XX-level Hokage

Although his face was still pale, an undeniable, ruler-like majesty rekindled in his deep eyes. "Seireitei, there are still many things waiting for Old Man Guan to handle."

He ignored everyone's advice and calmly put on the new Captain-Commander haori that Chojiro had fetched for him. Then, glancing at his cane, he walked steadily, step by step, out of the Fourth Division's general medical facility.

His tall, lonely figure appeared even more somber under everyone's gaze. First Squad Barracks, Commander-in-Chief's Office.

The furnishings here are as simple as ever, yet exude an air of majesty.

Sunlight streamed through the huge windows, casting long shadows on the floor.

Yamamoto Genryuchi Shigekuni sat quietly in the main seat, not reviewing any documents, but simply closing his eyes, as if he were faking it.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes. "The Sparrow Division."

"Here." Chojiro's figure appeared silently beside him, like a ghost.

"Go and fetch Mashiro." Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Yes, sir."

The Hell Butterfly, carrying the Captain-Commander's unquestionable command, pierced the sky above Seireitei.

At this moment, Mashiro was not in her assigned Third Division barracks. Instead, she was leisurely sitting on the throne in the former Central Room 46, the now-empty Supreme Council Chamber.

This place has now become her de facto private palace.

She toyed with a crystal-clear spirit particle in her hand, her face displaying a listless, languid expression. For her, the spectacular drama in Karakura Town had already come to an end.

Before her next "experiment"—Ichigo Kurosaki—grows up again, the Seireitei will enter a long and boring period of peace.

Until that guy woke up...

Just then, a jet-black hell butterfly fluttered over and landed on her fingertip.

Hearing the voice of Captain-Commander Yamamoto coming from the Hell Butterfly, Mashiro's lips curled into a meaningful, playful smile. "Oh? You can't sit still so soon, old man."

She slowly rose from her throne, stretched, as if she were not going to meet the supreme ruler of the Soul Society, but rather to attend... an interesting appointment that she had already anticipated.

When Mashiro's figure reappeared in the First Division Captain-Commander's office, Yamamoto Genryuchi Shigekuni remained in his usual secluded, contemplative posture. The air in the office was so heavy it seemed as if it could drip water.

Mashiro neither bowed nor spoke, but simply walked to the opposite side of Captain-Commander Yamamoto and casually pulled up a chair to sit down. "Grandpa, what brings you here?" she broke the silence first, her tone relaxed, as if catching up with a long-lost friend. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni slowly opened his eyes, his aged yet sharp gaze fixed intently on Mashiro.

His gaze seemed to see right through her soul.

“Shinji,” Captain-Commander Yamamoto’s voice was deep and imposing, “what exactly is your relationship with Aizen Yosuke?”

He offered no greetings, no pleasantries, and didn't even mention her astonishingly childish behavior in Karakura Town. He went straight to the heart of the matter. Mashiro's smile remained unchanged.

"Relationships... can be complicated or simple."

Chapter 257: Mashiro and Aizen (Part 2)

"Aizen wants to tell Sousuke," Captain-Commander Yamamoto's gaze, sharp as an eagle's, seemed to pierce through Mashiro's soul, "His growth, his plans, even... his ultimate failure. Did you know all of this from the very beginning?"

This is a question that goes so far as to be a trial.

Upon hearing this, Mashiro's lazy smile remained unchanged.

"Captain, what do you think?" she asked instead of answering, her deep eyes flashing with an unfathomable light.

"I'm asking you a question." Captain-Commander Yamamoto's voice grew louder, and the pressure of the strongest Shinigami, like an invisible mountain, slowly pressed down on Mashiro.

However, Mashiro seemed not to feel that pressure at all; she simply shrugged casually.

"I do know more than you do," she admitted without hesitation. "After all, Aizen-kun, Urahara-kun, and Yoruichi were all..."

My students. I know their talents and their ambitions better than anyone else.

“However,” Mashiro changed the subject, her eyes becoming incredibly clear and open, “I have never colluded with Aizen, nor have I ever secretly given him any help.”

Her answer was resolute and without the slightest hesitation.

Captain Yamamoto fell silent, his weathered eyes fixed intently on Mashiro, as if trying to discern the truth in her words. The atmosphere in the office once again became deathly still.

