Late at night, under the grand wall of Seireitei East.
Two figures slowly appear.
Worth mentioning, both are captains of the Gotei 13 Squads.
One is the captain of the third squad, Gin Ichimaru, and the other is the captain of the tenth squad, Toshiro Hitsugaya.
Their appearance here is, of course, not a casual encounter while strolling.
In fact, not long ago, Head Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had already issued the highest level of alert, preparing all Shinigami for war against the pure-blooded Quincy.
There's no helping it; after all, the strength of the enemy who arrived this time is terrifying.
They easily defeated Kenpachi Zaraki and Byakuya Kuchiki, two squad captains. According to later information, even Tohsen Kaname and Komamura Sajin were similarly defeated; their defeats occurred even earlier than Zaraki and Kuchiki.
Additionally, the already deceased captain of the fifth squad, Sosuke Aizen.
Everyone's suspect now is Fang Mo, who is referred to as the pure-blooded Quincy Ryoko by the Head Captain.
To counter him, Head Captain Yamamoto also issued an order that, starting today, at least two captains should patrol Seireitei together.
From the previous battles, it's easy to see that Quincy has at least the strength to defeat a captain alone.
So, two captains working together can at least try to delay the fight or use Kidō to transmit information to others, allowing everyone to capture this evil Ryoko.
With that said, it's clear that everyone is targeting Ryoko.
But not Toshiro Hitsugaya, he has his own thoughts.
Toshiro Hitsugaya has a childhood friend, a girl named Momo Hinamori, who is currently the vice-captain of the fifth squad, and the captain assassinated this morning was Sosuke Aizen of the fifth squad.
Momo Hinamori greatly admired Sosuke Aizen.
Hearing of her captain's assassination, she nearly collapsed.
The death of a captain should be a grave matter, but Gin Ichimaru, also a captain, seemed unsurprised by Aizen's death, even smiling as if enjoying a show.
Recalling a verbal altercation between the two at the ruins of the repentance palace, Toshiro Hitsugaya instantly realized something.
Gin Ichimaru is indeed very suspicious.
Perhaps there are some hidden plots he is unaware of.
Although the invasion of the pure-blooded Quincy is also strange, to be honest, what confuses Toshiro Hitsugaya more is the Central 46 Chambers constant orders to expedite the execution. The enemies are almost defiling Seireitei, and these nobles are not concerned about that but instead keep urging the rapid execution of Rukia Kuchiki. Isn't that crazy?
Rukia is powerful, but it's clear he can't influence the orders issued by the Central 46 Chambers, as this is an internal matter within the Soul Society.
So Hitsugaya Toshiro has some doubts.
Besides Rukia, there are definitely other issues within the Soul Society. He has not yet fully investigated where the problem lies.
One thing that's certain is that Gin Ichimaru is definitely a big problem.
The Head Captain has asked both captains to search the Soul Society, so Hitsugaya comes up with an idea to accompany Gin to keep an eye on him. If Gin has any ulterior motives, he will expose him immediately.
What's strange to Hitsugaya is that Gin didn't refuse; instead, he happily agreed. They soon began patrolling.
Since captains usually act with their lieutenants, Hitsugaya brought along his own lieutenant, a blonde beauty named Matsumoto Rangiku.
Gin should also have brought his lieutenant, but due to a prior incident where Hinamori Momo went berserk and Kira Izuru tried to stop her, both are now imprisoned, so he had to go alone.
But actually, Gin quite enjoys this.
After all, he has always liked Matsumoto Rangiku and would love to keep wandering around like this.
Yes, just wandering.
Hitsugaya is focused on watching Gin and hasn't suggested any real patrolling.
Gin also doesn't care; he's been secretly watching Matsumoto Rangiku. Because he usually squints, no one notices him spying.
As for Matsumoto Rangiku, she's just following Hitsugaya without any comments.
The three continue their leisurely walk.
Sadly, the happy times are short-lived. By nightfall, they received news that Hinamori Momo, previously imprisoned for drawing her sword, had escaped.
Hearing this, Hitsugaya felt uneasy.
"Did you pull some trick again?" Almost subconsciously, Hitsugaya turned to Gin. "Why did Hinamori escape?"
"Aiya, you're making it difficult for me," Gin grinned. "I've been with you all day; you can't blame her escape on me."
"You!" Hitsugaya clenched his teeth but soon held back, then turned to his lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku, "Rangiku, you'll have to help Hinamori now. I really can't leave."
"It can't be that letter, right?" Matsumoto started mumbling.
"Letter?" Hitsugaya looked puzzled. "What letter?"
"The letter you gave me," Matsumoto said. "The one Captain Aizen left in his room. It was addressed to Hinamori, and you told me to give it to her."
