up under the guidance of Kuchiki Hibiki.

Why was Kuchiki Kyouga able to quickly pinpoint the location of Kurosaki Ichigo and the others?

Then we should ask the black cat that disappeared from Ichigo Kurosaki and the others after the alarm went off.

The purpose of Kuchiki Kyoga appearing in front of Kurosaki Ichigo and the others was not to intercept them, not to fight them, and not even to defeat them. Those were just performances that had to be done to avoid arousing any suspicion.

From the very beginning, Kuchiki Kyoga's purpose in appearing was to ensure that Kurosaki Ichigo and the others could still retreat calmly despite being blocked by captain-level Shinigami.

Leaving aside the external aid of Shiba Ganju and Yoruichi Shihouin, the strongest at that time was Kurosaki Ichigo, but Kurosaki Ichigo's strength at that time was only that of a senior officer.

If you're unlucky enough to run into a captain or vice-captain from another squad when they're serious, then you're doomed.

Therefore, at Mashiro's behest, Kuchiki Kyouga had to act as a tutor for the newcomers, giving Ichigo Kurosaki and the others a crash course, letting them know what the Soul Society was really like, and forcing them to be careful in their next actions.

On the other hand, when Kurosaki Ichigo and others had the feat of easily escaping from a veteran captain like Kuchiki Kyoga, their achievements immediately swelled to a level they themselves were unaware of.

This means that the Seireitei will not regard Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions as easy targets, but will continue to raise the alert level and maintain a state of vigilance, keeping the entire Seireitei under a tense atmosphere.

This is the so-called wartime special order phase.

When the wartime special order phase arrives, all previous rules will no longer apply, or will be temporarily suspended.

Everything is done with defeating the invading fugitives of Seireitei as the highest priority.

Unaware of the dangers, Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions acted solely to rescue Rukia Kuchiki, unaware that another undercurrent was brewing precisely because of their arrival and the issuance of the wartime order.

Whom they fought, whom they defeated, who was captured, and who was rescued during this process are all unimportant; they are merely a necessary process to reach a predetermined destination.

Has Ichigo ever wondered why Yoruichi, who had been missing for so long, arrived so conveniently when he lost consciousness after his battle with Renji Abarai?

Before he arrived near the Third Division prison, at least Renji Abarai, as the vice-captain, should have stayed near Rukia Kuchiki to wait for her and protect her.

Who is it, and what kind of ability does it take to stealthily take Rukia Kuchiki away from Renji Abarai's nose without being noticed?

The initial chaos subsided quickly after Ichigo and the others encountered setbacks. However, the situation had already undergone a dramatic change.

That was no longer a question of whether the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 were arguing about whether Rukia Kuchiki had committed any serious crimes and should be sentenced to death.

Instead, it became a situation where the invasion of the traveler was temporarily put aside and had to be dealt with immediately.

In this situation, the disappearance of Rukia Kuchiki, the person involved, has made the whole situation even more confusing.

For the Gotei 13, Rukia Kuchiki's disappearance was undoubtedly the work of a Ryouka; there was no doubt that a Ryouka had taken her. The battle traces near the Third Division's base and Renji Asanami's testimony provide evidence of this.

As for Ichigo Kurosaki and the others, they looked on with regret. What? How come we don't know where Rukia went? No, it wasn't me! Don't frame me!

The Gotei 13 had no reason to harbor Rukia Kuchiki, and Ichigo and his group had indeed failed, so the speculation about this so-called mysterious third-party force naturally came to mind.

With a slight pause and a little guidance, the third party in this X can be identified and solidified as Aizen, the greatest villain of the Seireitei. Under this subtle guidance, Ichigo and the others' focus can be shifted from the Gotei 13 to Aizen.

Because Ichigo and his friends had a very simple purpose: they didn't come to overthrow the Soul Society, but became enemies of the Soul Society in order to rescue Rukia Kuchiki.

In other words, whoever took Kuchiki Rukia away, or whoever is detrimental to Kuchiki Rukia, is their enemy, and they will target that person.

As for Aizen at this moment, he also looked regretful. What does this mean? Rukia Kuchiki, whom I was about to acquire and forcibly contain, has disappeared in the blink of an eye?

Do you think I don't know what abilities Kurosaki Ichigo and the others have? Do you think they possess such skills? So, the guess that surfaced in Aizen's mind at that time was probably...

It wasn't "Ichigo, you've really made something of yourself!" but rather "Kisuke Urahara or Mashiro took advantage of that opportunity to hide Rukia Kuchiki." This idea persisted until the very end and was completely accurate.

Because Aizen is a smart enough person, he clearly realized that everything else was just an appearance, and the core of his struggle with Mashiro and the others lay in the Hogyoku.