Finally, Captain-Commander Yamamoto slowly withdrew his oppressive aura. "...I understand." He didn't ask any further questions.

Just as he himself had thought, Mashiro's existence had long since exceeded the scope of his complete control. Rather than pursuing the past, which he could not answer, he should focus on the present.

Just when Captain-Commander Yamamoto thought the conversation was about to end, Mashiro suddenly spoke up again.

Her voice remained calm, but the content it contained was enough to shake the entire Seireitei once again.

“Captain-Commander,” Mashiro looked at Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, a meaningful smile curving her lips, “Although the war here is over, the real culprit is still hiding in Hueco Mundo.”

Captain-Commander Yamamoto's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Although Aizen has lost the Hogyoku, his body, which transcends the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollows, still exists. Given enough time, he could potentially become a threat to the three realms once again." Mashiro's voice was calm and unhurried, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself.

“And I,” she paused, a flicker of hunter-like excitement and possessiveness flashing in her eyes, almost imperceptible to others, “perfect for him, with that…”

A perfect body, I'm very interested.

So, Mashiro looked at Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

"I will take on the task of eradicating the remnants of Hueco Mundo and escorting the sinner Aizen Kakusuke back to Seireitei to face the final judgment of the Central 46."

Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni was completely stunned.

He looked at the woman before him, who had volunteered to deal with the final mess that even he himself found incredibly difficult to handle. Looking into her confident yet unfathomable eyes, a storm raged within him.

What is this woman thinking? What is her purpose? Captain-Commander Yamamoto didn't know.

However, he knew that the Seireitei was severely weakened and no longer had the strength to launch another war to invade Hueco Mundo.

Mashiro was the only one who possessed absolute power capable of crushing everything. For a very long time...

Yamamoto Genryu Shigekuni, the strongest Shinigami who had protected the Soul World for a thousand years, finally, slowly closed his aged eyes and then nodded heavily.

The brief yet subtly charged conversation in the First Division Commander-in-Chief's office ended with a heavy, tacit nod from Yamamoto Genryuchi.

Mashiro slowly walked out of the office that symbolized the highest power in Seireitei, her lazy yet playful smile reappearing on her face. Sunlight filtered through the ancient pines and cypresses in the First Division courtyard, casting dappled shadows on her pure white captain's haori.

"Clear out the remaining forces of Hueco Mundo and escort the sinner Aizen Kakusuke back to Seireitei." She murmured softly, as if savoring the intrigue of the mission. "It sounds like a nice post-war pastime."

For her, this was not receiving orders, but rather carrying out the next step of her own plan.

Aizen's body, which had merged with the Hogyoku and transcended the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollows, was the most perfect "research material" in her eyes, and also an indispensable stepping stone for her to reach a higher realm.

Instead of immediately returning to her former palace, which had long been seized as a trophy and belonged to the Central Forty-Sixth Chamber, she turned and strolled leisurely in another direction.

Fourth Division, General Medical Center.

The air here still carries that unique, tranquil scent, a blend of disinfectant and herbs. The smoke of war has dissipated, but the wounds it left behind will take time to heal.

When Mashiro appeared here as if strolling leisurely, it immediately caused a small commotion.

The members of the Fourth Division looked at the First Captain, who had effortlessly wiped out the Espada on the Karakura Town battlefield with godlike grace, and who had pulled the Captain-Commander and others back from the brink of death with incredible abilities, with eyes filled with awe and a hint of... curiosity.

Ignoring the self-sunlight cast upon her, she walked straight to the tea room located at the deepest part of the ambulance, where the security was tightest.

Pushing open the rustic wooden door, a delicate aroma of tea wafts out. As always, Unohana Retsu sits serenely in the center of the tea room.

She wore the white haori of the Fourth Division Captain, her always meticulously combed black braid hanging down her chest, and on her face was a gentle smile that was calm yet sorrowful, as if it could encompass all the suffering in the world.

"You've come, Mashiro." Unohana Retsu's voice was like the gentlest stream, easily soothing all the anxiety in one's heart.

"It seems I've come at the wrong time, disturbing Retsu-chan's peace and quiet." Mashiro sat down opposite her without any hesitation and poured herself a cup of still-warm tea.

Unohana Retsu smiled slightly, and deep within that smile lay a calmness as unfathomable as Mashiro's. "Your arrival is itself the most precious 'scenery' in this Seireitei, so how can it be considered a disturbance?"