"Could it be that letter?"
Hitsugaya Toshiro was taken aback for a moment. Out of respect for the deceased, he hadn't read the letter and directly handed it over to Hinamori Momo. Now that he thought about it... could it contain evidence about Aizen being murdered?
Otherwise, why would Hinamori Momo choose to break out of jail after reading the letter?
"Thanks for your help, Rangiku. Anyway, let's find Hinamori first," Hitsugaya Toshiro hurriedly said to Matsumoto Rangiku.
"I..."
Matsumoto Rangiku hesitated for a moment, glanced at Hitsugaya Toshiro, then at Ichimaru Gin, and finally nodded, "Alright, I understand, Captain."
With a flash step, Matsumoto Rangiku quickly disappeared from the spot.
As soon as Matsumoto Rangiku left, the atmosphere between the two instantly turned ice-cold.
"Ichimaru Gin, stop playing games," Hitsugaya Toshiro was getting impatient. Looking at the man in front of him, smiling as always, he felt like cutting him down right then and there. "What are you planning? Did you kill Captain Aizen?"
"You need evidence to accuse someone," Ichimaru Gin still wore that sly smile, cunning like a fox. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Hinamori broke out of jail. Don't you understand that?" Hitsugaya Toshiro yelled. "If Aizen was killed by some accident, she wouldn't break out of jail. There's only one truth: she discovered that the real killer is you!"
"Didn't I say it already?"
Ichimaru Gin shrugged and reiterated, "This has nothing to do with me. I don't understand why you're getting so worked up."
"You!"
Hitsugaya Toshiro was still a child after all. Seeing Ichimaru Gin's annoying smile, he couldn't help himself and instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Oh?"
Ichimaru Gin's smile turned somewhat eerie, "What, you want to fight me?"
"You think I won't?" Hitsugaya Toshiro yelled.
"Hehehe..."
Ichimaru Gin started to laugh, "Just based on some suspicions, you want to kill your comrade. Captain Hitsugaya, now I think you're the one who killed Aizen."
"Nonsense!"
Hearing this, Hitsugaya Toshiro could no longer restrain himself and drew his sword, "Sit upon the frosted heavens, Hyorin…"
However, just as the battle was about to erupt, footsteps suddenly echoed from a nearby distance. Strangely, neither Hitsugaya Toshiro nor Ichimaru Gin sensed any spiritual pressure.
A spine-chilling feeling arose in Hitsugaya Toushirou's heart as he instinctively turned his head to be alert.
As for Ichimaru Gin on the other side, the smile on his face also gradually turned stiff.
Soon enough, Fang Mo's figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the alley.
"Who are you!?"
Hitsugaya Toshiro almost immediately shouted, as he had never seen the person before, and the person wasn't wearing any Shinigami uniform but a clean white robe instead.
Actually, Hitsugaya Toshiro already had an answer in his heart, but according to his character, he would at least ask a question before launching an attack.
"Of course, I am His Majesty the Emperor's most loyal warrior, specifically here to annihilate you heretics."
Fang Mo spoke with a smile, "But let's get back to the point. Tonight's haul is quite big, isn't it? Just took care of a bunch of small fries, and now I've met a captain. At this rate, all of the Seireitei will be killed by me... don't you think, Ichimaru Gin?"
"Ichimaru Gin!"
Hearing Fang Mo's words, Hitsugaya Toushirou immediately turned his head to look at Ichimaru Gin, "You still say you're not a traitor!?"
"I don't even know you."
However, unlike the frantic reaction of being caught, Ichimaru Gin looked at Fang Mo very solemnly, his hand also instinctively went to the hilt of his Zanpakuto, "Who...are you exactly?"
"Hey, hey, given the circumstances, you don't have to be so cautious, do you?"
Fang Mo waved his hand with a laugh, not even giving Hitsugaya Toshiro a glance, and spoke directly to Ichimaru Gin, "I alone can handle this captain, let alone both of us working together. Do you think he can escape? Drop the act, aren't you tired?"
"You..."
"By the way, that lieutenant you wanted me to kill earlier, I just happened to run into her. Her name is Hinamori, right?"
Before Ichimaru Gin could say anything, Fang Mo continued, "She even wanted to release her Zanpakuto, standing there shouting 'Bloom, Sōgyo no Kotowari.' But before she could finish, I burned her to ashes, not even leaving any remains. Funny, isn't it? Quite impressive, wouldn't you say, Gin-san?"
When Fang Mo finished these words, the scene suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
However, not long after, a terrifying spiritual pressure soared into the sky.
"Bankai!" Hitsugaya Toushirou's eyes turned crimson red, as if he had transformed into a man-eating beast, "Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!!"
~~~
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