One of the best ways to prevent him from obtaining the Hogyoku is to lure him out. After a hundred years of separation, he finally makes a clear move and takes action that allows you to grasp his intentions. Then, immediately hide the Hogyoku again.

Chapter 151: Ambition (Part 2)

As long as you see the key points clearly, you won't be easily misled by appearances.

As a manifestation of this will, Aizen controlled the Central 46 Chambers to put pressure on the Gotei 13 again, forcing them to unconditionally hand over Rukia Kuchiki.

Then Mashiro flipped the table; she was just about to use this opportunity to get rid of Central 46.

She completely ignored the possibility that the Central 46th Chamber might still be alive and went straight to Guanting Street and Qingjingta Julin.

Faced with this situation, Aizen, who did not want to fight Mashiro before obtaining the Hogyoku, had no choice but to retreat from the Central 46 Chambers. Playing with conspiracies has such a flaw: when a huge and irresistible trend comes, the conspiracy can only be defeated.

At that time, Aizen thought that Mashiro had only guessed that he had already controlled the Central 46 Chambers, so he took action against the Central 46 Chambers in order to stop and thwart his plan.

As for discovering that the Central 46 had all been killed and taking over their power, that was just a convenient tactic. After all, like the other captains, Aizen never truly believed that he had been expelled by Yamamoto.

Furthermore, in Aizen's eyes, Mashiro was not the kind of vulgar person he thought he had seen all along. He had realized that Mashiro had never taken the Central 46 seriously.

But it wasn't until the very end that Aizen finally realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.

He misjudged Mashiro's character and made hasty judgments about her, thus greatly underestimating her abilities. Aizen had no ill will or dissatisfaction towards the incompetent members of the Central Chamber 46.

Because in Aizen's eyes, both the Central 46 and the Gotei 13 were the same—both unpleasant, vulgar, and inferior.

In Aizen's eyes, only a few people like Hanhan could be called strong.

The only difference was that to extract the Hogyoku from Rukia Kuchiki's body, the power of the Central 46 Chambers had to be used. Hypnosis alone was no longer enough to control them, so it was simpler and more straightforward to do it personally. Thus, they were all killed without any burden or sense of accomplishment.

If necessary, and if it required utilizing one of the Gotei 13 squads, he would do the same thing. However, this nonchalance and obliviousness were exactly what Mashiro wanted, and what Mashiro achieved through him.

It should be recognized that the requirement to use the double strike to remove the Hogyoku from Rukia Kuchiki's body is a prerequisite. It is because of this prerequisite that Aizen was able to utilize the Central Chamber 46. As the external pressure increased, the Central Chamber 46 gradually spiraled out of control, which is why he took action.

But who set this prerequisite?

For Mashiro, preventing Aizen from continuing to abuse the power of the Central 46 was not her true objective.

Her purpose in returning this time was to reclaim all the power of the Central 46 Chambers and put it in her own hands. Otherwise, she could have chosen not to come back at all. After all, Aizen could have successfully obtained the Hogyoku and left the Soul Society regardless of whether she returned or not.

It's important to understand that for Mashiro, she didn't achieve her goal only after the event progressed to the very end; rather, she achieved her primary objective right from the start.

In her own words, everything that happened after that was just a bit of fun.

It was precisely because of this that when Aizen understood the cause and effect in that instant, and realized that what he considered less than a speck of dust was more important to Mashiro than obtaining the Hogyoku, he lost his composure for a moment.

Him! Aizen, you sosuke! To think that one day you'd be placed alongside something of that caliber! And even less important than that!!!

This level of disrespect is even more unbearable than being killed because he was less skilled.

In that instant, how furious he was with Mashiro's lack of ambition when he rebuked her for her meager talents.

All they could see were those insignificant details, and they could no longer see the vast sky.

It could also be said that at that time, Aizen was completely disappointed in Mashiro.

With such talent, it's utterly disappointing that he's so fixated on so-called power!

It was Mashiro's intervention in the Central 46 that threw Aizen's plans into disarray. What is the greatest fear during this struggle between the two sides?

The worst-case scenario is that one side refuses to participate. If one crucial party doesn't step in, regardless of the other...

Whatever they did was no different from a one-man show.

As long as Aizen is involved, even if we never see him in person from beginning to end, there will be clues about the actions he will take and the actions he can take.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that even Aizen, when faced with such a situation, could only follow the predetermined path that had been laid out for him.

The best, and perhaps only, way to retrieve the Hogyoku at that time was to use the Twin Smash technique. Only the Central Chamber of 46 had the authority to use the Twin Smash technique. Even without using the Central Chamber of 46 against Rukia Kuchiki, contact with the Central Chamber of 46 and further manipulation of them was inevitable.

And when the Central 46 card is taken from Aizen's hands, what can Aizen do? This is also predictable.