Her gaze fell on Mashiro, and her eyes, unlike those of others, were not filled with awe and aloofness, but rather with a sense of equality, like that of a connoisseur.

In the entire Seireitei, perhaps only Retsu Unohana, this equally ancient woman who also harbors the terrifying fangs of the first Kenpachi, can truly...

On the contrary, he should have an equal dialogue with Mashiro.

Chapter 258: Chaos (Part 1)

"How is the old man's injury?" Zhenbai asked casually, taking a sip of tea.

"The physical injuries are mostly healed," Retsu Unohana replied softly, "but the weariness that comes from the soul, and... the silence of 'Ryujin Jakka,' will probably take a long time to recover."

"Is that so...?" Mashiro nodded thoughtfully. Yamamoto's weakening was undoubtedly "good news" for her.

"As for that child," Retsu Unohana's tone shifted, her gaze seemingly piercing through the wall to the intensive care unit not far away, "his spiritual energy channels have basically stabilized with Inoue-kun's help. However... that dried-up sea of ​​spiritual pressure shows no signs of reviving."

"That child, now, is just an ordinary human being."

"Ordinary?" Mashiro chuckled softly upon hearing this, a knowing smile that was difficult for others to detect.

"Retsu-chan, you and I both know that child has never been anything like the word 'ordinary.' Beneath that seemingly dry ocean lies something else entirely!"

But it is a true "monster" capable of overturning the balance of the three realms.

Retsu Unohana didn't refute, but simply poured Mashiro another cup of tea. They both knew that Ichigo Kurosaki's "death" was only temporary.

When that soul, which has merged the powers of a Shinigami, a Hollow, and a Quincy, awakens once more, it will return in a way that no one can predict.

"Are you going to Hueco Mundo?" Egg-shaped Retsu suddenly asked.

“Yes,” Mashiro nodded, admitting it without a care, “The old man gave me a tough job, to go and bring back Aizen-kun, that disobedient student.”

"Aizen…" Retsu Unohana repeated the name softly, a complex light flashing in her eyes. "He was also a pitiful person." "Oh?" Mashiro raised an eyebrow. "There aren't many people in this world who can make you feel sorry for Retsu-chan."

"Isn't a soul that yearns to transcend, yet is bound by the chains of the gods, pitiful?" Unohana Retsu's face still wore that sorrowful smile, but her words seemed to conceal a sigh for her own fate.

Mashiro looked at her and laughed.

She knew that Retsu Unohana's words were referring to both Aizen and herself.

"Retsu-chan, the knife you call 'Meat-loser' never cuts through the flesh and blood of your enemies, but rather... your own uncontrollable desire for slaughter." Mashiro's voice was soft, yet like the sharpest blade, easily piercing through Unohana Retsu's gentle disguise.

Retsu Unohana's body stiffened slightly, but the smile on her face remained unchanged. "Heh, you can't fool anyone, Mashiro."

“Likewise.” Mashiro stood up, preparing to leave. “Then, I’ll leave the Seireitei to you for now. I don’t want to come back with some interesting spoils and find this place in ruins.”

"Don't worry," Retsu Unohana replied gently, "No one has been able to truly hurt this place before I fall."

Her tone was calm, yet it carried an absolute confidence that could make the entire Soul Society tremble. As Mashiro's figure disappeared through the doorway, Retsu Unohana slowly put down her teacup.

She reached out and gently touched the scar on her chest, a scar that had long since healed but would never truly disappear... Squad 2, Covert Commando Headquarters.

The atmosphere here was completely different from the tranquility of the Fourth Division; it was filled with a chilling and tense atmosphere.

When Mashiro appeared at the door of the Second Division Captain's office, Soi Fon was processing the mountain of intelligence documents with the precision of a top-notch machine.

Her face, which always carried a hint of coldness, showed no emotion whatsoever.

“Mashiro… Lady.” Upon seeing the newcomer, Soi Fon instinctively straightened up, her voice more stiff than usual. “What? Aren’t you welcoming me to inspect your work, Captain Soi Fon?” Mashiro stepped forward slowly, a playful smile on her lips.

She walked to Soi Fon's desk, reached out, and gently lifted Soi Fon's chin with her fingertips, forcing her to look into her eyes.